Sudanese Ambassador to Nigeria dies In Abuja

The Sudanese ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Tagelsir Ali, has died. The Media Advisor to the Sudanese embassy in Nigeria, Mr Mohammed Abdulrahman, who confirmed his death told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, that Dr Ali died in the early hours of today October 24th at the National Hospital, Abuja where he was being treated for malaria.

“He had malaria. There were some complications and he passed away around 1 a.m. early this morning. There is a Presidential jet coming by 5 p.m. to take the remains to Sudan for burial. He was 66 years old. He loved working in Nigeria and had zeal to develop the bilateral relationship between Sudan and Nigeria and was able to stretch himself very well,” Abdulrahman said. May his soul rest in peace Amen

SOURCE:  http://lindaikeji.blogspot.com/2014/10/sudanese-ambassador-to-nigeria-dies-in.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FOqshX+%28Welcome+to+Linda+Ikeji%27s+Blog%29

IG ORDERS AUDIT OF POLICE ARMOURIES NATIONWIDE

As part of the measures to strengthen accountability in the stock of weaponry of the Nigeria Police Force, the acting Inspector-General of Police (IG), Suleiman Abba, has ordered a thorough check and audit of police armouries nationwide. The exercise, which had already commenced, according to a statement signed by the Force spokesperson, Emmanuel Ojukwu, would cover all police commands, formations, stations and units across the country. Ojukwu, in the statement, said the measure would also enable the Force to review the current state of arms and ammunition in stock at various police armouries. Meanwhile, the IG, in his resolved to bring to an end, the pervasive communal clashes that have plague different parts of the country, has set up the “Nigeria Police Committee on Prevention and Management of Communal Clashes.” Abba made the announcement during a working visit to Kaduna State yesterday. The committee is co-chaired by four Assistant Inspectors General of Police and has its terms of reference among others to encourage and facilitate dialogue among warring parties, and conduct mediation meetings with aggrieved parties with a bid to peacefully resolving declared differences. Others are the development and application of early warning mechanisms and systems of threats of communal clashes, and mediation and application of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services to avert conciliate and or resolve observed/reported communal disputes before they escalate. The committee has 12 other members drawn from the six geo-political zones of the country. However, Abba has disclosed that the police was fully prepared to ensure the safety of lives and property of Nigerians during the 2015 general election. Speaking shortly after addressing rank and file of the Kaduna State Police Command on Wednesday, Abba said security problems in several states of the federation would be adequately addressed before the February elections. He assured Nigerians that the police were fully prepared to ensure adequate security is provided before and during the elections. The IG said he was on familiarisation visit to Kaduna command to abreast the officers and men of the command about the vision and mission of the police and the need for them to change their negative attitude affecting the image of the police. The acting IG also warned that his administration would not tolerate a situation whereby officers continue to dent the image of the Force by compromising the mission and vision guiding the force. ThisDay (online)

BILL TO PLACE HND AT PAR WITH B.SC PASSES SECOND READING IN THE SENATE

ith the second reading of a bill seeking to put Nigerian polytechnics at par with the universities on Wednesday, the Senate has intensified moves to address the age-long clamour to bridge the dichotomy between the two higher institutions. Entitled “A Bill for an Act to Abolish and Prohibit Dichotomy and Discrimination Between First Degrees and the Higher National Diploma in the Same Profession/Field and Related Matters,” the bill was sponsored by Senator Ayo Akinyelure (Ondo Central) who is also the proprietor of All Over Polytechnic in Lagos. Leading a debate on the bill, Akinyelure who said the framework was propelled by wage disparity and gross discrimination against HND holders in the public and private sectors, noted that the situation “is threatening to derail the nation’s core policy thrust of evolving a technologically and scientifically based, self-sufficient and self-reliant society in the nearest future. Hence, the need for Senate intervention at this juncture.” He added: “Without mincing words, and as l speak, thousands of would-be polytechnic and technology students are contemplating or have decided to opt for university education because of perceived and real discrimination against HND graduates in relation to their counterparts who are university degree holders. If this contemplation occurs, there is bound to be a vacuum created in our labour market in this regard and dire consequences are bound to follow this trend.” Akinyelure, who claimed that polytechnic education dwells mainly on the practical while that of the university is merely theoretical, added that the degree of discrimination against HND holders in the country is so appalling to such an extent that they are employed as gatemen while their fellow university graduates are employed with dignity into ranking offices. The senator who also claimed that HND holders in the field of accountancy, engineering, among others, had been found to be better on the field than degree holders, added that both qualifications are not supposed to compete together but should rather complement each other. Furthermore, he said initiating this bill had become compelling in view of the fruitless promises allegedly made by the federal government to rectify the disparity between the two institutions in the past adding that the bill aims at promoting “technological advancement instead of 90 per cent of qualified candidates pursuing university education which is more theoretical without adding the needed value to the system of technological advancement of our great nation.” But a number of senators kicked against the bill, describing it as baseless as they argued that the clamour to raise the value of polytechnic education to that of the university amount to wanting HND holders to reap where they did not to sow. The opposing senators who described the objectives of the bill as misplaced, argued that the polytechnic education is structurally different from that of the university. 

Thisday (Online)

Terror in Canada

The Canadian government has informed the
United States that one shooter is dead in Ottawa,
a senior U.S. official said. So far, there is "no
indication the shooter has ties to violent Islamic
extremism," but it is still extremely early in the
investigation, the source said.
In response to the ongoing situation at Canada's
Parliament, the North American Aerospace
Defense Command, or NORAD, has increased its
alert posture, CNN has learned. That means that
it has increased the number of planes on a higher
alert status ready to respond if needed. NORAD
and Canadian authorities are in contact, an
official told CNN.
[Previous story, posted at 12:53 p.m. ET]
A Canadian soldier was shot as he and another
soldier stood guard at Canada's Parliament war
memorial Wednesday. Details are emerging as
authorities try to secure the government building
in Ottawa.
The violence is not confined to Parliament. Police
say that there could be multiple shooters and
shooting incidents in the capital.
At least one shooter is dead, Parliament member
Bob Zimmer tweeted.
Parliament remains on lockdown.
No one was hurt in the shooting near
Ottawa's Rideau Centre, Marc Soucy
of the Ottawa Police Service told CNN.
It was one of three shootings, he said.
The other two were at the National
War Memorial and Parliament Hill.
Shots rang out at Parliament around
10 a.m. ET as Parliament members,
including Prime Minister Stephen
Harper, prepared for caucus. Some
members tweeted that they heard
many shots.
MP Tony Clement tweeted that he
heard "at least 30 shots" and
apparently was able to take cover with
colleagues.
He tweeted that Harper was secure.
Peter Henderson, a journalist, said
there were soldiers doing drills when
shots were fired and he ran to help a
soldier who had slumped to the
ground. He said he knew the person shot was a
soldier because of the ceremonial uniform the
soldier was wearing.
Ottawa police, whose buildings were also locked
down, provided details on Twitter about multiple
shootings: "Incidents occurred at National War
Memorial, near the Rideau Centre and Parliament
Hill."
Gunfire in the main Canadian Parliament building
started in the foyer, and a second round of
shooting happened about a minute later in a
hallway or near the entrance to the Parliament's
library, Ottawa journalist Josh Wingrove told CNN.
He said several officers had weapons drawn, and
most of the dozens of shots that he heard
appeared to have been fired by officers at the
gunman.            Source: BBC NEWS

Oscar Pistorius Begins Jail Sentence

South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has begun serving time in jail for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

He was driven to Pretoria's Kgosi Mampuru prison where he is expected to be housed in the hospital wing.
Judge Thokozile Masipa gave Pistorius a five-year jail sentence for culpable homicide, but cleared him of murder.
His defence said it expected him to serve about 10 months, with the remainder under house arrest. His family say he will not appeal.
The parents of Reeva Steenkamp told the BBC they were happy with the sentence and relieved the case was over.
Prosecutors had called for a minimum 10-year term, and the defence had argued for community service and house arrest.

Judge Thokozile Masipa hands down the sentence

Pistorius, 27, an amputee sprinter who became the first athlete to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, killed Ms Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year.
He says he shot her by mistake, fearing there was an intruder in his house in Pretoria.
Ms Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, reality TV star and law graduate, was hit three times by bullets fired by Pistorius through a toilet door.


Source: BBC NEWS

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