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Showing posts from September, 2022

SMEs Operators laud Edo Commissioner's achievements in office

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By: Idris Umar Momoh, Benin Sept 30, 2022 Small, Medium Enterprises (SMEs) operators in Edo state have lauded the State Commissioner of Business, Trade  and Cooperatives, Hon Afie Braimoh on her efforts in repositioning the subsector in the state. The operators commended the commissioner shortly after her presentation at the 9th session of the Talk to the People webinar series. The commissioner was a special guest at the webinar series with the  theme: "MSME Development: A Vehicle for Achieving Economic Revolution in Edo State". The operators lauded the commissioner's dexterity exhibited so far in the promotion of the local MSME's. At the webinar programme, she  gave an account of her stewardship as well as the detailed analysis of the giant strides recorded by her ministry in the drive to promote and reposition the local MSME's for improved productivity. She also gave highlights of  series of training conducted in collaboration with its development pa...

SMEs Operators laud Edo Commissioner's achievements in office

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By: Idris Umar Momoh, Benin Sept 30, 2022 Small, Medium Enterprises (SMEs) operators in Edo state have lauded the State Commissioner of Business, Trade  and Cooperatives, Hon Afie Braimoh on her efforts in repositioning the subsector in the state. The operators commended the commissioner shortly after her presentation at the 9th session of the Talk to the People webinar series. The commissioner was a special guest at the webinar series with the  theme: "MSME Development: A Vehicle for Achieving Economic Revolution in Edo State". The operators lauded the commissioner's dexterity exhibited so far in the promotion of the local MSME's. At the webinar programme, she  gave an account of her stewardship as well as the detailed analysis of the giant strides recorded by her ministry in the drive to promote and reposition the local MSME's for improved productivity. She also gave highlights of  series of training conducted in collaboration with its development pa...

#Endsars: 54 victims withdraw petitions against police over alleged threat to lives

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---N438.8million paid to victims  By: Idris Umar Momoh September 30, 2022 The Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations against SARS and other units of the Nigerian Police said 54 victims withdrew petitions before the panel  due to harassment, intimidation, and threats to lives by the police. Hilary Ogbonna, Secretary of the panel made the disclosure while  presenting the fact sheets of the report during the submission of the panel's report to the National Human Rights Commission on Tuesday in Abuja. Ogbonna also disclosed that a total   of N438, 884, 094million  has been paid to victims. He explained that  the committee received 295 petitions on police brutality from 29 states of the federation, with Abuja having the highest number with 123 petitions. He said the subject matters of the petitions were wrongful demotion, extortion, police harassment and intimidation, unlawful seizure of property, disobedience to court orders...

German govt contributes 200m euros in 20 years for polio eradication —— Official

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By Editor September 29, 2022 The German Government has contributed more than €200 million  in the last 20 years in the fight against polio eradication. Mr Vincent El-Haidag, KfW Portfolio Manager for the German Government Credit Institute for Reconstruction Mission, stated this on Wednesday when they visited the Family Health Clinic at Garki in Abuja. He said there has been a partnership between the governments of Germany and Nigeria in the fight against polio eradication. “We are responsible for the financial cooperation between the government of Germany and government of Nigeria in the fight against polio. “Germany has been contributing over 200 million euros for the last 20 years, and KfW is facilitating this programme and also giving recommendations to the government of Germany,” he said. El-Haidag disclosed that the team was in Nigeria to monitor and assess progress made so far in the eradication of polio in the country. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports tha...

Wife secures divorce over domestic violence

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Wife secures divorce over domestic violence By Editor September 29, 2022 An Area Court sitting in Ilorin on Thursday dissolved an Islamic marriage between Mariam AbdulAzeez and AbdulAzeez Alade. The presiding Judge, AbdulQodir Ahmed, gave the order on the request of the wife’s insistence, saying that there is no more love in their marriage and the husband’s constant beating. Mariam had explained that the beating started since her husband got married to another woman, saying that everything changed and she seems not to do things right again. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the presiding judge said that the husband consented to the dissolution of the marriage. The court however told the woman to observe three months Iddah period as prescribed by the Shariah before marrying another man. 

Nigeria lost $5.6bn to cancer in 2019 – Report

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By Editor September 29, 2022 The Lancet Oncology Commission report says Nigeria lost about $5.9billion to cancer deaths and other cancer-related factors in 2019. The Chairman, Lancet Oncology Commission for Sub-Saharan Africa, Prof. Wil Ngwa, said this on Wednesday in Abuja at the public presentation of the report titled: “Lancet Oncology Commission: Cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa”. While presenting the highlights of the report, he said that cancer was greatly impacting economies in the region with Algeria losing $2.6billion, Angola $1.2billion, Benin $209.2million, Botswana $500.6million and Burkina Faso $270.6million to the disease. Ngwa said that cancer killed more than COVID-19 in 2021 in Africa and had caused more than 28,000 children’s death in the region in 2020. He added that as a result of COVID-19, it was estimated that there would be one million deaths per year by 2030 due to cancer in Africa. Ngwa also said that the continent must address cancer with equal urgency...

UNICEF tasks governments, stakeholders on investment in girl-child education

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By Editor September 29, 2022 The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged governments and other stakeholders to increase investment in the girl-child education programme in Nigeria. UNICEF’s Chief of Field Officer, Bauchi, Tushar Rane, who made the call yesterday during the closing ceremony of an event on Girls’ Education Project (GEP-3) in Bauchi, called on them to give maximum priority to girl- child education in the country. He said there was still the need for more investment in girls’ education in spite of the progress made under the GEP-3 project. Tushar Rane urged state governments in the North-east to prioritise girl-child education and adopt practical measures towards enhancing equal access to quality education for all children. He said: “Bauchi State achieved 113.3 percent increased transition rate to junior secondary. This means that we need to work hard and put additional innovative efforts to remove the challenges preventing the positive transition of ...

Court nullifies Ogun PDP primary elections

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September 27, 2022 A Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, on Tuesday nullified all the primary elections conducted by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in choosing candidates for the 2023 general elections in the State. The presiding judge, Justice O. O Oguntoyinbo in his judgement ordered the party to conduct another primaries within the next 14 days. The court also barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising Hon. Ladi Adebutu as the governorship candidate of the party in the state. The party had on May 25 conducted the primary election which produced Adebutu as the governorship candidate of the party. But three members of the party, Taiwo Olabode Idris, Kehinde Akala and Alhaji Ayinde Monsuri had dragged the party, Ladi Adebutu and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court challenging the authenticity of the delegates’ lists used for the conduct of the primaries. The plaintiffs argued, the p...

66 internet fraudsters bag jail terms in Oyo

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By: Idris Umar Momoh September 27, 2022 An Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has convicted and sentenced 66, internet fraudsters to various jail terms, ranging from two weeks, four months, and six months of community service to ten months imprisonment. The convicts were prosecuted by the Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and arraigned before Justices Olusola Adetujoye, Bayo Taiwo and Ladiran Akintola on separate one- count charge. DailyMonitorngr reports that a statement by the  Media and Publicity department of the anti-graft agency said the charges  bordered on cyber crimes. The statement said the offences were committed  between Monday, September 5, 2022 and Wednesday, September 21, 2022. It gave the name of the convicts as Lawal Ismaila Adebola, Dazumi Azeez Jayeola, Morakinyo Abiodun Michael, Kehinde Samuel Olatunbosun, Yusuf Olawale Raji, Abass Akintayo Waliu, Kolawole Blessing Oluwafemi, Ajibade Habib Olakun...

Secret Police Nab Soldier hiring, selling guns to kidnappers in Abuja

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September 27, 2022 A soldier attached to the Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment in Tungan-Maje in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been allegedly arrested by operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) for allegedly hiring out and selling guns to kidnappers. It was learnt that the operation that led to his arrest was carried out last week around Dankogi Park in Zuba in collaboration with members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria in the area. A vigilante source told City & Crime that the DSS from Gwagwalada office sought the assistance of the local security group in Zuba to arrest the suspect based on previous arms deal allegations against him. “It was learnt that the suspect, in the first deal, had allegedly hired out a gun for a kidnap operation for N300,000. “Then in the second instance, they contacted him for another deal and he demanded N200,000 which the kidnappers allegedly paid, but he failed to produce the gun.’’ The source said when the kidnappers, who ...

Society trains 40 Kwara Imams, Scholars on fishery, animal husbandry

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Imams at the training   September 27, 2022 The Al-Habibiyah Islamic Society has trained about 40 Kwara Imams and Islamic Scholars on vocations including Fishery, Farming and Animal Husbandry. Speaking on the sidelines of the programme, Imam Fuad Adeyemi, the Convener, and Chief Imam of Al-Habibiyah Islamic Society explained that the training is on Capacity Strengthening for Imams and Scholars across Kwara so as to make them self reliant and reduce corruption in the society. He explained that the two-days training is in conjunction with MacArthur Foundation, organisation in the United State. According to him, the seminar would enlightened the Muslim scholars to be alive to their responsibilities of preaching to make the society better. Adeyemi expressed worry over the dimension corruption is taking, adding that all hands must be on deck to checkmate the spread. He urged the Imams and scholar to pay attention to every part of the training to equip themselves for the task ...

We've created 250,000 jobs for Edo people in 6 years - Obaseki

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By: Idris Umar Momoh September 27, 2022 The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki said his government had in the last six years provided support and services of jobs to almost 250,000 beneficiaries in the state. Obaseki made the disclosure on Monday while inaugurating Edojob centres in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area (LGA) and Uzairue, Etsako West Local Government Area. The figure, the governor said was more than the 200,000 jobs promised during his 2016 electioneering campaigns. According to him, job creation and skills development are top priorities for my administration.  "As I was campaigning in 2016, I went round the state and promised that in my first term in office, I will create a minimum of 200,000 jobs.  "Today, EdoJobs has provided support and services of jobs to almost 250,000 beneficiaries in Edo State," he said. The governor, who said, he knew that the jobs would not come from the government, added that they were from expanding the...

PDP ready to commence campaigns despite internal wrangling ------- presidential campaign spokesman

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By: Idris Umar Momoh September 26, 2022 Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2023 presidential election said the party was fully prepared for the commencement of campaigns despite the internal wrangling within its fold.  The party Presidential Campaign Spokesman, Mr. Charles Aniagwu made the disclosure on Monday while speaking on News Hub on Silverbird Television. Aniagwu who is the Delta State Commissioner for Information noted that the party’s Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, stand tall above other party candidates in the 2023 Presidential election.  He opined that  both the Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, National Chairman of the party, Dr Iyorchia Ayu and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State were on same page on the need to carry out some balancing within the party.  He however averred that the difference between their positions was  the timeline for...

Abuja court grants carpenter N300,000 bail for allegedly cheating client N250,000

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September 26, 2022 A 35-year-old carpenter, Sunday Ani, was on Monday docked in a Karu Grade I Area Court, Abuja for allegedly swindling his client of N250,000. The police charged Ani, who lives at Kugbo, Abuja with criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal misappropriation. The Prosecution Counsel, Ade Adeyanju, told the court that sometime in April, the defendant was contracted to build a shelve and a table and the complainant entrusted N250,000 to him. Adeyanju said the defendant received the money and promised to deliver in two days but with the intent to cheat, he did not complete the job and failed to deliver the job. The prosecutor said the matter was reported at the Karu Police station Abuja, by Prosper Okafor of plot 101, Kugbo furniture, Abuja. The offence, he said, contravenes the provisions of sections 312, 322 and 322 of the penal Code. The Judge, Malam Inuwa Maiwada, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N300, 000 with reasonable surety. Maiwada s...

62nd Independence Anniversary: Brighter future awaits Nigeria – Osinbajo

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September 26, 2022 Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said that a brighter future filled with prospects and God’s blessings awaits Nigeria. Osinbajo made this known in a speech at the 62nd Independence Anniversary Inter-Denominational Church Service held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, on Sunday. Nigeria clocks 62 years of independence on Oct. 1. The vice president said that the problems confronting the nation would be things of the past as God’s promises for Nigeria would come to fruition. “Brethren, we stand at the gate of a new nation, and we see its light shining bright; a nation of God’s promises, a nation of opportunities, equity and justice;  a secure and prosperous nation, a nation of laws and righteousness. “Even if what we see today seems bleak and dark, we are confident that God, who owns the heaven and the earth, will fulfill his promises concerning this nation,’’ he said. Quoting the Bible (Joshua 21 verse 45), the vice president said that all good p...

Buhari approves construction of new Hydropower Generating plant for Imo state

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September 26, 2022 President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the construction of a 10 megawatts hydropower generating plant at Otamiri and Nworie River in Imo state. The Imo state government has also concluded plans to establish the Orashi Free Trade Zone for oil and gas, with an expected initial $1.5 billion foreign investment and creation of over 300,000 jobs following the approval for the dredging of Orashi River into the Atlantic Ocean. According to a statement from Imo state government on its official Twitter account, this was made known by Governor Hope Uzodimma at the preliminary luncheon for the 62nd Independence Day Thanksgiving Mass, where he hosted Ndi Imo at the Government House Banquet Hall in Owerri.   Governor Uzodimma said the Hydro Power Generating plant at Otamiri and Nworie Rivers, is geared towards generating and supplying uninterruptible power supply within Owerri Metropolis and beyond. The statement also noted that the governor appealed to the consci...

ASUU strike: FG makes a U-turn, withdraws order to vice-chancellors to reopen universities

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President Muhammadu Buhari September 26, 2022 The federal government has withdrawn its earlier pronouncement  through the National Universities Commission (NUC) ordering vice-chancellors, pro-chancellors and governing councils to re-open federal universities. There had been earlier reports that the director, Finance and Accounts of the NUC, Sam Onazi, had signed a circular tagged NUC/ES/138/Vol.64/135, on behalf of the executive secretary of the commission, and addressed to all vice-chancellors; pro-chancellors and chairmen of governing councils of federal universities ordering them to re-open universities. However, according to Punch, Sam Onazi, in another circular tagged NUC/ES/138/Vol.64/136, on Monday, withdrew the order.   What the circular is saying Although no reason was given for the withdrawal of the order, the letter tagged, “withdrawal of circular NUC/ES/138/Vol.64/135 dated September 23, 2022” partly read, “I have been directed to withdraw the NUC Circu...

2023: Atiku will get 65 percent of Benue’s votes, says party chieftain

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Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the People's Democratic Party Candidate for the 2023 presidential elections September 25, 2022 A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) says the party’s Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, will get 65 per cent of Benue State votes. Mr Abraham Chila, who is a grassroots mobiliser expressed the optimism while speaking with newsmen on Sunday in Abuja. He said that in spite Gov. Samuel Ortom’s support for his Rivers counterpart, Gov. Nyesom Wike, in the power tussle within the PDP, Atiku would garner 65 per cent of the state votes. Ortom had said that unless Wike was appeased, PDP would risk losing the state votes during the 2023 presidential election. Chila said  regardless of whatever action Ortom would take, during next year’s general elections, PDP and Atiku would always win elections in the state. He said that from 1999 to date PDP has become very entrenched in Benue. He added that for the fact that PDP National Chairman, Dr I...

Kwara elders, stakeholders protest exclusion from APC presidential campaign council

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September 25, 2022 Leaders and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Kwara South have protested an alleged exclusion of members of the zone from the party’s Presidential Campaign Council. Mr Adebayo Daramola, APC Elder and Secretary General, Kwara South Consultative Forum (KSCF), protested the exclusion in a statement issued on Sunday. He said such exclusion was an affront on the collective sensibility of APC members from the zone. He added that it would not augur well to exclude the zone that had sacrificed more for the party. Members of the APC Presidential Campaign Council that made the list from Kwara in the just released names include: Gov. Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq, La’Aziz Jimoh, Mr Issa Aremu, Mr Issa Onilu. Others are Mr Rahman Giwa, Sen Gbemisola Saraki, Sen Ibrahim Oloriegbe Ishiaq Modibbo Kawu and Baba Rasaq, the Governor’s younger brother Daramola expressed worries over the development, adding that all the names released were from Kwara Central ...

Don advocates humanitarian journalism in university curriculum

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September 25, 2022 Prof. Bala Muhammad of the Bayero University Kano has advocated for humanitarian journalism to be included in the university curriculum for better knowledge about crises and issues that affect human welfare. Muhammad, Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communications, said this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after a two-day workshop for media professionals in Kano. He said that the workshop was aimed at improving the reportorial skills of journalists in reporting humanitarian issues which was organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). According to him, humanitarian journalism can be defined as the production of factual accounts about crises and issues that affect human welfare. Muhammad called on ICRC and other organisations to collaborate and propose to the universities, especially at the graduate level for humanitarian journalism to be a part of the studies. “It will help the journalists to have knowledge of ...

Islamic group offers free medical services in Yobe

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September 25, 2022 The Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria (IMAN), Yobe Chapter, has offered free medical services to over 800 patients in Fune Local Government Area of the state.   Speaking at the end of the two-day outreach on Sunday in Ngelzarma, IMAN Vice Chairman, Dr Mahmoud Ma’aji, noted that the outreach was conducted in various clinics in the area.   He listed the services to include: consultations, provision of drugs, psychological and psychosocial counselling as well as various laboratory tests.   Ma’aji said the aged, orphans, widows, pregnant women and under-five years children were given more attention during the outreach which began on Saturday.   The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the vice chairman said the objective of the outreach was to assist the less-privileged and to educate residents on the need to seek for medical assistance in the hospital.   In his remarks, the Emir of Ngelzarma, Muhammad Mai-Yeri, thanked the a...

Copyright commission impounds cable network worth N250m in Enugu

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  September 25, 2022 The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) said it raided Enugu and impounded illegal digital cable network worth N250 million to serve as deterrent to others in the business.   The commission had on Sept. 21 sealed the premises of a digital television station, Real Summit Television, situated at Nsukka, Enugu State.   The television station, it was gathered, was allegedly stealing the programme contents of other digital satellite transmitting stations like DSTV and Startimes.   Before sealing the station at Ugwuoye, Nsukka, the commission had first arrested the Manager, Mr Daniel Anedo and subsequently demobilised the station by removing the gadgets used in getting signals.   The gadgets and equipment demobilised included the transmitter, decoders, inverters, and the scramblers.   The commission equally switched off the transmitter and other gadgets so that there was no way the broadcast station could indulge in pirating other...

Who will bail 88 million Nigerians living in poverty?

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By Olumide Adesina   September 25, 2022 How Nigeria can exit poverty Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa has extremely high levels of economic inequality. The nation’s economy is growing, it has a large human capital base, and it has the capacity to economically lift millions out of poverty. Nigeria’s extreme poverty rate was estimated to be 88.4 million people in 2022. About 40% of Nigerians live in absolute poverty, which is defined as having an income of less than $1.90 per day, with no social safety net. The country holds 37 billion barrels of proven oil reserves as of 2016, ranking 10th in the world and accounting for about 2.2% of the world’s total oil reserves. But by the end of this year, more than 5 million more people in Nigeria will slide into poverty, according to World Bank’s report.   Nigeria has about 20 million school-age children who are not attending school. Widespread and extreme poverty are facts of life in Nigeria. It is a reality that ...

Oil Theft: Federal government announces ‘arrest’ of 210 suspects

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September 25, 2022 The Federal Government has announced the arrest of 210 suspects in its efforts to combat crude oil theft in the Niger Delta. The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, gave the figure on Friday in Port-Harcourt after undertaking an aerial assessment of some hotspots along the Right of Way of the Trans-Niger Pipeline. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported the minister, accompanied by some journalists in the surveillance, also covered the Nembe Creek Trunk Line leading up to the Bonny Oil and Gas Terminal that has been under force majeure since March 2022. Briefing the reporters after the 90 minutes-aerial survey, the minister also disclosed that the continued efforts by the security agencies had led to the confiscation of 20.2 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) According to the minister, over 461,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol), 843,000 litres of Dual Purpose Kerosene DPK, and 383,000 barrels of crude oil were confiscate...

13 percent derivation: Edo, eight others receive N84.642 billion in August

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By:Idris Umar Momoh Sept 25, 2022 Gov Godwin Obaseki of Edo State Barely three days after approving the downsizing of its civil commissioners from 22 to18 and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) from 105 to 72 respectively, the Edo State Government and other eight oil-producing states have shared the sum of  N84.642billion as derivation proceeds from the federation account for the month of August Dailymonitorngr reports that the Edo State Government had in a statement signed by Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Osarodion Ogie  on Wednesday said the state governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki gave approval to the  restructuring and rationalization of the MDAs. Ogie said the decision  was as a result of dwindling accruals from the Federation Account, "which can no longer sustain the existing structure of the government. The development, for instance, saw the erstwhile Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning merged with the Ministry of Finance to b...