Trump again downgrade America

The 69-year-old business mogul told a gathering in Salt Lake City, Utah on Friday that America has now become a "third world country" as compared to infrastructures in China and Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

"We have become a third world country, folks!," Trump told supporters at an election rally.

"If you go to places like Dubai, China, you look at the roads, at the rail roads, they have the bullet trains that go 100s of miles an hour. And if you go to New York, they're like 100 years ago," he said.

Trump pledged to change things if he is elected president in the November election.

"We are going to bring wealth back again because our country is a poor country. We have a deficit that you cannot believe. We're sitting on a bubble, very dangerous bubble. We are sitting on a big fat ugly bubble. At some point unless we act quickly and smartly, it is going to explode. You need the right people. We have the wrong people now," he said.

Trump's election campaign in Utah was the first after his victories in three States of Florida, Illinois and North Carolina on Tuesday.

The US presidential primary is due to be held in Utah, Arizona and American Samoa on March 22, which altogether have more than 100 delegates.

Trump now leads the delegate count with 678, followed by Texas Senator Ted Cruz (423) and Ohio Governor John Kasich (143). He needs 1,237 delegates to win the GOP nomination.

Trump, who has never held elected office, is currently leading the race for the Republican presidential nomination. His campaign has been marked by controversial statements, including disparaging remarks about women, Mexican immigrants and Muslims.

The army had significantly reduced Boko Haram's ability to carry out big attacks - Information minister

Nigeria is on top of its security problems and Boko Haram has been hobbled ahead of elections in the oil-rich River State region, according to information minister Lai Mohammed. 

Mohammed said the army had significantly reduced Boko Haram's ability to carry out big attacks, just days after a suspected suicide attack by the group on a mosque left 22 worshippers dead in the northeastern Maiduguri city.

"The government is on top of the situation in terms of security and I think Nigeria has done really well," Mohammed said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday.

"The Boko Haram insurgency has been massively decimated to the extent that it is no longer in the position to carry out spectacular attacks."

Referring to the attack in Maiduguri, Mohammed said there was a difference between lone-wolf attacks and large-scale ones.

"Before these villagers (in Maiduguri) were under the control of Boko Haram insurgents ... today they have been dislodged, now they're attacking soft targets, which is what happens with a insurgency on its way out."

Mohammed also told Al Jazeera that his government saw the current low oil-prices as an opportunity to diversify its economy. Nigeria has proven oil reserves of more than 37bn barrels and a daily output of more than 2m, according to OPEC.

In February, it entered talks with the World Bank for a loan to shore up its finances after oil prices fell to below $30 a barrel.

The current price of per barrel stands at just above $40, still significantly lower than average prices in 2014 of above $110.

Mohammed became information minister after President Muhammadu Buhari won elections last year.

(Al Jazeera)

Kirikiri Terminal designated as regional port for Sealink project

The Nigeria Export- Import Bank (NEXIM) has requested for the designation of the Kirikiri Terminal in Lagos as the regional port for the Sealink project of the West and Central Africa sub-region.

The Technical Adviser to the Managing Director of NEXIM, Mr Hope Yongo, made the disclosure in a paper presented at the Sub-regional Workshop on Transport Costs and Connectivity of African countries held in Abuja.

In a copy of the paper made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos, Yongo said the status of the terminal would be upgraded for Container Weight Verification in line with the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention.

He said that the Regional Sealink project was aimed at putting in place moderate transport costs for shippers in West and Central African sub-region.

Yongo said that there should be provision of dedicated regional maritime services to promote connectivity and trade frequency.

He said that there should be facilitation of formal and recorded trade prospects and improvement of trade within the sub-region.

"Broadening trade prospects and improving market access for regional goods and services,’’ Yongo said.

The NEXIM chief canvassed cargo support from all member countries and encouraged both private and maritime organisations to support and invest in the regional project.

He said that Messrs Marine Services and Supply Company Ltd. would deploy three ships for the pilot scheme of the Regional Sealink project.

"This is upon confirmation of Notice of Readiness (NOR) from Sealink Promotion Company Ltd.,’’ the NEXIM chief said.

According to Yongo, the Regional Sealink Consortium is proposing ways of bridging infrastructure gap to facilitate trade.

He described the project as an`` integrated maritime logistics services; warehousing facilities with container handling and weighing; deepening coastal maritime activities; and inland waterways’’.

Yongo said that the Sealink project was born out of highest comparative international transport costs and excessive transit time, making
intra-regional trade non-competitive.

He added that West and Central African transport and logistics costs were one of the highest in the world.

According to him, there is absence of dedicated safe and modern fleet to encourage and facilitate Atlantic Short-Sea Trade along the West and Central African sub-region.

"There is inadequate infrastructure among member states and non-tariff measures are barriers to increased intra-regional trade, ’’ Yongo said.

He noted that ECOWAS trade in the past one decade grew from 4.7 million tonnes to 13.2 million tonnes without comparative increase in transport infrastructure.

Yongo also said that there had been low level of African container traffic; less than one per cent of total world container traffic of over 400 million containers.

The Sealink project has been endorsed and financially supported by the ECOWAS Commission for road shows.

It is also being technically assisted by the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA)

NAN reports that the project also has the technical and financial support of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) with Equitorial Guinea and Sao Tome |& Principe.

It also has the technical and financial backing of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa of the African Development Bank (ADB0 to the tune o 302,000 dollars. (NAN)

NCC impounds illegal broadcast devices in Enugu

The Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC) on Saturday in Enugu impounded illegal broadcast and transmission devices valued at about N3.5 million in Enugu.

It was reported that the seizure was made when the Anti-Transmission Piracy of the commission raided spots for the devices at Obiagu Road, Achara Layout and Ogui area of the city.

NCC’s Director of Enforcement, Mr Augustine Amodu, told newsmen that the raid followed complaints by Multichoice Company of illegal transmission of its signals to homes by some persons.

He said that three "power houses’’ belonging to the illegal operators were destroyed, while 34 decoders, a television set, nine satellite dishes, two generating sets and two inverters were recovered during the clampdown.

“NCC disconnected illegal connection of Multichoice Company signals in over 2,000 houses in Enugu.

“The perpetrators bought decoders from Multichoice and transmitted it to neighbours through house-to-house wiring.

“They collected a fee ranging from N2, 000 to N3, 000 monthly, making Mutichoice that owns the business to run at a loss.

“The commission came down to Enugu to help curb this ugly menace of illegality which is very unfortunate,” Amodu said.

He said that NCC had organized public awareness on the issue but to no avail as perpetrators continued their activities.

The director said the raid would serve as deterrent to others who wanted to engage in the illegal business.

He said that the commission was winning the fight against piracy in the country through enforcement and prosecution.

He said that no arrest was made in the raid in Enugu, because the perpetrators ran away and that the exercise was not done simultaneously in the state.

Amodu said that the enforcement would continue in other parts of the state, adding that the commission would conduct routine checks to ensure that those disconnected did not go back to the business.

A Mutichoice representative who pleaded anonymity said that the company got the information of the activities of the perpetrators through a routine exercise operation. 

(NAN)

A Proud Uncle: Jay-Jay Okocha Delighted with Iwobi Performance as Arsenal beat Everton at Goodison Park

Danny Welbeck opened the scoring on seven minutes, put through by Alexis Sanchez to round Joel Robles and slot home for his fourth of the season.

On 42 minutes, teenager Alex Iwobi marked his maiden Premier League start with a first goal for the club.

The results leaves the Gunners eight points behind leaders Leicester City.

It was a first win in four league matches for third-placed Arsenal, who dominated the game.

In contrast, Everton failed to test their opponents properly and had just two shots on target as their dreadful home form - now four defeats in five in the league - continued.

Arsenal began the week with a 2-1 home defeat by Watford in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup being knocked out of the FA Cup.

Then on Wednesday they lost 3-1 to Barcelona at the Nou Camp as they were knocked out of the Champions League.

With only the league to focus on, this looked like a must-win match for the Gunners if they were to stay in touch with Leicester.

And with fifth-placed West Ham only three points behind before kick-off, with the top four qualifying for next season's Champions League.

In the event, they responded to last week's disappointments with a positive performance and earned a first league win since they beat Leicester 2-1 on 14 February.

It was a dream full league debut by Iwobi, the 19-year-old Nigeria midfielder.

He has come through the ranks at Arsenal's Hale End academy and made his first-team debut in October's 3-0 League Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday and signed a new contract last year.

Iwobi was born in Lagos but played for England's youth teams before deciding to represent Nigeria and has won two caps for the Super Eagles.

He boasts footballing pedigree as his uncle is former Bolton and Nigeria legend Jay-Jay Okocha.

Iwobi was brimming with confidence in attack and had the most shots of any of his team-mates.

He linked well with Welbeck and showed composure and strength to hold off the challenge of Ramiro Funes Mori before scoring his goal.

Everton have now won just one of their last nine Premier League games at Goodison Park.

They have the league's worst defensive record at home, conceding 28 goals - already the most they have shipped in a 38-game Premier League season.

The Toffees' record is worse than bottom club Aston Villa, who have let in 25 at Villa Park.

They have kept only two clean sheets at home in the league this season and their Goodison Park record reads: played 16, won four, drawn four, lost eight.

The fans were audibly frustrated at their team's poor form and the home defence was exposed horribly by Hector Bellerin's well-flighted pass for Iwobi's goal.

Roberto Martinez changed formation at half-time, bringing on England defender John Stones for midfielder Muhamed Besic and switching to a back three.

The change worked as Everton looked more compact in the second-half, but they rarely threatened a comeback.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "It was a very significant win for us and a mental test. We continued the level of performance against Barcelona. I like this group, I like the mental attitude - it has been questioned and it hurts me. When you work every day with them you see how much effort they put in."

Everton manager Roberto Martinez on BT Sport: "We looked like the team who had an extra game [in midweek]. Arsenal started with intensity and we didn't really turn up in terms of that intensity. I haven't seen us play that badly this season."

The Premier League takes a break for international football and Arsenal do not play again until 2 April when Watford visit the Emirates,

Next for Everton is a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on 3 April.