Avarine

WHAT a special day today is! It is both the beginning of the year 2020 and also the start of the third decade of the third millennium in the epoch of our Lord. Following the failure of General Sani Abacha’s Vision 2010 which died with him, the democratic government of the late President Umaru Yar’ Adua in 2009 created the Nigerian Vision 2020 which, based on Nigeria’s economic prospects as confirmed by foremost world rating groups, pronounced as follows: READ ALSO: Apapa-Oshodi road will last for 40 years when completed ― Dangote (Opens in a new browser tab) “By 2020, Nigeria will be one of the 20 largest economies in the world, able to consolidate its leadership role in Africa and establish itself as a significant player in the global economic and political arena”. The picture of things as we step into 2020 is way different from what was declared. Nigeria is ranked as the 27th largest economy in the world in nominal Gross Domestic Product, GDP and the 22nd in purchasing power par

By Sunny Ikhioya IT is a new year. As usual, people have started appraising year 2019 that has gone forever. The new year ushers in a new decade of the twenty-twenties. But will it be the beginning of new realities? Will it be one in which our dream, as it concerns one united and prosperous Nigeria, will be realised? Or are we continuing on the journeyman’s march that has been on since 1960? Journeyman, by the way, is the term given to a man who has completed his apprenticeship, but because he does not have the necessary wherewithals continues to serve as an employee under a master until enabled to set up his own business. That is the story of Nigeria: so much potentials, so much skills and human capital, as well as natural resources, but with no driver. READ ALSO: Mourinho reacts to United loss by sleeping at training ground (Opens in a new browser tab) Will the new decade usher in the very badly expected change given the way the country has been run these past decades? If our ex

By Prince Osuagwu A lot has been said about the digital skills gap which has forbidden many Nigerian youths from landing their dream jobs. It’s wicked NDDC pays N1Billion, more to funds collecting agents ― MD So much has also been lamented about the fall out of the development which bloats the labour market and exposes otherwise brilliant youths to vices that breed societal decadence. But, not much has been done to address the issue which a slight twist could see Nigeria in the world map as youths stand a chance to favourably compete globally. However, a leadership, Sales and Business Consulting firm, Ventra Consult, has said it is now determined to address this gap and  enable young school graduates acquire the requisite digital skills that will make them employable. It would be doing that in partnership with another leading digital credential provider, Credly, on the Acclaim platform. Their modus operandi is bringing Digital Badge Certification to Nigeria, to retool the army o

David Moyes will hope to make a winning start to his second spell as West Ham United manager, with the Hammers in 17th place, just one point and position above the relegation zone. AFC Bournemouth are looking to end a run of seven defeats in nine matches, which has seen them slip to 16th place, two points clear of the bottom three. Did you know? West Ham have lost seven Premier League matches on New Year’s Day, second only to the highest total of 10 defeats recorded by Everton. Each of West Ham’s last four home Premier League matches have ended in defeat, their worst run since January 2006 (also four defeats in a row). They haven’t lost five successive home league contests since April 1931. READ ALSO:  Brighton v Chelsea: Seagulls eye top half (Match Preview) Six of AFC Bournemouth’s last seven opening league matches in a calendar year have ended level (L1). The Cherries’ last such win was a 2-0 success against Wycombe Wanderers in 2012. Callum Wilson has scored seven goals in

Konga co-CEOs Prince Ekeh (r) and Nick Imudia By Juliet Umeh As a way of appreciating its teeming customers, Konga’s top management, during Christmas period handled customers’ deliveries themselves. INTELS empowers fresh batch of 84 women under its CSR program The process which commenced on Friday, December 13 saw the entire management of the Konga Group deliver products directly to customers. The company said the gesture was to appreciate its customers for their patronage throughout the year. The process was led by co-CEOs Prince-Nnamdi Ekeh and Nick Imudia as well as Head of Logistics, Emmanuel Ekuma. Among the locations visited were Island, Gbagada, Ikeja, Apapa, Ikotun, Ikoyi, Surulere, Ipaja, Mowe, among others. The company’s Co-CEO, Imudia said: “Our loyal customers have remained central to our many successes this year. In 2019, we had the most successful Konga Yakata, our own version of the popular Black Friday sales. This is in addition to significant growth witnessed

Uber Building By Juliet Umeh Although Christmas season is over,  festive celebration is still on, as the new year just begun today. No doubt, many people are still travelling from one place to the other to make the beginning of a new decade a memorable one. Border closure: OPS harps on importance of policy implementation With reckless and drunk driving on the rise during this time, Uber said it will like to offer riders and drivers a safety tips  when moving from one point to another. The tips include: Always check When you request a ride, keep an eye out for road hazards and no-stopping zones. Try to find somewhere safe for your driver to stop:  Use the messaging feature in the app to let your loved ones know where you are. Check your ride Remember that Uber offers a check your ride feature.  It allows riders to have a clear view of the driver’s license plate, photo and car make/model to verify it is  the right vehicle. As a double precaution, Real-Time ID Check prompts dri

Stories by Eguono Odjegba Port-Terminal M ARITIME stakeholders have blamed selfish politicking and non utilization of existing bonded terminals as cause of port congestion contrary to public perception that loss of control of trucks along the port roads and the evident gridlock as major factor militating against port operation. This is even as stakeholders have warned that the ports roads traffic situation will remain unless the federal, state and local governments muster the political will to insist on the removal of the artificial bottlenecks that has for more than six years rendered the ports roads impassable, slowed down ports operations and by extension held the national economy to ransom. READ ALSO: Cooking gas marketers raise alarm over 75% price hike (Opens in a new browser tab) Mr. Muruf Raheem, a frontline ship agent and freight forwarder traced the genesis of the problem to the 2006 ports concession, an arrangement he said was bereft of professionalism, competence and

By Juliet Umeh Five development-focused women entrepreneurs that won UK-Nigeria Tech Hub competition will be leaving for United Kingdom for African Investment Summit, this month. Equities market closes end of year positive as investors gain N112.4 bn The winners emerged from the 10 finalists at a keenly contested pitch programme in Lagos recently. The winning tech women include: an EduFinTech company, ScholarX by Damilola Emuze; a credit inclusion company, Schecluded by Ifeoma Uddoh; shulttler platform, Shuttlers Mobility by Damilola Olokesusi; a health tech, Mobihealth, by Dr. Funmi Adewara and FinTech Company, Limestart by Keturah Ovio. Country Director, UK-Nigeria Tech Hub, Honey Ogundeyi, said the summit where the winners will be leaving for will also bring 15 other most ambitious development-focused women entrepreneurs where they will gain access to world-class mentoring, have time with UK investors and expert training to help scale their company.. Ogundeyi said: “Our progra

By Juliet Umeh As part of its continuous quest to avail its customers with unmatched products and services, broadband service provider, Smile Communications, recently, introduced an innovative Voice and SMS only product dubbed eSIMVoice. Leadership and moral conscience The company disclosed that Smile eSIMVoice comes as a free downloadable application, and when activated, the consumer can enjoy 10 minutes free local calls, unlimited on-net calls and SMSs. The customers can also savour zero roaming charges, free on-net audio and video calls and the lowest call rates to any network. It advised that customers and prospects eager to enjoy its latest innovation, to simply walk into any Smile shop, kiosk or contact an authorised dealer. The service comes with varying voice plan options that will suit every need. Notable among the Voice Plan options are SmileVoice only plan for 65 minutes, which costs only N500, SmileVoice only plan for 135 minutes which goes for N1, 000 and the SmileV

Stories by Godfrey Bivbere F OLLOWING concerns raised by the maritime stakeholders over the planned disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund, CVFF, the Federal Government has set up a committee to address the issues. The committee which was set up after the meeting between the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and parastatals under it,  Vanguard Maritime Report  gathered, had former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Temisan Omatseye, as chairman, while President of the Ship Owners Association of Nigeria, SOAN, McGoerge Onyoung, and others as members. READ ALSO: 2 suspects arrested for duping bank manager N70m in Adamawa (Opens in a new browser tab) A source close to one of the government agencies told  Vanguard Maritime Report  that there is uncertainty over the actual terms of reference of the committee. The source explained that the first information received was that the committee would work out modalities for

By Peter Egwuatu Dangote Cement Plc has commenced steps to buy back its shares in a bid to improve return on equity and shareholder value. Lagos assembly indicts Dangote trucks over damaging of roads In a notification to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday Dangote Cement said it would convene an extra-ordinary general meeting (EGM) of shareholders for January 22, 2020, to amend its Articles of Association to enable it undertake a share buy-back of up to 10 percent of its issued shares on such terms, and conditions and at such times as the board of directors deems fit. According to the company, “The relevant shares will be repurchased out of the profits of the company and any such number of shares bought under the programme is required to be cancelled in accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules and the NSE rule book which will consequently lead to a reduction in issued share capital.” Chairman of the company, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, said the sharehol

By Rotimi Fasan HAPPY New Year Nigeria! It is my hope and prayer that this year will be the best we have so far known under the Muhammadu Buhari regime. I won’t destroy people’s properties for road construction ― Abiodun And whether those in power right now planned it to be so or not, may the year also be one of the best in the history of this country. May those in charge not take the country to a point where reversal from the brink would be impossible. The times are desperate and Nigerians can do without further aggravation of their condition. Recent happenings in our country should remind us that Nigeria belongs not only to the temporary occupiers of power, who in addition to some of them appropriating our commonwealth to themselves also wear patriotism like a personal emblem. They are not the only people who can or should speak on behalf of this country, which was perhaps why one them openly told the rest of us that whatever requests President Buhari brings before Nigerians, in

Hameed Haroon (left) and accuser Jamshed Mahmood Raza The chief executive of one of Pakistan’s most influential newspapers has denied accusations he raped an acclaimed filmmaker, in a case that has spotlighted sexual abuse targeting men and added momentum to the country’s fledgling #MeToo movement. Director Jamshed Mahmood Raza took to social media over the weekend to allege that Dawn newspaper’s Hameed Haroon raped him 13 years ago. In October, Raza first described the assault publicly on Twitter but referred to the alleged perpetrator as a “powerful person in our media world”. Haroon — who hails from one of Pakistan’s wealthiest and most influential families — issued a fierce denial in Dawn, the country’s most popular English daily, late Monday, calling the accusations “simply untrue and intentionally fabricated”. “I categorically deny the allegation of rape leveled against me,” said Haroon in a statement. Raza later slammed Haroon’s comments, saying the statement was “nothin

Gov Seyi Makinde of Oyo State By Seyi Makinde MY Dear Good People of Oyo State. As we draw the curtains on 2019 and look forward with renewed expectation and hope to the New Year, I am delighted to deliver my first New Year message. Ibadan Kings: Your crowns are worthless ― Ladoja’s counsel This past year was a year of mixed blessings. We started 2019 on the campaign trail, talking to you and convincing you to believe in us and trust in our Road Map for Accelerated Development in Oyo State 2019-2023, which would serve as a blueprint for all our activities in government. You listened. And on March 9, 2019, you came out en masse and gave us your mandate. You showed, through your votes, that you have confidence in us and our ability to deliver on our promises. Since May 29, 2019, we have been delivering on those promises, in little ways and significant ways. And you have stood by us, supporting, and defending us. You can rest assured; we will never take your loyalty for granted.

Mother of Adaugo Uzoma rejoicing after her daughter’s hospital bill was paid By Dennis Agbo ENUGU- RESPITE came the ways of inhabitants of Home for the Elderly, lepers, disabled persons, the abandoned, motherless and indigent patients, when a group-Friends De Royale International Club visited their homes and hospital in different parts of Enugu to offer palliatives and made them participate in the celebration of Christmas, a commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Enugu council of Arts boss urges investment in state tourist potential The social club said its visitations was to take  pain off the very less privileged, in the spirit that the birth of Jesus Christ brought salvation to mankind over 2,000 ago. Starting with Nike Centre for the disabled, Marist Brothers Umuchigbo, where lepers, the blind and others sorts of challenged persons are quartered, Friends De Royale International Club donated food items, ranging from bags of rice, beans, tomatoes, salt, toiletries, cash d

By Eguono Odjegba F OLLOWING the closure of bank and Export Credit Agency, ECA, financing last week, the Nigeria LNG Limited, NLNG, actualized the Final Investment Decision, FID, for its Train 7 Project, projected to increase its production by 35%; while at the same time raising its global LNG market competitiveness. The FID according to a statement released by NLNG General Manager, External Relations, Eyono Fatayi-Williams, will also allow for the expansion to raise its capacity of NLNG’s six-train plant from the extant 22 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) to 30 MTPA, in line with projected award of contracts for engineering, procurement and construction activities, coming on the heels of the closure of bank and ECA financing, and the finalization of other key supporting commercial agreements expected in early 2020. READ ALSO: NRC bows to pressure, introduces e-ticketing (Opens in a new browser tab) The statement noted that the actualisation of the Train 7 Project coincides with NL

Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei said Tuesday that “survival” was its top priority after announcing 2019 sales were expected to fall short of projections as a result of US sanctions. Huawei, a global leader in telecom networking equipment has been effectively banned by the United States from working with American firms on the grounds that it poses a national security threat -– an accusation the company has consistently denied. Chairman Eric Xu said Huawei’s sales revenue for 2019 was likely to reach 850 billion yuan (US$121 billion) — up roughly 18 percent from the previous year. Though he said “business remains solid”, the figure was lower than a previous forecast of US$125 billion. In a New Year’s message to employees, Xu said the US government was in the midst of a “strategic and long-term” campaign against the company that would create a “challenging environment for Huawei to survive and thrive”. “Survival will be our first priority” in 2020, said Xu, the current chair

A wild leopard has killed a two-year-old boy outside his home in a village in central Nepal, a local officer said on Tuesday. The boy was left alone outside his home on Monday when the animal pounced on him, said Rudra Prasad Pangeni, chief district officer of Tanahu district. “The leopard dragged him one kilometre up the hill and killed him,” he told dpa. READ ALSO:  I won’t destroy people’s properties for road construction ― Abiodun A dozen children have been found dead after animal attacks, possibly by wild leopards, in the district in the last two years, according to the officer. “A lot of people have migrated to cities. Most communities have abandoned farming. “It has caused growth of forest and shrubs, which in turn has helped expand the habitat of wild animals,” he said. Conflict between wild animals and humans has increased in recent months in Nepal, raising concerns about the safety of people living near forests and national parks. (dpa/NAN) VANGUARD The post Wild le

Harry Kupfer One of the world’s most celebrated opera directors, Germany’s Harry Kupfer, has died at the age of 84 in Berlin, his agency confirmed on Tuesday. In a career spanning 44 years, Kupfer worked at opera houses across Germany and was chief director of Berlin’s iconic Komische Oper for more than two decades. Born in 1935, Kupfer studied in Leipzig and first worked in then-communist East Germany. But he rose to fame in 1978 with a production of Richard Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman” at the world-renowned Bayreuth festival. READ ALSO:  Be vigilant against menace of road accidents in 2020, FRSC urges Nigerians He took the reins at the Komische Oper three years later in 1981. A student of Komische Oper founder Walter Felsenstein, Kupfer staged works by Mozart and Wagner and oversaw two world premieres at the opera house before bowing out in 2002. He returned to Bayreuth in 1988, staging Wagner’s “Ring of the Nibelung” alongside Argentine-Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim

Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso has been chosen by his party to run again for the top job in 2021, having already led the central African country for a total of 35 years. During its congress in Brazzaville overnight Monday, his Congolese Party of Labour (PCT) unanimously named Sessou Nguesso, 76, as its candidate for president. His re-election in 2016 sparked violence in a country where most of the five million people live below the poverty line despite huge oil reserves. “We said the choice of Denis Sassou Nguesso is an inevitable choice,” top ally Leonidas Mottom told AFP. “It’s the choice of change in continuity, it’s the choice of stability and the choice of peace,” said Mottom, the party’s deputy leader. READ ALSO:  Tambuwal reinvigorates State Judicial, Law Reform Commission The party’s outgoing secretary general, Pierre Ngolo, said the 2,588 PCT congress participants reappointed Sassou Nguesso as head of the central committee in addition to naming him as their ca

An anti-government protester shelters with a traffic sign during a demonstration in Sha Tin district, on China’s National Day in Hong Kong, China October 1, 2019. PHOTO: Reuters Hong Kong police fired tear gas a few minutes into 2020 as pro-democracy protesters marked the New Year with midnight countdown rallies and a massive march planned for January 1. The city has been battered by more than six months of unrest with marches attended by millions, as well as confrontations in which police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets — and protesters have responded with petrol bombs. Before midnight on Tuesday, thousands of protesters gathered across the financial hub, including along the waterfront of Victoria Harbour and at nightlife hotspot Lan Kwai Fong. Protesters at the harbourfront counted down chanting “Ten! Nine! Liberate Hong Kong, revolution now!” as they lit up their phones in a sea of lights. Smaller crowds of protesters in the Mong Kok district set fire to barricades, be

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes the polarising figure of Mesut Ozil can be key in resurrecting the club’s season, but the German star cannot do it on his own. Ozil, 31, who was recently tipped to be heading for the exit door at the Emirates, was accorded a standing ovation on Sunday by fans despite the 2-1 loss to Chelsea. “Mesut was very effective against Chelsea. I’m hoping he can sustain that level every three or four days,” said Arteta whose side welcome Manchester United on Wednesday. “His numbers physically have improved so much. And he’s willing, that’s what I can tell you. He’s been showing it in training. The structure has to help him to be able to take everything he has inside. ALSO READ:  Emery names one Arsenal player that didn’t say goodbye “On his own he cannot do it, he needs the collective and the structure around him and his team-mates. “There’s only one or two players in the world who can do it on their own. He needs help.” Arsenal go into the New Year’s Da

Iran foreign ministry spokesman, Abbas Mousavi. PHOTO: IRNA Iran hit out Tuesday at the “audacity” of United States to blame it for violent anti-US demonstrations in Iraq, warning the United States to review its policies in the region. “The surprising audacity of American officials is so much that after killing at least 25… and violating the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, that now… they attribute the Iraqi people’s protest against their cruel acts to the Islamic Republic of Iran,” said foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi. His statement came after US President Donald Trump accused Iran of killing an American civilian contractor and “orchestrating” the storming of the US embassy in Baghdad earlier on Tuesday. Mousavi said the claim was an insult to the people of Iraq. ALSO READ:  US strikes in Iraq kill 25 fighters, says Iran-backed militia “How and based on what logic do you expect the nation of Iraq to be silent in the face of all these atrocities?” he as