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Philippines, China to peacefully resolve maritime differences 

Zainab Sa'id
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The Philippines and China have pledged to use diplomacy to resolve differences in maritime issues between both nations.

“Both our countries’ leaders agreed that maritime issues should be addressed through diplomacy and dialogue and never through coercion and intimidation,” Philippine foreign ministry undersecretary Theresa Lazaro said at the opening of bilateral talks on the South China Sea.

This week, the Philippines hosted the first in-person meeting between diplomats from the countries since before the COVID-19 pandemic, amid a flare-up in tensions over what Manila described as China’s “aggressive activities” in the South China Sea.

The discussions come two months after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s state visit to China, where President Xi Jinping said he was ready to manage maritime issues “cordially” with Manila.

“Maritime issues are an important part of China-Philippines relations that should not be ignored,” China’s Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong said.

“In the past years, through friendly dialogue and consultations, the two countries have generally managed and effectively dealt with our differences on maritime issues. And we have also advanced our practical cooperation and our mutual trust,” added Sun, who is on a three-day visit to Manila.

Also Read: Philippines tells China to quit after South China Sea clash

Maritime differences with Beijing are a “serious concern” but could be resolved through the “exhaustion of all diplomatic means”, Lazaro said.

Beijing, which claims large parts of the South China Sea, including some areas in Philippine waters, has expressed concern over an increasing U.S. military presence in its neighbour, accusing Washington of increasing regional tensions.

Last month, Marcos granted the United States expanded access to military bases, amid China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea and towards self-ruled Taiwan.

The agreement has been seen as a sign of a rekindling of ties between Manila and its former colonial master, which soured under his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.

Marcos, the son of the late strongman whom Washington helped flee into exile during a 1986 “people power” uprising, has repeatedly said he could not see a future for his country without the United States.

Last month, the Philippines accused China’s coast guard of using a laser against one of its vessels supporting a resupply mission for troops in the disputed Spratly islands. Marcos later summoned the Chinese ambassador to relay his concern over the intensity and frequency of China’s activities in the area.

 

Zainab Sa’id

U.S, Canada reach deal on asylum seekers

Zainab Sa'id
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The United States and Canada have reached a deal aimed at stopping asylum seekers from entering the shared land border via unofficial crossings.

As part of the agreement, Canada will take in a additional 15,000 migrants over the next year on a humanitarian basis from the Western Hemisphere, a U.S. official said.

Border crossings between the two countries are governed by the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) which allows U.S. and Canadian officials to turn back asylum seekers in both directions at formal ports of entry, but does not apply to unofficial crossings like Quebec’s Roxham Road.

Canada has been pushing the United States to extend the deal for a while. In recent months, there has been a sharp increase in asylum seekers entering Canada through unofficial border crossings.

U.S. and Canada share the longest land border in North America and the new agreement would expand the pact so that it applies to the entire length and asylum seekers apprehended using unofficial crossings will be turned back.

The revised STCA will be discussed on Friday at an official face-to-face between U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa.

Also Read: Canada’s Population Growth Surpasses 1 million

Trudeau has been under pressure to stop the flow of asylum seekers in Quebec, the mainly French-speaking province where he holds his parliamentary seat.

Biden arrived in Canada on Thursday on his long-delayed visit to express unity on Ukraine, and will address Parliament on Friday with Trudeau.

Roxham Road, a dirt path that has become a route of choice for asylum-seekers, made international headlines in 2017 soon after former U.S. President Donald Trump started to crack down on illegal migrants, resulting in a huge inflow of asylum seekers into Canada.

Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Trudeau said the U.S. and Canadian governments had been working to resolve the “complex” issue of irregular border crossings for many months and that he hoped to make an announcement about it soon.

 

Zainab Sa’id

NGO commissions toilet facility in schools to end open defecation

Foluke Ibitomi
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By Hikmat Bamigboye, Abuja

In commemoration of the 2023 World Water Day, a Non-Governmental Organization has commissioned a 12 unit, three-block toilet facility, and three-block classroom for Junior Secondary School, Gwarinpa, to end open defecation, saying it is a clarion call for other NGOs to participate in nation building.

The Project Director of Sam Empowerment Foundation, Mrs. Kiema Ogunlana made the call in Abuja at the commemoration ceremony of World Water Day, and commissioning of the projects, adding that NGOs need to work hand in hand with the government.

Mrs Ogunlana emphasizes that the government cannot do everything for the masses, comparing the statistics of billions in Nigeria with the current budget, “how much money to go around all the basic amenities we need in our schools”.

“This sanitation facility is our latest project and we’re still going to do more. For this year, we commissioned this particular facility to commemorate the world Water Day, which has the theme Accelerating Change”. Ogunlana said

“That’s why we want government support, partners with government agencies and other NGOs also do things like this because it takes nothing to put a smile on children’s faces”.she added

We believe that we have to reach out to replicate the change we want to see because we believe that change begins for you.

She lamented that before now, students indulged in open defecation, adding that the facilities will help girl children not to be absent from school because of their period, and also students going into the push to change and defecate.

Mrs. Ogunlana revealed that through their development partners and the government intervention they were able to accomplish the projects.

The principal of Junior Secondary School, Gwarinpa, Mrs. Zaniab Hassan, Commended the project organized, saying that she was so excited, remembering the first time the Sef Director came to the school.

She revealed that the students are overwhelmed, saying that this will help the girl child to stay in the school comfortably and learn.

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo breaks men’s international cap record

Mosunmola Ore
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Cristiano Ronaldo broke the all-time record for men’s international caps with his 197th appearance for Portugal in its Euro 2024 qualifier against Liechtenstein on Thursday.

READ ALSO: Ronaldo makes debut as Al-Nassr defeat Ettifaq 1-0

Bader Al-Mutawa previously held the record with 196 international appearances for Kuwait. Ronaldo tied the record at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and then broke it on Thursday.

In addition to holding the all-time record for men’s international caps, Ronaldo also holds the record for most goals scored in senior international play (118) and most consecutive senior international seasons scoring a goal (22). In total, Ronaldo has scored 830 goals for club and country, which is the all-time record.

Ronaldo currently plays for Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr.

Stakeholders Advocate Upward Review of Agric Budget, Improved Utilization

Foluke Ibitomi
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Stakeholders in the agriculture sector have said the national budget allocated to agriculture is relatively low compared to its value addition capacity, and have called on the federal government for an increase in a view to achieve desired growth and productivity in the sector.

The call was made,during a virtual meeting programme for agric and agro-allied committee, organized by the Institute of Directors (IoD), Nigeria, themed: “Nigeria’s Agricultural Sector Allocation Relative to the National Budget: Implication on Food Security.”

Specifically speaking, the managing director, Iproduce Africa, Mrs. Aisha Umar, stated that considering various, parastatals, agencies, research institutes, and federal colleges, among others under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, it is imperative that the government increase agriculture budget for adequate financing of these agencies.

She however noted that budgetary issues are not the forefront cause of food insecurity in the country, but political interest and technological declination in the sector.

Umar therefore urged the incoming government to appoint an agricultural expert with backgroung knowledge of agriculture as FMARD minister.

In her words: “Outside budget allocation, there is a need to look at how it is utilized. A lot of the money in the budget is just utilised for political interest.”

The solution is to have a minister that is technologically driven and can control civil servants and adopt private sector synergy, youth participation, agricultural credit without huge collateral and interest.

Meanwhile, the President and Chairman, Governing Councuil, IoD, Nigeria, Dr. Mrs. Ije Jidenma, earlier in her opening remark said only 1.50% of Nigeria’s budget is to agriculture and looking at the looming food crisis, the dialogue was aimed at finding solutions to food insecurity in Nigeria through improved budgetary allocation.

According to her, “The Food and Agriculture report showed that between June and August, 25.4 million Nigeria is at the risk of food insecurity, hence the need for increased budgetary to mitigate food insufficiency.”

On his part, Dr, Olabode Adetoye, Chief Executive Officer Value Ingredients disclosed that inadequate synergized collaboration is the first challenge affecting agriculture in Nigeria He said: “Synergy between the state, federal, agencies, private and public sector is less than 40%, which is the first major challenge of food security.”

Speaking further, the former commissioner for agriculture and food security, Ekiti state, noted that the government must be ready to attract investors and encourage public and private partnership to achieve food security.

According to him, agriculture should be contributing more than 60% but more than the percentage suffers post-harvest losses due to poor storage facilities and transportation.

Calling on policy makers to review set targets towards an improved agriculture system in each state, he said that “land tenure system should be reviewed, by providing compensation to land owners, and improving the enabling environment.”

Similarly, Mrs, Edobong Akpabio, Executive Director, Greenport Impact Cluster Nigeria Limited, maintained that the absence of collaboration between the state and federal government, and lack of synergize engagement between the agencies and parastatals under FMARD, including private and public sector, are the major implications on food security.

She identified that insecurity, monitoring and evaluation of budgets utlisation were factors promoting food insecurity, adding that no enabling environment for rural farmers to provide enough.

Also, the Presidentt, AFEX Commodity Exchange, Mr. Akinyinka Akintunde, also a panelist at the meeting, tasked the government to prioritize agriculture by improving the agriculture sector budget and attracting investors.

He added that: “Experts need to find out opportunity cost and appropriate capital in financial agriculture.”

Meanwhile, the Managing Director, Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation, Mrs. Folashade Joseph, who was represented by a director, Mr. Jerome Olowoyeye, also tasked stakeholders to understand the problems, review agric targets and find lasting solutions.

“Budget must be allocated based on usage and adequate monitoring of executions be done. If goals are not met, then restrategizing such targets towards food security needs to be checked and worked on”, he said.

Agro Nigeria / F.I

Amassiani qualifies for two semis

Mosunmola Ore
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Chukwudubem Amassiani from Abuja has emerged as a young tennis star to watch as he swept through his round-robin groups in the Boys 12 and 14s to qualify for two semi-finals at the ongoing CBN Junior Tennis Championship.

READ ALSO: Niger State Tennis Association Urges Youths To Embrace Sport

The winner of that match will play against the winner of the second semis between top seed David Edwards, just back from the African Junior Championships in Togo, and Sulaimon Samod from the host club.

The Iorlumun sisters Eunice and Mary, who emerged top of their groups, have been coincidentally drawn to meet in the semis of the Girls 16s. The other semi-final will feature Alice Paul from Ondo and Etioro Bassey from Akwa Ibom.

Nine year-old Karina Opuene from Bayelsa has been the attraction of the Girls 12 event as she showed tremendous skill and determination to win two matches in her group one of which was a decisive 6-0  trashing of Barakat Ganiyu from Oyo State.

The tournament taking place at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club is scheduled to end on Saturday.

Coalition of Observers Call for Review of Kano State Guber Election

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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The Coalition of INEC Accredited Domestic Election Observers, CIADEO, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to review and conduct a supplementary election in affected areas with over 270,000 cancelled votes during last governorship election in Kano state.

The CIADEO team leader, Comrade Friday Maduka stated this during a Press conference held in Kano state north Western Nigeria.

He said INEC should as a matter of national urgency review the outcomes of the election to enable those disenfranchised, to excercise thier civic rights in a transparent, free and fair electoral environment.

“There were observed cases of violence, over voting, intimidation in Gwarzo,Tundun – Wada,Bagwai ,Dala and Fagge local government areas of the state among others that needed consideration.

“Also the margin of lead which is about 130,000 votes is less than the total cancelled votes of over 270,000

“INEC did a review of results in Abia, Enugu, Adamawa States, including Tundun- Wada federal constituency in Kano state, where a winner was already been declared by INEC, but later reviewed the entire process in line with our relevant laws in respect to the margin of lead and cancelled votes. However, similar thing wasn’t done in the Governoship election in Kano state,” said Maduka.

According to him, based on the above ,the INEC should review all the local government results in the BVAS or cancel the election result in the entire local government areas where malpractices and obvious irregularities were observed .

“INEC should apply same rules to every State involved in this gubernatorial election without bias and or preferential treatment to any individual or political party,” he said.

The All Progressive Congress, APC, had in a press conference and subsequent peaceful protest, rejected the declaration of Abba Kabir Yusuf of NNPP as the governor elect for the ancient commercial city of Kano by INEC.

 

N.O

NGX, SEC, CBN Train Youths on Investment Culture

Hauwa Abubakar Anaja
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The Nigerian Exchange Limited, NGX, Securities and Exchange Commission and NGX Regulation Limited are partnerinf with the Central Bank of Nigeria to educate over 100 students on the theme, ‘Plan your money, plant your future’, to further enhance investor education and financial literacy in the country.

 

This forms part of activities to mark the 2023 edition of ‘Global Money Week’.

The NGX said it has continued its advocacy of building saving ank investing culture in young Nigerians as it celebrates the 2023 edition of ‘Global Money Week’

It said the week was to raise awareness on the importance of ensuring that young people, from an early age, were financially aware, and gradually acquiring the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviours necessary to make sound financial decisions and ultimately achievefinancial well-being and financial resilience.

 

The Divisional Head, Capital Markets, NGX, Jude Chiemeka, emphasised on the need to guide children in their formative years to be responsible citizens in the future. He noted that choices they make today would have a significant impact on their future.

He said in a statement that, “the celebration which culminated in a closing gong ceremony had the overall winners at the quiz session in attendance as the Exchange closed the market by sounding the gong. They were also gifted shares with the first prize winner receiving N80,000 worth of shares while the first and second runner ups won N70,000 and N50,000 worth of shares respectively.”

 

 

 

 

Punch/Hauwa Abu

Nigeria’s Insurance industry Assets hit N2.328bn

Hauwa Abubakar Anaja
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Nigeria’s Insurance industry Assets hit N2.328 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022 sustaining a positive growth that signifies expansion at the rate of two 2.4% percent, quarter on quarter, (QoQ) and at 4.4 percent year on year (YoY).
Figures from the Fourth Quarter 2022 Quarterly Report Of the Insurance Market released by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), revealed that the growth is relatively at a lower momentum compared to the prior period when the progression rate was recorded at about nine percent (YoY), attributable to the wave of recapitalisation drive recorded in that period.
The report however, said that “the outlook of the market growth in terms of Assets remains positive, with the increasing measures of market deepening and development, recapitalization drive still ongoing,  regulatory Insurance laws and provisions enshrined in the Insurance bill, being reviewed and, digitization of the supervisory wide 
processes would lead to the realization of the vast potentials in the insurance industry.”
The report also revealed that the insurance industry in Nigeria is poised to meet its responsibility as it paid  N318.2 billion in claims in the fourth quarter of 2022, reflecting  a thirty-one (31.2%) percent Quarter on Quarter (QoQ) growth.
The commission also attributed the growth to “possible attainment as a result of growing awareness and Market expansion as well as consumer’s confidence.
In a similar pattern, the net claims paid were reported at N244.3 billion, growing at about eighteen percent (17.9%) QoQ during the same period.
Insights into the Non-life segment shows that Motor Insurance led with regards to claims in
settlement vis a vis gross claims reported at about ninty-two (92.3%) percent, the report showed, signifying a nine points improvement as against its prior position.
Meanwhile, Fire Insurance was the least at about forty-six percent (46.3%), the only class below average proportion.
“All other portfolios of General Accident Insurance (80.7%), Oil & Gas (51.6%), Marine & Aviation (74.4%), miscellaneous Insurances (86.1%) recorded a proportion above the average, of paid claims against gross claims reported. Life Insurance business on the other hand reported two points less in comparison to the position held in the prior period of ninety-five (94.6%) percent of net claims paid compared to total claims reported during the same period of 2021,” it added. 

Nigerian Adekunle Becomes World’s Highest Paid Robotics Engineer

Emmanuel Ukoh
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Silas Adekunle is a renowned robotics engineer from Nigeria, who has gained worldwide recognition for his groundbreaking inventions in the field of robotics. He became the world’s highest-paid robotics engineer at the age of 31, owing to his extraordinary skills and exceptional talent.

Adekunle is credited for building the world’s first gaming robot and has also been described as the smartest robotics engineer in the world.

He is the founder of Reach Robotics, a company that specializes in the development of advanced robotic technology for gaming and entertainment purposes. In 2016, he developed the world’s first intelligent gaming robot, Mekamon, which garnered immense popularity and sold over 500 units.

He holds a First Class Honors degree in Robotics, along with an honorary degree from the University of the West of England, Bristol. His contributions to the field of robotics have earned him numerous accolades and awards, including a place on Forbes Europe’s 30 Under 30: Technology list in 2018, and a position on the Financial Times’ Top 100 Minority Ethnic Leaders in Technology list.

In 2017, Apple signed an exclusive deal with Mr Adekunle to incorporate his innovative creation, Mekamon, into their products. Mekamon is a four-legged robot that can be controlled through a smartphone app and is specifically designed for gaming. It has the ability to battle other Mekamons, learn new skills, and develop its own unique personality through its artificial intelligence.

Mr Adekunle’s pioneering work in the field of robotics has received widespread acclaim and appreciation from industry experts and peers alike. His ingenuity, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit have inspired numerous young people to pursue careers in robotics and artificial intelligence. He serves as a role model for future innovators and continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in the field of robotics.

 

 

 

 

TechDigest/Emmanuel Ukoh

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