3000 oil workers sacked-NUPENG chairman says, issues 21-day ultimatum to FG to stop mass sack

Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers NUPENG, Igwe Achese, today disclosed that oil giant, Chevron, has folded up in the Eastern part of the country, leaving 1500 people out of jobs without entitlements.

Achese made the disclosure at the end of a meeting of the Central Working Committee of the union held in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.

Accoridng to him, over 3000 oil workers in Nigeria have so far lost their jobs due to the Economic recession. Achese on behalf of the union, issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal government to stop the mass sack in the oil sector or they would embark on a total strike.

“It is painful to say as I address you, Chevron has wound up in the East and their offices closed. A total of 1,500 workers were sacked without their entitlements and nobody is saying anything. As we speak, many companies have left and many others are winding up to go.

Many oil companies are winding up, including ExxonMobil, Pan Ocean, Sapiem Ground Petroleum, and Hercules Offshore Nigeria Limited. About 3,000 workers have already been sacked by the various oil companies. NUPENG will take all necessary action to drive home its demands if FG failed to act in 21 days.

We are 100% in support against anti-corruption, but there must be respite for Nigerians. Right now, our members and even those in other sectors are no longer able to pay school fees for their children and even afford rents. Worse still, those being sacked now are so treated without commitment to proper terminal benefits”he said

Read More »

First Class Chemical Engineering graduate comes on twitter to beg for a job

Quite sad!

Read More »

FG to begin deployment of career diplomats as Ambassadors by December

This is according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama who disclosed this via his twitter handle.

Read More »

Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola hug and make up at Manchester derby (photos)

Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho and Man City coach Pep Guardiola hugged before kick off in today's derby between Man City and Manchester United. Guess things aren't as bad between them as the media painted it.

Read More »

20 foreign shipping companies leave Nigeria over low business, 3000k workers left jobless

20 foreign shipping companies operating in Nigeria have reportedly left the country, leaving over 3000 of their staff unemployed. According to the President of the Dockworkers Union of Nigeria (DUN), Anthony Emmanuel Nted, the Federal government's importation policy is largely responsible for the closure of some of the shipping businesses.

The Federal government have put a ban on the importation of some commodities as part of efforts to revive the economy.

“The current government policy on importation though with the best intention seems to be wreaking more havoc on the economy and ought to be reviewed urgently” he told GuardianHe urged the Federal Government to review the ban on the importation of rice, wheat, vehicle spare parts and industrial machinery until the nation is able to produce for local consumption. Nted added that the failure to do this would encourage smuggling, diversion of ships to neighboring countries, idle ports, retrenchment of workers, unemployment and general loss of revenue to government.

Some of the companies that have left the country include Mitsui O.S.K Line, Nippon Yusen Kasha, Taiwan’s Evergreen Line, Messina Line, Hapag-Lloyd and Gold Star Line (GSL), among others.

Read More »

South Korea Government to generate 304 billion won ($278 million) revenue from edible insects

Kim Jong Hee, who has been raising insects since 2000 for animal feed, began farming mealworms and crickets for people in 2013.

p

A picture of a man enjoying an edible insect. (Kapamilya)

Bae Su-Hyeon's lunch of sweet potato soup and funghi pasta has bugs in it. They're part of the recipe.

"It didn't feel like eating insects," says Bae, an 18-year-old student having lunch with a friend at Papillon's Kitchen, a Seoul restaurant specialising in insects.

That's because the mealworms in her dishes were hydrolised into powder to make the pasta and soup.

South Korea's insect industry was worth 304 billion won ($278 million) last year, nearly double from 2011, although food for humans accounted for just 6 billion won of that with the rest coming from uses like animal feed.

Insect-eating, or entomophagy, has long been common in much of the world, including South Korea, where boiled silky worm pupae, or beondegi, are a popular snack.

Now, South Korea is looking to expand its insect industry as a source of agricultural income by promoting more consumption, joining a global trend that has seen rising interest in insects as a nutritious and environmentally friendly food.

To do that, the government is trying to make people more comfortable with the idea of eating crickets and mealworms that are ground into powder or hydrolysed to extract oils and protein and turned into food, from ice cream to sausages.

Kim Young Wook, chief executive of the private-sector Korean Edible Insect Laboratory and owner of Papillon's Kitchen, said key to winning over sceptical customers was presentation.

"If people taste foods after having a good first impression, and find they are delicious, that's everything, because taste speaks for itself," he said this week at a tasting event staged by the Agriculture Ministry.

The government wants to expand the industry to 530 billion won by 2020, with food making up nearly a fifth.

The number of farms producing insects rose to 724 last year, from 265 in 2011.

Insects can be a rich source of fat, protein, vitamins, fibre and minerals, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The composition of unsaturated omega-3 and six fatty acids in mealworms is comparable to that in fish and higher than in beef and pork, it says.

Globally, at least 2 billion people eat insects and more than 1,900 species have been used for food, according to the FAO, which said entomophagy could play a key role in food security and environmental protection. Insects need less land and water than cattle.

Kim Jong Hee, who has been raising insects since 2000 for animal feed, began farming mealworms and crickets for people in 2013.

"In the past, people used to shake their heads when they thought of bugs, but now more people believe insects are edible," he said.

Read More »

Nigeria makes headway in securing China's funding of projects

Press statement from the Presidency

Budget and National Planning Minister, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, at the weekend, in Beijing, made a strong case why the Chinese government should assist Nigeria financially in funding critical major infrastructure projects in the country. Senator Udoma who was in China for the Coordinator’s meeting on the implementation of the follow-up actions of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) also used the opportunity to discuss issues of vital economic interest with that country’s Vice Minister for Commerce, Mr. Qian Keming; and officials of China EXIM bank, where he stressed the mutually beneficial relationship the two countries will eventually enjoy if Nigeria’s economy is assisted to grow rapidly.

At the Johannesburg Summit in South Africa in December 2015, China had agreed to Assist African countries in ten strategic areas that will help their economy. It pledged $60 billion in aid, grants and concessional loans.

Nigeria is trying to get as much of the Chinese funding for projects in the form of grants, aids, investments and loans. The loan component will however be within the country’s debt sustainability limits. Projects proposed for the facility by Nigeria is in the region of about $20 billion, and the Minister said Nigeria will be in a better stead if the Chinese government will assist with a substantial part of the funds required.

During the various meetings, Senator Udoma stressed the need for special consideration for Nigeria given its strategic relationship with China, its economic potentials, and its capacity to redeem its part of the transaction obligations.

The Minister said following the meetings, both countries expressed satisfaction with the proposals and are very anxious to take proceedings to the next level.
During the Cooperation meeting attended by ministers from various countries in Africa, China’s President Xi Jinping said the meeting was an important step taken by China and Africa to implement the consensus of Chinese and Africa leaders and the outcomes of the FOCAC.
“It is a significant measure to boost China-African cooperative development. The meeting demonstrates to the world once again that no matter how the international landscape may change, the resolve of China and Africa to pursue unity and win-win cooperation will never change”, Jinping said.

The President noted that the weak performance of the world economy brings both opportunities and challenges to the economic development of China and Africa. “We must stand shoulder to shoulder and march forward hand in hand,” he admonished.

In his keynote speech, China’s State Councilor, Yang Jiech, explained that his country initiated the meeting at this time “to take stock of the delivery of summit outcomes, to align our thinking, built consensus, overcome challenges and difficulties, share experience and promote cooperation, so that we can pool the wisdom and strength of both sides and give a leg up to the implementation work”.

At the plenary session, China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, was pleased that both China and the African countries have attained a high level of implementation of the outcomes of the summit, have acted promptly to take forward the five pillars and ten plans of cooperation and have made substantial progress in enhancing friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation across board.

He added that China has delivered on its commitments and made every effort to advance follow-up actions.

Akpandem James
Media Adviser to the Hon Minister

Read More »

Turkish Govt ask FG to close down all Turkish schools in Nigeria

The Turkish government has appealed to the Federal government to close down the 17 Nigerian-Turkish International Colleges (NTIC) in Nigeria, saying they all belong to Fetullah Gulen accused of sponsoring the July 15th failed military coup in Turkey.

The Turkish High Commissioner to Nigeria, Hakan Cakil, disclosed this while hosting the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Shehu Sani yesterday July 28th.



“We have formally and verbally made our demand to the Nigerian government through the Foreign Affairs Minister. My country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs has spoken to Mr. Geoffrey Onyema on this. We are requesting for the close down of all the 17 schools. All the schools in Nigeria belong to the Gulen movement and not the Turkish government. They are using the schools to recruit followers for terrorism. This is threatening the peace in our country as they are using funds they are generating in Nigeria for terrorism. Gulen is a terrorist organization using rhetoric of dialogue, peace and partnership to deceive people. It is being presented as a kind of Muslim missionary but they are abusing the religion. They misled the public by putting Turkey in the name of their school. We don’t have schools in Nigeria, we have in other countries but not in Nigeria. Gulen movement staged a coup and they failed. Investigations prior to the coup attempt had revealed that the followers of the Gulen group infiltrated into various state structures including the police, army and judiciary.”he said Reacting to the allegations, the spokesperson of the Nigerian Turkish International Colleges, Cemal Yigit in a telephone chat with DailyTrust, denied the claims made by the ambassador and said it was a deliberate attempt by the Turkish government to smear the image of the colleges “I am not aware of the information but it is possible since that is how they do the defamation campaign. It is so unfortunate that the smear attack is even reaching Nigeria. Nigeria is a sovereign country and it is as if the Turkish Ambassador has the luxury of giving Nigerian authorities instructions on the place which employed about 2,000 Nigerians. Let me say that the NTIC, Nizamiye Hospital, Nigeria Turkish Nile University under the First Surat Group of Companies are privately invested here by private investors. These groups of companies have nothing to do with the Turkish government and they are non-governmental and non-political companies. Their responsibility is to the Nigerian authorities. The schools and hospitals are open; there is no way they could be closed. This is just misinformation disseminated by the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria.”

Read More »

Check out this stylish man who sells roasted corn decked in suit and hat (photos)

40-year-old Ghanaian, Sosu Patrick is a successful and stylish roasted plantain and coconut vendor.


These photos of Patrick taken by Ghanaian photographer Kobby Blay show him attending to clients, including white tourists, in a suit, white shirt, and a beaded tie of Ghana’s flag colors that is topped off with a wide-brimmed leather hat




In a recent interview, Patrick revealed, "It was my dream that this was going to be [my] breakthrough. I have some other children too, and they are in school where I hail from. I have a quite a large farm and will soon complete my house."



Photo credit: Kobby Blay

Read More »

Photos: University student in Kaduna builds helicopter from scraps

25-year-old University student from Kaduna, Mubarak Abdullahi supposedly built a helicopter at home that can allegedly fly up to seven feet. The people who shared the info on Facebook claim he used scrap aluminum and parts from a Honda Civic, an old Toyota and from the remains of a crashed Boeing 747 to build it.

Read More »

Lady who took to the streets of PH to cry out for a job gives an update, says she just wants to lecture

The Lady (Pictured) has been trending on social media after she shared pictures of herself taking to the streets of Port Harcourt to demand for a Job. Her story was broadcasted via various media outlets and she has now given an update, explaining the reasons that pushed her to be more creative in her search for employment. What she wrote after the cut...


"BBC, The Cable, and others too numerous to mention have called to know more about my story and to get an exclusive interview. Nigeria!! it has to get to this. We have to air our dirty laundry for the whole world. I went to uniport they sent me back, I went to ust, they said who do u know?, I went to college of arts and science, they threw my application out. I went to different schools they said they will pay me 10k with my masters and my transportation monthly is more than that.
I have seen the comments, people telling me to acquire a skill, thank you.. I know you mean well but I did not decide to get a Masters degree to drop it and start making beads or sewing clothes. If we all acquire skills who will patronise who? who will teach our children? why don't we tell lawyers or doctors to pick up a skill when dey don't get jobs Everyone has a dream, has a passion, has their calling. My drive, my passion, my love is for lecturing. I can decide to do something and fail woefully cause that's not where I belong, please I am not looking for money, Some people said I am calling Buhari to give me NNpc job... If I am offered that I will turn it down! I have a focus! I know what I want. Go and tell my Governor that I am waiting for him, I voted for him, I am tired of staying at home, I want the job he promised us. I will be going to the government house tomorrow with my placard and I will invite different newsrooms. Governor Nyesom Wike!! Give me work! I want to lecture! I don't need big salary. . 80k is ok for me. Buhari you are my President I am waiting for you. # Desperatetime

Read More »

Another young Lady spotted in Lagos State with a placard asking for employment

A young lady who claims to have graduated with a Second Class Upper - Bachelor of Science in Computer Studies, took to the streets in Lekki Phase 1 to look for a Job. Twitter User @Jtownlad14 shared the photo and wrote, 'Just saw this girl in lekki1. If anyone can assist her it would be great.'

Posted by Linda Ikeji at 12:34 PM

Read More »

Photos: Unemployed graduate lands job interviews after she stood at the traffic begging for job

A photo of a graduate begging for a job which was shared on social media has prompted dozens of calls from prospective employers. Unemployed BTech: Chemical Engineering graduate, Anthea Malwandle received positive responses after standing at a busy intersection in Johannesburg, South Africa with a placard, asking for work.

When Malwandle completed her degree at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) in 2015, she never anticipated that her job-seeking journey would be so tough.



She has been hunting for graduate and internship programmes since April 2015, to no avail. She called many companies and visited their offices to try schedule interview appointments but failed.


In desperation, Malwandle took to the street with a placard. Her story has moved many people and the determined woman says that she would love to work for petrochemical companies in the production of energy fuels.


Touched by her struggle, a Sasol employee called into the Early Breakfast Show to request a meeting with her.

Source: EWN

Read More »