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Lagos records revenue increase in first quarter

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The Lagos State Government has recorded success in its revenue generation for the first quarter.

The Internally Generated Revenue for the first quarter of Y2018 stood at N103.476billion, as against N96.7billion recorded in the previous year, thereby accounting for 81 percent of the total revenue of N141billion generated in the quarter.

Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Segun Banjo disclosed this during the annual Ministerial Press Briefing to mark the third year in office of Governor Ambode’s administration.

Giving a breakdown of the figures, the Commissioner said the budget performance for the first quarter has a pro-rata size of N261.530billion and in absolute term, it had performed N163.491bn, compared with N120.206billion reported for the same period in Y2017.

Mr Banjo said that the sum of N141billion (63 percent) was generated as Total Revenue against N124.141billion (77 percent) achieved in 2017, adding that this year’s first quarter performance was N17.816billion higher than the previous year’s performance in absolute terms.

He said out of the total revenue of N141billion the State internally generated N103.476billion representing 57 percent, as against N96.7billion in the previous year, thereby accounting for 73 percent of the total revenue for the current fiscal year.

The Commissioner explained further that the Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) generated N84.1bilion in the first quarter, which accounted for 81 percent of the total revenue generated, a feat, he attributed to proper planning and research by the government.

“What we have said now is that in the first quarter which we just concluded of 2018, LIRS generated a total of N84 billion compared to the N74billion that was generated in 2017. Due to the research and the planning done, LIRS has been able to improve their performance and we are very glad about it,” he said.

Mr Banjo, however, noted that the N84billion generated by LIRS was excluding revenue from Land Use Charge (LUC), noting that it was from the strict application of taxes from Pay As You Earn (PAYE), withholding taxes, direct assessment and other taxes.

He said that Federal transfers for the first quarter Y2018 contributed N38.481billion (87 percent) compared to a performance of N27.364billion out of which Statutory Allocation contributed N13.868billion and N24.4billion from the VAT for the same period in 2017.

“Under Capital Expenditure, Quarter 1 performance stood at N93billion (53 percent) as against N46.7billion (37 percent) as at the same period in Y2017. As at the end of Q1 2018, the Capital: Recurrent ratio closed at 57:43 as against 39:61 recorded same time in Y2017.

“This is a pointer to the fact that all efforts geared towards tighter control of overhead are beginning to yield fruits even though more needs to be done in this area,” he said.

He said the State Government would do everything within its powers to sustain the budget performance in the second quarter, adding that the ultimate goal was to meet the target of a Capital: Recurrent expenditure ratio of 67:33 throughout the year.

Responding to questions on the reduction in the rates payable by property owners under the Lagos State Land Use Charge Law, vis a vis the 2018 budget and its effects on the plans by the government to deliver all ongoing projects in the State, the Commissioner allayed fears, adding that the present administration had already fashioned out strategies to ensure prompt delivery of critical projects this year.

“Definitely we have made a projection but because this is a very responsive government, we have decided to give rebates and when you give rebates, automatically the revenue will go down, the expectation might not be there in terms of what we intended in the first instance. But we can assure you that whatever we lose from the rebate we would get it somewhere else because we would continue to up our game,” Banjo said. (Channelstv Report)

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Math Teacher Accused Of Having Sex With 2 Students And Getting Pregnant For One Tearfully Reveals The Baby Was Taken Away From Her

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The UK teacher who had a baby with an underage student while on trial for having sex with another teenage boy broke down in court after revealing her newborn baby girl had been “taken away” from her.

Manchester math teacher Rebecca Joynes, 30, sobbed to jurors over how her baby was taken “24 hours after being born” this past January — and now she only sees her for nine hours a week, Joynes told jurors on Monday, May 13, according to the Manchester Evening News.

“At the moment I have contact with her three times a week for three hours and that’s it,” she said through tears.

Joynes was arrested and released on bail on orders not to have unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 after allegedly grooming her pupil, known as Boy A in court, by buying him a $430 Gucci belt before bringing him to her apartment for unprotected sex.

She was suspended from school and eventually fired, but soon after, she began having a relationship with a 15-year-old boy, known in court as Boy B, whom she had a baby with in January.

Joynes, who has denied having sex with either boy when they were underage, told the court that when she learned of the allegations against her she had gone to the second boy in a “panic” and he deleted all of her phone’s content.

The former teacher denied having a sexual relationship with the second boy until after he turned 16 and she was already suspended from teaching.

According to her narration,

She said he had added her on Snapchat twice, which she only accepted the second time because she thought he “wanted to tell her something.”

Joynes said a friendship developed and he quickly became her “best friend” even though the boy would make flirtatious and sexualized comments toward her when he was drunk.

She told jurors that it wasn’t until after his 16th birthday that he messaged her saying “I’ve left school now” with a winky face.

After she received notice that she had been dismissed from her job, he went to her apartment, where following an emotional conversation, they had sex.

The two then entered a relationship that Joynes described as “quite toxic” telling the court how the teenager was “very controlling.”

After discovering she was pregnant, Joynes hid love notes for the boy to find around her apartment.

The notes eventually led to a piece of baby clothing that had the words “I love my daddy to the moon and back” written on it.

The court was told that she gave birth to their baby girl in January, but following an emergency court hearing, the newborn was taken away from Joynes.

Joynes has denied two counts of sexual activity with Boy A; two counts of sexual activity with Boy B; and two counts of sexual activity with Boy B while being a person in a position of trust.

Her trial is ongoing.

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First Man To Receive Pig Kidney Transplant Has Died

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The first Man to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died two months after the operation.

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), which carried out the procedure in March, announced Sunday, May 12, that Richard “Rick” Slayman, 62, has died.

They said there was no indication his death was a result of the transplant.

Transplants of other organs from genetically modified pigs have failed in the past, but the operation on Mr Slayman, who was suffering with end-stage kidney disease, was hailed as a historic milestone.

In addition to kidney disease, Mr Slayman also suffered from Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

In 2018, he had a human kidney transplant, but it began to fail after five years.

Following his pig kidney transplant on March 16, his doctors confirmed he no longer needed dialysis after the new organ was said to be functioning well.

“Mr Slayman will forever be seen as a beacon of hope to countless transplant patients worldwide and we are deeply grateful for his trust and willingness to advance the field of xenotransplantation,” MGH said in a statement.

Xenotransplantation is the transplanting of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another.

MGH said it was “deeply saddened” at his sudden death and offered condolences to his family.

Mr Slayman’s relatives said his story was an inspiration.

“Rick said that one of the reasons he underwent this procedure was to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive,” they said.

“Rick accomplished that goal and his hope and optimism will endure forever.

“To us, Rick was a kind-hearted man with a quick-witted sense of humour who was fiercely dedicated to his family, friends, and co-workers,” they added.

While Mr Slayman received the first pig kidney to be transplanted into a human, it is not the first pig organ to be used in a transplant procedure.

Two other patients have received pig heart transplants, but those procedures were unsuccessful as the recipients died a few weeks later.

In one case, there were signs the patient’s immune system had rejected the organ, which is a common risk in transplants.

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Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Arrive Nigeria Today, May 10th

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex came into Nigeria for a private visit following an invitation by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa.

The Director of Sports, Defence Headquarters, DHQ, Air Vice Marshal Abidemi Marquis, said the founder of Invictus Games will spend three days in Nigeria and would interact with wounded soldiers and their families.

He said the visit scheduled from 10th to 13th May 2024 would help wounded soldiers in their recovery efforts.

Marquis said: “Because we realised that 80 per cent of our soldiers have been involved in this recovery programme, they are getting better.

“Their outlook on life is positive. You know, when you are engaged in, you experience a permanent disability, you know, issues, it affects your mental health and also your outlook on life.”

Prince Harry and Meghan who are already in Nigeria, First made a visit to children at the Lights Academy in Abuja, Nigeria.

Here are pictures.

Prince Harry and Meghan at Light Academy In abuja

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