Kaduna ( Nigerian) – A Nigerian youth in Malaysia, Iheanacho Ezeakor who has been preaching the gospel of peace and unity in Nigeria, has enjoined his counterparts in the diaspora to make sure they get their voter cards ready for the 2019 elections.
He advised them to go home and get their voter’s card in order to elect leaders of their choice in the 2019 general elections.
Reports from Malaysia say Ezeakor was speaking when he returned to that country to process his final clearance, settlements and engagements with his former school, immigration and others.
Ezeakor emphasized on the need for the youth to stand up and lead the country.
He explained that there was no need for the youth to sit-down and keep blaming the government every time.
“Every one of us should get his voter’s card and value it as gold, knowing that the government needs our gold more than anything when the time comes,” Ezeakor explained.
While in Malaysia, according to the reports, many Nigerians identify with Ezeakor, calling him ‘the saviour of our time’ while others invited him to their houses, shops and places of business.
Image copyrightFamily photoImage caption Leigh Corfman with her mother, Nancy Wells, around 1979 in an undated family photo
A woman who says Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore abused her when she was a 14-year-old girl has described the alleged encounter.
Leigh Corfman told NBC News that Mr Moore, then a 32-year-old prosecutor, “seduced” her at his house in 1979.
Several Alabama newspapers have endorsed Mr Moore’s Democratic opponent, a remarkable step in such a staunchly Republican state.
Mr Moore, who denies the allegation, is currently lagging in opinion polls.
Most of the Republican establishment has lined up against the 70-year-old former Alabama supreme court judge and firebrand Christian conservative, whom they did not want elected in the first place.
Ms Corfman originally told the Washington Post how she was approached by Mr Moore outside a courthouse in Etowah County in 1979.
She said she had been sitting with her mother on a bench awaiting a child custody hearing in her parents’ divorce case.
Her mother, the newspaper reported, was delighted when the assistant district attorney offered to sit with her daughter outside to spare her having to listen to the court proceedings.
In the coming days, Mr Moore allegedly picked up Ms Corfman around the corner from her home, and drove her to his house in the woods where he sexually assaulted her, the newspaper claims.
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Media captionRoy Moore: How Alabamans are defending the accused judge
Ms Corfman told NBC’s Today show: “Well I wouldn’t exactly call it a date, I would call it a meet. At 14 I was not dating.
“At 14 I was not able to make those kinds of choices. I met him around the corner from my house, my mother did not know.
“And he took me to his home. After arriving at his home on the second occasion he basically laid out some blankets on the floor of his living room and proceeded to seduce me, I guess you would say.”
She alleged that he removed her clothing and stripped to his white underwear before molesting her and trying to get her to touch him.
“At that point I pulled back and said that I was not comfortable and I got dressed and he took me home,” Ms Corfman said.
“But I was a 14-year-old child trying to play in an adult’s world and he was 32 years old.”
The age of consent in Alabama is 16.
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption Kayla Moore, wife of Mr Moore, speaks during a rally in support of her husband in front of the Alabama State Capitol
A number of other women have accused Mr Moore of sexual misconduct when they were teenagers, including a former waitress who alleged he tried to rape her, which he also denies.
On Monday, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway suggested that electing Mr Moore to help pass the US president’s tax reform agenda took precedence over the widespread disquiet about the allegations.
A host on Fox News’ Fox and Friends programme asked Ms Conway: “So, vote Roy Moore?”
She replied: “I’m telling you that we want the votes in the Senate to get this tax bill through.”
Underscoring the potential political fallout, Arizona Republican Jeff Flake, an outspoken critic of the president, was overheard on a microphone telling a Republican mayor on Saturday: “If we become the party of Roy Moore and Donald Trump, we are toast.”
The special election for the Alabama Senate seat is on 12 December.
According to a Gravis opinion poll survey published on Friday, Mr Moore was trailing Democrat Doug Jones, a 63-year-old US prosecutor, by 47% to 42%.
The last time an Alabama Democrat was elected to the US Senate was in 1990.
Newspaper editorials in the Deep South state have been urging voters to reject the Republican candidate.
The editorial board of AL.com wrote on Sunday: “A vote for Roy Moore sends the worst kind of message to Alabamians struggling with abuse – ‘if you ever do tell your story, Alabama won’t believe you.’
“Or, worse, we’ll believe you but we just won’t care.”
Note: This story is auto-generated from BBC syndicated feed and has not been edited by AFRICA PRIME NEWS
Kaduna (Nigeria) – Owners of the 1,000 hectares of land allocated to Vicampro Farms Ltd, to grow and process potatoes and to Access Quaint Energy to produce 50 Megawatt of Solar energy have kicked against the projects.
The projects are located on the defunct “Manchok Ranch” in Kaura local government area of Kaduna State, northwest Nigeria..
The Nigerian government had said it was committing $120 million (N48 billion) to Vicampro to invest on the farm at the launch of the project in September, 2016.
In a letter addressed to Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, signed by different heads of communities claiming ownership of the land and which was given to the Sole Administrator of Kaura local government, the villagers said it was secretive and forceful acquisition of their family lands and allocating them to private companies for the sole purpose of making profit, while they, the owners, will end up as farm hands.
The letter dated 16th November, 2017 and copies made available to newsmen has as its heading: “Memorandum on the position of the landowners of the defunct Manchok Cattle Ranch on the illegal allocation of portions of the defunct Manchok Cattle Ranch in Kaura and Zangon Kataf LGAs to Access Quaint Solar Nigeria Limited and Vicampro Farms Limited.”
“The land in question belongs to the families and individuals who have inherited it from their forefathers, and desire to continue owning and using that land by themselves, for agricultural purposes.
“The land in question is the best agricultural land available to the farmers and the community, and the owners do not accept that such prime agricultural land should be used for solar farming, when there are available alternative land for such project as the case all over the world.
“Being farmers, and earning their livelihoods from the land, the landowners will lose their means of livelihood if the land were taken away from them.
“Contrary to best practices throughout the world, such a large scale solar project is being proposed to be sited within an existing settlement, which will be injurious to the environment and the health of the people in the communities. Materials provided by Access Quaint to our communities, including pictorials on similar projects they have handled elsewhere, show that in all such projects none are situated near or within human settlements. The project will be harmful to our communities, and cannot be accepted.
“Quaint have not, to this day, displayed the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for inspection and comments by the stakeholders, we believe partly because they have no way of addressing the environment hazards they have enumerated in their report, and partly because they have shown that the ultimate beneficiaries of the land grabbing will be people from outside the project area. . . . the landowners are therefore afraid that there are sinister reasons for insisting on taking over our best farmlands and rejecting the communities’ suggestion of alternative sites.
“On the proposal to take over 1000 hectares of our farmlands and hand them over to Vicampro Farms Ltd, the land owners reject the alienation of their farmlands, as doing so would deprive them of their farmlands and turn them into mere farm hands on their own land and at the mercy of foreign and external land grabbers in perpetuity.
The landowners would agree to produce potatoes or any other produce on their own farmlands and sell to Vicampro. The company could provide farm inputs and technical services for the production of the produce of their choice, but the farmers will produce on land belonging to them. The landowners do not accept the taking of their land and handing it over to Vicampro or any other company.”
Farming youths stormed the venue of the meeting carrying placards with the inscriptions, “Access Quaint Energy leave our land, Vicampro leave now, No to exploitation of our lands,” amongst others.
Speaker, Nigeria’s House of Representative, Mr. Yakubu Dogara
By Joseph Edegbo
Kaduna (Nigeria) – Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, is leading Nigerian delegation to Italy to discuss women empowerment and the fight against human trafficking.
The visit is coming on the heels of the death of 26 Nigerian women in the Mediterranean sea, who lost their lives while trying to cross to Europe.
The Italian government had extended invitation to the Speaker to attend an international conference on “Women empowerment and the fight against trafficking in persons.
This is sequel to the official visit of the President of Italian Chamber of Deputies, Ms. Laura Boldrini, to the Speaker in May this year.
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and Director General of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Ms Julie Okah-Donli, among others are also in the delegation .
The Nigerian delegation is billed to attend the Conference on the invitation of the Italian Parliament who are seeking partnership with Nigeria to stem human trafficking, especially the increasing number of Nigerian citizens that enter Italy every year.
During her visit to Speaker Dogara, in May, Laura Boldrini, had lamented that in 2016 alone, 37,000 Nigerians arrived in Italy through the Mediterranean sea. The conference also seeks ways of empowering Nigerian women to stop the illegal and dangerous migration of Nigerians to Europe.
Gombe (Nigeria) – The leader of Qadiriya Islamic sect of Africa, Sheik Abdul-Jabbar Nasiru Kabara, has called for continued unity, peace and harmony among Nigerians irrespective of their religious differences.
Sheik Kabara made the appeal Saturday, while speaking at the Maulud ‘Nabiy’ and Foundation laying of an Islamic Centre in Gombe, Northeast of the country.
Maulud ‘Nabiy’ is the observance of the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad which is celebrated in Rabi’ al-awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar.
Sheik Kabara observed that if the Islamic Centre project was completed, it will impact positively on the lives of people in the state and called on the Muslim community to love one another and ensure forgiveness based on the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be up on him).
The Qadiriya leader said that students at the centre would be taught a lot of books such as Qur’an, hadith, Fiqihu and Tafsir among other Islamic books.
Speaking at the occasion, Governor Dankwambo promised the completion of Al-Ihsan Islamic Centre, Gombe, before May 2019 as part of efforts toward educational development in the state and the country at large.
Dankwambo said investing in construction of the centre would also attract more rewards from Almighty God, hence the need for spirited individuals, corporate bodies and organizations to contribute immensely for abundant rewards.
According to him, he has constructed about 11 of such schools and currently government has also commenced clearing the site for the Foundation.
His Kano State counterpart, Abdullahi Ganduje who was represented by his Deputy, Hafizu Abubakar commended Dankwambo for allocating a plot of land and appealed for timely completion of the project.
He said the project will provide opportunities for people to have quality Islamic Education and employment.
Ganduje observed that if completed, many generations yet unborn will benefit from the project for the development and success of Islam
Gombe (Nigeria ) – Research fellows from African countries are holding a three weeks programme in Gombe State University in northeast Nigeria, with a view to finding remedy for epilepsy.
“No single pharmaceutical company in Nigeria is doing research, we need to empower the younger ones to be better researchers in future,” says Professor Isa Husaini Marte of the Department of Pharmacology, University of Maiduguri at the official opening of the training and research programme.
Organized by the Teaching and Research in Natural Sciences for Development in Africa (TReND/ISN), in collaboration with Cambridge University, the meeting is the 7th TReND/ISN research training on insect Neurosciences and Drosophila Neurogenetics.
Professor Marte said, poor funding by government and the private sector is frustrating research in Nigeria.
“Government is not allocating enough funds to research. TETFund is tying, but not doing enough. They need to inject more funds into research. Private sector, especially the pharmaceutical industry is not doing anything on research,” he said.
Speaking in the same vein. Vice Chancellor of Gombe State University, Professor Umar Ibrahim, said, lack of funding was the bane of research in Nigeria, adding “This is because of the country’s inability to develop research tradition and know the importance of research.
”We want to develop this country, we want good products, we want our economy to improve, but we don’t fund research.
“So, I think it is very important that we start funding research in this country. Recently a sister African country earmarked about $45m. But it is not money alone. We need to develop the mind-set and culture,” he said.
While giving a brief on research activities in Gombe State University, Acting Director of Research and Innovation at the institution Dr. Aliyu Babale, said, lack of research could lead to great numbers of professors with limited research in the nearest future.
“The other name of University is Research, because research speaks solution,” he said.
Director, TReND in Africa, Dr. Lucia Prieto, said, the workshop/training is the first of its kind in Nigeria and the seventh in the world.
She said, it would promote international collaboration within and outside Africa, while pledging TReND’s continued support to Gombe State University.
Kaduna (Nigeria) – Southern Kaduna People Union (SOKAPU), in northern Nigeria, has taken steps to promote economic activities among women through the use of cooperative societies.
National Coordinator of SOKAPU women wing, Catherine John Amangs, while addressing women in Kagoro, Kaura local government area, of Kaduna State, expressed delight with the women’s determination to work together irrespective of tribe or religion in their quest for unity of purpose and entrepreneurship .
“Your presence today really shows your determination for a united and strong Southern Kaduna women that are ever willing to work together with the view to carrying each other along in every spheres of life irrespective of tribe or religion,” she said.
Encouraging women on the need to remain steadfast, Mrs. Amangs, said, “It is true that united we withstand any storm that comes our way and divided we fall no matter how small the issue may be. I therefore charge us to see every reason to embrace ourselves and be true sisters in every ramification so that we will tell each other the truth that will help us live in the world and thereafter.
“We should as sisters be free to open up on any issue of importance in our various meetings and even at the national level so that together we will be able to overcome every challenge of this world. Time has come and it is now that we must explore all avenues towards solidifying ourselves for a united, focused and determined union towards addressing our problems with a view of ensuring permanent solutions to them.
“While it is important for unity, we should tell ourselves the truth that times are hard. We should not therefore fall our hands but should rise to the occasion of finding something meaningful doing that will earn us a living. Invariably, l am saying that there is need for us to engage ourselves as entrepreneurs that will help us earn a living rather than moving from one house to another doing nothing to support our families.
“For us to get ourselves seriously involve in entrepreneurship, the issue of cooperative societies is eminent. For us to help ourselves, we must get involved in cooperative societies as the only means we could be assisted financially towards realizing the dream of being self reliance. It is on that note that God willing, we will in the future be having a workshop where experts will enlighten us on the importance of cooperative societies. It is only in cooperative societies that one could be given a loan not with the type of interest being demanded in the bank and without stress of getting it once you meet the requirements.
“So l implore all of us to think seriously on these issues raised prayerfully with a view to finding practicable solutions.”
Most women who came from different parts of the country expressed joy with the move taken to unite them, stressing that the move enhances unity, understanding and peace among women in the area irrespective of their differences.
Kaduna (Nigeria) – About 4.5 billion people in the world live without household toilets that safely dispose of their waste, according to United Nations report.
It also estimates that about a billion people still defecate outdoors, making men and women suffering from various dangerous toilet infection due to negligence, especially the rural dwellers.
Speaking at the World Toilet Day, Director, School of Health Science, Kaduna, northern Nigeria, Maryam Abubakar, said there was a wrong perception that “Toilet infection’ only refers to a feminine disease, stressing that men can easily acquire the infection, by simply having sex with an infected woman.
She explained that increasing threat of dangerous toilet infection and diseases among women and men world wide, is becoming worrisome due to negligence and “I don’t care attitude” and the continuous use of open defecation by some rural dwellers.
According to her, toilet infections referred to as toilet disease causes female to experience discomfort such as burning, itching and unpleasant or foul odour coming right from the vagina.
Maryam added that Africans and particularly Nigerians deserve a decent toilet. “Today in Nigerian, public toilets are eye sore, dirty and places where infections are distributed, specifically to our women. Female members of the public need privacy for toileting and would be willing to use any kind of toilet when they are pressed,” she explained.
She added that the United Nations report indicate that toilets save lives, pointing out that human waste spreads killer diseases and stressed the need for steps to be taken to tackle the global sanitation crisis.
She regretted that public toilets are still being used. “Open defaecation is still being practiced in the public domain. Governments are enforcing laws to discourage this practice. Public enlightenment campaign should be encouraged on the use of public toileting, because no religion or tradition gives room to open toileting,” she observed.
Maryam noted that regardless of how it is being viewed, toilet infections could be uncomfortable and sometimes embarrassing as the itching tends to occur when you are out in public places.
She explained that the common symptoms of the various kinds of toilet infection are; itching, Vaginal discharge, and burning. “Irrespective of how similar these symptoms look like, you should be able to point out the difference by examining the colour and the smell of the vaginal discharge.”
She added that some amount of vaginal discharge occurs normally in women of child bearing age, noting that the glands in the cervix produce secretion that moves downwards mixing with bacteria and dead vaginal cells which may make the discharge whitish or yellowish in colour when exposed to air.
Toilet Day is celebrated worldwide on 19th of November every year. The theme of this year is, ”Focussing on Waste Water.”
By Amos Tauna
