FEC okays N20.6 billion for road contracts

THE Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday approved N20.6 billion for road contracts in Plateau and Kwara states.

Minister of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola briefed State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting chaired by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He was with Minister of Information Lai Mohammed, Minister of Trade and Investment Okechukwu Enelamah and the Minister of Science and Technology Ogbonnaya Onu.

The two roads, he said, are N10.4 billion for the reconstruction of Pankshin-Balank-Yalen-Salak-Gindiri road in Plateau State and N10.2 billion for reconstruction of Sharre-Patigi road in Kwara State.

“Put yourself in his position. He wins a European cup and wants to celebrate with his team,” Mourinho said.

“He wants to get the cup, the medal and be in the pictures but one doctor wants to close him in a small room because of the doping control.

“It’s very hard to control a player in this situation and UEFA should consider this. It’s not a normal match — it’s a cup, a medal, a celebration. It’s everything.

“There was no wrongdoing in his behaviour, just a human desire to celebrate. I feel really sorry for him and I don’t think it’s fair.

“I would (appeal) if I was him. If you do that you have the risk of even more punishment but it’s a decision I will leave with him.”

Seun Kuti, a scion of the late Afrobeat sage, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, yesterday said that he still finds it hard coming to terms with his father’s passing. According to him, what started as a rumour turned out real, leaving him quite traumatized.

Recounting the incident as he remembers on his Facebook page, the singer, who took over his father’s Egypt 80 band wrote; “the week preceding this one 20 years ago was quite traumatizing as rumors of Fela’s death had spread.

“It was so widespread that Fela’s very good friend Michele Avantario #rip flew in from Italy to mourn. He arrived in the morning of this exact day. He stood at the top of our street, too shaken to approach the house. I stumbled upon him while going to see my friend, Arthur. Michele what are you doing here crying? He said Fela is dead! I said no; stop crying it’s just a rumor. He pulled himself together and we went to KK (Kalakuta).

“He said he bought me the new Play station on his way. I was beyond elated. We chilled at KK. I went back to his hotel; we discussed a bit till it was about 8, got my PS and headed back home.”

At that moment, Seun said, he was the happiest man in the whole world.

“As I approached KK I saw a huge crowd outside, my elder brother’s friend Siasia was outside. I asked him what was happening and he said Seun Just go inside. Everyone was crying. ‘FELA DON DIE, FELA DON DIE’ couldn’t believe it. #20years later, I still can’t believe it. YEAR 20 A F E (After Fela Era) PS: Happy post humous birthday Dr Beko Ransome Kuti,” he added.

Fela’s demise was announced a day later, on August 3, 1997 by his elder brother, Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, a prominent AIDS activist and former Minister of Health.

Neymar €222m deal not expensive, says Mourinho

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said Wednesday he does not believe the record-shattering 222 million euro ($260 million) transfer fee Paris St Germain are willing to pay for Neymar is expensive.

But the Reds boss, speaking after his side beat Sampdoria 2-1 in Dublin in a pre-season friendly, is concerned how the staggering figure will affect future transfers.

Mourinho shelled out 105.2 million euros ($111 million) last summer to re-sign their former midfielder Paul Pogba from Juventus, but the French outfit are poised to double that record to tempt the Brazilian from Barcelona.

“When we signed Paul Pogba, I said he was not expensive,” Mourinho said.

“Expensive are the ones that get to a certain level without a certain quality. I don’t think £200 million for Neymar is expensive.

“Expensive is the fact there will now be more players at £100m, more players at £50m, more players at £60m — that’s the problem.

“Neymar is one of the best players in the world, so commercially that is very strong but the problem is not Neymar — the problem is the consequences.”

Mourinho was speaking after a late Juan Mata goal gave his United team victory in their final pre-season game, after a Dennis Praet strike had cancelled out Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s first half goal.

The win puts United in a confident mood ahead of next Tuesday’s UEFA Super Cup clash with Real Madrid in Macedonia.

Mourinho revealed the club are likely to appeal the two-game European ban handed to Phil Jones after verbally abusing anti-doping officials after the Europa League final win in May.

SOURCE: http://punchng.com/my-wifes-relativesll-kill-me-if-eagles-miss-wcup-mikel/

How I survived stroke – Iyabo Oko

A seasoned Yoruba actress, Kudirat Odukanwi, popularly called Iyabo Oko, has narrated her experience in the past one year, saying she had been hit by stroke.

According to her, she lost her voice, weight and mobility power during the period.

She told City People in an interview that she was scared in the process, especially based on the harvest of deaths the entertainment industry was witnessing.

Odukanmi said, “I thank God almighty for sparing my life till this moment. The devil tried his best but God showed him that He is truly the Alfa and Omega. What happened was that, that day, after I woke up very early in the morning and attempted to talk, I just found out that I couldn’t talk any longer and I was told it was a partial stroke. I was taken to a hospital and I was treated. The doctors really tried their best. The hospital is called 68 Military Hospital, Yaba, Lagos’.

“They tried but I couldn’t just talk for months but I still give glory to God that I can now talk properly. The funny thing is that I was not paralyzed; my legs and hands were effective, just that I couldn’t talk. I first spent two weeks in the hospital. When I got home, it started again and I returned to the hospital. I visited the hospital like three times.

“I was discharged and my son came from abroad and rushed me to the UK where I spent like one month. I was at home but doctors were coming to treat me. He employed a therapist and after a month, I started talking and my son finally took me to India where everything was perfected. I spent seven months in India.

SOURCE: http://punchng.com/how-i-survived-stroke-iyabo-oko/

My wife’s relatives’ll kill me if Eagles miss W’Cup – Mikel

Mikel Obi has vowed to do everything to ensure the Super Eagles qualify for next year’s World Cup in Russia.

Nigeria, who currently sit atop Group B Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers on six points, are gearing up for their vital qualifying double-header against their eternal rivals Cameroon, who are second in the group on two points.

The Eagles host the Indomitable Lions in Uyo on August 31, with the African champions receiving the Nigerians in the reverse fixture in Yaounde on September 4.

And Nigeria captain Mikel, who has been struggling to regain fitness after undergoing surgery in London in April following an injury he sustained while playing for his Chinese Super League side Tianjin Teda, has warned his Eagles’ teammates to expect a tough test against the Lions over the two legs.

“As everyone knows, they are a very good team,” the former Chelsea midfielder, who represented Nigeria at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil in 2014, was quoted by FIFA.com as saying of Cameroon on Wednesday.

“They are strong and they play with confidence. We must get ourselves well prepared for this game and try our best to get on top against them. It won’t be easy but these are important matches. If we win both, we will be almost there.”

The 30-year-old admits he is under pressure to feature in the world football showpiece in the country where the mother of his twins comes from.

He said, “My wife is Russian, and many of our relatives and friends are from Russia. They are all expecting Nigeria to qualify for the next World Cup. I think they will kill me if I fail them.”

SOURCE: http://punchng.com/my-wifes-relativesll-kill-me-if-eagles-miss-wcup-mikel/

Stanbic IBTC Pension lifts Kaduna Prisons

Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Limited has inaugurated three blocks of toilets at the Nigerian PrisonsTraining School, Kaduna.

The company, a Pension Fund Administrators ( PFA), said the renovated facilities would lift the living conditions of personnel of the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS).

NPS Controller-General, Ahmed Ja’afaru, represented by the Zonal Coordinator Zone B, NPS Kaduna, Musa Mayaki, an Assistant Controller-General, expressed appreciation to the company for the gesture.

He noted that a prison service is community in the security-maintenance architecture with the relevant personnel, their families and inmates, all constituting part of the larger society.

He added that the project would bring relief to the personnel and trainees as the community hitherto had to make do with less than fitting sanitary facilities.

He stressed that the project would be useful to the cadets and officers as clean and satisfactory sanitary facilities means better disposal of human waste, reduced chances of disease outbreak and better living condition.

The firm’s Executive Director, Investments, Mr. Oladele Sotubo, said: “The project, which is line with the Stanbic IBTC Group’s CSI focus areas, falls under the health pillar, others being education and economic empowerment. Its decision to renovate the toilets is part of a business strategy to support the well-being of the people and communities where it operates.

‘’A celebratory mood enveloped the community following the commissioning of the project.

SOURCE: http://thenationonlineng.net/stanbic-ibtc-pension-lifts-kaduna-prisons/

Nigeria needs strong fiscal, monetary policies to exit recession – CBN

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria on Tuesday warned that the economy might relapse into protracted recession if bold monetary and fiscal policies were not activated immediately to sustain the programmes of the Federal Government.

The committee stated that available forecasts of key macroeconomic indicators pointed to a fragile economic recovery in the second quarter of the year.

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that the contraction in the economy moderated to 0.52 per cent in the first quarter.

The MPC identified the downside risks to economic outlook to include weak financial intermediation, poorly targeted fiscal stimulus and absence of structural programme implementation.

The CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, while reading the communique after the end of the committee’s two-day meeting, called for more fiscal measures to stimulate the economy.

He said there was a need for improvements in economy-wide non-oil exports, especially agriculture, manufacturing, services and light industries.

He also said the expected fiscal stimulus, non-oil federal receipts and other measures that were expected to drive the growth impetus for the rest of the year must be pursued relentlessly.

SOURCE: http://punchng.com/nigeria-needs-strong-fiscal-monetary-policies-to-exit-recession-cbn/