The federal government has commenced the disbursements of funds to the various artisans in the country. This was made known by the personal assistance to the President on electronic media Bashir Ahmed via his Twitter handle. He maintained that close about 330,000 artisans would be captured in the disbursements and each expected to collect 30,000 each.
The grant is under the MSME survival fund floated by the federal Government in other to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the lowest players of the economy.
He tweeted, “The first phase, which is tagged the Artisan/Transport Support Scheme, would focus majorly on 333,000 artisans for the beginning, which is 9009 from all the 36 states and the FCT and would then move to businesses operating in the transport sector at a later date.”
This phase of disbursements would be carried out in Lagos, Kano, FCT and 9 other states across the federation.
We hope that this would really be beneficial to all concerned and descalate various tensions across the country which had led to many loss of life and properties seen during the #EndSars protest which many experts view as an outlet of frustration due to long neglect and economic hardship in the country.
A new feature on the horizon for android users.Whatsapp Messenger Application
Whatsapp team is set to roll out another outstanding features which would excite all android smartphone users. Securing your WhatsApp account from prying eyes using facial recognition is nothing new on iPhone. However Android smartphones users may soon benefit.
WHATSAPP is working on a new feature for her teeming Android users.
Android smartphone owners could soon enjoy a new way to secure their WhatsApp account …but for iPhone owners, this new feature will look very familiar. That’s because the Facebook-owned chat app looks set to use facial recognition sensors to unlock the app. That should keep your individual and group chat history away from prying eyes – even if your smartphone is unlocked.
As it stands, Android users are only able to use the fingerprint scanner on their handsets to lock the messaging service.
WhatsApp rolled-out an update in early 2019 to take advantage of the Face ID facial recognition system built into the iPhone since the launch of the back in November 2017.
When going through the latest beta version, In the new-look page, WhatsApp has replaced the Fingerprint Lock found in current versions of the app with Biometric Lock. That suggests the app will accept all biometric unlock methods used by smartphone and tablet manufacturers, including the likes or iris scanning, facial recognition, and more.
“When enabled, you’ll need to use fingerprint, face or other unique identifiers to unlock WhatsApp,” the new page explains. “You can still answer calls if WhatsApp is locked.”
We believe this would be an awesome addition and innovative especially in the aspect of increased Whatsapp privacy.
Tell us what you think in the comments session below and ensure you like and follow our page for more updates.
Famous Nigerian and US citizen writer Ngozi Adichie Chimamanda has rewritten a supposed speech the President of Nigeria Mr. Muhammad Buhari could have given to assuage different dissent voices as a result of #EndSars Protest that rocked the entire country and disrupted major economic activities with the country forcing some state Governors to impose dusk to down curfew to curtail further damage.
Below is the supposed address for your reading pleasures.
NOTE to television broadcasters: please include subtitles to enable all Nigerians hear and understand
Fellow Nigerians,
This is a difficult time for our nation, but together we will prevail.
On Tuesday, October 20th, 2020, in the Lekki area of Lagos, innocent Nigerians exercising their democratic right to protest were attacked by soldiers of the Nigerian Army. Some died. Many were injured. This terrible incidence has no place in our country. The role of the Nigerian Army is to protect the lives of Nigerian.
I condole with the families of those who were killed and with all those who were injured. I have ordered an immediate investigation and have directed that a report be presented to me in the next five days.
As commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, the ultimate responsibility is mine. This is not a time for vague words or generic promises. This is a time for action and I am determined to bring the perpetrators of this heinous act to justice.
Restitution is an essential element of justice. I have directed that all hospital bills of the injured be paid by the federal government. The families of those who were killed, as well as the injured, will receive compensation from the federal government. This compensation is merely a small way of acknowledging the pain and suffering of innocent citizens. It is not intended in any way to dismiss or minimize what happened. We are already reaching out to identify those who deserve compensation. Our Twitter handle @NGRPresident will release further information shortly.
These are not normal times, and therefore we cannot rely on the old ways of doing things. On October 12th I acknowledged the valid concerns of the Nigerians protesting against the excesses of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). But more could have been done. I have now directed, with immediate effect, the arrest of those SARS officers, past and present, who have credibly been accused of extrajudicial crimes. I am presently reviewing recommendations by the Security Chiefs on how best to retrain some officers formerly with SARS. I emphasise SOME, as there are those who are not worthy to serve in any security capacity and will face justice. I assure you that their trials will be fair and open to the public.
Let me be clear that the protests we have witnessed all over this country in the past two weeks were not anti-police, but anti-police-brutality. A democracy must have law and order, but we cannot in the name of law and order abuse innocent citizens.
I am committed to the implementation of extensive Police reforms. The salaries, benefits and living conditions of the Nigerian Police Force and other paramilitary services will be improved with immediate effect. I have directed the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission to expedite the process and ensure that the implementation begins by October 30th 2020.
Let me pay tribute to officers of the Nigeria Police Force who have tragically lost their lives in the legitimate line of duty. I condole with their families. The federal government will give all assistance to the bereaved in a speedy and dignified manner.
Reports of vandalism and looting in such places as Lagos, Enugu and Rivers are partly the result of thugs who have infiltrated the legitimate protests in order to further their own nefarious goals and partly the actions of legitimately aggrieved citizens who have unfortunately decided to unlawfully express their anger. There will be zero tolerance for any damage done to the lives and property of citizens.
Let me also acknowledge that mistakes were made in the security provided during the protests. Thugs should never have been allowed to infiltrate the protests. There were failures of policing during the protests.
Some innocent people were arrested while thugs were allowed free reign. I have ordered the immediate release of any Nigerian citizen arrested for lawfully participating in the protest while reinforcing our zero-tolerance policy for those engaging in vandalism.
For two weeks, the protests occurred lawfully, without violence and damage to property. To those Nigerians who suspect that the sudden change in the tone and manner of protests is a result of unscrupulous thugs being paid to disrupt the protests and create chaos, I assure you that your suspicions will be fully investigated.
The choice to demonstrate peacefully is a fundamental right of Nigerian citizens. It is a right that all Nigerians remain free to exercise.
I enjoin all Nigerian citizens to keep in mind that ours is a diverse but united nation. Any appeals to ethnic sentiment must be resisted. Any attacks on people based on ethnicity must be rejected. Whether from the north or from the south, from the west or the east, we are Nigerians. As Nigerians, we must unite against forces that threaten our democracy.
Some states have set up curfews to maintain law and order, but a curfew without security is a threat to the lives and livelihoods of Nigerians. I will work with state governors to ensure that there is adequate security in all the states of the federation.
I would like to thank those state governors, traditional, religious and youth leaders who have not only appealed for calm but have taken actions to identify with the legitimate grievances of their people.
Next week, I will address you again and update you on the ongoing plans to restore our country. I believe that with political will, justice is always achievable. I refer to the truism that there can be no peace without justice. Today I pledge to you my commitment to justice and to peace.
Thank you all. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
She concluded. Please let us know what you think about this rewritten address in the comments box below.
Captain Mikel was at a centre circle and buzzed the entire midfield as he helped the Potters grab their first league victory at the hands of Brentford.
It was the first Championship victory at home this season for Stoke city and it was well deserved as they ran away with a vital point in a 3-2 win over Brentford on Saturday.
The 33-year-old midfielder was handed the captain’s armband for the second straight match – after their 2-2 draw against Barnsley – in the absence of Ryan Shawcross and Joe Allen who are battling with injuries.
The diminutive midfielder has played every minute of Stoke City’s Championship games this season. Goals poured in from Steven Fletcher, James McClean and Tyrese Campbell to help them secured maximum points as they chase ultimate qualification battle to premier league.
Brentford FC tried to pull a late comeback with goals from second-half substitute Marcus Forss but his brace was not enough as Michael O’Neill’s men held on to the crucial win and extended their unbeaten streak to seven matches across all competition and only tasting loss back in September 20 when Britol FC comprehensively ran away with a 2-0 score line against them.
This win has now taken stokes city to eight positions in the league table with about 12 points in as many matches. This has helped steadied the ship as they bid to keep up the momentum in the next couple of weeks.
The fixtures would be a tricky trip to Andre Ayew’s Swansea for their Championship fixture on Tuesday and a win may just take them directly into the top four momentarily bearing the results of other matches to be played.
Please ensure you leave a comment and tell us what you think about the reinvigorated Mikel Obi and his Stock City side.
As your website grows, it becomes challenging for visitors to find exactly what they need. Being prolific and publishing lots of posts and pages is a net positive for engaging and growing your audience, but it also means visitors may be more likely to find content that isn’t relevant to their interests.
This is where Jetpack Search comes into the picture: It turns your website into a place where visitors can search, refine their results, and find the specific content and products that interest them.
Built by the same team that created WordPress.com, Jetpack Search is a powerful search solution backed by Elasticsearch (an open source search platform), Jetpack Stats, and our globally distributed data centers — the very same ones that keep your WordPress.com website up, running, and secure day in and day out. Jetpack Search uses multiple technologies to build a modern search experience that improves website engagement. You can now add Jetpack Search to your WordPress.com site with just a few clicks.
What makes Jetpack Search better than regular search?
A modern search experience combines great result rankings with a fast and intuitive user interface. Most WordPress themes can’t do this yet, because the default WordPress search function offers only basic options to show the most relevant content to viewers.
Jetpack Search combines modern ranking algorithms with your traffic stats so that the best results will float to the top and engage your visitors. Our search algorithms work well with numerous languages and provide custom handling for 29 of the most widely used languages in the world. A large percentage of searches contain typos or spelling errors, but Jetpack Search instantly corrects the search query when there are no matches — so if a potential customer is looking for, say, collectables, they will still see the most popular collectibles you offer on your online store. Any changes you make to your site will be reflected in your search results within a few minutes.
Great algorithms are not enough, though. Jetpack Search displays results instantly, as your readers type into the search box. It does its magic equally well on both mobile devices and desktop computers, and in any theme — even those without widget areas. As the user refines their search terms or filters the results, Jetpack Search continues to update the results instantly. The user’s search terms will be highlighted in the results, which they will be able to narrow down further with displayed filters.
Instant search, spelling correction, and filtering on TwentyTwenty theme.
All of these benefits come together to provide a compelling and beautiful user experience that will encourage people to stay on your site longer.
Get Started with Jetpack Search
We wanted to make Jetpack Search accessible for website owners of all stripes, from those who publish a personal blog to owners of thriving online stores. So we’re offering this new add-on at a price that takes into account how many searchable items — posts, pages, products, and custom post types — your site contains.
Record Limit
Price Per Month
100
$5
1,000
$10
10,000
$25
100,000
$60
1,000,000
$200
Over one million
$200 per million
All purchases are fully refundable for 30 days. Even better, when you add Jetpack Search to your site with an annual subscription, you get two months free — so you only pay for 10 months every year. When your purchase renews after a year, the price will automatically adjust based on the number of items in your search index.
We think you’ll love Jetpack Search — but more importantly, your site visitors will love it too.
Follow the link below to purchase your Jetpack Search subscription. Once you buy it, Jetpack Search will automatically be enabled for your site. You can then customize the colors, filtering, and other details if you’d like — though the out-of-the-box settings work great, too.
ADDRESS TO THE NATION BY HIS EXCELLENCY, MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ON THE ENDSARS PROTESTS, 22ND OCTOBER, 2020
Fellow Nigerians,
It has become necessary for me to address you having heard from many concerned Nigerians and having concluded a meeting with all the Security Chiefs.
I must warn those who have hijacked and misdirected the initial, genuine and well – intended protest of some of our youths in parts of the country, against the excesses of some members of the now disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
On Monday 12th October, I acknowledged the genuine concerns and agitations of members of the public regarding the excessive use of force by some members of SARS.
The choice to demonstrate peacefully is a fundamental right of citizens as enshrined in Section 40 of our Constitution and other enactments; but this right to protest also imposes on the demonstrators the responsibility to respect the rights of other citizens, and the necessity to operate within the law.
As a democratic government, we listened to, and carefully evaluated the five-point demands of the protesters. And, having accepted them, we immediately scrapped SARS, and put measures in place to address the other demands of our youth.
On approving the termination of SARS, I already made it clear that it was in line with our commitment to the implementation of extensive Police reforms.
Sadly, the promptness with which we have acted seemed to have been misconstrued as a sign of weakness and twisted by some for their selfish unpatriotic interests.
The result of this is clear to all observers: human lives have been lost; acts of sexual violence have been reported; two major correctional facilities were attacked and convicts freed; public and private properties completely destroyed or vandalised; the sanctity of the Palace of a Peace Maker, the Oba of Lagos has been violated. So-called protesters have invaded an International Airport and in the process disrupted the travel plans of fellow Nigerians and our visitors.
All these executed in the name of the ENDSARS protests. I am indeed deeply pained that innocent lives have been lost. These tragedies are uncalled for and unnecessary. Certainly, there is no way whatsoever to connect these bad acts to legitimate expression of grievance of the youth of our country.
The spreading of deliberate falsehood and misinformation through the social media in particular, that this government is oblivious to the pains and plight of its citizens is a ploy to mislead the unwary within and outside Nigeria into unfair judgement and disruptive behaviour.
On the contrary, both our deeds and words have shown how committed this administration has been to the wellbeing and welfare of citizens, even with the steadily dwindling revenues, and the added responsibilities and restrictions due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Government has put in place measures and initiatives principally targeted at youths, women and the most vulnerable groups in our society. These included our broad plan to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years; the creation of N75 billion National Youth Investment Fund to provide opportunities for the youths and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Survival Fund, through which government is:
a. paying three months salaries of the staff of 100,000 micro, small – and medium – enterprises,
b. paying for the registration of 250,000 businesses at the Corporate Affairs Commission,
c. giving a grant of N30,000 to 100,000 artisans; and
d. guaranteeing market for the products of traders.
These are in addition to many other initiatives such as;
a. Farmermoni,
b. Tradermoni,
c. Marketmoni,
d. N-Power,
e. N-Tech and
f. N-Agro.
No Nigerian Government in the past has methodically and seriously approached poverty-alleviation like we have done.
With regard to the welfare of police personnel, the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission has been directed to expedite action on the finalization of the new salary structure of members of the Nigeria Police Force. The emoluments of other paramilitary services are also being reviewed upwards.
In order to underscore the importance of education in preparing youths for the future, this administration has come up with a new salary structure and other incentives for our teachers.
Let me at this point reaffirm the Federal Government’s commitment to preserving the unity of this country.
We will continue to improve good governance and our democratic process, including through sustained engagement.
We shall continue to ensure that liberty and freedom, as well as the fundamental rights of all citizens are protected.
But remember that government also has the obligation to protect lives and properties, as well as the right of citizens to go about their daily businesses freely and protected from acts of violence.
To our neighbours in particular, and members of the international community, many of whom have expressed concern about the ongoing development in Nigeria, we thank you and urge you all to seek to know all the facts available before taking a position or rushing to judgment and making hasty pronouncements.
In the circumstances, I would like to appeal to protesters to note and take advantage of the various well-thought-out initiatives of this administration designed to make their lives better and more meaningful, and resist the temptation of being used by some subversive elements to cause chaos with the aim of truncating our nascent democracy.
For you to do otherwise will amount to undermining national security and the law and order situation. Under no circumstances will this be tolerated.
I therefore call on our youths to discontinue the street protests and constructively engage government in finding solutions. Your voice has been heard loud and clear and we are responding.
And I call on all Nigerians to go about their normal businesses, and enjoin security agencies to protect lives and properties of all law abiding citizens without doing harm to those they are meant to protect. Let me pay tribute to officers of the Nigeria Police Force who have tragically lost their lives in the line of duty.
I would like to thank those state Governors, traditional and religious leaders who have appealed for calm and restraint. I also thank youth leaders who have restrained their followers from taking the law into their hands.
This government respects and will continue to respect all the democratic rights and civil liberties of the people, but it will not allow anybody or groups to disrupt the peace of our nation.
Thank you all. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The United nations through its secretary General seems to have waded into the situation in Nigeria calling for an end in all forms of brutalities and several abuse of power.
In a statement released in its verified twitter handle and obtained by @iykeman the apex international body also calls for peace and expresses condolences to the families that are in bereavement owing to different fatalities recorded during the ongoing #EndSars Protest which had taken a different dimensions leading to several loss of life and properties in torns of several millions of Naira.
The statement read as follows, “The Secretary-General is following recent developments in Nigeria and calls for an end to reported police brutality and abuses. He condemns the violent escalation on 20 October in Lagos which resulted in multiple deaths and caused many injuries. He expresses his condolences to the bereaved families and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured. He calls on the Nigerian authorities to investigate these incidents and hold the perpetrators accountable.
The Secretary-General urges the security forces to act at all times with maximum restraint while calling on protestors to demonstrate peacefully and to refrain from violence.
The Secretary-General encourages the authorities to swiftly explore avenues to de-escalate the situation. He reiterates the readiness of the United Nations to support national efforts towards finding a solution.”
We had earlier reported that the Lagos State Government including several states have slammed 24hrs curfew in their various states in a move seen as precautionary to avoid further loss of lives and properties.
What do you think about the UN statement? Leave a comment and ensure you like and follow our news for latest updates.
A cable television network Channels TV was allegedly attached by some group of #EndSars protesters in Lagos State. The management has since taken off the television on-air in a move seen as a precautionary measures to avoid further damage and secure the life of its staff within the premises.
According to an insider of Channels TV, who prefered to remain unnamed, the Management moved them to a safe location within the premises, when hoodlums kept banging the gate in a frantic attempt to gain access to the premises.
The situations reportedly caused major panic and many staffs were scampering for safety. Meanwhile the Lagos State Government have since retrated that the curfew recently slammed would continue in the next 72 hrs.
For now, normalcy is far from returning as many protesters are very angry about a gross use of force by the state actors to forcely disperse the protesters.
Hakim Ziyech of Chelsea football club England was left frustrated by his clubs barren draw with the raining Spainish Europa league Champion Sevilla.
Chelsea fought out a very balanced 0-0 draw against Sevilla in the Champions League Group E game last night.
Both teams were playing with real caution after both suffering stuttering starts to their domestic campaigns.
Sevilla had the better of the possession, but Chelsea probably had the slightly better chances to score. But overall, it was very bland.
The Blues lacked imagination in their attacking game, and none of their attacking players really showed up. They defended well and will certainly be pleased with the clean sheet at the very least.
But Hakim Ziyech’s words after the game perfectly sums up the situation.
The winger came on as a second half sub after being injured all season so far, and he has actually admitted to not yet being fully match fit.
I still have a ways to go to gain full fitness. Obviously, I didn’t play for a long time, because of the virus and it was a bit unlucky that the injury came. So I just try to stay calm and everything will come right soon.
“We knew before the game that Sevilla is a really good team, with quality on the ball it was really difficult to find spaces. But at the end of the day, it’s a draw, it’s a point. We cannot be happy about it, but it is a point.” He concluded.
Chelsea would hope to step up and lay a marker for their European ambition in the next matches to be played away.
Some subscribers of airtel Nigeria have been credited with unsolicited 1000 naira worth of airtime.
There is currently a rumour that such kind gesture never happened out of customer appreciation by airtel but as a result of the activities of Anonymous a group of international hackers responsible for some high profile corporate hacking in sympathy to #EndSars protest currently raging the entire country.
However, airtel in a statement have clarified and debunked such rumours as fake.
The message from Airtel reads, “Dear customer, we apologise for the recent service disruption experienced on October 16. Normal service has been restored and your line will be credited with five minutes of on-net calls and 100MB of data both valid for one day.”
This is in line with the compensation policy of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for the industry as #iykeman understand.
If you’re lucky to have received such gift as stated, kindly enjoy it as it has been confirmed to be real.
