BREAKING NEWS: Nigeria: Another 1000 Women for Kano Mass Wedding

Kano — The Kano State Hisbah Board said yesterday that it has concluded plans to marry off 1000 widows and divorcees in the third batch of its mass marriage program aimed at reducing the number of unmarried women in the state.
Commandant General of the board, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, in an interview with Daily Trust, said the mass wedding will take place on April 7, 2013. "The government introduced this plan in order to reduce marital problems in our society. When we first suggested the mass wedding plan, many people thought it would not be possible, but Alhamdulillah, we have succeeded in marrying off about 350 women in two batches", he said.
Daurawa said apart from providing furniture for the new brides, the government has set aside N20 million to be given to the 1000 brides as capital to start businesses.
He added that a workshop would be organized for prospective couples to lecture them on the benefits of successful matrimony based on Islamic guidance, as well as to train them on skills acquisition.
Some organizations and well to do individuals in the state have started trooping to the board to make their contributions to the event.
It was gathered that chairman of the Algamated Traders Union of Nigeria, Alhaji Bature Abdul'azeez and Kantin Kwari Market Traders Association under the leadership of Alhaji Liti Kulkul, donated N5 million to the board to help pay the brides dowries.

TERRITORIALLISTY NEWS: We’ll Continue Our Plans With Or Without INEC Registration – Rival APC

The Chairman of the African Peoples Congress (APC), Michael Ikeagwuonu on Wednesday said that the association will continue with its plans whether or not the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) registers it as a political party.
Mr Ikeagwuonu, who was a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, accused the members of the merged political parties of conniving with the legal unit of INEC to pick holes in the APC’s application.
INEC had on Monday rejected the application by the APC insisting that the association breached Section 222 (a) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended.
Mr Ikeagwuonu said his association had earlier raised the alarm that INEC had plotted to deny them registration with no reason and that they would resist any of such attempts and would also contest it even up to the Supreme Court level.
He said, “Whether there is Kangaroo policy or aberration of the constitution, I want to say that anybody who thinks that by denying us this registration at this point in time has thrown the door open for anybody to take our party, or to take our name, or take our acronym is displaying complete arid naivety.”

TERRITORIALLISTY NEWS: We’ll Continue Our Plans With Or Without INEC Registration – Rival APC

The Chairman of the African Peoples Congress (APC), Michael Ikeagwuonu on Wednesday said that the association will continue with its plans whether or not the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) registers it as a political party.
Mr Ikeagwuonu, who was a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, accused the members of the merged political parties of conniving with the legal unit of INEC to pick holes in the APC’s application.
INEC had on Monday rejected the application by the APC insisting that the association breached Section 222 (a) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended.
Mr Ikeagwuonu said his association had earlier raised the alarm that INEC had plotted to deny them registration with no reason and that they would resist any of such attempts and would also contest it even up to the Supreme Court level.
He said, “Whether there is Kangaroo policy or aberration of the constitution, I want to say that anybody who thinks that by denying us this registration at this point in time has thrown the door open for anybody to take our party, or to take our name, or take our acronym is displaying complete arid naivety.”

TERRITORIALLISTY NEWS: We’ll Continue Our Plans With Or Without INEC Registration – Rival APC

The Chairman of the African Peoples Congress (APC), Michael Ikeagwuonu on Wednesday said that the association will continue with its plans whether or not the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) registers it as a political party.
Mr Ikeagwuonu, who was a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, accused the members of the merged political parties of conniving with the legal unit of INEC to pick holes in the APC’s application.
INEC had on Monday rejected the application by the APC insisting that the association breached Section 222 (a) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended.
Mr Ikeagwuonu said his association had earlier raised the alarm that INEC had plotted to deny them registration with no reason and that they would resist any of such attempts and would also contest it even up to the Supreme Court level.
He said, “Whether there is Kangaroo policy or aberration of the constitution, I want to say that anybody who thinks that by denying us this registration at this point in time has thrown the door open for anybody to take our party, or to take our name, or take our acronym is displaying complete arid naivety.”

NEWS: Airline 'fat tax': Should heavy passengers pay more?

Should overweight passengers be charged more? One economics professor says yes.

An economics scholar in Norway has recommended that air ticket costs be calculated according to a passenger’s weight.
Dr. Bharat P. Bhatta, associate professor of economics at Sogn og Fjordane University College, Norway, is proposing three models that he says, “may provide significant benefits to airlines, passengers and society at large.”
In his paper, published in the Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, Dr. Bhatta noted “a reduction of 1 kilo weight of a plane will result in fuel savings worth US$3,000 a year and a reduction of CO2 emissions by the same token.”
Weighing in. He cited a move by Air Canada, which removed life vests from its planes to make each flight 25 kilos lighter, and other initiatives by low-cost carriers such as charging for excess luggage and making oversized passengers book two seats.
“Charging according to weight and space is a universally accepted principle, not only in transportation, but also in other services," Bhatta says. "As weight and space are far more important in aviation than other modes of transport, airlines should take this into account when pricing their tickets.”
His three “pay as you weigh” models are:
Total weight: A passenger’s luggage and body weight is calculated, with the fare comprising a per kilo cost. In this scenario a passenger weighing 100 kilos with 20 kilos of luggage (120 kilos total) would pay twice that of a passenger of 50 kilos with 10 kilos of luggage (60 kilos total).
Base fare +/- extra: A base fare is set, with a per-kilo discount applying for “underweight” passengers and a per-kilo surcharge applying to “overweight” passengers.
High/Average/Low: A base fare is set, with a predetermined discount applying for those below a certain weight threshold and a predetermined surcharge applying for those above a certain weight threshold.
Bhatta prefers the third of these options. He goes on to say that weight could be ascertained through passenger self-declaration, with one in five passengers randomly selected and weighed to dissuade cheats (with penalties for cheaters) or by weighing all passengers at check in.
This latter option however would “incur huge transaction costs” and “would require a passenger to arrive a couple of hours early to have time to get through weigh-in, security and passport control.”
What do you think? Is it fair to charge fliers based on their weight? Tell us your thoughts below