Dangote Foundation pledges $100million to tackle malnutrition in Nigeria

The managing Director and CEO of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Zouera Youssoufou has disclosed that the foundation will spend $100million on tackling malnutrition in the worst affected parts of Nigeria over the next five years. She made the disclosure at the just concluded Global Nutrition Summit 2017, held in Milan, Italy which was attended by government officials, international agencies, foundations, civil society organisations and businesses.

According to Youssoufou, the Dangote Foundation has made significant social investments in health, education, economic empowerment and disaster relief since 1993. She said: “He is now becoming the strongest voice for nutritional leadership nationally and on the Continent of Africa.

By making this unprecedented $100 million commitment, the Aliko Dangote Foundation is on a mission to reduce the prevalence of under nutrition by 60 percent in the most needy areas of Nigeria, specifically the North East and North West." She noted that Africa is the hardest hit continent in terms of malnutrition and Nigeria has the highest numbers of malnourished children. She said: “Almost half of the one million children, who die before the age of five every year in Nigeria, die of malnutrition as the underlying cause.

Without the proper nutrients during the first 1,000 days of life starting from conception up to their second birthday, children are less likely to survive childhood diseases such as malaria and pneumonia, and are less likely to escape poverty as adults. They become physically and cognitively stunted, a fate that has befallen 11 million of Nigeria’s children under five.

Nigeria’s high malnutrition rate is undermining progress towards improving child health and survival and putting the brakes on economic development and by investing in nutrition, we aim to directly improve the lives of Nigerian families and to empower our citizens to reach their full potential.

0

Paris Club refund: Three more governors indicted

EFCC uncovers another slush account

Release of third tranche threatened

Three more governors are believed to have diverted the London-Paris Club refund, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sources said yesterday.

Besides, another slush account has been uncovered.

The governors and their cronies are under investigation.

Some of those implicated in the mismanagement and diversion of the refund will soon face trial, The Nation learnt.

Governors have been pushing for the release of the third tranche of the refund. President Muhammadu Buhari is said to be weighing the request.

Security reports allegedly indicted some governors of gross abuse of the cash.

According to a source, who gave an update on the investigation of the refund, all suspects will be brought to book.

The source said: “As part of the ongoing probe, we have traced diversion of funds to three more governors and their cronies. This is apart from two governors who have been fingered in such deals.

Detectives have also uncovered another account opened by the Nigeria Governors Forum(NGF) where suspicious transactions related to the London-Paris Club refund have been found.

"We have rated this new discovery as a slush account. This is aside the two accounts on which we placed Post No Debit(PNB).

According to the source, “more consultants have confessed that they were paid for jobs not done.
“So, we have cases of diversion of public funds into private accounts under the guise of consultancy fees. This explains why salaries have not been paid in some states”, the source added.
He went on: “We will release the details to the public very soon. All the suspects will certainly face trial. Those who have immunity will face the consequences, no matter how long it takes.
“Already, one of the governors has forfeited N500million and another crony of the second governor has refunded $500,000 out of $3million linked to his account.
“We have also applied for the forfeiture of over N1.823billion by some consultants hired by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).”

Following protests by states against over deductions for external debt service between 1995 and 2002, President Buhari had approved the release of N522.74 billion (first tranche) to states as refunds pending reconciliation of records.
Each state was entitled to a cap of N14.5 billion being 25% of the amounts claimed.
The second tranche of N243, 795,465,195.20 was also disbursed to states in July.
Minister of Finance Mrs. Kemi Adeosun said the payment of the claims would enable states to offset outstanding salaries and pension which had been “causing considerable hardship”.

The governors had sought for the refund to states and local governments at a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on May 24, 2016.

The Finance ministry said it was reviewing the impact of these releases on the level of arrears owed by the various states.

The releases were conditional upon a minimum of 75 per cent being applied to the payment of workers’ salaries and pensions for states that owe salaries and pension,” Salisu Dambatta, a Finance ministry spokesperson said in the statement.
The Senate plans to probe how the refund and bailout funds to states by Buhari were approved.
The Senate’s decision followed a point of order raised by Sen. Samuel Anyanwu (PDP- Imo).
Buhari is said to be weighing on whether or not to release the third tranche of the refund to states.
A Presidency source said: “Although the governors agreed at the National Economic Council meeting to demand for the third tranche, the President has the final say.
“From the security reports available to the President, some of the governors allegedly misused the refunds. A few of them devoted 20% -30% to payment of salaries. And some diverted the cash.”
Advocates of true federalism have argued that the Presidency has no right to held on to the cash because it belong to the states.

“The most feasible option is to impose stiffer conditions on how to access and use the refunds. There might be stiffer monitoring of the utilisation of the London-Paris Club cash,” a source said

0

We beat drivers for One-way offence

The Lagos State Branch of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) has set up a task force to arrest members of the association driving against traffic in the state, especially on One-way.

The Chairman of the association, Alhaji Musa Muhammed, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday.

He said the union had set up the task force to support the one put in place by the Lagos State Government to prevent commercial motorcyclists from operating on highways in the state.

We are law-abiding citizens, we obey traffic rules and regulations and we want total compliance with Lagos State traffic laws.“That is why we set up the task force to monitor and arrest any of our members or uniformed people, plying the expressway or disobeying traffic laws.”According to him, the association is ready to support the State Government on any policy that will step up and advance the transport sector.Also speaking to NAN, Mr Sulaiman Raji, Chairman of the Nagari Nakowa Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Lagos State, decried the inability of the government to arrest military officers riding motorcycles on highways.Raji appealed to the government to take immediate action on the situation, saying that arresting civilians and leaving uniformed men to break the law was wrong.He alleged that law enforcement officers had been plying restricted areas, including expressways with their motorcycles without being challenged by the government task force.“We beg them to comply with traffic rules. The constitution says nobody is above the law; they should comply with the state’s traffic rules.“Some of our members have received a serious beating from these uniform men while trying to arrest them on the expressway.“So, that is why we now established our own task force combined with the State Government to fight the menace,” he said.

A competent source in the Nigerian Army, who spoke to NAN on condition of anonymity on the issue, said that majority of the people riding motorcycles on expressway were dismissed military men.

He said that some of the officers had been dismissed from the force years back, but were impersonating as military men.
“Please, any time officers on bike want to argue with you or beat anybody on the expressway, please kindly report to any nearby military barrack.“We orientate our officers on daily basis on traffic laws and regulations and we are law-abiding citizens,” the source said Facebook.

0

Fake products: Court rules on Tasty Time MD’s bail application on Tuesday

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday fixed November 7 for ruling on the bail application of the Managing Director of Tasty Time Nigeria Ltd, Isaac Kole, charged with manufacture of fake products.

Kole, who was arraigned alongside his company — Tasty Time Nigeria Ltd, had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control had on November 2 arraigned the accused on four counts bordering on producing fake and unregistered products.

Justice Hadiza Rabiu-Shagari had allowed the accused to continue with the administrative bail granted him and adjourned until Monday for the determination of his bail application.

The judge had also ordered the accused to produce a director either from Federal or Lagos State Civil Service, who would sign an undertaking to produce him in court on the next adjournment.

At the resumed hearing of the case on Monday, the case was again adjourned until Nov. 7 as the court did not sit.

The prosecution alleged that Kole and his company had been using their plant to produce unregistered Tasty Time products.

NAFDAC said the products include Tasty Time juice, Glucosaid Energy drink, Tasty Time Pops orange flavoured drink, Tasty Time Fitz Apple drink and Tasty Time mixed orange flavoured drink.

The accused was also alleged to have packaged and labelled the products in a manner likely to create a wrong impression that they were genuine and also sold the unregistered products to the public.

The offences, according to the prosecutor, Mrs Chinyere Okoli of NAFDAC, contravene the provisions of Sections 1(1), 5(a) and 5(e) of the Foods and Drugs Related Products Act, Laws of the Federation 2004.

0

Cameronian man strangles all three cute children (PHOTOS)

A Cameroonian man simply identified as Dangelo, believed to be the founder of Miss Cameroun Switzerland, has been arrested over alleged murder of his three children.
According to reports...

A Swiss Cameroonian national left his wife in Switzerland. He traveled to Cameroon with his 3 children, the eldest 12 years. He strangled and stabbed them to death at his home in Kondengui District and went and took refuge at Swiss embassy in Yaounde, but has been handed to La Réplique du Cameroun authorities ! RIP little angels.

Before clicking, this content contains graphic images, viewers discretion is advised  CLICK HERE!

0

Gombe State Government Approves N8m For Anti-Snake Venom.

The Gombe State Government has disclosed that it had approved N8 million for the procurement of anti-snake venom for the Snake Bite Treatment Centre, Kaltungo.

Gombe state Commissioner for Health, Dr Kennedy Ishaya who disclosed this to newsmen in Gombe said the state government would inform the public as soon as the venom arrive the centre.

Kennedy said the centre provided free treatment, antibiotics as and surgical care to patients bitten by snakes and added that the Federal Government had in July provided 100 ampules to the centre, adding that all the drugs had been exhausted.

He said patients from parts of the country, Cameroun and Chad Republic were patronising the centre for snake bite treatment.

He, however, said that the new 250-capacity ward for snake bite treatment was furnished with modern equipment, adding that the ward would be inaugurated in November.

The commissioner appealed to the federal government to supply additional ampoules.

Dr Abubakar Balla, offiicer in charge of the Centre, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the centre had stopped admitting patients because there was no drug.

“We do not have drugs to treat patients at the moment. Currently there are only 10 persons on admission.

“We can only treat those who can afford to buy drugs outside the hospital,’’ he said.

Balla commended the state government for approving N8 million to procure drugs.

Source: NAN

0