The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), has been described as an initiative by younger Northerners, of all faith and all ethnic groups playing a major role in rescuing the region from the margins of irrelevance, impotence, inconsequence and decay in the context of the Nigerian nation. Lawal Adamu Usman, (Mr LA) Peoples Democratic Party senatorial candidate in the 2019 round of elections, said the CNG has already made a mark as a strong voice especially with its efforts in restoring communal harmony across the North. Referring specifically to the Group’s ongoing peace initiative in Southern Kaduna, parts of which forms…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
South African authorities are investigating government departments for graft over irregularities in coronavirus-related tenders worth 290 million dollars (5 billion rand), the head of its Special Investigating Unit (SIU) told lawmakers on Wednesday. The figure is likely to add to pressure on President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ruling African National Congress, who have struggled to deflect criticism from alliance partners and opposition parties as allegations of corruption implicated senior ANC politicians. Ramaphosa, who replaced his scandal-prone predecessor Jacob Zuma in 2017 with promises to eradicate corruption, has battled to root out criminality linked to the fight against COVID-19 in South…
An environmentalist, Mr Emmanuel Emechete, has warned that the increasing vehicular exhaust fumes in the atmosphere posed grave health hazards to the public. Emechete in an interview on Wednesday in Lagos warned that the emission of exhaust fumes from vehicles in our environment was on the increase. “These exhaust fumes contain green house gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen, water vapours, and oxygen in unconsumed air, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, unburnt fuel, and particulate matter that are usually released into the atmosphere in smaller quantities. “These gases are harmful to the environment; contribute to depletion of the…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has called on financial institutions in the country to strengthen their collaboration with the Commission towards ridding the country of corruption, economic and financial crimes. A statement by Dele Oyewale, Head, Media & Publicity, said the Uyo Zonal Head of the Commission, Mr Akpa Edeh made the call was made on Tuesday, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, while holding a meeting with bank compliance officers. According to him, it is important to remind banks of their critical roles as major stakeholders in the fight against corruption. “Knowing that the fight against corruption is everybody’s…
Plans by Mauritius to sink part of a broken-up vessel that caused a disastrous oil spill should be shelved, environmental watchdog, Greenpeace, said on Wednesday. “Out of all available options, the Mauritian government is choosing the worst one,” said Happy Khambule of Greenpeace Africa. “Sinking this vessel would risk biodiversity and contaminate the ocean with large quantities of heavy metal toxins, threatening other areas as well, notably the French island of La Reunion,” he added. The Mauritian government announced its plan to sink part of the Wakashiho earlier in the week, after the Japanese-owned ship broke in two weeks after…
China said it recently released a new guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of advanced-stage breast cancer, hoping to extend the survival time of patients. Breast cancer has the highest incidence rate among women. At present, the five-year survival rate of breast cancer patients in the country has reached to 83.2 per cent, whereas that of advanced breast cancer patients only accounts for 20 per cent. The complicated treatment calls for urgently improving diagnosis and treatment standards, especially to narrow the gap between different regions of the country, said Ma Fei, an expert with the National Cancer Center. Ma, also…
The Presidency has commended the medical staff for measures taken to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the State House. A statement by Attah Esa, Deputy Director (Information) at the State House on Wednesday, said the Permanent Secretary, Mr Tijjani Umar described the measures taken by the staff to contain the spread of the virus as very strong and solid. He gave the commendation at the valedictory session in honour of Mr Augustus Ogueri, Deputy Director, Planning and State House (SERVICOM) Nodal Officer, who retired from the civil service on Tuesday, having attained 60 years of age. According to the…
Mosquitoes infected with the deadly West Nile virus were found in northern and southern Israel, the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection reported on Wednesday. The infected mosquitoes were discovered during routine sampling conducted by the ministry in four settlements in the southern Arava valley and in the northern Gilboa region, near the Kishon River. The infections were detected in mosquitos trapped and sent to laboratories run by the ministry of health. Following the detection of the infected mosquitoes, the ministry warned that the affected local authorities should increase monitoring efforts, and if deemed necessary, the authorities should carry out exterminations.…
The various digital tools developed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to scale agronomic recommendations and help farmers improve productivity are currently changing the face and practice of agricultural extension in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. This assertion was made recently by the IITA Digital Extension and Advisory Services Specialist, Godwin Atser, while delivering his contract review seminar titled: “Digital disruption in the scaling of the Six Steps to Cassava Weed Management & Best Planting Practices toolkit.” During the seminar, Godwin took his online audience through vivid explanations of how the digitization of the project’s Six Steps…
Startup entrepreneurs are working to harness Africa’s potential. Together they represent a critical pipeline of innovation that is driving high growth high impact solutions on the continent. A critical juncture for any startup comes at the seed stage, a financing segment that has experienced significant changes these past months. In this article, we delve into the changing dynamics of seed-stage investing and as VC4A (https://VC4A.com) works to recruit startups for the 2020 VC4A Venture Showcase – Seed (https://bit.ly/2PZy8N0). At the pre-seed stage, entrepreneurs are going after their first third party investment, raising $50K to $150K. Often Friends, Family, and Fools (FFF) +…