Three refineries produced 44m litres of petrol in July

Despite the efforts to increase local refining capacity to conserve foreign exchange Nigeria’s three refineries could only produce 43,743,273 million litres of petrol in July.
This means, the country’s forex request for imports of petroleum products, which currently stands at 35 percent will further increase in the coming months, unless something drastic was done about the state of the refineries
The refineries located in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna, has a combined daily refining capacity of 445,000 barrels of crude oil per day
The latest production statistics contained in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), monthly report for July 2016, released at the weekend show that the approximatly only 44 million litres of petrol was produced in July is was far below the 211,562,865 million litres of petrol produced by the three refineries in June this year and slightly above the country’s daily consumption figure of 40 million litres.
The negative trend recorded for petrol production amongst the three refineries was equally replicated for kerosene with July production standing at 22,953,014 as against 119,582,848 produced in June this year.
The petroleum products-petrol and kerosene production by the domestic refineries in July 2016 amounted to 66.70 million litres compared to 331.15 million litres in June 2016. But, the NNPC said the the adverse performance was due to crude pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta region coupled with on-going refineries revamp; it however, adding that the three refineries continued to operate at minimal capacity.
On capacity utilization of the refineries, NNPC disclosed that total crude processed by the three local refineries for the month of July 2016 was 126,756 metric tones(MT),translating to   929,275 barrels and intermediate of 40,640 metric tones about 297,972 barrels which translates to a combined yield efficiency of 77.82 percent compared to 225,770 metric tones of crude processed in June 2016 with a combined yield efficiency of 80.39 percent.
The report stated further that the three refineries produced  139,284 metric tones of finished petroleum products for the month of July 2016, out of 126,756 metric tones of crude processed and intermediate of 40,640 metric tones at a combined capacity utilization of 6.74 percent compared to 12.40 percent combined capacity utilization achieved in the month of June 2016.
It noted that the nation’s crude oil grades, including Bonny Light, Forcados, Brass and Qua Iboe, had been under periods of force majeure, which had negatively impacted on the targeted oil production of 2.2 million bpd in the 2016 national budget.
“The activities of pipeline vandals and oil thieves are taking a heavy toll on operations of the oil and gas industry, with over 500,000bopd lost as of May 2016. In June 2016, there was additional shut-in of about 50,000bopd as a result of sabotage/attack on the delivery pipelines to the Escravos Terminal.
“At the Forcados Terminal, about 300,000bopd remained shut-in and cargoes were deferred until repairs are completed. The force majeure declared on May 10, 2016 for repair works on the Nembe Creek Trunk Line and the resultant shut-in of about 275,000bopd subsists.”

FG lists conditions for assets sale

The Federal Government has given conditions that must be met before the sale of certain national assets.
Top among the conditions is that government will insert repurchasing clauses in the assets sale agreements.
A top government source who declined to be named disclosed this to Daily Sun.
The National Economic Council (NEC), chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, had, last Thursday, endorsed government’s plan to sell off some national assets as part of the solution to get Nigeria out of recession and revamp economic growth.
According to the source,  government has also ruled out outright sale of assets.
“The federal government has no plan to sell-off its shares outrightly in the LNG where it owns 49 per cent shares and the balance 51 per cent owned by private foreign interests.
“Government doesn’t own the entire gas company and will certainly not sell-off its entire shares but is open to the possibility of selling its 49 per cent ownership by five per cent or thereabout.”
On the repurchase clause, the source said: “Just as in other potential asset sales, there would be a repurchase option that guarantees the federal government’s opportunity to buy-back any such assets if circumstances change anytime in the future.”
Though a list of national assets to be sold is  yet to be drawn-up, the source said that there is also a clear decision not to sell any critical asset of the country.
“Some of the intended sales could be in form of time-bound leases, advance renewal payments on leasing licenses and concessioning which would attract buoyant signature fees. If we even want to sell  certain assets, while our target is to get foreign currency, specifically dollars, the option would also be opened to Nigerians at some point to buy limited shares through the Nigeria Stock Exchange.”
The source disclosed that one of the concessioning deals almost completed is the East-West lines of the Nigeria Railways, with the General Electric (GE)-being the concessionaire. He also said the firm will invest $2 billion in the Nigerian economy including refurbishment of the single-gauge lane of the lines that have been left idle for years.
GE under the deal, the source added, is expected to hire back some of the laid off staff of Nigeria Railways and also open a Transport University in Nigeria while building/assembling train coaches in Nigeria.
Under the deal,  the Federal Government would also receive a signature fees in foreign currency as it would in other assets that might be concessioned.

Presidential election debate: Trump and Clinton

The two US presidential candidates clashed over jobs, terrorism and race in a bitter television debate.

The attacks turned personal as Republican Donald Trump accused his rival Hillary Clinton of not having the right temperament to be president.

Meanwhile, Mrs Clinton baited Mr Trump by pointing out that he refuses to release his tax returns.

The New York showdown could be the most watched debate in TV history, with up to 100 million viewers.

The debate

"I have a feeling that by the end of this evening, I'm going to be blamed for everything that's ever happened," Mrs Clinton quipped when prompted to respond to one of Mr Trump's attacks.

"Why not?" Mr Trump interrupted.

"Yeah, why not," she answered. "You know, just join the debate by saying more crazy things."

Mr Trump was later thrown on the defensive by moderator Lester Holt for not disclosing his tax returns.

He claimed he was under a "routine audit" and would release the document once the audit was finished.

But the hotel developer promised he would release them if his opponent released 33,000 emails that were deleted during an investigation into her private email set-up while secretary of state.

Mrs Clinton made a brief response to Mr Trump's attacks about her use of a private email server - which has haunted her on the campaign trail.

She said there were no excuses for the "mistake" and that she takes responsibility for it.

But she was also uncomfortable when defending her changing position on the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

Other debate highlights:

• He said she did not have the stamina to be president, to which she replied that she visited 112 countries as secretary of state
• African Americans are living "in hell" in the US due to gun violence, Mr Trump said
• Mrs Clinton criticised him for saying climate change was a Chinese hoax
• She was attacked by him for being weak on Islamic State militants and soft on Iran
• "You've been fighting Isis [Islamic State group] your entire adult life,'' Mr Trump mocked
• In a wider assault on his treatment of women, she said he had called women "pigs, slobs and dogs"

One key exchange was over Mr Trump's long-held belief that President Barack Obama was born outside the US, a position he finally reversed two weeks ago.

"He has a long record of engaging in racist behaviour," she said, adding that it was a "very hurtful" lie that annoyed and bothered the first African American president.

When asked by Mr Holt to explain his change in stance, he said he wanted to concentrate on bigger, more important issues.

She attacked him for praising Russian President Vladimir Putin, and suggesting he "find" her emails.

"I was so shocked when Donald publicly invited Putin to hack into Americans. That is just unacceptable... Donald is unfit to be commander-in-chief."

The debate was the first of three between the two candidates, and the American voters go to the polls on 8 November.

FIFA plans to introduce anti-racism regulations ahead of 2018 World Cup

FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura said the organisation is working closely with Russia to formulate tough anti-discrimination regulations for the 2018 World Cup after it emerged that it was disbanding its anti-racism task force.

FIFA wrote to members of the task force to say that it has "completely fulfilled its temporary mission" and "is hereby dissolved and no longer in operation."  

"I have been to Russia twice since I came into office," Samoura said. "We are working with the authorities there to make sure strong measures are in place to combat racism and all forms of discrimination. They have been very receptive and are committed to this."

On the decision to end the work of the task force, Samoura added: "It had a very specific mandate. They made some very good recommendations and FIFA has now turned them into a programme and is implementing them. We remain committed to fighting all forms of discrimination and it remains top of our agenda."

Samoura maintained that the controversial decision to end the task force was in no way an indication that world football's governing body believed that the problem of discrimination within the game had been solved.

"FIFA maintains a zero tolerance towards discrimination at all levels of the game," she added. "Both Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 will be World Cups where intolerance and bigotry will not be tolerated."

Samoura has met the media and corporate companies to convince them that FIFA is combating corruption and is now a more transparent organisation.

Samoura was speaking as she presented FIFA's first ever Diversity Award at the Soccerex Global Convention in Manchester. The award was won by Slum Soccer, an Indian based organisation that uses football to carry out social engagement projects with children living in slums.

Atletico Madrid lessons can inspire Tottenham in UCL - Alderweireld

Toby Alderweireld still finds it difficult to talk about the 2014 Champions League final. However the defender hopes to use lessons from Atletico Madrid's run to Lisbon to inspire Tottenham in this year's competition.

Atleti's hopes of a remarkable league and cup double were ended by city rivals Real Madrid at the Estadio da Luz, where Diego Simeone's side led 1-0 until the 94th minute, before slipping to a 4-1 defeat after extra-time.

Alderweireld came off the bench in the 83rd-minute, with Atleti ahead through Diego Godin's goal, and the evening remains a tough memory for the 27-year-old.

"Of course it [still] hurts. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to win the Champions League," said Alderweireld ahead of Tottenham's second group match at CSKA Moscow on Tuesday.

"But at the end, you look back at the whole season, you don't only look back at the Champions League final. We won the league, we played the Champions League final -- it's something you can be proud of. I've tried to look at it that way and not only the negatives. But of course it hurts to talk about it."

One of the takeaways for Alderweireld is his belief that quality players can beat the odds with an attitude of ruthless single-mindedness, and the Belgian sees that at Tottenham.

"Every team can win the Champions League if you put your mind on it. If you have a good squad and the hunger is there to win something, you can do it," he continued.

"At Atletico, we had the big teams like Barca, Real, Bayern -- they were always the favourites. But at Atletico, if you are a really good group -- and, of course, we had quality, too -- you can win it. That's the thing that's stayed with me. If you are a good team and a good squad and your mind is thinking to win, to win, then you have a chance. That's the thing that I have learned the most.

"Look, we want to do everything to win [in Moscow], to get three points. That's the way we go into every game -- to win. We know that there is a little bit more pressure because we lost the first home game but we have to have confidence in our own game and try to give everything on the pitch.

"Nobody is scared to play in Moscow. And to play our own game. I'm very confident. We have to go through. We have to be confident in our game, confident in our quality and confident that we can get the result against any team. So we don't have to look too far into the future, just look game-by-game and try to go to the next round."

Just as at Atleti, Alderweireld is working under an Argentinian coach who demands his players leave nothing on the pitch, and he is in no doubt that Simeone and Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino -- former international teammates -- share one defining quality.

"They are different kind of styles but they are both winners. They want to win everything, they want to win every game," he said.

If Spurs are to win in Moscow, Alderweireld will be important. The Belgian scored in the 2-1 defeat to AS Monaco at Wembley a fortnight ago but his quality and experience at the back will matter against CSKA -- particularly with midfield pair Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele missing.

Since moving to England with Southampton in Sept. 2014, four months after Lisbon, Alderweireld has impressed with both his technical quality and uncompromising defending -- a perfect blend he credits to two of his former clubs.

"At Ajax, I got an education in how to play the ball, how to be confident on the ball, your technique, and then of course you go to a big league like Spain and you have to learn to defend -- the details, the ruthlessness. Be clinical in front of your own goal. Win every duel, every battle and be clever. And the small things. That's something I learned so much and defensively, I grew there so much. So I have the two best things -- I learned to play football at Ajax, to be confident on the ball. And then I really learned to defend at Atletico. So that has made me the defender I am today," he explained.

"It's good as well to have the thing from Ajax, to be confident on the ball, especially given how we want to play at Tottenham. We want to play from the back. We have to get the ball and we have to defend, sometimes, 30 or 40 yards back so it's important that you know how to defend and be confident in your own skills.

"At Ajax, it was nice to have the ball, make goals but you have to see the other side, as well. In the end, defenders are there not to concede goals."

Key to his success at Tottenham has been a centre-back partnership with his former Ajax, and current Belgium, teammate Jan Vertonghen. The pair have started 35 of the 44 league matches since Alderweireld signed, helping Tottenham to the best defence in the Premier League last season -- before their anomalous 5-1 defeat at Newcastle on the final day.

Their last appearance in Russia ended in Ajax's 3-0 defeat to Spartak Moscow in the 2010-11 Europa League last 16 -- a match Christian Eriksen also played in.

"We don't need a lot of words on the pitch," Alderweireld said of Vertonghen. "We know how the other one works. We have a little bit of an instinctive understanding.

"It's difficult for me to explain, but in Russia, it's always hostile, especially Champions League games, when other teams from Europe are coming, English teams, as well. We only have to focus on our game on the pitch and the rest is not in our hands."

OPC abducts pastor during service

A pastor with the Christ Apostolic Church, Onigbogbo, Atan Ota, Ogun State, Pastor Olusegun Omoniyi, is critically ill after he was allegedly abducted and tortured by some members of the Oodua People’s Congress.

 It was learnt that 45-year-old Omoniyi had also gone into hiding after he was rescued by policemen from the Sango Area Command.

He said he feared for his life as the OPC members had threatened to recapture and kill him.

The Summons Post learnt that the OPC members were acting on the instruction of some relatives of Omoniyi’s late wife, Omolade, who had vowed to deal with him over the sickness and subsequent death of the woman.

Our correspondent gathered that Omoniyi and his wife married in 1999 and had a set of twins in 2000.

However, the twins were said to have died shortly after they were born.

It was learnt that since the death of the children, the couple had not been able to have any child, which resulted in pressures from Omolade’s family.

Early 2015, the wife was reported to have left the cleric despite entreaties from church leaders and relatives of the husband.

It was gathered that seven months after separating from the husband, the 42-year-old was attacked by a strange illness.

Omoniyi said, “She had told me that her family members didn’t want her to continue living with me, but I begged her to stay.

“However, sometime in 2015, I went for a church meeting when some of her family members came. They took away her property. Attempts at getting her family members to reconcile us were abortive as they said she had made her choice.

“However, in July 2015, I was told she was sick. On the instruction of the church leadership, I went with some other elders to give her N50,000. But her brother did not allow us to see her, saying I should go alone to see her. We refused.

“On February 6, 2016, while I was leading a church programme around 10am, four men entered the church. Two of them were OPC members and the others – Adebayo and Stephen – were my wife’s relatives. While I was on the altar, the two OPC members said they had come to take me away.

“I told them that I would not follow them since I did not know where they were taking me to. They beat me up and one of them showed me a gun and said if I didn’t cooperate, he would kill me.”

Omoniyi said he was thrown into a car belonging to his wife’s eldest brother, adding that he was blindfolded throughout the journey.

The cleric explained that he later found himself in Ijoko, the camp of the OPC, saying the men tortured him before taking him inside a clinic where his wife had been admitted.

“In one of the rooms, I saw my wife on the bed. Her legs were swollen and there was blood all over the place. I asked her why she left the house and what I did wrong

“While talking to her, my in-laws started beating me. I have never suffered such torture. I told my wife right there that God would judge our matter,” he added.

He said he sneaked into the clinic’s toilet where he made a call to a church leader informing him of his location, adding that the latter informed the police who stormed the area and rescued him.

It was learnt that Omolade died the following day.

The church leadership was reported to have sent a delegation to condole with the family, and Omoniyi also accompanied the men.

It was learnt that the deceased’s family allegedly attacked the group, insisting that Omoniyi must take his wife’s corpse with him.

“To appease them, I told them to find where they would bury her and I would bear part of the cost, but they refused.

“As I was leaving, they blocked the road and said they would burn the two vehicles we took there. The OPC members, who had earlier abducted me, came and dragged me to where the corpse was.

“After beating me again, they put me on the corpse and said I must die with her. They put me in a car with the corpse. I couldn’t recognise anybody until I saw some policemen who rescued me the second time,” he said.

Omoniyi said he was taken to a private hospital, adding that the location was not disclosed to protect his life.

He alleged that a top police officer was also backing his  in-laws, saying he had gone into hiding for security reasons.

He lamented that his wife’s family had taken away his landed property, adding that his life was in danger.

Our correspondent learnt that the matter had already got to the CAC supreme council and the church had not been able to resolve the case as Omolade’s eldest brother was a top pastor in the church.

Petitions were seen to be addressed to the Inspector-General of Police, Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Area Commander, Sango-Ota, Officer-in-charge, Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Abeokuta, among others.

The petitions called for the arrest of Omoniyi’s in-laws and the OPC members for the alleged abduction and torture.

Our correspondent was told that nothing had been done on the petitions.

A top leader with the CAC, who did not want to be identified, said the case had become critical, appealing to Nigerians to rescue Omoniyi.

When contacted, one of the in-laws, Paul, said the case was a family matter, adding that he could not comment on it.

He said, “I am sorry; I cannot say anything about it. It is a family matter and only the family can talk about it.”

The eldest in the family also declined to speak with our correspondent.

The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, promised to call back after checking with the area command where the case was reported to.

FG must account for $300 billion oil earnings

The revelation by a former senior executive of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation that Nigeria earned $300 billion in five years should attract close scrutiny. Juxtaposed with the near empty treasury that confronts the country today and the crisis of consensus on how to combat corruption, Nigerians should critically uncover how resources were utilised in the recent past in order to chart a better way out of recession.

Indeed, when Tim Okon, a former senior executive with the NNPC, narrated at a public lecture in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, how this country earned “close to $300 billion” from oil between 2010 and 2014, he was only reminding Nigerians of the immediate past when high oil prices, vanishing revenues, waste and corruption were the directive principles of the ruling elite. For years, we have been confronted with the paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty. Olusegun Obasanjo left about $43 billion reserves and $22 billion in the Excess Crude Account when he handed over the presidency to the late Umaru Yar’Adua on May 29, 2007.

These funds had been built up, as Charles Soludo, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and others reminded us, when oil prices ranged from $35 per barrel to a maximum of $65pb. Despite Yar’Adua’s raiding of the ECA, higher oil prices, as recalled by the current CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, facilitated the growth of reserves to a record $62 billion by late 2008.

In the period 2010 to 2014, oil prices hovered around $100pb.  According to an analysis by Soludo and others, Nigeria ought to have had reserves of over $100 billion and not less than $60 billion in the ECA. Curiously, while the Obasanjo government also paid off a hefty $12.4 billion even while oil prices were low to exit the crippling external debt overhang of $35.9 billion in 2005/6, thereby reducing external debt to a manageable $3.5 billion, this had risen to $5.6 billion by August 2011.

The Goodluck Jonathan era started in 2010, first as acting President and later confirmed in May of that year. We reject strongly those who argue for collective amnesia and a self-destructive acceptance of corruption and lack of accountability. No country breaks with past retrogression without demanding accountability from past regimes and misbehaviour. Witness the travails of Brazil’s ousted Dilma Rouseff and her predecessor, the once popular Inacio Lula Da Silva; the corruption trials of past South Korean regimes, and asset forfeitures in Zambia, Egypt and the Philippines.

Nigeria is not a failed state: we demand accountability from officials of the Jonathan administration. Apart from the revelations, filed in the courts and via media reports, of the reckless looting of the treasury, it is important to recover as much of public funds that have gone into private hands as possible. The $15 billion targeted from suggested national asset sales pales in comparison to the $17 billion of undeclared oil and gas sales the House of Representatives has decided to probe; the $20 billion that former CBN governor, Lamido Sanusi, alleged was never remitted to the Federation Account by the NNPC, or the unbudgeted $15.1 billion appropriated for arms and allegedly diverted for personal uses and to fund political parties.

To avoid the monumental mistakes of the past that ruined the country, we must confront the past to deter future misconduct. Nigeria’s woes are exposed primarily by collapsing oil prices and our dysfunctional, rentier economy. While other major oil producers (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Algeria, Russia etc) are drawing from their robust reserves and sovereign wealth funds to cushion current adversity, our own SWF is a meagre $2.9 billion,  ECA, which was specifically designed for today’s scenario was $2.26 billion in May, while external reserves are precariously low at $25.9 billion.

High oil prices and bumper sales in the period 2010 – 2014 did not reflect substantially in reserves, while ECA, which should have been the main beneficiary, was depleted. Worse; the government borrowed at a furious pace and according to the Debt Management Office website, total debt as of June 30, was $61.44 billion of which $11.26 billion is external debt compared to a combined $17.3 billion in August 2006 and $6.67 billion external debt by June 2013, according to a former Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

There are other revelations of financial misdeeds that President Muhammadu Buhari’s government must investigate, and bring offenders to book. This requires courage and transparency. The forces ranged against accountability appear strong, but are no match for the resources of the state. There should be intelligent counter-measures to defeat the push-back forces that have deployed threats, violence and sabotage of the economy, legal and judicial ambush, propaganda, ethnicity and religious manipulation to obstruct the anti-corruption war. The cleansing of the NNPC, the major conduit for the industrial-scale theft of public funds, is however being hobbled by Buhari, who has returned an insider to the topmost post. You cannot unravel the misdeeds of the past without a total cleaning out of the NNPC.  It is doubtful if a long-time insider can muster the courage to do this.

Buhari should clean up and give the anti-graft agencies, auditors and the National Assembly full backing to uncover where all the oil wealth went to.  Moreover, there should be a strong resolve by the government and the parliament that never again would the country fritter away resources and drive itself to the edge of bankruptcy.

(PUNCH)

“It was an outstanding team performance,” - Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said his team had come close to perfection after watching them mark his 20th anniversary with a 3-0 win over Chelsea on Saturday.

Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil scored in the first 40 minutes as Arsenal claimed their biggest win over Chelsea since April 1997.

It was Arsenal’s first win over Chelsea in the league since October 2011 and it saw them climb to third place in the Premier League table, while Antonio Conte’s beaten visitors slipped to eighth.

“It was an outstanding team performance,” Wenger told the BBC at the Emirates Stadium.

“We played with spirit and collective pace and movement. Always in a positive and committed team way.

“Ideally you want the perfect game and you never get it. We got nearly the perfect first half and that is not bad.

“Football doesn’t care for history and the anniversaries, just the result on the day. Today we had a good performance.”

The only negative for Wenger, who was appointed Arsenal manager in September 1996, was a first-half knee injury sustained by midfielder Francis Coquelin, which saw Granit Xhaka come on.

“We lost Coquelin and Xhaka came on and straight away he is at the level of the game,” Wenger told Sky Sports.

“It (Coquelin) is a knee problem — the same problem as last year. I hope he is not out as long as last year.”

For Chelsea manager Conte, it was a third successive league game without victory following a 2-2 draw at Swansea City and a 2-1 home defeat by Liverpool.

“I think that we didn’t have the right attitude from the first minute,” Conte said.

“After today we are thinking we must work a lot because we are a great team only on paper.

“It is always a team problem rather than individuals. When nothing works it is very hard for a player to play well.

“We have not got the balance and now is the moment to consider everything. It is incredible to concede three goals.

“We must have last season present in our mind (when Chelsea finished 10th) to not repeat the mistakes. We must reflect a lot to find very soon the right way.”

One soldier, two militants dead in Bakassi

Army has confirmed that militants killed one of its personnel in Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River in an attack allegedly led by one Benjamin Simplee, aka G1.

Col. Sani Usman, the Director of Army Public Relations, who confirmed the incident in a statement, however, said the troops killed two of the militants in the attack which occurred on Saturday morning.

According to him, the other militants escaped with gunshot wounds.

He said the attackers also burnt a buffalo pick up vehicle.

Usman said that two soldiers earlier declared missing in the attack were found when reinforcement was sent to the area.

He said that the militants came in several speed boats and attacked troops deployed at Efut Esighi waterfront in Bakassi.

“The troops’ location has been reinforced with more gunboats and air component. The clearance and pursuit operation is ongoing.

“We would like to assure the public that this singular act would not deter us from the discharge of our duties.

“Therefore, the perpetrators of this dastardly act would be found and brought to justice.

“The Nigerian Army wishes to send an unequivocal warning to all the criminal elements in the society that intend to attack any of its locations to have a rethink,’’ Usman said.

Four arrested for allegedly diverting rice meant for IDPs

The Katsina Police Command on Saturday said it had arrested four persons for allegedly diverting tonnes of rice meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North East Zone.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, DSP Salisu Agaisa, told newsmen in Katsina that the suspects had claimed to be customs agents.

It would be recalled that the Federal Government had directed the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to distribute rice it seized from smugglers to the various IDPs camps.

The police spokesman said the suspects were arrested after they offered to sell the commodity to one of the prominent persons in the state.

“One of the suspects had called the prominent person through a mobile phone that they have five trucks of the diverted rice for sale.

“Our investigation also shows that the suspects had concluded arrangement to sell a bag of rice to that person at the rate of N12, 500 per bag,’’ he said.

Agaisa said the suspects were later arrested at Liyafa Palace Hotel in Katsina where they had lodged for 21 days.

He said the suspects would be prosecuted after investigations were completed.

Aguero double keeps Man City perfect under Guardiola

Sergio Aguero scored twice as Manchester City made it 10 wins in as many games this season with a 3-1 victory away to Swansea in the Premier League on Saturday.

Aguero marked his return to action with two well-taken goals for Pep Guardiola’s league leaders after serving a three-game ban for throwing an elbow in last month’s victory over West Ham.

The Argentinian striker opened the scoring in the ninth minute and he made it 2-0 25 minutes from time before Raheem Sterling beat Lukasz Fabianski in the 77th minute at the Liberty Stadium as City beat Swansea for the second time in a week after their EFL Cup success.

A swift move on the right, a clever turn from Aguero and the visitors were a goal to the good.

Swansea came close to levelling matters in the 12th minute when Kyle Naughton, playing out of position at left back, found himself one on one with Claudio Bravo, the City goalkeeper.

Bravo pulled off a decent save before City cleared. However, a minute later and the Swans were level.

Gylfi Sigurdsson poked a ball through to Fernando Llorente, who having been played onside by John Stones, beat Bravo with a stunning volley from 16 yards.

With the ball at their feet, Swansea showed decent quality. They were confident in moving through the gears and lacked only one aspect –- the final delivery.

Still, it was enough to keep City on their toes. Bacary Sagna was shown the yellow card for man-handling Kyle Naughton and Sterling was fortunate to escape similar punishment when he tripped Angel Rangel.

– Silva cheers –
Although Swansea were causing one or two problems at the right end, they almost conceded a second 11 minutes from half time.

Kevin de Bruyne was sent through by Ilkay Gundogan, but with only Fabianski to beat, the Belgian hooked his shot well wide.

A booking for David Silva, for dissent, was greeted with loud cheers from the Swansea supporters who, after an exacting start to the season, were beginning to see some light.

For City, there was growing frustration. They dominated the ball for long periods but struggled to break down Swansea’s resolute back four, led ably, by Jordi Amat.

The second half was barely two minutes old when Swansea had a golden opportunity to edge themselves in front.

Wayne Routledge found himself in acres of space on the right, but, inexplicably, chose to dissect Bravo’s far post and Llorente with a ball that rolled harmlessly out of play.

Five minutes later, the imperious Sigurdsson sent a crisp volley high and wide after Routledge had picked out the Icelandic midfielder with a lobbed pass of real quality.

At the opposite end, it was Aguero who came close to restoring City’s lead. A smart move involving Gundogan and Silva ended with Aguero shooting over via the foot of van der Hoorn. Sterling was then too tentative with a shot from 12 yards.

The breakthrough came in the 64th minute when van der Hoorn was penalised for putting his elbow into the face of De Bruyne inside the Swansea penalty area.

Referee Neil Swarbrick had no hesitation in yellow carding the Dutchman and Aguero, with a cheeky chip, did the rest from the spot.

The game was up for Swansea when Sterling, on the counter attack, kept his composure and beat Fabianski with a wonderful finish.

Suarez, Neymar put five past Gijon, fire Messi-less Barcelona top of La Liga

Barcelona’s midfielder Rafael Alcantara (L) celebrates a goal with teammates Barcelona’s Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez (2nd L) and Barcelona’s Brazilian forward Neymar during the Spanish league football match Real Sporting de Gijon vs FC Barcelona at El Molinon stadium in Gijon on September 24, 2016.
ANDER GILLENEA / AFP

Barcelona shrugged off the absence of Lionel Messi to move to the top of La Liga as Luis Suarez and Neymar were on target in a 5-0 thrashing of Sporting Gijon.

The hosts enjoyed the better of the opening half-hour, but were hit by a two-goal Barca burst in three minutes as Suarez rounded Ivan Cuellar to slot home the opener before Rafinha headed home a second.

Sporting were reduced to 10 men 16 minutes from time when Alberto Lora saw a second yellow card and Barca made their man advantage count as a Neymar double and Arda Turan rounded off the scoring in the final 10 minutes.

Real Madrid can regain a three-point lead over Barca with victory when they travel to Las Palmas later on Saturday.

Barca coach Luis Enrique made five changes to the side that started Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid as Andres Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba joined the injured Messi in dropping out.

The champions looked unsettled in the early stages and goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was lucky to escape further punishment when he gave away a free-kick for handling outside his area with the score still level at 0-0.

However, one moment of Suarez magic turned the game in Barca’s favour as he raced onto Turan’s through ball and flicked the ball past the onrushing Cuellar before slotting into an empty net.

A fine team goal put the game beyond Sporting moments later as Neymar freed Sergi Roberto down the right and Rafinha met his cross with a powerful near-post header.

Barca appeared to have eased up in the second half ahead of Wednesday’s visit to Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Champions League as Sergio Busquets and Suarez were replaced by Denis Suarez and Paco Alcacer.

However, the goals flowed after Lora dived in on Roberto to leave his side a man light.

Alcacer was denied his first Barca goal when he smashed the ball off the underside of the bar, but Neymar mopped up the rebound to make it 3-0.

Roberto was the provider once more for the fourth as Turan powered home his cross at the back post four minutes later.

Denis Suarez then teed up Neymar to sweep home his second of the game two minutes from time.

And the Brazilian could even have had a hat-trick when he curled another effort off the post in stoppage time.

Avoid self medication: Pharmaceutical Society advises Nigerians

Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Nasarawa state chapter, has advised Nigerians to avoid self-medication and seek medical examination before taking drugs.

Mr Agada Vincent-Agada, the state chairman of the association, gave the advice on Saturday in Keffi at an event to mark the 2016 World Pharmacists Day with the theme, “Pharmacists care for you.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that World Pharmacists Day is held on Sept 25 each year to create public awareness and engage in activities that promote and consolidate the profession’s role in the society

Vincent-Agada said that the call had become imperative considering the negative effects of self-medication on human health and to societal development.

He said: “the role of the pharmacists in the society cannot be over emphasised.

“Right from the points of manufacturing, handling to administration of medicine to the last point, needed to be handled by trained professionals in the pharmaceutical industry.

“That is why as key players in the health sector, there is the need for us to create awareness on the need for Nigerians to avoid self-medication and seek medical examination before taking drugs.

“We condemn the attitude of those who cultivate the habit of taking drugs indiscriminately without medical examination.’’

Vincent-Agada called on Nasarawa state government to establish Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the state-owned University, Keffi to bridge the gap in accessing good and quality healthcare services in the state.

Also speaking, Dr Luka Samuel, Head, Clinical Unit, Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, called on pharmacists to adhere strictly to the ethics of their profession.

He urged them to be of good behaviour at all the time in order to improve on the health status of patients.

Earlier, Dr Luka Samuel, Director and Head of department Pharmaceutical service, Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, said that the role of the pharmacist in the society is indispensable.

He called on policy makers and other stakeholders in the health sector to formulate policies that would ensure effective healthcare service for the people.

Things women should do in pregnancy

For women who are pregnant, it is such a time to be relieved of certain chores in the home and workplace, a time to eat more and adhere to a number of rules, for the sake of their health and that of the foetus in their womb.

This is partly because it has been established that the actions and inactions of a pregnant woman go a long way to impact on the well-being of the foetus she’s carrying. Thus, the need to examine the things a pregnant woman should do.

Visit a pre-conception clinic: Usually, women start visiting the hospital when they want to register for prenatal care, and that is about few months into the pregnancy, but, according to a consultant endocrinologist, Dr. Michael Olamoyegun, a woman should see a doctor even before she is pregnant, which means consulting a doctor when she is still anticipating the pregnancy is important.

But why should a woman see the doctor about a pregnancy that has yet to be? Olamoyegun explained that this is to ensure that the woman puts on hold any habit, drug usage or attitude that she has been involved in that may endanger the life of the foetus. He said this is more important for people who have chronic medical conditions, like hypertension and diabetes.

He said, “The first thing before being pregnant is to see a doctor. In developed countries, they have pre-conception clinics for women anticipating pregnancy. The woman could have been taking certain drugs that are not compatible with pregnancy, and she would need to stop such.

“For example, if she is planning to be pregnant in three months and she has hypertension, the doctor could look at the drugs she had been taking to control her blood pressure, and then withdraw some of them that might not be compatible with pregnancy, to avoid some adverse effects on the baby.

“Here, some women don’t even go for ante-natal booking until the pregnancy is advanced, which is not right. So, if somebody is taking a drug that is not compatible with pregnancy, and that person has taken it throughout the time of being pregnant until it is later discovered, that could have adverse effects on the baby. So, the ideal thing is to see a doctor before being pregnant, especially for those who have chronic condition, like hypertension, diabetes.”

He said if somebody has diabetes and the blood sugar is not well controlled, that is not the best time for the person to be pregnant, because uncontrolled blood sugar affects pregnancy on its own; make the pregnancy to be aborted and make the foetus to develop congenital abnormalities.

But if the person had come before getting pregnant, the doctor would be able to regulate the blood sugar and put it under control before the person would be pregnant. This and many other reasons are why you should discuss with your doctor before getting pregnant.

Avoid smoking and taking alcohols: According to the expert, one other thing pregnant women should avoid is taking alcohols and smoking. He said these substances contain some chemicals that could have adverse effects on the foetus, and could cause “congenital abnormalities.”

Findings show that a child could develop disorders such as low intelligence, problems with hearing and seeing, short height, low body weight, small head size and behaviour problems if the mother smokes or drinks during pregnancy. Thus, to have healthy children, stay away from alcohol and smoking.

Don’t take drugs, unless prescribed: Pregnant women are also advised not to take drugs, including antibiotics, except they are prescribed by a doctor. “Most antibiotics, antidiabetic, anti-hypertensive and antiasthma drugs are not very safe in pregnancy, especially during the first trimester, when the development of all the body structures usually takes place. So, any alteration from any drug or smoking can have a devastating effect on the foetus,” Olamoyegun said.

Don’t wear tight clothes: It may be fashionable dress to wear, especially by those who don’t want others to know they are pregnant, whether the pregnancy is unwanted or not, but it has always been advised that pregnant women should always wear loose or roomy dresses. “If a pregnant woman wears a tight dress, it can form a band on the tummy and even compress the pregnancy, so, it is not encouraged,” Olamoyegun added.

Eat quality food and in good quantity: Even though there is no basic restriction on the kind of food a woman should take during pregnancy, it has however been advised that such women should take more of food that are rich in protein, so as to increase their blood flow, more so that the foetus would benefit from the same food.

According to the expert, if the woman is not well fed, the foetus would not get enough nutrients, which would impact on the size of the baby and the development of the brain.

He said, “One of the things that cause intrauterine growth retardation, in which case the baby does not attain the expected growth rate, is malnutrition. So, if the woman is malnourished or the quality of the food she eats is not good, it will impact on the size of the baby and the development of the brain.”

He explained further that when a child does not have the normal weight at birth, it can serve as a precursor for the development of kidney problem, diabetes and hypertension when the child grows old.

“That is why we encourage women to eat well and they can eat what they like, especially proteinous food, even though there are taboos, like not eating snail or okro. Those are all myths and misconceptions,” he explained.

Mind your sleep position: Due to the bulging stomach, it has been found that there are some sleep positions that pregnant women should avoid. According to Olamoyegun, pregnant women should avoid sleeping on their tummy, and sleeping on their back has its bad side as well. They should also have good rest.

He said they should avoid any sleeping position that would make the uterus, especially when the pregnancy is advanced, to compress either on the blood vessel or on the bladder. However, he said the best sleeping position is to sleep on their side, whether left or right, and or any posture that is convenient for them and the baby.

He said, “When they sleep on their side, it is better and they find it easier to stand. But when they lie on their back, we don’t encourage them to stand up without turning to the left or the right. If you lie on your back, especially when the pregnancy is advanced, it compresses the abdomen and that would indirectly be on the foetus when you stand from bed like that.”

According to a study published on Mail Online, pregnant women should wash their fruits and vegetables before eating them, because it makes a lot of difference to the health of the baby.

They are also advised to avoid seafood (and if they must eat, it must be well-cooked), ice cream and some herbs to avoid listeria, which is food poisoning or other disease caused by infection with a type of bacterium that infects humans and other warm-blooded animals.

While pregnant women are advised to engage in some exercise, like yoga, to stay in shape and burn fats that would have remained when the baby bump is gone after childbirth, the study found that doing rollerblading, horse riding, downhill skiing and some other exercises should be avoided. It should also be noted that any exercise by a pregnant woman should be moderate and must be under the supervision of a trained instructor.

In the same vein, ankle massage should be avoided, as it has been found that certain pressure points in the ankles can stimulate labour. So, to avoid premature birth, you should stay away from that, no matter how fun it is.

And due to the sensitivity of the skin at that period, pregnant women are advised to limit their exposure to the sun.

Speaking on the need to do exercise in pregnancy, Mirella Ingamels, a personal trainer in Lincoln, United Kingdom, said, “For their own wellbeing and sanity, pregnant women shouldn’t let themselves go.

She said, “Exercise during pregnancy can also reduce pain and give women a stronger chance of re-gaining their post-baby body once they give birth, boosting their confidence. You lose the baby bump but you don’t lose the body fat – that stays with you. And your body changes after pregnancy.

“Being healthy and active gives mothers a better chance of having an easier labour and means they will be less likely to need a Caesarean,” she added.

(PUNCH)