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Why Nigeria Needs University Of Mining And Geosciences – Senator

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A bill in the National Assembly which seeks the upgrade of the Nigerian Institute of Mining and Geosciences (NIMG), Jos, to the status of a Federal University of Mining and Geosciences has passed the first reading.

Senator Diket Plang, representing Plateau Central who sponsored the bill says making the Institute a University would position the nation’s mining sector and ensure the diversification of Nigeria’s economy, deepen research on mineral exploration, exploitation and instill knowledge of many facets of mining resource management, including geosciences and engineering in citizens.

Plang who spoke in Jos noted that the conversion of NIMG to the status of a University is long overdue as many contemporary institutions established by the colonial masters, like the one in Ghana and India, have since been upgraded to the status of a University and added that having a University of Mining and Geosciences like other specialized Universities such as University of Agriculture, Petroleum University, the University of Education, the Marine University, and the University of Medical Sciences would be of benefits to the country.

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He stated that the School of Mining in Ghana which is a twin brother to that of Jos, Nigeria is now the Ghana University of Mining and Technology, while that in Jos was just upgraded to an Institute in 2018.

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His words, “It is like other specialized universities: we have such as the University of Agriculture to boost food production, the University of Transportation, the University of Education, and also the Army University, Airforce University because of the importance of Defense.

“But we don’t have a University that has to do with mineralogical research despite the abundance of Mineral resources in the country.

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“Minerals and Technology go together; it will be bad for us not to study what God has given to us. If you are not taking advantage of what you are endowed with, you must be making a mistake.

” Therefore, we must deepen our knowledge and research into what God has given us; we would, at the end of the day, cheat ourselves if we don’t do this. That is why all sorts of foreign miners come to mine on our land with little knowledge.

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“Nigeria needs a University of Mining and Geosciences, and already we have an Institute running diploma courses in this aspect with about three campuses with functional laboratories.
All that is required at the moment is to upgrade this Institute to a degree-awarding institution.

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“The idea of the bill for the conversion of NIMG to the University of Mining and Geo-Sciences, Jos was conceived on this basis, coupled with the fact that Nigeria is blessed with abundant mineral resources.

“Most of the developed countries have Universities of Mining; so Nigeria cannot be an exception.”

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Gunmen Kidnap Popular Catholic Priest In Anambra

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Some yet-to-be-identified gunmen have kidnapped a Catholic priest, Rev. Father Basil Chukwuemeka, at Nkpor Junction, near the commercial city Onitsha in Anambra State.

According to eyewitnesses, the reverend father was abducted from his vehicle while driving around the area.

The State Police Command spokesman, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident in a statement when contacted.

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Ikenga said the Commissioner of Police, Nnaghe Obono Itam, had addressed the Catholic Priests on the development in the Bishop Conference at Onitsha.

He said, “Anambra Police Command has launched a manhunt for the abductors and possible rescue of Reverend Fr. Basil Chukwuemeka, which sad incident occurred at Nkpor Junction, Onitsha.

“The Command is already working with some eyewitnesses of the incident in the ongoing operation.

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“Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam while addressing the Catholic priests allayed their fears and assured them that the Command would do everything to rescue unhurt the priest, and arrest the abductors.

“Further development shall be communicated, please.”

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Moment Man Fell From Airplane After Staff Moved Stairs[VIDEO]

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An airline worker was injured after falling several feet from an aeroplane onto the runway.

Video shared on social media shows the moment the ground staffer fell from a TransNusa Airbus A320 at Jakarta Airport, Indonesia, as the flight crew prepared for takeoff.

The worker allegedly saluted the crew for a safe flight and began stepping out of the plane, unaware that ground staff had removed the mobile stairs from the plane.

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The agent, still talking with the crew, walked off the plane and fell many feet down to the tarmac.

The worker received medical treatment immediately and did not sustain life threatening injuries, a source told AirLive.net.

The incident is understood to be in violation of aviation rules which reportedly state that workers should not remove a ladder while an aircraft door is still open.

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Jakarta Airport authorities have launched an investigation into the incident and have “assured measures” to prevent future accidents, Aviation24.be reported.

Watch the video below:

 

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UK Denies 74-year-old Mam Permanent Residency After 42 Years Stay

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A Ghanaian has instituted a legal case against the United Kingdom Home Office after he was denied permanent residency despite living in the country for 42 years.

The Ghanaian identified as Nelson Shardey is a retired 74-year-old man who arrived in the UK in 1977.

But after living in the UK for almost 50 years, Shardey was informed to wait another 10 years before the Home Office could grant him permanent residency, the BBC reports.

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Shardey had for many years assumed he was officially British after he first arrived in the UK in 1977 to study accountancy on a student visa that also allowed him to work.

He only discovered otherwise in 2019 and, despite paying taxes all his adult life, now faces paying thousands of pounds to stay and use the NHS, the report added.

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According to him, I have never left the UK as I saw no need to and regarded it as my home.

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Nobody questioned me. I bought all my things on credit, even the house.

“I got a mortgage. And nobody questioned me about anything,” Shardy, a retired newsagent told the BBC.

Explaining further, he said he took on a series of jobs, making Mother’s Pride bread and Kipling’s Cakes near Southampton, and Bendick’s Chocolate in Winchester after a coup in his native Ghana which affected his family’s inability to send him money for the fees.

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He added that no one ever queried his right to live or work in the UK.

But in a twist of fate in 2019 when he applied for a passport so he could go back to Ghana following the death of his mother, Shardy said he was told he was not British.

The Home Office said he had no right to be in the UK.

Over the 10 years, it costs about £7,000, with a further £10,500 over the same period to access the NHS.

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I cannot afford to pay any part of the money they are asking. Telling me to go through that route is a punishment, and it’s not fair in any way,” said Mr Shardey, who is recovering from prostate cancer.

“I don’t understand why this fuss at all, because I put my life, my whole self into this country,” he added.

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When he tried to extend his right to stay in the UK online two years ago, he filled out the wrong form.

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That meant the 10-year process had to begin again in 2023.

As a result, Mr Shardey will not be allowed to stay in the UK permanently until he is 84.

A lawyer at Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, Nicola Burgess, is now taking the Home Office to court on Shardey’s behalf.

The Home Office declined to comment on the case, the report added.

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Shardey has performed jury service, and in 2007 was given a police award for bravery after tackling a robber who was attacking a delivery man with a baseball bat.

The retiree has two sons – Jacob and Aaron – with a British woman after his first marriage, also with a Briton, ended.

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