DELSU notice to 2020 Post UTME candidates on change of course

This is to inform all prospective students who chose Dramatic Arts as a course of study in the Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, that the University offers Theatre Arts and not Dramatic arts.Consequently, all such candidates are expected to effect immediate change in their own interests.
Also, there is no course as International Studies and Diplomacy. What we have is History and International studies.

GOVS, OHANAEZE COMMEND BUHARI AS ENUGU AIRPORT REOPENS

At last, after a year and six days the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria shut down flights operation at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport for safety concerns, the airport was on Sunday reopened for business.

FAAN had on August 24, 2019 shut down flight operations in the airport after prominent Igbo sons and daughters lamented the deplorable state of the airport, describing it as a death trap.

President Muhammadu Buhari subsequently approved N10bn special fund for the reconstruction/ rehabilitation work at the airport after the South-East Governors and Igbo leaders led a delegation to the presidency.

Speaking during the official reopening on Sunday, the president who was represented by the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, said that the completion of work at the runway and the reopening of flights operation “was a promise kept.”

Buhari said the Airport was so important to the aviation industry as well as to the people of the South-East because of its revenue base, adding that was why everything humanly possible was done to see that the Airport reopened on time.

Sirika said that by approving the sum of N10bn for the rehabilitation of the airport, Buhari had shown how dedicated he was towards the infrastructural development of the South-East and the country at large.

“With the airport reopening today, it is now open to local flights and on 5th September, International flights will resume as soon as we begin to allow them into the country,” the minister said.

He added that he had also approved the sum of N1bn for the continuation of works at the International Terminal building as well as the Cargo terminal, in a bid to upgrade the airport to international standards.

The minister commended the South-East governors for their support in ensuring that the repair works were carried out as quickly as possible and thanked the governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, especially for removing the obstacles that would have hindered the progress of the project.

Speaking at the occasion, President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, said he never believed, “that what we are seeing today will happen.”

Nwodo who was so delighted that the airport was reopened eventually thanked Buhari for approving money for the project.

He also thanked Ugwuanyi for his efforts in making sure that the project became a reality.

Apart from Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Governors David Umahi of Ebonyi State, Willie Obiano of Anambra State and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State were present. Imo State Governor, Hope

Uzodimma, was represented by his Deputy.

Meanwhile, Air Peace on Sunday became the first commercial airline to land at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, after the completion of rehabilitation works at the airport runway.

Onboard the flight which landed at exactly 1.30pm were ministers of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama and the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba.

It also had Senators Ike Ekweremadu, Uche Ekwunife, Chukwuka Utazi and some members of the House of Representatives including Nnoli Nnaji.

On arrival, they all headed to the Enugu State Government House to hold discussions.

 

 At last, after a year and six days the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria shut down flights operation at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport for safety concerns, the airport was on Sunday reopened for business.

FAAN had on August 24, 2019 shut down flight operations in the airport after prominent Igbo sons and daughters lamented the deplorable state of the airport, describing it as a death trap.

President Muhammadu Buhari subsequently approved N10bn special fund for the reconstruction/ rehabilitation work at the airport after the South-East Governors and Igbo leaders led a delegation to the presidency.

Speaking during the official reopening on Sunday, the president who was represented by the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, said that the completion of work at the runway and the reopening of flights operation “was a promise kept.”

Buhari said the Airport was so important to the aviation industry as well as to the people of the South-East because of its revenue base, adding that was why everything humanly possible was done to see that the Airport reopened on time.

Sirika said that by approving the sum of N10bn for the rehabilitation of the airport, Buhari had shown how dedicated he was towards the infrastructural development of the South-East and the country at large.

“With the airport reopening today, it is now open to local flights and on 5th September, International flights will resume as soon as we begin to allow them into the country,” the minister said.

He added that he had also approved the sum of N1bn for the continuation of works at the International Terminal building as well as the Cargo terminal, in a bid to upgrade the airport to international standards.

The minister commended the South-East governors for their support in ensuring that the repair works were carried out as quickly as possible and thanked the governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, especially for removing the obstacles that would have hindered the progress of the project.

Speaking at the occasion, President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, said he never believed, “that what we are seeing today will happen.”

Nwodo who was so delighted that the airport was reopened eventually thanked Buhari for approving money for the project.

He also thanked Ugwuanyi for his efforts in making sure that the project became a reality.

Apart from Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Governors David Umahi of Ebonyi State, Willie Obiano of Anambra State and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State were present. Imo State Governor, Hope

Uzodimma, was represented by his Deputy.

Meanwhile, Air Peace on Sunday became the first commercial airline to land at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, after the completion of rehabilitation works at the airport runway.

Onboard the flight which landed at exactly 1.30pm were ministers of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama and the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba.

It also had Senators Ike Ekweremadu, Uche Ekwunife, Chukwuka Utazi and some members of the House of Representatives including Nnoli Nnaji.

On arrival, they all headed to the Enugu State Government House to hold discussions.

 

  

Djokovic in action on day one at US open Bubble

 

Overwhelming favourite Novak Djokovic begins his quest for an 18th Grand Slam title on Monday as a unique, spectator-free 2020 US Open gets underway in a Covid-19 quarantine bubble at Flushing Meadows.

The world No 1 headlines the opening day of a tennis major that promises to be unlike any other and which is missing several top players due to coronavirus fears.

Djokovic takes on unheralded Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina in a round-one evening match at an Arthur Ashe Stadium that in normal years buzzes with 23 000 screaming fans.

But due to strict measures aimed at keeping Covid-19 out of the US National Tennis Centre, only players, officials and a handful of media will be watching in-person this year.

"It is strange to see," said Djokovic, crediting his love of playing on the New York hardcourts to Ashe, which he described as "the most dynamic and explosive court" in the game.

"The circumstances are very unusual but we have to deal with it and try to embrace it," the Serbian superstar added.

The US Open marks the first Grand Slam of the coronavirus era, and the first since the Australian Open in January and February, after the global pandemic wiped out much of the season, including Wimbledon.

Players are being kept in a tightly controlled environment to minimise the risk of infection and are being tested for coronavirus regularly throughout the tournament.

The men's draw was disrupted on the eve of the tournament on Sunday when France's Benoit Paire was removed after organisers announced that an unidentified player had been withdrawn after testing positive for Covid-19.

Under New York state rules, any player that tests positive is immediately withdrawn and must self-isolate for at least 10 days.

Most competitors are staying at specific hotels and are not allowed to travel anywhere other than to and from the tournament site and their accommodation.

Some players, including Djokovic, have rented private houses that must be guarded 24 hours by security to safeguard the quarantine bubble.

Parts of the tennis centre grounds were turned into makeshift hospital rooms during the worst of the pandemic in New York in April.

NO NADAL, FEDERER                                                         

Intense cleaning and safety protocols were put in place before the US Open allowed players into the bubble.

And the number of support personnel for each competitor is limited, as is the number of players allowed into the locker room at any one time.

Players are advised to wear masks when they are not on court and must wash their hands regularly.

The absence of defending champion Rafael Nadal and Swiss legend Roger Federer gives Djokovic a prime opportunity to gain ground on his rivals in the chase for the all-time men's Grand Slam singles title record.

Top seed and three-time US Open winner Djokovic – who has won five of the past seven Grand Slam crowns – has 17 slams, behind Nadal on 19 and Federer on 20.

Also on Ashe on Monday is top-seeded woman Karolina Pliskova, who goes up against 145th ranked Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine.

Two-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka is scheduled to play as well, but her status is in doubt due to a left hamstring injury that forced her to pull out of Saturday's WTA New York final.

Serena Williams starts her bid for a 24th career Grand Slam women's singles crown to match the all-time record set by Margaret Court on Tuesday.

Women's No 1 Ashleigh Barty and reigning champion Bianca Andreescu are among high-profile women skipping the event because of concerns about coronavirus.

Buhari vows to probe PDP govt $16bn power fund

…says ‘we’ll take security, economy, infrastructure seriously

By Samuel Oyadongha & Emem Idio

YENAGOA—THE presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Saturday’s poll, President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to probe the $16 billion reportedly spent by past administrations on the power sector.

Buhari in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State during the presidential campaign rally of the APC, held at the Oxbow Lake Pavilion, said he will make public officers accountable to the people, just as he assured that his administration will take seriously its programmes of security, economy, and infrastructure.

The president’s campaign train had earlier visited Governor Seriake Dickson at the Government House, Yenagoa and the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council, where he met with monarchs in the state before arriving the campaign rally venue.

Admitting that fighting corruption had not been easy, Buhari said he would probe and recover the $16 billion spent on power by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, led past administrations with nothing to show for it.

His words: “You know we are building roads, railways, there was no power, we are bringing power back. The previous governments mentioned on their own that they spent $16 billion on power but you are better witnesses than myself, where is the power? Where is the money? We will follow them, eventually we will get them and we will get our money back. I assure you that we will maintain focus in securing this country and mange it properly.

“I assure you that the APC government will take seriously our programmes on security, economy and infrastructure. We are also promising that we will make people who occupy executive positions both in federal and state governments to be accountable to the people.

“If you could recall, when I came in 2015 with our party, we articulated issues which we campaigned on and which we are working on, among them  security, economy and fighting corruption.”

YABATECH Acceptance fee payment procedure for 2018/2019 academic session has been announced. This is to inform all candidates who have been offered admission into the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) National Diploma (ND) full-time programmes for the 2018/2019 academic session that the payment of Acceptance fee will commence January 2nd, 2018.
YABATECH Acceptance Fee Payment Procedure

Candidates are to follow the procedure below to pay their Acceptance Fees;
1.) Visit: http://portal.yabatech.edu.ng/applications/INDEX_ACCEPTANCE.PHP
2.) Click on Acceptance Fee
3.) Click on Applicant Login
4.) Enter your UTME/Application Number
5.) Click on Login
6.) Click on Pay Now
7.) Click on Make payment
8.) Select any payment option (Card Payment, Bank Payment)
9.) If option selected is Card Payment, click Submit, enter your card details, and enter your soft or hard token for MasterCard or the i-pin for Visa cards. If transaction is successful after payment kindly click on Print Evidence of Payment to print your receipt.
10.) If option selected is Bank Payment, click Submit and print the payment invoice and proceed to the bank to make payment. After bank payment kindly go back to the college website, click on Payment Confirmation/Validation link, enter the RRR number or Application/UTME number and click validate. If transaction is successful after validation kindly click on Print Evidence of Payment to print your receipt.
11.) Return to the College Website, repeat STEP 3 and 5
12.) Print out your Payment History
13.) Update your Biodata and Print it
NB: Kindly note Your Remita Retrieval Reference (RRR) number.

Osun Decides: APC flies cash-loaded helicopters into government house – PDP alleges

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, of flying many helicopters full of cash into Osun State ahead of the Saturday’s election.

The party said the APC was planning to buy votes with billions of Naira in order to manipulate the people to vote for the ruling party’s candidate, Gboyega Oyetola.

The PDP also denied that its candidate in the election, Senator Ademola Adeleke, was collecting bank details of the electorate through a WhatsApp number in order to buy their votes.

Speaking with journalists at the party’s secretariat on Friday, the PDP Chairman in Osun State, Soji Adagunodo, noted that the party had detected several means through which the APC wanted to rig the election.

Adagunodo said, “We wish to alert the general public to the planned monetisation of the Osun State governorship election, especially the voting process, by the APC.

“Towards this ignoble end, several helicopters loaded with cash were flown into the Government House between the hours of 4pm and 8pmon Thursday.

“The money, which we were reliably informed about run into billions of naira, was contributed by state governors elected on the platform of the APC to enable the party to induce voters at various polling units.

“In addition, each of the 67 local government council development areas in Osun State was made to cough up N12.5m for the same purpose.

“The plan of the APC, as gathered from very credible sources, was to buy votes with a sum ranging from N5,000 to N10,000 each at the polling units.

“It is quite unfortunate that a government which did not find it compelling to pay salaries and allowances of its workforce for 34 months could resort to attempting to buy the conscience of voters in this election.”

Banky W Recalls The Scary Fire Incident That Almost Claimed His Life In 2017

The singer posted a video of one of his songs, #BlessingMe, which was shot after the incident. The video, he revealed, turned out to be the beginning of an incredible 2017 for him.

He narrated how he had to climb down from the 2nd-floor balcony with his dog because flames had engulfed the entire 1st floor.

He, however, remains grateful to God, as he did not lose his life, despite losing everything!

He wrote: “Today’s #throwbackthursday post comes to you courtesy of my video for #BlessingMe – I shot this last year immediately after I had a pretty bad fire in my house.

“I lost everything from clothes and shoes to electronics and awards…I ended up needing to climb down from the 2nd floor balcony with my dog because the flames had engulfed the entire 1st floor. “It was one of the scariest experiences of my life. But I was so thankful to God that no matter what was lost, I didn’t lose my life. I realized I still had so much to be thankful for, so instead of allowing myself to be frustrated, I went and shot this video to thank God.

“This video was the beginning of an incredible 2017 for me – I got engaged to the love of my life, survived another bout with Cancer, got married, and completed my first home.

“So today, use this video as a point of contact to thank God for your own blessings… knowing that even if you aren’t where you want to be, you’re not where you started… and as long as you’re still alive, you still have a chance to get it right.”

Nigerian women committed 2.7m abortions in 2017 – Study

A survey conducted by the Performance Monitoring and Accountability (PMA2020) in collaboration with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has shown that Nigerian women committed about 2.7 million abortions in 2017.

Presenting the results of the survey in Abuja on Friday, Suzanne Bell, a scientist at John Hopkins School of Public Health, said a majority of the abortions were done by young girls in secondary schools and women in their early 20s.

The survey was carried out in Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Rivers, Nasarawa, Anambra and Taraba States.

“In 2018, PMA 2020 conducted a survey to produce updated and expanded estimates of abortion-related indicators.

“The survey results provided new insights into the characteristics of women who have abortions and the pathways leading to abortion within or outside the healthcare system.

“In Nigeria, most public tertiary facilities provided post-abortion care (92 per cent) and safe abortion services to save a woman’s life (81 per cent); lower level public facilities and private facilities were much less likely to do so.

“In 2017, the annual incidence of likely abortions in Nigeria was 41.8 per cent per 1000 women aged, 15 to 49, which is nearly 1.8 million abortions.

“When including information related to the experience of respondents closest confidants, the rate of likely abortions in Nigeria rose to 2.7 million.”

Bell said that women living in rural areas, women with no education and women who are poor were the most likely to have had the least safe abortion.

She further said that six out of 10 abortions were considered least safe and 11% of women experienced complications for which they sought post-abortion care at a health facility.

Earlier, Elizabeth Omoluabi, principal investigator, PMA2020, said that one out of every four children were unintended, giving rise to some of the abortions committed by women.

Omoluabi, therefore, called for the empowerment of women to have family planning before marriage in order to reduce the abortion rate.

Gunmen attack Benue community, kill five

Benue State Police Command on Friday confirmed the killing of five people in Tse Vue village of Ukum Local Government Area of the state by gunmen believed to be wanted kingpin’s gang, Terwase Akwaza, popularly known as Gana.

Spokesman of the command, DSP Moses Yamu, confirmed this in a statement.

He said that the police had received a report that Tse Vue village via Ayati in Ukum LGA was attacked on Thursday at about 9:00am by suspected Shitile militia (Gana boys)

According to Yamu “operatives led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Ukum on reaching the scene, recovered five unconscious male victims who appeared to have been strangled using ropes and one man who was injured. They were rushed to the hospital.

“The five men were confirmed dead on arrival at the hospital.

“The state Commissioner of Police, Ene Okon, has ordered immediate investigation into the incident with a view to arresting the attackers, warning that the command under his watch would not hesitate to deal decisively with law breakers.”