NNPC DEBUNKS ALLEGATIONS OF SHORTFALL IN REMITTED REVENUE

NNPC has debunked allegations by the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Finance, that the corporation had not remitted  N320.654 billion to the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee.

FG WILL COMPLETE PAYMENT OF ELECTRICITY WORKERS’ ENTITLEMENTS BY DECEMBER - DAGOGO-JACK

the Federal Government would complete the payment of all outstanding entitlements of PHCN workers by December.

FG approves automotive development plan for local production of vehicles

Abuja, Oct. 2, 2013 (NAN) The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday in Abuja approved the Automotive Industry Development Plan for the development of the nation’s automotive industry.

‘Cybercrime victims lose N80bn yearly’

Wife of the President, Patience Jonathan has said that victims of cybercrime lose about $500m (about N80bn) annually worldwide, noting that its effect is more devastating than war.

Speaking at the 2013 World Cyber Security Conference held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa on Tuesday, Patience pledged to take the fight against cyber crimes to schools and the grassroots to protect the youths from its repercussions.

She observed that a recent report released by Systematic Corporation of USA indicated that internet crime had reduce drastically in Nigeria, adding that the nation had been given the  right to establish a Regional Cyber Security Centre.

The First Lady  pledged to create awareness of basic online security measures and develop practical tools to help minimize risks, and expressed her commitment to ensure that the African child is protected from cyber crime and abuse.

She stated that institutional and human cyber security capacities should be built to reduce online child exploitation and  legal measures taken to ensure passage of the Cyber Security Bill.

The First Lady disclosed that Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Telecommunication Union to collaborate on Child Online Protection.

A former  Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak canvassed for a globally coordinated effort to fight cybercrime and cyber terror, and called  for synergy between the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary to ensure quick passage of the Cyber Security Bill.

Barak who described Nigeria as one of the potentially richest countries in the world, pointed out that in spite of the various challenges facing the nation, it is moving in the right direction.

He said, “Considering the sophisticated nature of cyber crime, every country should establish an organisation to fight cyber crime, make sophisticated research. In the past, there was a limited impact of terror compared to modern society where things are totally different. This war requires patience to learn from past mistakes of other nations, and fight to have a better future together”

Nigeria needs strong health institutions —IANPHI boss

The President of the International Association of National Public Health Institutes, Prof. Pekka Puska, has urged the government at all levels to build health institutions that can stand the test of time.

Puska said this during a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos.

 He expressed the view that Nigeria and other African countries need strong institutions to drive ministries and national development.

He noted that though core public health programmes could span a longer period than the government ministries and agencies, it was important to put strong institutions in place in order to drive health-related ministries that will, in turn, propel national development.

“This is the business of IANPHI: to ensure that the capacity of affiliated 80-member institutions is strengthened,” Puska said.

In response, the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Prof. Innocent Ujah, said many NIMR staff had benefited from the services of the IANPHI, a global initiative that aims to develop stronger and more coordinated public health systems through the development and support of National Public Health Institutes

Robotic cars set to roll out in 2020

Nissan Motor Company recently took the automobile industry by surprise when it promised to deliver ‘autonomous cars’ in less than seven years from now 

Niger government expends N8.7bn to boost agriculture

The Niger government said on Monday that it had spent N8.7 billion on agriculture from 2007 to 2013 . Alhaji Ibrahim Matane, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, said

Police arrest 102 persons for refusing polio vaccines in Niger September 17, 2013

No fewer than 102 persons have been arrested in Niger for refusing to allow their children receive the polio vaccines, the Director of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Shehu Yabagi, has said Yabagi told the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) on Tuesday in Minna that the arrests were made by the police in the last two years.
He said that the police were invited by the agency to effect the arrest as part of measures to enforce the law which prohibited rejection of the vaccine.
Yabagi said some of the suspects had been arraigned in various courts, while ‘’ some have been fined for their action and others served various jai terms to serve as deterrent to others".
He said the agency would continue to work hard to ensure that polio was kicked out of the state through advocacy and enforcement of the various laws enacted by the state government.
Yabagi said the state government had also sent another bill to the State House of Assembly to make it criminal for any preacher to preach against the acceptance of the polio vaccines.
The proposed bill, he said, would make provision for fine or jail term on conviction.
He said that traditional rulers and religious leaders had been sufficiently mobilised to ensure the acceptance of the polio vaccines by parents and guardian for their wards.
He stressed that the vaccine would protect the children against the scourge of polio and its attendant negative consequences for the victims and their families.
Yabagi said the agency had embarked on a cross border immunisation to halt further transmission of the disease in the state, adding: ‘’we have the last reported case of wild polio virus in 2012."
He commended the various stakeholders for their cooperation and assistance to the agency and urged parents to allow their wards to be immunised against the disease.

Physician advises people to drink enough water for healthy skin

 Dr. Daniel Onaiwu, an Abuja-based general practitioner,advised people to take adequate water to maintain healthy skin and hydration

NGO says waste water management possible in Nigeria

 

Nigeria can achieve centralised waste water management through policies and investment, Fountain Water Limited an international NGO has said

Panda Poop Might Help Turn Plants Into Fuel

 

    The same organisms that make pandas effective at digesting bamboo may help turn plant waste into biofuels, according to researchers

Boston Tops Ranking of Energy-Efficient U.S. Cities

The list comes as the Senate debates a bipartisan bill on energy efficiency.

Flood : Jigawa govt. weeds out typher grass on Hadeja River

Alhaji Hanafi Yakubu, the Jigawa State Commissioner for Water Resources says the state government would procure additional machines to weed out typher grass on the Hadeja River. Yakubu stated this at Wailari village in Guri Local Government Area, where efforts were on to weed out the grass as part of efforts to minimise flooding.
The commissioner said that more grass cutting machines, diesel and other equipment would be provided to workers at the site to hasten the clearance.
He said that the clearing exercise was designed to ease flow of water, check flooding, enhance fishing and agricultural activities.

Kogi Dep. Gov. lauds FG for managing release of water from dams

The Kogi Deputy Governor, Mr  Yomi Awoniyi, on Friday commended the Federal Government for managing the release of water from the dams in the country.
Awoniyi gave the commendation when he met with the State Food Management Committee in Lokoja.
According to him, the gradual release of water from the dams has reduced the incidents of flooding in the state this year.
He also commended officials of the Federal  Ministries of Water Resources and Environment for managing the situation.

NEMA identifies new locations for flood victims in Taraba

 The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says it has identified new locations to camp victims of flood disaster in Taraba.


The agency's Head of Gombe Operations Office, Mr Apollos Jediel, said this at a workshop on flood risk awareness among vulnerable communities, organised by NEMA on Friday in Jalingo.

Great, now you have to worry about living too close to an airport

If you’re the sort of person who lives near an airport or enjoys being healthy, there’s a new reason to freak out: Airplane gasoline still contains scary levels of lead. Michael Behar reports on Kelly Kittleson, a single mom with four kids who lives directly under Hillsboro Airport’s main flight path:

Like most Americans, she had no idea [lead] was still in use in airplanes — the last remaining mode of transportation in the United States to use leaded fuel.

ExxonMobil company charged with fracking-related crimes

ExxonMobil subsidiary XTO Energy is being prosecuted for alleged environmental crimes after it spilled fracking wastewater into a Pennsylvania river in 2010.
The company’s response? It claims the criminal charges could harm the environment.
We told you about this spill in July — that’s when the company agreed to pay a $100,000 federal fine for spilling 57,000 gallons of contaminated fluids out of sloppily maintained tanks in Penn Township and into a tributary of the Susquehanna River. It also agreed to spend $20 million to get its frackwater treatment and disposal facilities up to scratch in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Following a grand jury investigation, Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane’s office announced this week that XTO was also being charged with five counts of violating Pennsylvania law:

America warming up to new hydropower Red Rock Lake

performance.govA 46-megawatt hydroelectric facility is being built at Red Rock Lake in Iowa. Flooding an area with a new reservoir to produce hydropower would seldom, if ever, be a popular idea with environmentalists. But what about the thousands of existing reservoirs that serve other purposes in America — the ones that control floods, entertain boaters, and store drinking water?

Deadly 1,000-year floods strike Colorado

Reuters/Mark Leffingwell

Water runs freely down Topaz Drive in Boulder, Colo., as heavy rains cause severe flooding on Sept. 12, 2013.