The Controversial SSS 1 English Language Examination Summary Question: Amosun sacked 5 Directors

...Later commuted two to retirement without pay.

Amosun Addressing The People

It is now official: Amosun dismissed 5 Directors, retired other two over the controversial SSS 1 English Language Summary question that exposed the rot in the State's education sector which angered the Jogunomi of Okemosan Abeokuta.

Amosun officially terminated and dismissed the following staffs;

1. Mrs Oresegun - Ag. Permanent Secretary, Min of Education. (Dismissed)

2. Dc (Mr) Odunsi - Director Curriculum Development. (Dismissed)

3. Mr Majekodunmi - Dep Director Curriculum Development. (Dismissed)

4. Mr Asegbe Emmanuel - Senior Education Officer in the Ministry. (Dismissed)

5. Mrs Taylor. An Officer in the Ministry of Education. (Dismissed)

Compulsorily Retired;

1. Director of Education - Mrs Oresegun. (Retired)

2. Director Curicullum - Mr Odunsi. (Retired)

You'd all recall that the just concluded third term English Language Summary question painted a gloomy but clearer picture of complete collapse of Education in Ogun State.

The passage disclosed the moral level of the teachers in the non habitable for studying classrooms begging for renovation, to inadequate teaching staffs of core subjects in the schools. Poor remuneration from the government, salary payment inadequacies, and lack of any political will in executing the reform the government introduced when it got to power.

The end result?

Heads rolled | Jobs lost | Career destroyed | More damage done. Yet, the problem remains.

Who will save the poor and the voiceless in my state?

Wherre are the Labour Leaders in Nigeria?

Maiyegun General

Woman spent 10 years photographing the homeless – then she discovered her dad was among them

Diana found her dad living rough in 2012 and spent the following years trying to reach him through the lens – here he is in August 2014 (Picture: Diana Kim)

Diana Kim, 30, first learnt about photography through her father, who at one time owned a photography studio on the island of Maui where she grew up.

But when her parents split up, she says her dad became ‘absent’. She lost touch with him as she spent years living with in different places, with friends, relatives, occasionally in cars – ‘roughing it’ she says.

In 2003, now a photography student, Diana began a long-term photo project about the homeless people living around her.

Diana with her dad in 1988 (Picture: Diana Kim)

All she knew at the time about her dad was the little her grandmother could tell her – that his mental health had deteriorated and no one knew where he was living.

Ten years later, Diana was in Honolulu, continuing to document Hawaii’s forgotten homeless, when she made the heartbreaking discovery her dad was among them. She told NBC News the moment of realisation was ‘devastating’.

Diana’s dad was often unresponsive and she wouldn’t be able to find him for days (Picture: Diana Kim)

‘A woman came by and told me to “not bother,” because he stood there all day. I wanted to scream at her for not caring, for being so cruel, and not considering that he was my father,’ she recalls.

‘But then I realized that anger wouldn’t do anything to change the circumstances we were in – so I turned towards her and said, “I have to try.'”

Diana’s dad in August 2013 (Picture: Diana Kim)

Over the next few years, Diana attempted to reconnect with her dad, and, in many ways, to ‘fix’ him (he suffers with severe schizophrenia), by turning her lens on him.

‘Photographing my own father actually began as a mechanism of protecting myself at first. I would raise my camera phone in front of me, almost as if that barrier would help keep me together,’ she says, adding ‘My own flesh and blood, but still such a stranger to me…’

It wasn’t until her dad suffered a heart-attack in October 2014, that he agreed to let her help him. Today, he’s doing well and is currently looking for a part-time job.

After going back on treatment, her dad’s health is now ‘significantly better’ (Picture: Diana Kim)

Diana recently raised funds on Kickstarter to create a photobook of her journey with her father, called The Homeless Paradise. She also wants to use some of the money to distribute CARE Medical History Bracelets to the homeless who want them, enabling them to carry their ID and important medical documents digitally and securely.

‘My goal, long before my father ever became homeless, was to humanize those who lived on the streets,’ she says. ‘They each have a story, and I hope that by sharing my own story, it helps to give new perspective.’

Dad and daughter pictured on July 17, 2015 (Picture: Diana Kim)

‘So long as we are alive in this world, every day is an opportunity to take hold of that ‘second chance.’ There is no failure unless you give up, and he never gave up. And I haven’t given up on him.’

Metro

Ten things that will definitely happen to every fantasy football player this season - The Telegraph

Tom Edwards describes everything that a fantasy football addict knows to be true, from the value of a genuinely funny team name to the desperate search for this season's surprise player


Goalscoring and assisting midfielders can gain you valuable points
The Premier League is back, which means its cool, fun, sort of sexy cousin is back too. Fantasy football leagues are under way across the nation, so players already have some idea about how their teams are shaping up, but there are bound to be a few surprises in the pipeline.

Some things, though, aren't so surprising. Fantasy football has a unique set of quirks, rules and foibles that only seasoned players will understand.


Here is a run down of the best of them.

1) A funny team name will be consistently funny all season

Absolutely Fabregas, Who Ate All Depays, Lord of the Ings: good team names are the best thing about fantasy football. They will be funny forever.

Telegraph Sport's Jonathan Liew picks his team for the new season. Can you beat him?



2) Formation is more important than it seems

Spending your cold, hard, fictional cash on the correct ratio of defenders, midfielders and attackers is key if you're in it for the long run. Solid, dependable points at the back, or the potential windfall of some attacking flair up front? Getting these decisions right could be the difference between glory and digital ignominy.

3) Defenders are soooo boring

We all know we need them, and it's important to get the decisions right, butgod, can't we just move on to the glamour players?!

They're not sexy, but defenders can win you the game. Just ask George Graham

4) You will wish you had unlimited money

OK OK, we all know it would be no fun if we all had an endless supply of cash to spend ... but just imagine the possibilities. The best players available in every position. Austerity-free fantasy football! Wouldn't it be glorious?

Obviously not. Like life, you have to work hard at fantasy football in order to gain any true satisfaction from it. But it's nice to dream every now and then.

5) There will be drop outs

At least one person in your mini-league will stop bothering by Christmas – something to remember if the points don't seem to be going your way in the first few weeks.

Roman Abramovich gets existential while watching his team play Photo: GETTY IMAGES

6) There will be surprises

Smart players know it's not all about packing your team full of obvious superstars. Sometimes confidence players will have a great run, or a previously leaky defence can dig deep and keep a few clean sheets. You can take advantage of these by introducing a bit of risk to your selections.

Who would have guessed that Harry Kane would score 21 Premier League Goals in 2014/15? Photo: GETTY IMAGES

7) There will be someone in your mini-league who takes it all far too seriously

You know the type. Obsessive attention to meaningless stats, Rain Man-like ability to calculate potential points gained, photographic memory for fixture lists ... They'll probably win it as well. Don't you just hate them?

Never play fantasy football with Roy Keane Photo: GETTY IMAGES

8) You will forget all about your team at one point in the season

You had just better hope that laziness doesn't cost you too many points – because your pal who's just below you in the league never forgets anything and will be delighted to take advantage of any lapse you make.

Don't take your eyes off the ball

9) It will make games you don't really care about super interesting

West Brom v Leicester? No problem, you've got Craig Dawson at the back. Norwich v Stoke? Great! You've just transferred in Nathan Redmond on the sly. Now every game is exciting for you because you're emotionally involved with loads of different teams. As if normal football wasn't heartbreaking enough.

After impressive performances in the Championship last year, Nathan Redmond could be a find of the season

10) You will be tempted to cheat on your real-life team (and it will probably work)

United fans will want to buy from City, Spurs fans will want to buy from Arsenal, Sunderland fans will (actually, probably not) want to buy from Newcastle.

You're unlikely to sign a player from your most hated rivals unless they're pretty tasty, so chances are you'll reap the rewards for swallowing your pride. Don't shy away from it – just do it. Embrace the dark side and enjoy all those delicious forbidden points.

The Telegraph 

Woman writes open letter to the ‘idiot’ who fat-shamed her during a run

Lindsey chose to have her say but writing an open letter to the ‘idiot’ who hurled abuse at her (Picture: Lindsey Swift/Facebook)

A woman’s open letter to a driver who wound down his window to heckle her about her weight while she was out on a run has been getting lots of love on Facebook.

Twenty-six-year-old Lindsey Swift from Barnsley was out on a jog last week with her boyfriend – she’s training for a 10km run – when a guy in a white van slowed down and began to harass her about her weight.

He also shouted a ‘sarcastic’ rendition of Mika’s ‘Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)’ at her before quickly driving off. Her boyfriend was a way ahead of her on the road, so didn’t hear what the man said.

She admits she was ‘angry and embarrassed’ about the incident, and the more she thought about it, the more she realised how intimidating it could have been for someone less confident.

So, she chose to have her say. She called him out on Facebook with an open letter.

The letter begins: ‘An open letter to the idiot who thought it was ok to heckle me with fat jokes on my run yesterday.’

She goes on to say: ‘Normally I don’t get militant about these things, idiots are idiots. However, I can see why comments like these might put a person less confident than me off from running, and that is shameful. Everyone starts somewhere.’

She adds: ‘Let me make one thing very clear, I am not ashamed of my body. It has never stopped me from doing anything I want. My fat body has done things that you, hanging out of the window of your babe-magnet white van could only ever dream of.’

Lindsey was out running with her boyfriend Ryan at the time (Picture: Lindsey Swift/Facebook)

‘Engage your brain before opening your mouth,’ she concludes.

Lindsey's open letter in full


An open letter to the idiot who thought it was ok to heckle me with fat jokes on my run yesterday,

Your comment was a clear indication of both your incredibly witty repartee and a feat of observational comedy. I am indeed a big girl, and I am indeed beautiful. Thanks for noticing. I’m not sure who you were telling I was fat, you clearly have eyes, and the only other people present were me and my boyfriend. I assure you that despite your concern I do own a mirror, and my boyfriend has seen my fat body as he too has eyes. Don’t tell anyone but I think he might even like it.

Normally I don’t get militant about these things, idiots are idiots. However, I can see why comments like these might put a person less confident than me off from running, and that is shameful. Everyone starts somewhere.

Let me make one thing very clear, I am not ashamed of my body. It has never stopped me from doing anything I want. My fat body has done things that you, hanging out of the window of your babe-magnet white van could only ever dream of. My fat body has been swimming in crystal clear Thai seas that you have probably only ever seen on TV. It has lived in countries you wouldn’t dream of visiting and been a part of cultures you are too small minded to appreciate. My fat legs have carried me up mountains on more than one occasion. My fat brain speaks languages you probably don’t see the point of learning, which is why you spend your time hanging out of van windows since you have nothing better to occupy it with.

Recently I made the decision to get fit as I thought it would be a fun thing to do, and good for my health. Not that I have to justify my body to you, but I have a goal to run 10k, and I will get there. I’m a stone lighter than I was, and can do a whole host of things I couldn’t do before. It baffles me that anyone would try to discourage that kind of effort. Excuse me if my assumptions about you are wrong, but I only have your actions to go by. If my fat arse running (quite slowly I might add, I was bloody shattered) offends you and spoils your journey, try driving with your eyes closed, into a lamp post.

But in all seriousness, now I have written this, I feel sorry for you. Your behaviour is not normal, and your manners are well below par. Most importantly though, I forgive you. Here’s hoping that anyone with a goal, fat or thin, isn’t put off by this kind of thing. I know I haven’t been.

Engage your brain before opening your mouth.

Lindsey.

The post has now been shared over 3,000 times. One of the supportive comments below reads: ‘I am one of those less confident who would not run outside on my own but with a friend I would. This would have upset me greatly if it had happened to me. However seeing your reaction and complete confidence in dealing with this has really inspired me to think sod em all!’

(Picture: Ross Parry)

Lindsey said of the positive online response: ‘I’ve had messages from people all over the world saying that they have experienced similar things and will think twice before getting upset in future, which is amazing,’ she said.

Metro

Corruption: Onyeka Onwenu finally honours ICPC invitation, granted bail on self recognition

Music sensation Onyeka Onwenu

Renowned songstress Onyeka Onwenu, who is also the Director-General of the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), has finally honoured the invitation of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over the alleged N17million contract bribe and was granted administrative bail.

The music sensation appeared before the anti-graft agency on Monday, and after answering some questions, she was allowed to go home on recognition, while investigation into the alleged bribe continues, according to a reliable source at the anti-graft agency.
Advertisement

The renowned songstress had previously refused to appear to before the anti-corruption agency when invited last week, claiming that she had to attend to her health first.

Mukhtar Usman, Jauro Jibrin and Sadeeq Umar were interrogated on the issue. They were all released pending the conclusion of the investigation.

Onwenu is being interrogated after her personal assistant, Chika Abazu, who was on July 10 arraigned before a Federal Capital Territory High Court on a six-count charge of bribery and gratification, was involved in a N17 million bribery allegation.

Wikileaks’ Julian Assange set to be cleared as sex allegations expire

WikiLeaks co-founder and Editor-in-Chief Julian Assange

Sweden’s sexual assault inquiry on Julian Assange is being pinched by time, with the statute of limitations about to expire on one charge and investigators unable to access Ecuador’s embassy in London to question the WikiLeaks founder.

Swedish prosecutors petitioned the Ecuadorian embassy in June to interview Assange, who has been holed up in Quito’s London mission since 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden on allegations of rape and sexual assault — charges Assange vehemently denies.

But access has thus far been delayed on procedural grounds, leading some people involved in the case to suspect Ecuador of playing the clock until mid-August, when the statute of limitations on the sexual assault accusation will expire.

“I am very critical of Ecuador’s position. It can’t really be said they did what they could to allow Sweden to question Assange,” said Claes Borgstrom, a lawyer for one of the two women who accuse the WikiLeaks founder of having assaulted them in 2010.

Swedish prosecutors initially insisted Assange return to Sweden for interrogation — a condition the 44-year-old Australian rejected on fears Stockholm could deliver him to US authorities, who may try him for leaking nearly 750,000 classified military and diplomatic documents in 2010.

In response to his enduring embassy asylum, Swedish prosecutors in March agreed to Assange’s compromise offer to question him inside the London mission, but have yet to see their requests to see him approved by Ecuador.

If Swedish justice authorities are not allowed to question Assange before the statute of limitations on the sexual assault charges expire on August 13 and 18, Borgstrom said he was pretty sure the case will be dropped.

“If the statute of limitations expires, and most indications are that it will, the prosecutor will close the investigation,” he said.
Advertisement

Should that happen, however, the inquiry would continue into the accusation of rape, which carries a 10-year statute of limitations and therefore expires in 2020.

– Late request –

Attorneys for Assange say suspicions that Quito is using delaying tactics are unfounded.

“The (Swedish) request came in late and is being processed by Ecuador, which will certainly approve it after following its own procedures,” Assange’s Swedish lawyer Per Samuelsson told AFP.

“It’s wrong to claim Ecuador is trying to delay the process. Even the president has said he wants the questioning to take place.”

Samuelsson added that playing down the clock is of no interest to Assange, who has repeatedly said the sexual encounters in the case were consensual.

“(He) doesn’t think in terms of statutes of limitation. He’s innocent, and wants to be questioned as soon as possible.”

Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino criticised what he described as Sweden’s expectation that access to Assange be tailored to its own changing schedule.

“I do not find it acceptable that … (having) finally decided to answer the calls during all these years to continue the case, they would expect the role of Ecuador would be limited to opening the doors of its embassy,” Patino told The Guardian.

Sven-Erik Alhem, a former prosecutor and head of a Swedish association supporting victims of crimes called Ecuador’s position and the failure to grant timely access to Assange “surprising”.

“If both countries want justice done, and Assange himself wants to be questioned, there’s no reason for the interrogation not to take place.”

Reps Speakership: “I’ve moved on” – Gbajabiamila tells Tambuwal

Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila

The immediate past Speaker of the House of Representative and present Governor of Sokoto State, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, on Sunday disclosed that he, alongside seven other principal officers of the last Assembly, opted for Mr. Dogara over having Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila for the seat of the Speaker of the House.

This revelation probably may be viewed to be an act of betrayal by some as he (Tambuwal) also posited that he is a close ally of Mr. Gbajabiamila.

Yakubu Dogara and Femi Gbajabiamila had been engaged in a strong battle for the position of Speaker of the 8th Assembly, after which Yakubu emerged the winner in the face of the might of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Governor Tambuwal has spoken about his role in the emergence of Mr. Dogara when leaders of Sayawa Community of Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa Local Government Areas of Bauchi State paid him a visit to show appreciation to him for supporting their kinsman to become Speaker.

He further described Dogara as “competent hand” and deserves to lead the legislative.

“I have strong affinity with Hon Femi. He was closer to me than Dogara. But when talking about leadership and collective decisions, sentiments have to be put aside. I’m not here to tell you that my support made Dogara the Speaker, no. Two things made Dogara to become the Speaker, one is God and two, Dogara’s competence.
Advertisement

“The acknowledgement of Dogara’s competence did not start with me. It started from the time of Hon Patricia and Etteh and Hon Dimeji Bankole when they entrusted him with a sensitive position of the Chairman of House Services Committee.

“The committee is one of the most sensitive in the legislature. Apart from taking care of the welfare of members, the committee oversees all procurement processes. As the Speaker, I only did what my predecessors did by giving Dogara this sensitive position.

“No person, as far as I know, has ever served as chairman of the House Services committee in two dispensations. Dogara broke that jinx. All through my tenure, I brought Dogara close to me because I found in him a person who is competent, accommodating, and with capacity to lead.”

In a phone conversation with members of the press, Femi Gbajabiamila has replied Governor Aminu Tambuwal over his admission that he worked in favour of his opponent, Yakubu Dogara, in the contest for the seat of the speaker.

“Alhaji Tambuwal has spoken… For me I have moved on and I can only wish him the best in his future undertakings. I guess Alhaji Tambuwal has finally spoken,” said Gbajabiamila.

Nigeria Terrorism: Boko Haram names new leader to replace Shekau, says Chad’s president

Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, has been replaced by Mahamat Daoud as head of the Islamist militants, Chad President, Idriss Deby, has said.

Daoud wants to negotiate with Nigeria’s government, he said in a broadcast on Wednesday on state-owned radio.

“The war will be short,” Deby said. “It will end before the end of the year and Boko Haram will disappear with the establishment of the joint force,” he said, referring to plans to boost co-ordination among West African troops.

Chad, Niger and Cameroon are part of a multinational force to counter the growing threat that Boko Haram poses in the region. The group’s home ground is northeastern Nigeria, where it has killed thousands of people in a six-year campaign to establish its version of Shariah, or Islamic law.

The 8,700-strong Multinational Joint Task Force, with troops from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin, commanded by Nigerian Major General Iliya Abba, will spearhead efforts to combat the insurgent group.

Kim Kardashian’s recent pregnancy selfie is brave, original – and artistic. - Jonathan Jones

Kardashian’s selfie is a hymn to the female body that harks back to the liberating portrayals of ample women in Renaissance and baroque art – and proves that ours is the most misogynist age in history

‘I’ve learned to love my body at every stage’ … Kim Kardashian’s pregnant selfie. Photograph: Kim Kardashian/Instagram

Kim Kardashian reclaims the beauty of being pregnant in her latest impressive selfie. In soft light, she sports an even more curvaceous form than usual: even more contours to revel in.

It’s a hymn to the female body that would have been far more familiar in the Renaissance than today. Stomach bulges are so common in Renaissance nudes that historians argue over whether or not they represent pregnancy. Van Eyck’s Eve and Raphael’s La Fornarina can both be seen as pregnant – or not – and their stomachs are very much part of their sensuality.

But then, body shapes were celebrated much more plurally in the past than they are today. Ours is the most misogynist age in history, if art is anything to go by. Only in our time does every image of beauty tell women to get thin, thin, thin. All those “fat” women in paintings by Rubens were not even commented on in that way in his time – it is a modern perception. Rich, ample, curvy, rampant flesh is, for Rubens, simply and obviously sexy. Titian’s Venus of Urbino, the most beautiful woman in art, would be seen as plump today – if not in early pregnancy.

Titian loved women with big arms and thighs and plenty of golden flesh. He also painted pregnancy as a beautiful metamorphosis in his Diana and Callisto. Kardashian’s gorgeous selfie would undoubtedly impress him. She is raising questions about the nude today. Why can’t we glory in beauty as openly as artists did in the past? A nasty disciplinary mentality closes off the true power of the nude.

It even poisons “serious” art. Lucian Freud’s paintings of ample womanhood are, for instance, anything but celebratory. His grim brushstrokes verge on monstering largeness as something tragicomic. He almost seems to be insisting, in the scarred sadness with which he painted Benefits Supervisor Sleeping, that he does not find this sort of thing at all sexy.

Rubens and Titian would have relished and glorified the model Sue Tilley’s flesh. They’d have painted her with lust, not Freud’s neurotic disdain. We need an art of the nude that is celebratory and loving – and Kardashian really does love her body. She is bringing back the happy, liberating openness of Renaissance and baroque art. She gets her share of criticism, but this latest selfie is brave, original – and artistic.

Cars bearing British plates spotted at Dunkirk migrant camp where British gang of people smugglers are believed to be smuggling people into the UK

Swearing at the camera and throwing rocks: The moment British-registered cars speed out of Dunkirk migrant camp 'run by armed London gangsters who charge refugees £1,200 for ferry trip across Channel'

Man with British accent, wearing Rolex and claiming to be a 'south London gangster' has threatened reporters and is now being sought by police

MailOnline photographer's car was pelted with rocks at gates of camp - where at least six British cars were parked

Gang believed to be using cars to smuggle migrants - which attract less attention at customs. Police claim some are even hidden in suitcases

Mayor said 30 British cars have been seized in the last year including a £70,000 Jaguar - but police have so far failed to make an arrest

Offering an obscene gesture, the driver of a British-registered VW Passat speeds out of a migrant camp in northern France where London gangsters are believed to be offering one-way illegal passages across the Channel for £1,200 cash.

His aggressive sign was followed by violence, including rocks being thrown at a MailOnline photographer's car by others around the camp.

It follows similarly dramatic scenes at the same camp in Teteghem, near Dunkirk, on Monday when UKIP MEP Mike Hookem was allegedly threatened with a gun as he tried to visit.

Clashes: The driver of this British-registered VW flips the bird at the cameras as he speeds out of Teteghem migrant camp after a violent confrontation in which rocks were thrown by others at the MailOnline photographer's car

Inside: A white van is parked alongside a migrant tent. It was one of at least six UK-registered cars there today whose presence will have to be explained to authorities

Hopes: Migrant families such as these are reported to be paying around £1,200 to be smuggled into the UK


Conditions: The migrants are living in shipping containers and tents that are dotted around the wooded area, paid for a provided by the local council

Desperate: Around 200 migrants from Syria, Iraq to Vietnam live at the camp at the moment. Numbers have tripled in the last year

Questions: People at the camp and the authorities wereasking why the six vehicles with British plates were parked inside

Seized: The mayor said he had confiscated 30 British cars in the last year with British registrations. Pictured is an Audi Quattro today at the camp

Smart: A Mercedes sits inside the camp. The mayor explained among the cars that have been seized was a pristine Jaguar worth £70,000 in the last few months

Fleet: Another UK-registered van is parked on the makeshift gravel driveway inside the Teteghem camp

Provisions: Migrants return from picking up food and drinks from a Lidl store that is a short walk away

Hopeful: Migrants at Teteghem line up for medical aid at the camp on the outskirts of Dunkirk

Gangs: A man of Middle Eastern appearance but with a British accent (not pictured) claiming to be a 'south London gangster' has been threatening reporters who approach the site

Second front: After security has been stepped up at the camp in Calais to stop migrants attempting to get onto the Channel Tunnel, attention has been focused on the camp outside Dunkirk, 30 miles away from the Chunnel



+17

Claim: UKIP MEP Mike Hookem (pictured with the local mayor) took to Twitter yesterday to say he'd reported the gun incident to police in Dunkirk

Call the police: Mr Hookem has not elaborated on the circumstances of the incident, but his claims come as towns and cities in northern France struggle to cope with an influx of migrants hoping to reach Britain

This is the moment Mike Hookem claims a migrant threatened him with a handgun as he visited a camp on the outskirts of Dunkirk. The UKIP MEP and defence spokesman said his group were invited to access a woodland site by the migrants but claimed the 'situation immediately turned nasty'


On the tracks: Thousands of desperate people fleeing conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa have made they way to ports such as Calais - just 30 miles from Dunkirk

Migrants attempt to access the train tracks to the Eurotunnel terminal near Calais overnight

Calais migrants, including children, undaunted by police

‘After three or four tries the smugglers ask them to pay again, it's a lot of money, it is €1,500 for one crossing.’

DailyMail UK

Nigeria: Buhari’s TSA Directive Is Timely

By Odilim Enwegbara

For the first time in a long time, government money is going to be in government bank — the CBN. That is how good the news can be. No more can heads of revenue generating ministries, departments and agencies fix the revenues they generated in commercial banks’ high-interest-yielding deposit accounts. And with that, illegally earn money.



Also imagine non-revenue generating MDAs, in copying their revenue generating counterparts, too place their budgetary allocations in multiple high-interest-yielding deposit accounts, and with that divert money meant for financing both capital and recurrent. And in doing so, not only are salaries and wages not paid but projects are either delayed or permanently abandoned.

Just imagine also how section 22(1) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2007, which allows revenue generating MDAs to remit only 80% of the operating surplus to the Consolidated Revenue Funds (CRF). And by driving operating costs so high close to 100%, which makes 80% of their operating surplus close to nothing, to the extent that at the end of the year these MDAs remit nothing to CRF. How bad will Nigerians feel on hearing that because of these lacunas and illegalities, government has been losing such mind-blowing revenues in their trillions of naira annually? For example, that between 2009 and 2012 government had N9.4trillion not remitted?

That is why Nigerians should applaud President Buhari for his boldness when on Sunday, August 9, 2015 he announced that all MDAs should transfer all their accounts with commercial banks to Treasury Single Accounts (TSA) with immediate effect. Yes, former President Jonathan gave similar directive in January with February 28, 2015 as the deadline but as usual, lacking leadership, he was ignored by most of these MDAs. The good news is that by August 11, most of these MDAs have started complying.

What this means is that henceforth, MDAs will no longer access public funds unless money from budgetary provisions. This is how it is supposed to be here in Nigeria as it is the case in modern economies around the world. This insistence on Treasury Single Account means fiscal discipline, efficiency, and accountability, on the part of government. In fact, this blockage of government revenue diversion and looting using TSA besides leading to the consolidation of government revenues, incomes, and receipts, it will also lead to the optimal utilization of government cash resources, including creative investment of public funds in the critical development sectors of the economy.

But with TSA leading to the closure of about 10,000 multiple bank accounts operated by MDAs in commercial banks, banks will have to wake up from their slumber. This is because the era when government’s money is either lent back to government or invested in forex speculations is over. It also means that no longer at Bankers’ Committee meetings member banks will demand that the CBN pursues their self-serving high interest rates to their benefits and those of heads of MDAs who placed public money in their high-interest-yielding fixed deposit accounts. With TSA, government can easily quarantine its revenues, with intended consequences including forcing interest rates to naturally nose-dive, since no serious business should be ready to borrow at such double digit rates when the economy is struggling at between 4 and 5 per cent.

TSA is forcing banks to leave their comfort zone caused by dependence on government money to now become as creative and inventive as it is the case in modern economies around the world, which is to seek private deposits through investing in the real sector of the economy. In fact, with economic financialization soon over, banks will discover that their survival is dependent on their embracement of fractional reserve banking, which is leaving a fraction of private depositors’ funds in reserve while using the main deposits to chase high profit-yielding investments.

This means that soon the era of economic diversification through industrialization will soon begin. What this also means is that at the next Bankers’ Committee meeting, banks will insist that the CBN revisits its current cash reserve ratio (CRR) on private deposits from 31% to possibly 0% so that they can begin to attract more private deposits.

But for this TSA policy to be maximized, we need it to be accompanied with the Fiscal Sunshine Bill, which if enacted will open up the financial activities of government in a way that there will be no more hiding place for those who divert or loot government money. For instead, with Fiscal Sunshine Act in place, budgeting process and implementation, including contract awarding should all be in the open for Nigerians to see both how revenues are generated and how public money is being spent by those in government, and why.

Posting government transactions online for millions of Nigerians anywhere in the world to see, means that the time for contracts and procurements to be done through the backdoor is finally over, especially with Fiscal Sunshine Act insisting on conducting contracts in the open, including having them recorded and televised. And with spending public money outside appropriation made a serious criminal offence, attracting not less than ten years in prison without an option of fine along with the repayment of the money, no doubt, Nigeria would have brought public corruption to a standstill.

Enwegbara, a development economist, writes from Abuja.

Football: Chelsea ‘on alert for £66m Gonzalo Higuain as he asks for transfer’

Gonzalo Higuain is a target for Chelsea this summer (Picture: Getty)

Chelsea have been alerted to a deal for Gonzalo Higuain after he told Napoli he wants to leave, according to reports.

Higuain’s future has been up in the air once again this summer with a number of rumours suggesting he’s unhappy with life in Italy.

And now reports say the striker has told Napoli he wants to go, alerting Chelsea to a deal for his services.

The Blues have been linking with a number of strikers recently with doubts of Diego Costa’s fitness, while Loic Remy has also been chased by several Premier League clubs.

Higuain has a release clause set at £66million which Napoli insist Chelsea would have to pay to sign him.

Metro

Three-month-old baby girl died after being left downstairs for nine hours as reckless mother had whisky-fuelled sex with man she met fortnight earlier at a bus stop

Yvonne Adkins left 3-month-old Chantelle alone downstairs for nine hours
The 32-year-old had drunken sex with man she had met two weeks earlier
Adkins woke the next day to find her sick baby girl had passed away
Paramedics found infant dressed only in tracksuit without any blankets


Yvonne Adkins left three-month-old Chantelle lying in her baby rocker in the lounge for nine hours whileshe

A 'reckless' mother who left her sick baby girl alone downstairs while she drank whisky and had sex, has avoided jail.

Yvonne Adkins left three-month-old Chantelle lying in her baby rocker in the lounge for nine hours while she went upstairs with a lover she had met at a bus stop just two weeks earlier, a court heard.

She awoke the next morning to find her baby dead and paramedics who attempted to revive the infant discovered she had been dressed only in a tracksuit and left without a blanket or bed clothes.

The judge told the 32-year-old she had made a 'catastrophic decision' to leave her daughter unattended - despite knowing she suffered with vomiting and reflux.

Sparing her jail, Judge David Fletcher added: 'Your desire to engage in some sexual activity with someone you hardly knew resulted in you leaving your child downstairs when you knew it was not appropriate to do that.'

Prosecutor Andrew Easteal said the infant had been left her rocker on the evening of May 7, 2014, before a man, named only as Peter, came round to the house in Meir, Stoke-on-Trent, at 8.45pm.

'He was someone she became acquainted with at a bus stop two weeks prior,' explained Mr Easteal.

'At 10pm the defendant and Peter went upstairs. The two had sexual intercourse and drank whisky and she fell asleep.

'The defendant was well aware her three-month-old daughter suffered from reflux and vomiting and other complications.'

The court heard Adkins' lover got up and went to work at 5am while she fell back to sleep.

She only discovered her daughter was cold and not breathing at shortly before 7.30am.

Paramedics were called but were unable to resuscitate the child and Chantelle was pronounced dead at 8.05am.

Mr Easteal added: 'The paramedic noticed Chantelle was not dressed properly to go to sleep and was dressed in a tracksuit.
'There had been no preparation for her to go to sleep that night.'

Adkins pleaded guilty to child cruelty and was handed an 18 months sentence, suspended for two years, with 18 months supervision.

Mr Fletcher told her: 'You made a catastrophic decision that you will have to live with for the rest of your life.'

The judge told the 32-year-old, pictured at court, she had made a 'catastrophic decision' to leave her daughter unattended - despite knowing she suffered with vomiting and reflux

Paramedics who attempted to revive Chantelle found the infant had been dressed in tracksuit and left without any blankets

The court heard Chantelle suffered numerous health problems, including reflux and vomiting, since she was born on January 30, 2014 and was due to see a consultant the following month.

A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as a 'sudden and unexpected death in infancy'.

Adkins had originally told the authorities that Chantelle had been sleeping in a Moses basket at the end of her bed. But she later admitted her daughter had been left downstairs in her rocker.

Adkins pleaded guilty to child cruelty and was handed an 18 months sentence, suspended for two years, with 18 months supervision

Nicola Bell, defending, said the defendant, who has no previous convictions, was not a mother who 'consciously and consistently ignored the needs of her young child'.

She added: 'She was reckless in her attention towards the child.

'She prioritised herself momentarily over the child with devastating consequences.

'This is a mother who has lost a child. She deals with that on a daily basis.'

A full inquest into Chantell's death will be heard next month.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has now launched a serious case review into the death to look at whether more could have been done to protect Chantelle.

Cllr Janine Bridges, cabinet member for education, said: 'The circumstances of the baby's death are tragic and our thoughts are with the family.

'We view the death of any child in our city very seriously, and carry out serious case reviews when we have strong concerns as to how the death occurred.

'A serious case review is already underway into the baby's death.

'It is being carried out independently so we can understand the circumstances of the death and the role responsible agencies have been able to play, as well as to identify how we can all learn from this deeply tragic incident.

'The results of the serious case review will be published in the coming weeks.'

DailyMail UK

Football: Chelsea must show true class at Man City

Are Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea about to hit top gear in time for Manchester City test?

Chelsea’s players celebrate but they were held to a draw by Swansea (Picture: AP Photo)

Manchester City were the only one of the perspective title chasers to put in a commanding performance during the first round of fixtures. Their Monday night victory was one of ruthless efficiency away from home at West Brom.

Meanwhile Chelsea and Arsenal failed to win games they would be expected to and Manchester United were hardly emphatic in victory over Tottenham.

Whilst one game does not make a season it does give Manuel Pelligrini’s side a modicum of calm momentum heading into a game against the Champions on Sunday.

Chelsea on the other hand, have yet to find their rhythm, winless in pre-season and in their opening game against Swansea City, the Blues need to get their season up and running.

Depending on your perspective the Manchester City game will come at a terrible time or just the right moment for the Blues.

Manchester City looked imperious at West Brom (Picture: AP Photo)

Chelsea fans will naturally be worried facing their closest rivals not having gotten up to speed yet with the season, but there is also a theory that the Blues are pacing their way in.

Once the fixture list came out Mourinho would have identified the Manchester City game as the point at which his team needed to hit its stride. This could explain a more relaxed and lacklustre few weeks for the Blues.

Blues fans will be hoping this is true and that the Blues will come roaring out of the blocks at the Etihad on Sunday.

The game will be the first crunch test between any of the title contenders this season and whatever the result there will be lots of analysis of where both sides are for the long season ahead. The transfer window is still open and we could still see action in the window from either side should we see a emphatic result.

One game does not make a season, but Manchester City fans will be the most encouraged going into the first defining game of the season.

Metro