The Brazilian Soccer Team’s Home Town Has Begun 30 Days of Mourning

Fans light candles in tribute to the players of Brazilian team Chapecoense Real killed in a plane crash in the Colombian mountains, at their football stadium in Chapeco, Santa Catarina, Brazil on November 29, 2016.

'It’s like the whole city has died'

Businesses were closed across the grief-stricken Brazilian city of Chapecó on Tuesday as residents struggled to process the devastating tragedy that had befallen their beloved soccer team Chapecoense.

Almost every member of a team described as the “Cinderella story” of Brazilian soccer was killed when its chartered plane crashed in mountainous terrain near the Colombian city of Medellin late Monday local time, with the loss of 71 lives. The British Aerospace 146 jet was supposed to be carrying players to the game of their lives — the first leg of the finals of the Copa Sudamericana tournament — capping a fairytale rise to the top division of Brazilian soccer.

Instead, municipal officials in Chapecó — a city of 210,000 people in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina — have cancelled all holiday season activities and declared 30 days of mourning, according to Wall Street Journal.

“It’s like the whole city has died,” one senior official reportedly said.

The Arena Condá stadium — where the team were next scheduled to play on Dec. 6 — has become a focal point for large numbers of grieving fans, clad in green team jerseys. “We can only cry, and try to understand what’s happening,” the Journal quoted a local business owner as saying.
 
Brazil’s champion soccer team, Sao Paolo’s Palmeiras, has asked the Brazilian Football Confederation if its players can wear Chapecoense colors for the last match of the season, Associated Press reports. Other clubs reportedly said that they want to freely loan players to Chapecoense for the 2017 season.

Meanwhile, Brazil has declared three days of national mourning for victims of the crash.

President Michel Temer said Air Force planes would be deployed to help relatives of the victims to travel to Colombia and for the transfer of the bodies to Brazil, AP says.

Deparadigm

Today's Devotion (Wednesday)

The Danger Of Unbelief
2 KINGS 7:15-20

Key Verse:

"And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died" (2 Kings 7:19,20).

The Moody Church News had an account of a man who was walking by the sea shore. He was greatly perplexed about the doctrine of the Trinity. He observed a little boy with a sea shell running to the water, filling it and then pouring it into a hole which he had made in the sand. "What are you doing my little man?" asked the perplexed man. "Oh", said he, "I am trying to put the ocean into this hole!" The man learnt his lesson, and as he walked away, he said: "That is what I am trying to do. I see it now". Standing on the shores of time, he was trying to get into his little finite mind, things which are infinite. Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible. The account in our text relays the unfortunate story of the man in whose hand the king leaned, who tried to comprehend the ability of God by his finite mind. He queried the sense in Elisah's pronouncement on the instantaneous provision that God was about to bring upon the land of Samaria after a period of great famine. He doubted the man of God and paid dearly for his unbelief. He saw the blessing of abundance as predicted by the man of God but could not partake in it as earlier announced. He was trampled upon by a hungry but jubilant mob. Limiting God's ability with our little understanding and finite mind will always lead to destruction. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Trying to figure out what He can do and what He cannot do, based on our knowledge of science will be like checkmating Him. God can do anything at anytime (Luke 1:37). The best we can do is to completely hand over our life to Him for provision and fulfillment of His promise, and allow Him to work out the details while we walk with Him in righteousness.

Thought for the day: With God, nothing shall be impossible

Bible Reading in one Year: DANIEL 6-8

Why Trump Is Interviewing Generals for His Cabinet

Department of Defense President-elect Trump has already tapped Flynn (left) as his national security adviser. Mattis, Petraeus and Kelly are under consideration for other senior national-security posts.

The benefit of their experience may be offset by a military-centric foreign policy


Many of the latest administration try-outs turnstiling through Trump Tower over the three weeks since Donald Trump’s election couldn’t be blamed for rendering sharp salutes to the soon-to-be command-in-chief. After all, that’s what they did during their decades in uniform.

Trump has tapped Michael Flynn, a combative and cagey retired Army three-star who ran the Defense Intelligence Agency, to serve as his national security adviser. Other retired generals who have spoken with Trump about serving in his Administration include Jack Keane (retired Army general), who said he turned down an offer to serve as defense secretary. James Mattis (retired Marine general) remains a leading candidate for that post. David Petraeus (retired Army general) is under consideration to serve as secretary of state, and John Kelly (retired Marine general) could be tapped as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

“One more three or four-star general given a senior appointment, and we can start referring to a Trump junta rather than a Trump Administration,” says Andrew Bacevich, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and military scholar.

Dave Barno, a retired three-star Army officer who commanded U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan, doesn’t see things that bleakly. He thinks such appointments could help the nascent Administration. “Most of these officers are relatively non-partisan, publicly endorsed no candidate during the campaign, and have lifelong records of public service leading large, complex organizations,” he says. “They could bring a wealth of sober judgment and experience to a Trump foreign policy team in need of both.” (Barno and colleague Nora Bensahel published a “moral guide” Tuesday to help national-security professionals pondering whether they should go to work for Trump.)

A brass-heavy Trump Administration could lead to a military-centric American foreign policy, fears Anthony Zinni, a retired Marine general. “What I find interesting is that all these generals seemed at odds with the Obama Administration,” he says. “We could end up being long on military strategy, much needed after the last two Administrations, but short of foreign policy expertise.”

The big concern many Americans have about generals slipping from uniforms into suits is that they’re hawks who will push the U.S. into wars it might otherwise not fight. Actually, that’s generally backwards. It was Colin Powell, who as an Army general, drafted restrictive rules on the use of U.S. military force. It was a diplomat—then-U.S. secretary to the United Nations Madeleine Albright—who found such rules confining. “What’s the point of having this superb military that you’re always talking about,” she demanded of Powell in 1992 as they debated what to do in the Balkans, “if we can’t use it?”

Despite the doubts of junior officers and nearly all enlisted personnel, generals, retired or otherwise, are merely human. And they’re not produced by cookie cutters: like any group of people, their qualities range from brilliant to buffoon. “Retired generals don’t necessarily agree with each other, even on nonpartisan national security matters,” says Charles Dunlap, a retired Air Force major general. “And they are human beings who have their own likes and dislikes, and that includes about each other.”

So first things first: generals aren’t particularly well-suited, or ill-suited, for high civilian positions in the U.S. government. Powell (retired Army general) and Brent Scowcroft (retired Air Force lieutenant general) are two former military men given high marks for their service as as national security advisers; Powell under Reagan and Scowcroft under both Ford and the first Bush. But James Jones (retired Marine general) did not fare as well as President Obama’s first national security adviser. Yet because of the blurry nature of the post—a President can make it as powerful or as impotent as he wants—it’s a bit unfair to rank them in a vacuum.

Most importantly, generals and admirals, their Navy counterparts, are not apolitical. Anyone who makes it to three stars—lieutenant general or vice admiral—has navigated the corridors of power in Washington and around the world for 30 years or more and knows what works. There are 145 of them currently serving. Full generals and admirals—those with four-star rank—have to be more strategic thinker than military tactician in those roles. There are only 38 of them. (The nation has had nine five-star generals and admirals since the rank was created during World War II to ensure they couldn’t be outranked by allied commanders; the life-time rank ended with the death of General of the Army Omar Bradley in 1981.)

“I think it’s time maybe, it’s time for a general,” Trump told the New York Times last week about the top Pentagon post. “Look what’s going on. We don’t win, we can’t beat anybody.”

But there are a couple of reasons Mattis might not make it to the Pentagon. First of all, that would put a pair of Marines (“once a Marine, always a Marine!”) in the Defense Department’s top two spots. Marine General Joe Dunford is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and therefore will be President Trump’s key military advisor. Veterans of the other services, especially the Army, are wary. “Two Marine four-stars as chairman of the Joint Chiefs and secretary of defense would make the other services uneasy,” says Barry McCaffrey, a retired four-star—you guessed it, Army—general.

And when Congress created the position of defense secretary, along with the Department of Defense, in 1947, it said that a military officer would have to be out of uniform for seven years before becoming eligible for the job. Mattis retired from the corps in May 2013, leaving him more than three years short of meeting that requirement, which was instituted to ensure civilian control of the military.

President Truman sought, and won, from Congress an exception when he nominated George C. Marshall to run the Pentagon in 1950. The five-star Army general had already served as secretary of state when Truman asked him to run the U.S. military in the dark early days of the Korean War. In giving Marshall’s appointment a green light, Congress made clear it was granting a one-time waiver. Its approval was “not to be construed as approval by Congress of continuing appointments of military men to the office of Secretary of Defense in the future,” it said. Following Marshall, it added, “no additional appointments of military men to that office shall be approved.”

But that was the 81st Congress talking. The current Congress is the 114th. It is free to rewrite the rules, just as Trump has.
Source: Time

Donald Trump Promises Access to Inaugural ‘Underwriters’

President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence walk out from Lamington Presbyterian Church after attending services in Bedminster Township, N.J. on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016.

Packages range from $25,000 to $1 million

President-elect Donald Trump may have campaigned to “drain the swamp” in Washington, but he is seeking to raise tens of millions from those he pilloried to pay for festivities surrounding his swearing-in.

According to fundraising solicitations, the 58th Presidential Inaugural Committee, which is organizing celebrations around the Jan. 20 event, including the official inaugural balls, is pitching “underwriters” on packages between $25,000 to more than $1 million that provide exclusive access to the President-elect, the Vice President-elect and members of his future Administration.

The lowest-tier package includes a slot a “select” Washington, D.C., hotel for the inauguration weekend, tickets to the inaugural ball, the swearing-in, the inaugural parade and an “entertainment-filled welcome reception.”

Other packages include access to a a “Leadership Luncheon,” an “exclusive event with select Cabinet appointees and House and Senate leadership,” tickets to an “intimate dinner with Vice President-elect Mike Pence and Mrs. Karen Pence,” a “Ladies Luncheon” to meet the women of the Trump and Pence families and a candlelight dinner with the First and Second families. The top-tier $1,000,000+ package includes “priority booking at premier Inaugural hotel,” along with VIP access to the other events.

The inaugural committee will shuttle its donors between its official events and their hotels, according to the materials. But despite the high-dollar contributions, donors will still be required to pay for their hotel rooms. “Rooms will be at your own expense, require a four-night minimum stay, and reserved on a first-come, first-served basis,” the fundraising ask states.

The fundraising requests mark a slide away from the standard set in 2009 by then President-elect Barack Obama, who banned corporate and lobbyist donations and limited individual contributions to $50,000. By 2013, Obama reversed himself, allowing corporate donations and lifting the cap on individual donors. Trump, like Obama, will maintain his ban on lobbyist contributions, in addition to the statutory ban on foreign personal and corporate donations.

Trump has tapped billionaire friend and donor Tom Barrack to serve as the chair of the committee, while longtime Republican National Committee official Sara Armstrong is set to serve as its CEO. Plans for the weekend include a concert and fireworks display along the National Mall.
Source: Time

Donald Trump to Announce Carrier Deal to Keep Jobs in Indiana

President-elect Donald Trump walks out at the clubhouse at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in Bedminster Township, N.J. on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016.

President-elect Donald Trump will visit Indianapolis Thursday to announce that he has reached an agreement with Carrier, the maker of air conditioning systems and other products, to reverse a planned plant closure in the city, fulfilling a campaign promise.

The company began preparations to eliminate 1,400 U.S. jobs as Trump’s campaign was sweeping through the GOP primaries. In February, an executive informed plant employees that their jobs would be terminated. Within weeks, Trump, who railed against the impact of “unfair” trade deals on the campaign trail, incorporated the story into his pitch to voters.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Trump said Indianapolis in April before the Indiana primary. “I’ll get a call from the head of Carrier and he’ll say, ‘Mr. President, we’ve decided to stay in the United States. That’s what’s going to happen—100%.”

It’s abnormal for a sitting president, let alone one waiting to assume office to conduct negotiations with American companies to keep them in the U.S. Such economic development incentives are generally handled through executive agencies, or at the state level. Trump will be joined by Vice President-elect and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on the plant visit Thursday, according to a transition official. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Indiana offered tax or other incentives to the company to maintain the jobs in the state.

“We are pleased to have reached a deal with President-elect Trump & VP-elect Pence to keep close to 1,000 jobs in Indy,” Carrier posted on Twitter. “More details soon.”

According to sources briefed on the matter, the President-elect is planning to make similar calls to companies planning or considering the outsourcing of American jobs, as he seeks to reverse a generational decline in U.S. manufacturing. Trump held several calls with Gregory Hayes, the CEO of Connecticut-based United Technologies, the parent company of Carrier, as he sought to reverse the decision in the last two weeks. Trump tweeted on Thanksgiving that he was “working hard” and “making progress” on encouraging the company to keep the jobs in the U.S. Sources said the company would keep 1,000 jobs in the state.

Trump, who has eschewed convention over the course of the presidential campaign and in the early days of forming his government, believes that he marshal the power of his new perch to bend corporations to his will. He recently informed aides to draw up a list of companies where his input and influence could be deployed to maintain jobs in America.

Over the course of the presidential campaign, Trump threatened to impose trade tariffs as high as 35 percent on American companies that off-shored manufacturing overseas. The populist and protectionist message struck a chord, as the Republican businessman-turned-politician won the Rust Belt states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

It remains to be seen what induced Carrier to reverse course on a plan to close the plant. Carrier is only a small component of the massive defense-industrial conglomerate United Technologies Corp. and may have felt the goodwill earned by caving to Trump would pay off with its business with the government.
Source: Time

Photos: Man pretending to be a woman to obtain money from men arrested in Uganda

Police officers have arrested a man in Uganda, Ivan Bebeto, after complaints about a certain woman who steals money from men under the pretence of being a commercial sex worker was made.

According to local media reports, Bebeto, who calls himself Queen, was nabbed after it was revealed that he disguises himself to look like a woman and then steals money from his male victims.

Gewas was described by his victims as a 'beautiful woman who wore short skirts and heavy makeup.' His notorious activities were reportedly carried out in East and Central Africa.

Bebeto met his waterloo when a man who was interested in him, under the assumption that he was a woman, paid him for sexual favours.  Bebeto said he could not go to his house, claiming he felt more comfortable in his room, and thus asked the supposed customer to accompany him to a room where he kept his items. 

It was that moment that the man suspected Babeto might be a criminal pretending to be a woman and quickly informed the police. The police raided the apartment and during interrogation, the truth was revealed

Source:www.yen.com.gh

Message to Reverend Mbaka from Reno Omokri

Dear Reverend Fr. Mbaka, The wife of an evangelist was beheaded-you kept quiet. Her suspected killers were acquitted-you kept quiet. However, today you have find your voice to defend President Muhammadu Buhari and condemn former President Goodluck Jonathan. As a Reverend Father, were you called by God to speak for a man who has 5 media aides and a minister of information all speaking for him or where you called to speak for the poor and powerless children of God who face injustice with no one speaking for them?

Deparadigm

Photos: Jude Okoye and wife celebrate daughter's birthday at school

 Music label executive Jude Okoye and his wife, Ifeoma Okoye, ensured their daughter, Emma's birthday celebration at school was successful. Another photo after the cut...

 

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Photos of solemn Brazillian players who didn't travel with the rest in the ill-fated plane crash in Colombia

These are photos of the Brazilian players who didn't travel with the rest of the team that crashed in Colombia. The players were due to play today.
Read previous story....     Previous.... 

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Chimamanda Adichie uncomfortable with her new beauty campaign

In a conversation with The New York Times, Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talked beauty, feminism and femininity. When asked if she consider fashion and makeup entry point to a wider audience, the brutally honest award-winning writer, who was recently made the New Face of Boots No7 makeup said:

"I decided to do this No7 thing because I thought it might be fun, and then they will give me free makeup. And I’m always up for free things. It wasn’t a carefully calculated thing. It was actually just my being blinded by the selfish overwhelming love of makeup. But I have to be honest, there were times when I thought, “Well, what have I done?” I wasn’t quite aware of how many pictures of me would be out there. It makes me feel a little vulnerable. 

I told my friends to stop sending me pictures of when they see me at the bus stop in London or something. It’d be very dishonest to say it’s all wonderful. It’s not so much a question of regret. But it does come with feelings of vulnerability that can be uncomfortable" Read the full interview here.

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Acting Rector of Federal Polytechnic, Bayelsa dies during sex with teenager at a hote

The Acting Rector of Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe, Bayelsa State reportedly slumped and died during sex with an unidentified teenager at a hotel in Ughelli.
It was gathered that he slumped in his hotel room, Zekoh Place, located at Onoharigbo street, Ughelli and was rushed to a nearby private clinic where he was confirmed dead on arrival.

"He had gone to the hotel in company of a female teenager and booked a room for an hour of love session with the girl,"  a source at the Ughelli Area Command told Vanguard. 

"The girl raised an alarm when the chief slumped but absconded following reports that the victim was confirmed dead. Though no arrest has been made in connection with the incident, a female manager of the hotel was arrested for questioning but has since been released."

A family member said an autopsy is likely to be conducted:

"We are having a meeting with elders of the family if an autopsy would be conducted after which we would take a stand on the matter."

Source: Vanguard

Photos of some survivors of the Brazillian footballers flight that crashed

There have been 6 survivors, including 4 football players found so far from the ill-fated plane crash carrying Brazilian football players. More photos after the cut..

The goalkeeper supposedly later died.

 

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Three Things to Know About Chapecoense, the Brazilian Soccer Team in the Colombian Plane Crash

Brazil's Chapecoense players pose for pictures during their 2016 Copa Sudamericana semifinal second leg football match against Argentina's San Lorenzo, in Chapeco, Brazil, on Nov. 23, 2016

They are seen as the "Cinderella story" of Brazilian soccer 
Among the 81 people aboard the ill-fated charter plane that crashed late Monday local time in Colombia were members of the Brazilian first division soccer team Chapecoense — hailed just three days ago as the “Cinderella story” of Brazilian soccer and the team with “a real shot at becoming 2016’s most successful Brazilian club at the international level.”

The squad had been due to face off with Colombia’s Atlético Nacional on Nov. 30 in what would have been the first leg of the finals of the Copa Sudamericana regional tournament in the city of Medellin. However, the South American soccer federation has canceled all activities until further notice because of the tragedy.

The British Aerospace 146 regional jet carrying the team crashed in a hilly area close to the city, reports the Associated Press. The AP reports as of Tuesday morning local time that only five people had survived.

Here are three things to know about the team hailing from the small, southern city Brazilian of Chapecó.

1. It ascended to the top Brazilian league just two years ago

Chapecoense had only entered the top Brazilian soccer league in 2014, the year the country hosted the FIFA World Cup. Its rise from the fourth division — in which it had been placed as recent as 2009, according to ESPN FC — to the top league was astounding, notes Brazilian news portal Plus55.

Its survival in the top division is also remarkable. “The club has played with elite Brazilian teams since 2014, and has not been relegated since,” Plus55 says, “another rare feat as novice teams are likely to head back to Serie B in the blink of an eye.”

2. It has just beaten one of South America’s soccer giants

Before heading to the finals, Chapecoense had triumphed over Argentina’s San Lorenzo, traditionally one of the strongest Argentine clubs, in the semifinals.

ESPN FC noted that the Nov. 23 victory by the “unglamorous but growing” Brazilian side marked the first return in two years of a team from the country of Pele and Ronaldo in a South America-wide soccer tournament final.

3. It is seen as a rare model of stability in Brazilian soccer

Chapecoense reportedly has no debts. This is in stark contrast with other Brazilian clubs, “which are mostly insolvent and beg the government to pardon their financial errors,” plus55 says, calling the club an example for the rest of the country’s teams “so desperate in need of good administrative models.”

Sound management at the club means that most players have contracts into next year. The club’s coach, Caio Junior, is also widely admired.
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Plane Carrying Soccer Team From Brazil Crashes in Colombia

Colombian police say that five people have survived the crash but the rest of the passengers have been killed

(Colombia) — A chartered aircraft with 81 people on board, including a Brazilian first division soccer team heading to Colombia for a regional tournament final, has crashed on its way to Medellin’s international airport.

Colombian police say that five people have survived a plane crash near Medellin’s international airport and the rest of the passengers have been killed. Gen. Jose Acevedo, head of police in the area surrounding Medellin, provided the information.

The British Aerospace 146 short-haul plane, operated by a charter airline named LaMia, declared an emergency at 10 p.m. Monday (0300 GMT) because of an electrical failure. “It’s a tragedy of huge proportions,” Medellin Mayor Federico Gutierrez told Blu Radio on his way to the site in a mountainous area outside the city where aircraft crashed.

The aircraft, which made a stop in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, was transporting the first division Chapecoense soccer team from southern Brazil. The team was scheduled to play Wednesday in the first of a two-game Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional of Medellin.

“May God accompany our athletes, officials, journalists and other guests traveling with our delegation,” the club said in a brief statement on its Facebook page.

South America’s soccer federation extended its condolences to the entire Chapecoense community and said its president, Luis Dominguez, was on his way to Medellin. All soccer activities were suspended until further notice, the organization said in a statement.

Elkin Ospina, mayor of La Ceja, near where the crash took place, said the priority is searching for survivors and scores of rescuers working through the night had been heartened after pulling three passengers alive from the wreckage.

Authorities and rescuers were immediately activated but an air force helicopter had to turn back because of low visibility. They urged journalists to stay away from the hard-to-access zone and stay off the roads to facilitate the entry of ambulances and rescuers. The area has been hit by heavy rains in recent days.

An ambulance transporting a male passenger with oxygen and covered in a blanket arrived on a stretcher to a local hospital, Blu Radio reported. He was apparently alive.

The plane was carrying 72 passengers and nine crew members, aviation authorities said in a statement. Local radio said the same aircraft transported Argentina’s national squad for a match earlier this month in Brazil, and previously had transported Venezuela’s national team.

A video published on the team’s Facebook page showed the team readying for the flight earlier Monday in Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos international airport.

The team, from the small city of Chapeco, was in the middle of a fairy tale season. It joined Brazil’s first division in 2014 for the first time since the 1970s and made it last week to the Copa Sudamericana finals — the equivalent of the UEFA Europa League tournament — after defeating Argentina’s San Lorenzo squad.
Source: Time

Photos: Governor Obaseki offers to engage female mechanics who just graduated in Edo State

Edo state Governor, Godwin Obaseki has offered to engage female mechanics for the maintenance of government vehicles. The Governor said as part of his administration’s strategic plans for competitive advantage, female drivers and mechanics would be encouraged to study at the Benin Technical College after a complete retooling and rehabilitation.

The Governor who made this disclosure during the graduation ceremony of twenty five female mechanics in Benin City, Monday, said:

"I want to throw an offer to you today - in Government House, we have a workshop. We would like you to come and take a look at it and also see if you can take over maintenance of the vehicles in Government House".

The Governor said government will partner with the Lady Mechanic Initiative, a non-governmental organization, to promote youth employment in line with his electioneering campaign promises. While lauding the initiative, Governor Obaseki said it’s in line with his agenda for job creation and youth empowerment.

"The challenge we face today; the challenge of unemployment, the challenge of rebuilding our communities and society is not the challenge that rests on one arm of government or one set of institution alone. It is a challenge that all of us must combine together to deal with - whether you are government, whether you are civil society, whether you are private sector

"That is the reason why as Governor of Edo State, once I realized that this initiative had taken root, I said the least that we could do is to come here and help to participate in the graduation ceremony of the last twenty five of the hundred students this programme started with. I hope that as sponsor, Coca Cola will not terminate this programme with this set. I am going to make a passionate appeal, and if you need me to come to your headquarters, I will come so that this programme can be extended."

The Governor who assured that government will rebuild and develop the Benin Technical College said, "my first official assignment when I resumed on Monday, the 14th of November was to visit the Benin Technical College. First, to send certain signals that I campaigned on the fact that we will create a minimum of two hundred thousand jobs - I meant it.

"So, my first assignment was to go to that institution that historically we had set up to develop manpower for industry and our economic life. I was really disappointed with what I saw, but from every disappointment comes challenges, and we are committed. And as I speak to you now, there is a team at the Benin Technical College doing survey, re-establishing the size of the land, with designs and working out plans so that within the next thirty days, we would have awarded the contract for the redevelopment of that school.

"We would like to have further discussions with you. I know you said you have a piece of land somewhere to develop as a one-stop mechanic village, but we would like to review and see if we can locate that workshop to the premises of the Benin Technical College, so that we can begin to relate to practical technical training with the training we receive in school."

"Benin city is a transportation hub - that is why the automobile business in this state is quite large. And as part of our strategic plan to make sure we have that competitive advantage, we would like to have institutions or initiatives like this that feed into our own plans.

"As you know, under the ECTS - Edo State Transport Service, with the Comrade Bus initiative, most of the drivers are female. We want to put more money into that initiative, and more importantly, we want to give them the capacity not only to drive those buses, and the new ones we are going to purchase, but to also maintain this process. We in Edo State Government will support and we will get other partners to support it", the Governor promised.

Earlier, the founder and coordinator of the female mechanic initiative, Mrs. Sandra Aguebor said she has been able to train and empower over one thousand female mechanics in Nigeria since inception in five states – Lagos, Benin, Kaduna, Kano and Abuja. She said:

"Your Excellency, we are here to work with you. That burning passion that has been there for a long time, I can see that these girls will do more than we have done today. Coca Cola has just prepared the ground. We want to scale up on what we are already doing. 

Your Excellency, Sandra Aguebor is here to support your administration. I have not got one sponsorship from the government of Edo State, but this time, I am very optimistic that it will happen. We want to be part of your administration, and a lot of these girls already have jobs. I think with you today, I also perceive that you are going to give employment to some of them."
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Photos: Nigerian Facebook user survives near-fatal car accident

Nigerian man took to his Facebook to show his gratitude to God after surviving a near-fatal accident earlier today. Engr. Ajogwu Chinedu Above posted photos from the accident scene and wrote:

"The Lord we serve is wonderful. I never see His type!!! Life is Paramount!!! If you are alive, you can still buy ten more.... Always thank God for His good work"

More photos after the cut...

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Photos: Northern Governors, General Electric International sign MOU for 5 power plants

The Northern States Governors' Forum and the General Electric ‎International, on Monday, November 29th, signed a memoranda of understanding for the construction of five solar plants that aim at generating 500 megawatts of electricity in some parts of Northern Nigeria.

Borno State Governor and Chairman of the Northern States Governors ' Forum, Kashim Shettima signed the agreement on behalf of the ‎Governors while General Electric's Senior Executive, Western Europe and Africa, Mr Armand Pineda and the President/Chief Executive Officer, ‎General Electric, Nigeria, Dr Lazarus Angbazo signed on behalf of their company in a brief ceremony which held at Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.

Based on the MOU, the General Electric which has 120 years experience in power generation, is to build five solar power plants to be located in Borno, Kebbi, Nassarawa, Niger and Taraba States which each of the plants expected to generate 100 megawatts of electricity totaling 500 megawatts across the 5 States. The electricity is meant to stimulate economic activities and social services in the affected States through boosting agricultural food processing, small scale businesses in addition to supplying electricity to schools and hospitals.

The project which is a pilot phase, is being coordinated by the Northern Nigeria Global Economic Re-integrationProgramme, newly created by the Northern Governors to serve as vehicle for the economic recovery of northern States through international relations on infrastructure, manufacturing, stimulate agricultural value chain and trade and make the region a global payer agricultural export in line with the vision of late Premier of the Region.

The Governors Forum led by Governor Kashim Shettima, engaged the services of Malam Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi as Cheif Executive Officer of the Programme. Kurfi was Chief Economic Adviser to late President Umaru Musa Yar'adua and he has wide contact with leading development companies and financial institutions across the world.

"The 19 Governors of the north jointly created this approach. We want to go beyond lamentation to provide solutions and we all know that power is key to industrial development. With power, we can create jobs, stimulate our economies and make life better for our people. The General Electric has over 120 years experience in energy solutions and they have been operating in Nigeria for over 50 years, we cannot have a better partner than GE. We shall do our part as Governors, this I will assure you. We are deeply committed to this agreement" Governor Kashim Shettima said at the MOU signing ceremony.

The Northern Governors Chairman enumerated challenges of poverty, unemployment, poor access to education, poor healthcare amongst other underdevelopment indications threatening the north while concluding that the power can provide a vehicle for the north to reposition itself for a better future.
The CEO, Northern Nigeria Global Economic Re-Integration Programme, Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi said he took up the challenge ‎put forward by the Northern Governors as a result of strong passion and commitment to aggressive development of the north as so far shown by the Northern Governors since Governor Shettima became the forum's chairman in 2015.
Reaffirming their commitment to the MOU, General Electric's Senior Executive, Western Europe and Africa, Mr Armand Pineda and the President/Chief Executive Officer, ‎General Electric, Nigeria, Dr Lazarus Angbazo both pledged that they would work round the clock to realize the project for the benefits of citizens of the five States.
Deparadigm

Security guard busted for stealing bread (Photos)

A Kenyan security guard in the residential area of Syokimau has been giving the beating of his life after he was caught stealing bread from a kiosk. According to Tuko News, the man who is identified as Peter Langat Kipkirui, a watchman at the GateWay mall, has been terrorizing the bread supplier for almost two years.

The owner of the Kiosk who has been suspecting some manipulation in his supplies decided to lay a trap to get the culprit.

On a faithful day, the unidentified kiosk owner placed the crates at a strategy place and waited to see who has been cheating on him, but to his surprise, it was his watchman coming to steal the bread. As soon as he had picked the loaves, locals emerged from on where to descend on him before tying him to a pole.

 

Deparadigm

Watch how pupils swim across 2 rivers to attend classes in Ghana

GHOne News has released a shocking video of how pupils swim their way through two rivers in a quest to gain access to education at Tsavanya, the nearest community with school facilities. According to the report, canoes are mostly unavailable to convey the kids from Agorde to Tsavanya, leaving them to use a deadly means by putting their uniforms and books in basins and hold it carefully as they swim across to Tsavanya.

Speaking to GHOne News, Kpodo who access the river with two of his brothers and other children said it is more dangerous especially during rainy seasons but they have no choice but to bravely navigate the waters to school. Watch the video below:

Deparadigm

South Africa to legalize cultivation of medical marijuana in 2017

South Africa is on a move to legalize the cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes in April 2017. This comes after the Parliament’s health committee accepted to implement the Medical Innovation Bill. A bill which was proposed by late Dr. Mario Ambrosini of Inkatha Freedom Party in 2013.
Dr. Mario committed suicide in 2014 after he was refused an orthodox medical treatment in favour of alternative medicine, including medical marijuana to treat his lung cancer.XX Speaking after the announcement by the Medicines Control Council and the Department of Health in Parliament last week, Mr. Singh of the IFP said:

'This heralds a great step forward for public access and research into the use of medicinal cannabis. I feel a great sense of relief. I must thank the Department for taking up this issue with such passionate concern for our people. What matters now is that the Department ensures that access to medicinal cannabis will not be restricted to the rich, but that anyone who needs it will be able to afford it, and get it.'

However, it was also reported that the Health Department will publish guidelines for the medicine by the end of the year while guidelines for its growth for medicinal use will be unveiled by February next year.

The medicine will be specifically prescribed for patients with muscle spasm and severe chronic pain. 
Source: Btl.co.za

No death recorded in accident at FUTA -Police

The Ondo State Police Command has confirmed that no member of staff of the Federal University of Technology Akure, FUTA died in an accident involving the backup vehicle of the Vice Chancellor which occurred on the Campus of the University on Monday November 28, 2016. The Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Femi Joseph made the clarification while speaking to newsmen.

“The Case in FUTA is that of an accident and no death was recorded. The Victim of the accident was taken to the hospital and he is recuperating. There is no record of death,” Mr. Joseph Stated.

In another development the Management of the University has also confirmed that the Vice Chancellor, Professor Adebiyi Daramola, contrary to reports making the rounds, was not arrested over the accident involving his back up vehicle driven by one of the University’s drivers.

INFORMATION UNIT
FUTA

EFCC collaborates with NAF to fight corruption

The acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, Monday, November 28, 2016, visited the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall, Abubakar Sadique Baba, to drum the message of anti-corruption in the military.

 He specifically said anti-corruption fight should not be left for the EFCC alone as it is a crime against humanity and a threat to national security.

“Let us all tackle corruption, let us join hands together to kill corruption or at least reduce it to its barest minimum”, he said.

 He appealed to the CAS to use his good office to mobilize women in uniform against corruption. The ‘Women Against Corruption’ campaign will be flagged off on December 7, 2016, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja at 9 am prompt.

Source: EFCC Official