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Data Journalism Course Opens To Reporters

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Data Journalism Course Opens To Reporters

Journalists around the world who are interested in learning about using data to tell great, compelling stories can register for an online course being offered by the European Journalism Centre, EJC titled Doing Journalism with Data: First Steps, Skills and Tools.

This five-module introductory course will take participants through data journalism in the newsroom, finding data to support stories, finding story ideas with data analysis, dealing with messy data and telling stories with visualization.

The course will be taught through video lectures, tutorials, assignments, readings and discussion forums and any journalist with Internet connection anywhere in the world can be part of it.

Data Journalism, an increasingly popular genre uses data of all sorts to tell stories in innovative ways using technological tools.

Instructors include Simon Rogers, data editor at Twitter; Paul Bradshaw, head of the online journalism master’s program at Birmingham City University; Nicolas Kayser-Bril, co-founder and head at data journalism start-up Journalism++; and other leading experts in the field.

The course will begin in early 2014.

For more information, click here

Army Claims It Killed 37 In Attack On Boko Haram Camp

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Army Claims It Killed 37 In Attack On Boko Haram Camp

Nigeria’s military on Monday claimed it killed 37 suspected Boko Haram fighters during a ground and air attack on an insurgent camp in a Borno village.

A statement issued by its acting deputy director of public relations, Aliyu Ibrahim Danja, said the onslaught was on the terrorists’ camp in Alagarno village.

According to the statement fewer than 37 suspected terrorists were killed while several others fled with gunshot wounds.

“Based on available intelligence, troops of the 7 Division, Nigerian Army launched an attack on terrorists’ camp in Alagarno. The operation which commenced on Monday 21st October, 2013 involved a coordinated ground and air assault by our troops in conjunction with 79 Composite Group, Nigerian Air force Maiduguri destroy the terrorist’s Camp,” Danja stated.

He said that arms, ammunition as well as three Hilux trucks and motorcycles belonging to the insurgents were also recovered by the troops.

The military said the operation was restricted to the isolated camp of the terrorists and that no innocent civilian was hurt or injured during the three hours operation.

Danja also confirmed Boko Haram attacks on motorists and passengers on Sunday in Logomari villages in Gamboru- Ngala- Dikwa local government but dismissed the figure reports that 20 people were killed, insisting that only four civilians were killed and two persons injured in the process.

“In the early hours of Sunday, 20th October, 2013, Boko Haram terrorists numbering over 50 armed with AK 47 Rifles, and Rocket Propelled Launchers blocked road at Gamboru -Ngala- Dikwa in Logomari village killing four civilians and injured two,” the spokesman stated.

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He added that the terrorists also set ablaze four civilian trucks loaded with provisions before they attacked members of the vigilante youth known as Civilian JTF who were returning from a funeral and that three of them were killed and their vehicles set ablaze.

Danja noted that the vigilante youths who escaped however reinforced pursued the terrorists and destroyed their hideout killing several terrorists while others escaped.

He said the troops of the 7 Division are currently conducting aggressive patrols to trace and destroy Boko Haram elements within its area of responsibility.

EFCC Challenges Report Ranking It Among Most Corrupt Agencies

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EFCC Challenges Report Ranking It Among Most Corrupt Agencies

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has described as false and misleading, a National Crime Victimization and Safety Survey report which indicted it as one of the highly corrupt government agencies in the country.

The commission referred to a news publication in Thisday and Leadership newspapers of October 22, 2013 that lumps the among agencies of government touted as highly corrupt, citing a 2013 survey carried out CLEEN Foundation in collaboration with the MacArthur Foundation.

EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement that the agency had toiled relentlessly to sustain its integrity and reputation as an effective law enforcement organisation with zero tolerance for corruption and therefore will not allow “arm chair researchers desperate to justify a grant use the result of a spurious survey to cast aspersion on its integrity”.

Uwujaren also challenged the authors of the survey to publish the parameters used in conducting the survey and arriving at the conclusion and stigmatisation of an agency as corrupt.

“For a country with a population of over 160million, it is the height of irresponsibility for some NGO to sit in their cosy offices, design survey questionnaires and administer to their friends and cronies only to publish the result as a national aggregate of opinion,” the EFCC said.

“How many people in  Borno, Ekiti , or Cross River states have come in contact with operatives of the EFCC to be able to make informed opinion as to whether they are corrupt or not? Which towns, local governments and wards did the survey cover? What questions were asked; what response evaluation methods were used?” it further questioned.

The EFCC said it is proud of its record when it comes to integrity, as operatives of the Commission cannot easily be induced, explaining why cases of impersonation of operatives of the Commission by fraudsters are rampant.

Uwujaren said matters of discipline and integrity of its officers are not treated with levity, adding that there is a full-fledged directorate of the agency, the Department of Internal Affairs, saddled with the responsibility for ensuring that staff of the agency abide  by it code of ethics.

He also asked members of the public who encounters any officer of the commission who requests for gratification to report such matters to its director, Internal Affairs Department at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja or call any of these numbers: 097831798, 097831799, 08036076316, 08191534236 and 09-4604628 or send an email to: dia@efccnigeria.org.

They could as well send a message through the EFCC facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Official-EFCC/509762239046271”.

“It is no longer sufficient for any faceless person to claim they have come in contact with some bribe-seeking operatives of the Commission, such claims must be justified by naming the operatives in question and the circumstance under which the gratifications were demanded and received, the objective being to clean up the system, if it requires cleaning,” Uwujaren stated.

Other agencies that made it to the top of the corruption list of the survey are the police and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.

According to the report, some of the states leading in the corruption index include Rivers, Borno, Cross River, Niger, Gombe, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Anambra and Kwara, while the lowest incidents of corruption were recorded in Katsina, Ogun and Akwa Ibom States.

Some federal government agencies listed and their rate of propensity to bribery include the police – 33%; Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS – 26%; ICPC – 25%; Nigerian Customs Service, NCS – 24%; Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN – 23%; EFCC – 23%; Federal Roads Safety Commission, FRSC – 20% and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC – 19%.

Others are tax/revenue officials – 18%; municipal/local government councillors – 18%; State Security Service, SSS – 18%; National Assembly members – 17%; local government officials – 16%; lower court officials – 15%; higher courts officials – 14%; and lecturers and professors of tertiary institutions – 10%.

The report also identified a weak and corrupt judiciary as one of the constraints militating against the fight against corruption.

Organisations, officials and agencies that scored below 10% on the index include post office, gas/petrol attendants, prison warden/officers, primary and secondary school teachers, and doctors and nurses.

The Executive Director, CLEEN Foundation, Kemi Okenyodo, said the survey was conducted with 11,518 respondents drawn from all the states of the country and was aimed at tracking patterns of crime in the country and finding solutions to them.

Okenyodo said findings of the survey showed that bribery and corruption among government officials in Nigeria remains high.

“Nearly one out of every four respondents admitted having paid a bribe or having been asked to pay bribes by government officials before services could be rendered to them,” she said.

The 2013 survey also showed that bribery and corruption among public officials such as the police, customs officers, court personnel, tax officials, anti-corruption agencies and PHCN employees were higher in Rivers, Borno, Cross River, Niger, Gombe, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Anambra and Kwara states.

The lowest incidents were recorded in Katsina, Ogun and Akwa Ibom states

 

MEND Claims Responsibility For Warri Refinery Fire

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MEND Claims Responsibility For Warri Refinery Fire

From Jessica Tamaradonye, Warri

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, has claimed responsibility for a fire that broke out at the Warri Refinery and Petrolchemical Company, WRPC, Tuesday morning.

The huge fire, it was gathered, started around 11:00am in one of the refining plants and was at the verge of spreading but for the timely intervention of fire fighters.

MEND claimed that the “sabotage” was done in protest against the unsustainable and alleged fraudulent Niger Delta Amnesty Programme that has gulped billions of naira.

According to a statement signed by the group’s spokesman, Gbomo Jomo, “Hurricane Exodus” was intended to burn down the entire refining facility.

However, the prompt intervention of fire fighters from Chevron Nigeria Limited, Shell Petroleum Development Company, the state fire fighters as well as the standby fire fighters from the WRPC, spared the nation from another disaster of huge magnitude.

The group warned that as long as President Goodluck Jonathan continued to rely on “an unsustainable and fraudulent Niger Delta Amnesty programme”, peace and security will continue to elude his government in the region.

The raging inferno was successfully put out after about two hours battle and calm has since returned to the area

Borno Tackles VFF, Calls For More Support

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Borno Tackles VFF, Calls For More Support

By Musdapha Ilo, Maiduguri

The Borno State government has called for concerted efforts from traditional rulers and stakeholders, including governments at all levels, to find a lasting solution to the increasing cases of Vesico Virginal Fistula, VVF, in the country.

Speaking at the flag off of a one – week training programme on rehabilitation and reintegration of 40 treated VVF patients in Maiduguri on Tuesday, the commissioner for women affairs, Inna Galadima, stressed that Nigeria must not be left behind in the fight to completely stamp out the ailment.

Galadima who was represented by Ladi Bappa, the permanent secretary in the ministry, expressed the belief that the scourge can be dealt with through community sensitization and mobilization to eliminate deeply rooted traditions and practices that encouraged its prevalence.

She said that the training was organized by the ministry with support from the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, to rehabilitate 40 already treated VVF patients in the state and to reintegrate them with the society.

The commissioner noted that obstructed labour, prolonged second stage labour, ignorance, poverty, illiteracy and some cultural practices like female genital mutilation and the application of salt during labour popularly known in northern Nigeria as Yankan gishiri, are major causes of VVF.

She said that an estimated 800,000 women and girls suffer VVF, adding that the training is central to human capacity development as its absence breeds ignorance and hinders meaningful development and change.

Galadima lauded UNFPA, the donor agency, for its support. She said the organization contributed greatly, through the federal ministry of health and Fistula Care, to develop a comprehensive referral document used to train health workers to serve as guide in the provision of holistic, respectful, simple and affordable, quality and evidence – based care for obstetric fistula.

The guest speaker from the Centre on Enhancement of Small Scale Businesses in the federal ministry of science and technology, Mohammed Zarma, urged those benefiting from the rehabilitation programme to develop good entrepreneurial skills and wisely invest the monies given to them.

“You will need to be prudent, determined and focused,” he counselled even as he urged the women not to use the monetary assistance given to them by the state government to buy clothe, foods or other things but to start small businesses so as to earn a living.

22 Arrested For Electoral Offences, As APC Wins Edo Election

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22 Arrested For Electoral Offences, As APC Wins Edo Election

From Jefferson Ibiwale, Benin

The Edo State Independent Electoral Commission, EDSIEC, has announced candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Sam Oboh, as winner of the Esan North-east local government bye-election with a sweeping 12, 672 votes against his closest rival John Yakubu of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP who got 3, 314 votes.

It would be recalled that the election was cancelled twice due to violence perpetrated by rival political parties.

However, 22 persons, including the APC chancellorship candidate for Isi-south ward 8, in Uhunmwonde local government area, Ehis Abijie, have been arrested for various electoral offences by the police.

Abijie was said to have beaten up and injured several journalists at Atani primary school, along Ubiaja Road, and even forcefully seized a camera belonging to an editor with TELL magazine, Adekunbi Ero.

Others arrested included a policeman in mufti who was caught along with two persons with two ballot boxes containing already thumb-printed ballot papers.

The election was marred by violence and late arrival of voting materials, which got to most wards and units around 2pm, while accreditation of eligible voters was also delayed.

Election was stalled at Ivue primary school due to alleged irregularity in voters’ register.

Voting lasted beyond 6pm in some polling stations and intending voters who could not wait the long hours left feeling very disappointed.

Nasarawa Introduces Mobile Courts For Environment Law Offenders

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Nasarawa Introduces Mobile Courts For Environment Law Offenders

By Godwin Ojoshimite

The Nasarawa State government is set to introduce mobile court that would prosecute defaulters of waste disposal regulations.

The state governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, disclosed this through a press statement signed by his senior special assistant on media and press affairs, Sani Mairiga.

He said the mobile court would also prosecute those found guilty of parking vehicles by the road side thereby hindering free flow of traffic.

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Al-Makura, therefore, warned citizens residing in urban areas, particularly along Keffi- Abuja dual carriage way and Lafia metropolis, to desist from any acts that would constitute environmental hazards, stressing that “a clean environment produces healthy people and health is wealth”.

The statement further urged residents to ensure that they dump their refuse only at designated points to aid easy evacuation by men of the Nasarawa State Urban Development Board, NUDB.

Malawi President Gets Death Threats For Fighting Corruption

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Malawi President Gets Death Threats For Fighting Corruption
President Joyce Banda of Malawi has received death threats since the uncovering of a high-level fraud scandal that forced her to dissolve the cabinet, the country’s information minister said.

The minister, Brown Mpinganijira, told the state radio that Banda has been receiving death threats some of which came from outside the country.

“The President has been receiving death threats, some of the threats have come from outside the country,” Mpinganjira told state radio.

He said police is investigating the threats.

Banda on October 10 dissolved her cabinet over a graft scandal where top official are suspected of stealing more than $3 million from state coffers.

A few weeks ago, a budget director in the ministry of finance, Paul Mphwiyo, who had been investigating a fraud ring amounting to millions of dollars from the state, was shot outside his home.

“It all shows how serious the battle against fraud and corruption is,” Mpinganjira said.

Banda, who is the country’s first female president, came to power in 2012 after the death of Bingu wa Mutharika.

Prosecutors estimate that as much as one-third of the country’s revenue is lost to fraud and graft-linked pay-outs, while about 40 per cent of Malawi’s national budget comes from aid.

The EU has threatened to suspend aid to Malawi after the scandal and Norway has also halted funds.

 

FG May Sack NCAA Workers Over Bulletproof Car Scandal -The Guardian

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FG May Sack NCAA Workers Over Bulletproof Car Scandal -The Guardian

Written by Wole Shadare, Chuks Nwanne (Lagos) and Bridget Chiedu Onochie (Abuja) 

• Senate may not discuss alleged scandal

THERE are indications that following the revelation of purchase of two bullet proof cars for the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) heads may begin to roll in the agency soon, The Guardian has reported.

Apart from NCAA, which is the prime target, staff of other agencies in the sector like the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) are not free from the eagle eyes of investigators as the government is said to be suspecting that they leaked the information to the media.

At the headquarters of NCAA yesterday at the Murtala Mohammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, workers were seen discussing the development in low tones.

Since the issue was blown open by the media last week, several Nigerians have reacted angrily to it by describing the amount involved as outrageous and fraudulent. Some of the analysts also called for the immediate removal of the minister on the ground that the purchase of the expensive security cars did not follow due process.

NCAA has been in debts for several months just as it was revealed that the luxury cars were bought on credit from Coscharis Auto Company while First Bank Plc stood as a guarantor for the agency.

Besides, following the embarrassment the revelation of the controversial deal has caused the Federal Government, the Director General of the NCAA, Captain Fola Akinkuotu, announced plans to launch an investigation to unravel those behind the official information leakage.

Akinkuotu while speaking at a press conference in Abuja described the information leakage as criminal, saying the action posed danger to a sensitive government agency like the NCAA.

The declaration of the NCAA DG to set up a committee to probe the information leakage has created tension within the agency as workers who spoke but did not want their names in print, expressed the fear that the management may use the opportunity to sack innocent people or those they found not to be blindly loyal to them.

Meanwhile, Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) have submitted a joint Freedom of Information(FOI) request to the NCAA asking for detailed information on the procurement records for the purchase of the bullet-proof.

In the letter addressed to Akinkuotu, MRA and PPDC asked for the procurement records for the purchase by the NCAA of two BMW 760 Li HSS vehicles with chassis numbers WBAHP41050DW68032 and WBAHP41010DW68044.

Specifically, the groups requested for copies of the procurement and contract records for the purchase of the vehicles, including: evidence of budgetary allocation for the procurement process; the procurement plan for the purchase of the vehicles; evidence of advertisements of the planned purchase in various newspapers, the NCAA website, among others.

And as the Senate resumes plenary today after a two-week break, there are no indication that the crises rocking the aviation industry would be among issues on its agenda.

A close source told The Guardian that the initial plan to quiz Oduah and chief executives of Aviation parastatals over the state of the nation’s aviation sector, is not listed in today’s Order Paper.

 

National Dialogue Not Necessary – Senator Ndume

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National Dialogue Not Necessary – Senator Ndume

By Musdapha Ilo, Maiduguri

The senator representing Borno South in the upper chamber, Ali Nfume, has expressed fears that the proposed national conference may not address the socioeconomic and political problems of the country but may end up as just another jamboree.

Ndume told journalists in Maiduguri on Monday that until “good governance, transparency and accountability”  are guaranteed at all levels, the problems of the country would remain unsolved, adding that most Nigerians are mostly concerned about security and welfare.
He noted that addressing these issues will ensure the delivery of the long awaited “dividends of democracy” to the electorate and move the nation closer to its avowed development destination, stressing that Nigerians are desirous of good governance and not a national conference.
He said: “I personally think we are not understating problems we have in this country and if we don’t appreciate and play our little roles, honestly we will be getting to a situation where the country will be in dare strait. Anytime the leaders in this country throw up something to Nigerians, they will now leave the real things for things I considered trivial. For me national dialogue is not our major problem now. It doesn’t even have a place in our constitution.”
The lawmaker said it was rather unfortunate that the President as the custodian of the constitution attaches much importance to an issue that lacks constitutional basis.
“What happened to the previous conferences? We had a national dialogue in 2005 by President Obasanjo, what happened to it. Very eminent Nigerian sat down to discuss, I was very opposed to it too at that time because as an elected representative of my people, I felt my people were not consulted on who should speak for them. But then, we toy with ideas in this country and I believe the national conference is one of such thing we toy with,” he said.
Ndume gurther8 lamented: “Our attention has been diverted from real issue affecting us: closure of public universities, problem in the health sector, poverty among our people, insecurity. The representation of the committee itself has default because my state Borno and about 23 states are not represented. So, there is a problem with representation.”
He said that the country and its citizens have been engaging in dialogue since 1914 and that it was time for the country and its leaders pay attention to good leadership and good governance at all levels.
According to him, the Senate has really not taken any decision about the dialogue issue.
“The senate president just revealed the acceptance of the leadership of the Senate after a meeting with the President. I don’t want people to misunderstand the position of the Senate President. He did not say that the Senate has decided that there should be national dialogue. He only said since that is what Nigerians want, there is no problem,” Ndume said.
He said Nigerians should not mistake the agitation of few elites to be that of the totally of all.
 “One fundamental issue with our country is that less than one percent decides for Nigerians which is wrong. In my zone with nine local governments, in Borno state; national dialogue is not their problem. They have not spoken to me about it,” the lawmaker said.
According to him, the people of his local government are more concerned the fundamental purpose of governance – development, security, and the high rate of unemployment.
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