Paris prepares to welcome the New Year. Photograph: Kiran Ridley/Getty Images

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2019/dec/31/new-years-eve-2019-celebrations-around-the-world-as-they-happen

Fireworks illuminate the sky above the Arc de Triomphe. Photograph: Benoît Tessier/Reuters

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB has announced important dates for the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination exercise.

JAMB registrar Ishaq Oloyede made the announcement during the board's meeting with stakeholders ahead of the 2020 exercise in Zaria on Wednesday.

According to JAMB, the 2020 registration for both UTME and DE candidates will commence 13th January, 2020 and end on 17th February, 2020.

The board also announced that the 2020 UTME will be held between 14th March and 4th April, 2020

2020 ePIN Payment Process by Candidates

1. Each candidate must have obtained the NIN as earlier directed
JAMB;

2. The cell (mobile) number used for NIN enrollment can be used
by one candidate only. The cell phone number used for sending NIN
message is automatically tied to the candidate’s name supplied by NIMC and will be used in all communications related to his/her 2020 Application/Examination

3. Write the word ‘NIN’ then space and add your 11 digit NIN number and send to 55019 from your phone number used for NIN registration
- e.g [NIN 00123456789].
- There should be a space between the word ‘NIN’ and your 11 digit NIN

4. After sending a message to 55019, candidate will receive on his/her phone:
• 10 digit profile code
• registered name with NIMC
• NIN confirmation
• IBASS (Alert) for pre-registration checking

5. The candidate presents the profile code to the point of procurement of form (Banks, MMOs, MFBs, Switches, USSD Partners). The form ePIN is then sent as text message to the candidate

6. The candidate presents the ePIN at any JAMB accredited CBT centre for registration

REGISTRATION PROCESS
At CBT Centres
 Candidate is expected to pay NOT more than N700.00 as Service Charge to the CBT Centre
 Once profile code is entered, candidate’s read-only biodata appears on the form
- Names
- Date of birth
- Nationality
- L.G.A. (can be required to fill in if blank (vacant)
- State of origin
- Gender
- Picture (no more picture & biometric data capture)
 Candidate Provides:
(i) Choice of institutions & programmes (Disciplines)
(iii) Qualification with grades/dates, if not awaiting result
(iv) UTME subjects & choice of examination town for
(a) Mock examination (optional)
(b) Examination for UTME (actual examination)
 Review entries & confirm correctness
 Print Registration Slip only by BIOMETRIC AUTHENTICATION to confirm valid finger-print (UTME+DE)

https://www.jamb.gov.ng/home.aspx

Former Minority Leader of the Senate and Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, has pulled out of the planned Akwa Ibom North East senatorial re-run election.

In a letter addressed to the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole and dated 2nd of December, 2019, Akpabio said as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, a huge responsibility had been placed on him.

He said he couldn’t abandon a critical assignment placed on him by President Muhammadu Buhari in pursuit of a re-run election.

He urged the party to write the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in line with Sections 33 and 35 of the Electoral Act, 2010, and submit a replacement to run in his place.

President Buhari has taken to Facebook to celebrate his 30th wedding anniversary with Aisha

He posted thus:

Today, on our 30th Wedding Anniversary, I pray for Allah’s continued peace and blessings in our home and family. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari

The House of Representatives on Wednesday called on the Federal Ministry of education to abolish the practice of charging Acceptance Fees on admission into Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria

This resolution followed the consideration and adoption of a motion calling attention to the exploitative tendencies if the practice, as brought by Hon. Chinedu Emeka Martins.

The resolution therefore directed the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission to immediately abolish the payment of acceptance fees into Tertiary Institutions.

To this end, the House Committee on Tertiary Education and Services was mandated to investigate the admission policies and practices of Tertiary Institutions in the country as they relate to the charging of acceptance fees in order to remove all obstacles to accessing tertiary education in the country.

In his lead debate, Hon. Martins noted that education is a necessary tool for unlocking human potentials and driving national development and the advancement or otherwise of any nation is directly dependent on the number of its citizens who have access to education, especially up to the tertiary education level.

He said: “A recent data from the National Universities Commission that out of a population of over 180 million, only about 2 million are enrolled into the universities nationwide, representing 1 percent of the population and clearly indicating that the proportion of the population attending tertiary institutions is low when compared to other advanced countries”.

“Additional data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) shows that between 2010 and 2015, of the 10 million applicants that sought admissions into tertiary institutions, only 26 percent gained admissions”, stated.

According to him, “this indicated that about 75 percent of the applicants fail to gain admissions every year and also reinforcing the fact that access to tertiary education is low in Nigeria”.

“One of the factors contributing to poor access to tertiary education is the predatory admission policies being enforced by tertiary institutions, particularly the requirement for payment of non-refundable acceptance fees as condition precedent for admissions.”

The lawmaker further expressed concern that many federally operated tertiary institutions charge as much as N30, 000 per student, while some States and private institutions charge significantly more, as evidenced in the following:

Akwa Ibom State University ((AKSU) - N30,500;
University of Ibadan (UI) – N35,000;
University of Lagos (UNILAG) – N20,000;
Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) – N30,000;
Imo State University (lMSU) – N70,000; and
Lagos State University (LASU) – N20,000.

“Applicants are expected to pay the acceptance fees within a short deadline despite having gone through the tortuous process of paying and sitting for the Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE), the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) and making the cut off mark.

“And if they are unable to meet the deadline, the applicants are surcharged for late payment with the risk of losing the offer of admissions.

“If the exploitative admission practices of tertiary institutions in the country are left unchecked, the aspirations of indigent Nigerians to study in Universities will continue to be cut short because of their inability to pay acceptance fees”, the member argued.

The motion sailed through without objections when the presiding Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila called for a voice vote on it, as it was voted overwhelmingly by a majority of members.

https://www.independent.ng/reps-demand-abolition-of-acceptance-fees-in-tertiary-institutions903667-2/

Arsenal nowhere around the Top 20?

A Mack Truck driver going towards Calabar from Uyo, with registration: Rivers ; BNY 137 XA, lost control and ran into a filling station, killing three and injuring many. The driver of the truck was no way to be found as at the time of the report. But information from an eye witness who pleaded anonymity said "the trucker driver was trying to avoid a Keke rider who recklessly crossed the road".

Letter H is a consonant sound, though "H" in certain words is unvoiced. Hence, the article for words beginning with a consonant sound "a" not "an" is used for "Happy"

Some other words beginning with "H" sound also take "a". e. g. a House, a Home, a Hall, a Herbal, a Horse, a Hobby, a Hoe, a Host, a Hotel etc. But some other words whose letter H is silent begin with "an". e. g. an hour, an honour

See image.

Rev. Patrick Henry Edet, an ex Reverend Father and the wife, Inyene today dedicated their daughter, Little Miss Mbiet -Yaweh at Grace Family aka Commonwealth of Champions, Ibom Hall, IBB Avenue, Uyo.

Notable among the dignitaries that graced the ceremony was the Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel

A Nigeria Police vehicle in Akwa Ibom today crashed in attempt to catch up with a vehicle suspected to be carrying rice.

While the officers sustained injuries, the number of casualties could not be ascertained as at the time of this report

A year-old boy was almost killed today by a Rottweiler but for the timely intervention of neighbours, who immediately sniffed life out from the pet. The boy is said to be recuperating. The incident reportedly happened in Abuja

Oh God! This reminds me of the heyday of TELL magazine, the News etc in the Abacha era. Mehn... Those journalists were daring.

Fixing the Broken Nation
_________________________________

Oh! Nigeria
The land of our fathers
The only one we can call our Nation
The land filled with milk and honey
Not let out its green and natural resources.

See how fruitful you are but broken
Blessed but scattered
Resourceful but hunger killing its citizens
Loved by God but fill with haterade
Brilliant but die in foolishness
Wealthy but die in dryness and poverty

Gone are the days when people die we kill animals to celebrate, but now when animal die we kill ourselves
Bombing, kidnaping and killing is now the other of the day

Together we can build our broken nation again
Yes, We are determined to rebuild and restore
Where freedom reigns, and truth prevails
A land where there is hope for us all again
We are all we have, we will defend our land
We believe in this nation, and we know we are getting there

We are all we have, we will defend our land
We believe in Nigeria and the promise she holds
One day we will shine like the sun
We are a great nation
Though we are many people
Different tribes, different tongues
when we are united in our strength to resolve
To uphold the honour of our land
And for generations to come

We're a great nation
We are Nigeria
We are Nigeria
Happy Independence Nigeria

Project manager: Godshand Matthew
Assisted by: Happiness John
Art and painting: Henry Enoch
Lighting crew: Gabriel Edet, Daniel Okon, Cerh Tee Fied, Milkey Akpabio, ITz Preno Pwesh
Creative director: Cybertouch Studioz Ng
#That_Ibom_Photographer

More reactions

TACHA

Little helpless girl. She came from nowhere, she pushed herself with no help from nowhere, she had no big family name, they say she had no pedigree. I think she made her mark, she told her story her own way, she made the news. The one with the trophy is not always the biggest winner. I don't watch Big Brother and I don't even care about it, but I took note of this particular girl everyone spoke positive and negative things about. Biggest of all is that she is from Rivers State. Whether she smells or not, whether she is fluent in English or not, Whether she has finesse or not, one thing is certain... she is from Rivers State and I don't abandon my own. She may be the worst person in the world, but leave her for me, she is my sister. Come back home my dear #Tacha we love you the way you are. No one is ever perfect. You did not pretend to be who you're not. #Tacha.

Enemi George,
Member, Rivers State House of Assembly,
Asari-Toru State Constituency

toxxnoni:


Bro, abeg how I fit get the decoder buy,

FTA decoders are sold in the open market, that is most electronics shop. Cable TV dealers sell it too. E.g. STRONG, VIEWSAT, POWERSAT, DIGISAT etc. B/w N8k - N20k. You'll need a BIG (90cm) dish and then get a tech to install it for you. That's all

JerryGent1983:
my guy can you throw more light on this abeg it's looks good to me abeg

FTA decoders are sold in the open market, that is most electronics shop. Cable TV dealers sell it too. E.g. STRONG, VIEWSAT, POWERSAT, DIGISAT etc. B/w N8k - N20k. You'll need a BIG (90cm) dish and then get a tech to install it for you. Someone has mentioned the frequencies up there. That's all

booblacain:


Can I use a dstv dish for it?

There's nothing like DSTV dish �. All dishes are the same, just what's written on it makes it what you call DSTV dish. The important thing is that big (90cm) dish receives better signal than the small (60cm) dish. I recommend any BIG dish. Cheers

Tessyy1701:


Can You shed more light on it PLEASE

Find any cable TV dealer or electronics shop to buy FTA decoder e.g STRONG. Get a big dish, and ask them to install for you

eniorisha:
How can one get FTA decoder? & is d signal receptive across d nook & cranny of Nigeria?

Find any cable TV dealer or electronics shop to buy FTA decoder e.g STRONG. Get a big dish, and ask them to install for you

All channels in HD. Get any Free-to-Air (FTA) decoder and a 90cm dish to get the signal and watch channels FREE! Do regular scanning to pick new channels. I've not paid for Gotv etc for over a year now

Radical lawyer Inibehe Effiong posted on Facebook

"We have initiated contempt proceedings against the DG of the SSS over the flagrant disregard for the order of Federal High Court to release Omoyele Sowore"

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has advised candidates wishing to write the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to register with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to enable them obtain the National Identification Number (NIN).

The board said the NIN would be compulsory for UTME registration next year.

It insisted that only candidates with NIN would be allowed to sit for the examination next year.

JAMB said it would no longer capture the biometrics of candidates as information required by the board would be uploaded from the data captured by the NIMC for registration.

Its Head of Information, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, explained the board’s position on NIN in an interview on Wednesday in Abuja.

Benjamin said the NIN would guard against all forms of registration infractions.

He said: “Henceforth, the National Identification Number (NIN) would be compulsory for the UTME registration.

“All candidates desiring to register for the 2020 UTME, other JAMB processes, are urged to visit the nearest NIMC centre or its licensed agents for the NIN registration ahead of the UTME registration, if they have not done so.”

Dr. Benjamin stressed that candidates would be required to present their NIN at the point of registration.

He said the board has made arrangements with NIMC for candidates who do not have the NIN to be registered at the centre by NIMC or its licensed agents.

The JAMB spokesperson advised candidates who had registered and acquired the NIN before attaining the age of 16 to update their NIN registration status before proceeding for the UTME registration.

“If a candidate has NIN but has misplaced the number, he/she can retrieve the NIN by either going to any NIMC office/its licensed agents or dialling *346# (USSD Code) on the SIM number earlier used to register for the NIN and the NIN would be sent to the candidate.

“If he/she does not have the SIM number used for the NIN registration, such a candidate should visit the nearest NIMC centre or any of its licensed agents.

“Candidate’s name, as arranged on the NIMC data base, would be same on JAMB data after registration.

“If any candidate has complaints of name arrangement such a candidate should first rectify such issue with NIMC before proceeding for registration,” he added.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/thenationonlineng.net/no-nin-no-utme-in-2020-jamb-tells-candidates/amp/?espv=1

More

The first batch of 84 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa arrived the country via the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, in the company of officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

As a DJ, experienced a wedding reception that couldn't start till 5pm. Reason: pastor wasted all the time in the church. By the time the couple arrived the recep venue, 90% of the guests had left. Worse, there wasn't any provision for lighting in the hall. The few left had to put on their phones torch

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

NIGERIA-BENIN BORDER PARTIALLY CLOSED DUE TO SMUGGLING ACTIVITIES, SAYS PRESIDENT BUHARI

President Muhammadu Buhari has attributed the partial closure of Nigeria’s border with Benin Republic to the massive smuggling activities, especially of rice, taking place on that corridor.
The Nigerian leader gave the reason during an audience granted his Beninois counterpart, Patrice Talon, on the margins of the Seventh Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD7), in Yokohama, Japan on Wednesday.

President Buhari, who expressed great concern over the smuggling of rice, said it threatened the self-sufficiency already attained due to his administration’s agricultural policies.

According to him, “Now that our people in the rural areas are going back to their farms, and the country has saved huge sums of money which would otherwise have been expended on importing rice using our scarce foreign reserves, we cannot allow smuggling of the product at such alarming proportions to continue.”

The Nigerian President said the limited closure of the country’s western border was to allow Nigeria’s security forces develop a strategy on how to stem the dangerous trend and its wider ramifications.

Responding to the concerns raised by President Talon on the magnitude of suffering caused by the closure, President Buhari said he had taken note and would reconsider reopening in the not too distant future.

He, however, disclosed that a meeting with his counterparts from Benin and Niger Republics would soon be called to determine strict and comprehensive measures to curtail the level of smuggling across their borders.

Earlier, President Talon had said he called on the Nigerian President as a result of the severe impact the closure of the Nigerian border was having on his people.

President Buhari also received in audience, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa during which issues of common bilateral relations especially, the killings of Nigerians in South Africa, were discussed. The matter will be further examined during the Nigerian leader’s official visit to Pretoria in October 2019.

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
August 28, 2019

Thanks op. But steps mentioned above seems more complex than simply walking into a reputable cafe to get the job done

US President Donald Trump continues his review of US- China business relationship by pronouncing increase in tax rate of trades from China

He wrote thus

For many years China (and many other countries) has been taking advantage of the United States on Trade, Intellectual Property Theft, and much more. Our Country has been losing HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year to China, with no end in sight. Sadly, past Administrations have allowed China to get so far ahead of Fair and Balanced Trade that it has become a great burden to the American Taxpayer. As President, I can no longer allow this to happen! In the spirit of achieving Fair Trade, we must Balance this very unfair Trading Relationship. China should not have put new Tariffs on 75 BILLION DOLLARS of United States product (politically motivated!). Starting on October 1st, the 250 BILLION DOLLARS of goods and products from China, currently being taxed at 25%, will be taxed at 30%. Additionally, the remaining 300 BILLION DOLLARS of goods and products from China, that was being taxed from September 1st at 10%, will now be taxed at 15%. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

INCOMING CABINET CONCLUDES DAY 1 OF PRESIDENTIAL RETREAT

President Muhammadu Buhari Monday presided over the opening day of a Presidential Retreat for Ministers-designate and senior Government officials.

The Retreat follows the screening and confirmation of the Ministers-designate by the National Assembly, and holds ahead of their swearing-in by the President on Wednesday, August 21, 2019, at the State House.

In the first technical presentation of the Retreat, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo delivered an overview of the work of the Policies, Programmes and Projects Audit Committee (PPPAC), established by President Buhari in March 2019 and chaired by the Vice President, with a mandate to review the performance in the first term and outline a Roadmap for the new Administration.

This was followed by presentations on National Security, Economic Development and Anti-Corruption Agenda, after which participants engaged in eleven Breakout sessions to deliberate on issues across the priority policy areas of the Administration.

These sessions covered Security; Macroeconomic Stability; Agriculture and Food Security; Energy Security in petroleum products and electricity; Transportation and Critical Infrastructure; Industrialisation and SME Development; Human Capital Development; Social Inclusion; Anti-Corruption; and Housing Financing and Consumer Credit.

Declaring the Retreat open, President Buhari charged the incoming Ministers to ensure that all hands were on deck to realise the Administration’s vision of laying the grounds for the lifting of 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in ten years.

The President also asked them to take seriously their responsibility to develop and implement policies, programmes and projects, and harped on the importance of working as a team and communicating amongst themselves and with the Nigerian people.

The two-day Presidential Retreat ends on Tuesday.

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
August 19, 2019