Read President Buhari's Touching New Year Message to Nigerians

Muhammadu Buhari- President Federal Republic of Nigeria

Read below...

Welcome to the beginning of a New Year of the continuation of CHANGE in our beloved nation. I am aware that Nigerians have experienced a number of significant hardships over the past months. Living in the State House has not alienated me from your daily sufferings. I am aware of the lengthy queues at fuel stations and of the difficulties businesses have faced in acquiring foreign exchange.

These challenges are only temporary; we are working to make things better. When
 I presented myself to you as a presidential candidate and asked you to vote for 
me, I wanted to be a leader who keeps his promises. I wanted to be a leader who 
restores the people's hope in those elected to serve them. I wanted to be a 
leader who initiates positive and enduring CHANGE.

I am still totally committed to being that kind of leader. Unforeseen circumstances 
and other distractions notwithstanding, I shall still do my utmost best to keep 
every promise I made to Nigerians during my election campaign. In the past seven 
months since our inauguration on May 29, 2015, my administration has focused on 
laying the right foundation for the CHANGE you voted for during our historic 
presidential election. Nigerians will in due course begin to enjoy the fruits of 
all our ongoing work.

The effective and efficient implementation of our 2016 budget proposals will address
many of the socio-economic issues that are of current concern to our people. 
One area in which Nigerians, especially those in the northeast, have already 
begun to experience major CHANGE is in the war on terror. I commend our Armed 
Forces for significantly curtailing the insurgency which has ravaged the northeast 
of Nigeria over the past few years.

However, there is still a lot of work to be done in the area of security. Our Armed 
Forces will maintain, consolidate and build on their successes in the war against 
Boko Haram and violent extremism. This government will not consider the 
matter concluded until the terrorists have been completely routed and normalcy 
restored to all parts of the country that have been adversely affected by the Boko 
Haram insurgency.

Our crackdown on corruption will continue to be vigorously undertaken. I urge the 
courts to support our efforts and help in the recovery of stolen funds by 
speedily concluding trials and showing that impunity no longer has a place in our 
country.

There is much work to do in other areas as well and I have charged all my ministers 
and other appointees to ensure that Nigerians experience positive changes in their 
lives in 2016. We must reduce our country's reliance on oil. We must diversify 
our economy.

And we must do all we can to promote job creation. Our challenges are many but 
our determination to succeed is strong and unshaken. So too is our confidence in 
God. I wish you all a very

Happy New Year.

MUHAMMADU BUHARI

Source: Lindaikejisblog.com

EMU Organised a Symposium in Memory of Prof. Dr. Esin Konanç

Eastern Mediterranean University Law Faculty organised a symposium in memory of Late Law Faculty Dean Prof. Dr. Esin Konanç on the 6th anniversary of her passing. Entitled “The Harmonisation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Law with the European Union Law and European Human Rights System”, the symposium took place at EMU Prof. Dr. Mehmet Tahiroğlu Hall on Friday, 25 December 2015.

The program commenced with the presentation of Prof. Dr. Esin Konanç’s biography, Turkish national anthem and the opening addresses of Law Faculty Acting Dean Prof. Dr. Metin Gürkanlar.

Following Gürkanlar, EMU Rector Prof. Dr. Necdet Osam expressed the university’s sadness in the passing of Prof. Dr. Konanç as a prominent member of the academic staff. Extending his appreciation to Law Faculty for the organisation of an event as such, Prof. Dr. Osam added that the university will keep the memory of Prof. Dr. Konanç alive. Vice Rector for Promotion Prof. Dr. Hasan Amca was also present at the event opening.

Taking place under the moderatorship of Prof. Dr. Kudret Özersay, the first session hosted discussions on TRNC Constitution, Federation, the European Human Rights System, Conscientious Objection, Transparent Administration and Harmonisation of the TRNC Constitution, Election System and Political Representation.

The second session which took place under the moderatorship of Prof. Dr. Turgut Turhan at 1:30 p.m. hosted presentations on the ‘Evaluation of the Negotiation Process in the Light of Lisbon Treaty’, TRNC Labour Law, European Citizenship Agreement and TRNC Citizenship Law.

Source: EMU News

Embassy of the Republic of Turkey Warns

Be warned please,

Implementation of a new procedure for visa interview appointment,

Applicants who are seeking for a Turkish visa should log in www.visa.gov.tr to place an appointment request as of January 5, 2016.

Unless online visa application is done, visa process will not be started. Applicants without an appointment will not be attended.

Also, current health insurence including the duration of their staying in Turkey, is also demanded in addition to the documents requested before.

lt is possible to reach the information notes about visa on http://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-information-for-foreigners.en.mfa and http://abuja.be.mfa.gov.tr/AgencyInfoNotes.aspx prepared in English language.

Due to high number of visa applications, applicants are advised to place their appointment at least 8 weeks before their prospective travel dates.

Applicants will be automatically notified about the appointment date shortly after required information is entered into the system.

Applicants are strictly advised to book only one (1) appointment within one month.

Thanks for your usual cooperation,

Embassy of the Republic of Turkey

EMU effect Changes in Bus Services

The Eastern Mediterranean University Transportation Office made some little changes in their regular intense bus services by adding weekends schedule for line one route and slight changes in the timing.

Check below for details.

EMU Bus Service

Old Bus Schedule

New Bus Schedule

#DasukiGate: Sun Newspaper Returns N9 Million it Got From Ex-NSA, Dasuki from Arms Deal

As the ongoing arms deal controversy rages and the many people and companies implicated, the Sun Publishing Limited has distanced itself from the money shared by the Nigerian Proprietors Association of Nigeria.

Orji Uzor Kalu, Publisher of The Sun Newspaper

The management of The Sun newspaper has distanced itself from the ongoing arms deal controversy as it released a statement on Sunday stating that it has returned the N9 million it received as compensation from the office of the ex-National Security Adviser through the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, NPAN. 

The statement reads further:

“The Man­agement of The Sun Publishing Limited has considered the public outcry and diverse controversies generated among media hous­es, the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and the public over the N120 million paid by the Goodluck Jonathan administration as compensation to newspa­per companies for the unlawful seizure of their newspapers and stoppage of circulation by armed soldiers in several cities across the country in June 2014."

Having reviewed the situation, we wish to state as follows:

1. After the unlawful action of the military, to which The Sun lost millions of naira, we had signified the intention to commence liti­gation against the Federal Government along with other affected newspaper companies.

2. However, at the level of the NPAN, which The Sun is a member, a de­cision was collectively taken to accept the Presi­dency’s offer of peace­ful settlement in place of litigation in the interest of peace and national se­curity.

3. We were later informed of the payment of N120 million compensa­tion out of which the sum of N9 million was paid to The Sun Management by the NPAN.

4. At the time the compensation was paid, we had no inkling whatso­ever under which expenditure sub-head in the Presidency the fund was sourced and that it was al­legedly part of the funds meant for the purchase of arms.

5. As a very responsible newspaper organization, which places premium on ethics, individual and cor­porate integrity, we are certainly embarrassed by the turn of events and the unfortunate insinuation of involvement in the illegal sharing of the nation’s commonwealth and the feasting on the blood of soldiers fighting the war against insurgency.

6. We believe strongly in our corporate integrity and principles of fairness and social justice, which have driven our business considerations over the years.

7. In the light of the foregoing, we have re­turned the cheque of N9 million to the NPAN for onward transmission to the source through which it came.

8. We have seen that the good intention not to seek redress in court has seem­ingly backfired.

9. We have also given notice to our lawyers to immediately commence the process in court to redress the huge loss suf­fered through the actions of the military.

10. We assure our teem­ing readers of our com­mitment to serving them faithfully and conscien­tiously by upholding the time-tested principles of fair business ethics, eq­uity and social justice.

Source: tori.ng

Banks to stop use of ATM cards abroad

CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele

Oyetunji Abioye

Deposit Money Banks have commenced a process to stop all customers from using their payment cards, popularly known as Automated Teller Machine cards, for dollar-denominated transactions when they travel abroad with effect from January 1, 2016.

SUNDAY PUNCH’s investigation also revealed the banks would not allow their customers to use naira-denominated ATM cards locally for transactions denominated in forex.

This means bank customers will not be able to use their cards to buy products from foreign e-commerce sites like e-bay and amazon.com in which payments are made in forex.

The development follows the lingering scarcity of foreign exchange, especially the dollar, to settle obligations arising from customers’ use of the ATM cards for forex-denominated transactions.

Already, Standard Chartered Bank has notified its customers that from January 1, 2016, they will not be able to use their naira-denominated ATM cards for transactions that are denominated in foreign currencies, either locally or when they travel abroad.

In a notice to its customers, Standard Chartered said, “This is to notify you that from January 1, 2016, your naira card will no longer be enabled for international use. This is as a result of the limited foreign exchange supply in the financial market.”

Asked how long the suspension of cards from international transactions would be, the spokesperson for Standard Chartered Nigeria, Mrs. Dayo Adurogbo, said, “We cannot give a definite date. It depends on how soon it is available. We will do everything to meet our customers’ demand once it is available.”

Further findings showed that a number of other banks had stopped customers from using their ATM cards abroad but had yet to officially communicate this to them.

Some customers told our correspondent that when they notified their banks of plans to travel and the need to enable their cards work overseas, they were simply informed that the cards could not be enabled for now due to issues relating to forex scarcity.

SUNDAY PUNCH findings showed others banks might issue notices similar to that of Standard Chartered Bank before the end of the year.

“We had some discussions recently and some top bank officials said they would stop customers from using their naira-denominated cards for international transactions due to the serious challenges in getting forex to settle their international partners,” a top bank official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said on Friday.

The current situation means customers travelling abroad for Christmas and New Year may face severe payment challenges, a situation that may mar their shopping plans.

The fall in prices of crude oil, the main earner of foreign exchange for Nigeria, has made the nation’s forex income to reduce drastically, creating dollar scarcity crisis for the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The CBN has been rationing dollar to banks, importers and other forex users as the nation’s foreign exchange reserves continue to deplete, hitting $29.4bn on December 7, 2015.

The PUNCH had exclusively reported on Thursday that banks had cut the amount that their customers could spend using their debit and credit cards abroad by between 70 and 90 per cent. This took effect during the first week of December for the majority of the banks.

Specifically, banks cut customers’ card spending in foreign currencies from the annual $50,000 allowed by the CBN to between $5,000 and $15,000.

According to findings by our correspondent, Ecobank Nigeria Plc has reduced its limit from $50,000 to $5,000, with a maximum of $500 monthly and $100 daily expenditure.

Skye Bank Plc, in a notice to its customers via email, also slashed its international card spending limit from $50,000 to $12,000 annually, a maximum of $1,000 monthly and $100 daily.

Wema Bank Plc also slashed spending on its payment cards from $50,000 to $10,000 annually, $1,000 monthly and $100 daily.

Although other banks have yet to confirm their new international card spending limits, findings by our correspondent revealed that the new limits for most of them ranged from $5,000 to $15,000 annually, and $500 to $1,000 monthly.

Source: Punch

EMU Organizes Triangle of Art: Sculpture Ceramic Glass

Taking place under the curatorship of Eastern Mediterranean University Fine Arts Club trainer Ayhatun Ateşin, an art organisation entitled “The Triangle of Art” commences on 18 December 2015. The said event will continue until 24 December 2015 and will finish with an exhibition taking place on 25 December 2015.

The event which took architectural division, humans and space as its basis will host open workshops at EMU Activity Center on 22 and 23 December 2015. Commencing at 11:00 a.m., the workshops will continue until 7:00 p.m. Artist Ayhatun Ateşin will assist the participants in discovering arts in the open workshop. Ateşin put forth that participants will be integrating objects into daily life through the glimmering of glass, transformation of mud and the carving of the stone.

Ateşin added that through the workshop, they would like to take public attention towards humanity struggling between tradition and modernism, division of the built environment, and diminishing cultural heritage. Ateşin stated that in the globalised world, they would like to maintain the collaboration among cultures. Ateşin put forth that as EMU Fine Arts Club, they believe that the path towards increasing each individual’s awareness towards arts underlies in his or her participation in artistic and interactive events.

EMU Fine Arts Club Triangle of Art: Sculpture Ceramic Glass

You may integrate objects into daily life through the glimmering of glass, transformation of mud and the carving of the stone.

Workshops 22-23 December Working Hours 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Exhibition 25 December 12:00

Source: EMU News

NANS TRzone 1st Annual Elections

 A COMMUNIQUE BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN STUDENTS 

TURKISH ZONE

1st NANS TRzone Annual Convention Committee Chaired by COMRADE ESSIEN EDIDIONG  

In its first annual convention held on the 12^th of December, 2015 at Near East University Lefkosa, Cyprus which had in attendance delegates from various universities began with the National Anthem and pledge led by the outgoing president Comrade SAMSON FADIYA who later urged delegates to conduct themselves for the betterment of all Nigerian Students and the association which is fast growing. He also thanked the outgoing executives for their great contribution throughout their tenure as pioneer excos, after which he handed over the floor to the senate president who constituted some committees to preside over the electioneering process. This committees include;

NANS TRzone 1st Annual Election Communique

COMMUNIQUE DRAFTING COMMITTEE

Delegates, observers and members of the press

1.      COMRADE MOSES FARRELL (CIU)
2.      COMRADE GIDEON OBUOSON (GAU)
3.      COMRADE BAYO OLORUNFEMI (NEU)
4.      COMRADE IKECHUKWU PETER EGEOLU (EUL)
5.      COMRADE FREDRICK EDEH (EMU)

CONVENTION CHAIRMAN (Election committee)

1.       COMRADE ESSIEN EDIDIONG (CIU)

The convention chairman further conducted the election as stipulated in the constitution for the senate principal officers which include;

1.     COMRADE BOLAJI AKOLADE YUSUF As the SENATE PRESIDENT (NEU)
2.     COMRADE FAROUK MADAKA As the DEPUTY SENATE PRESIDENT (EMU)
3.     COMRADE TITILAYOMI ABOLUWOYE As CLERK OF THE SENATE (CIU)

The Executives were also elected which include;

1.       COMRADE SALIM HAMZA RINGIM          PRESIDENT (EMU)
2.       COMRADE JUSHUA CHIBUIKE SOPURU   VICE PRESIDENT NATIONAL (GAU)
3.       COMRADE JUSTIN OTOME DAFEVWAKPO VICE PRESIDENT EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (CIU)
4.       COMRADE IFEOMA CHINENYE ONUIKE   VICE PRESIDENT SPECIAL DUTIES (GAU)
5.       COMRADE ZACHARIAH MADAKI       SECRETARY GENERAL (President Elect appointee) (EMU)
6.      COMRADE EMEKA JOHN MBACHU          ASSIST. SECRETARY GENERAL (EUL)
7.      COMRADE EVIDENCE AKHAYERE            PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER (CIU)
8.      COMRADE FREIDERICK Y. LETONG          FINANCIAL SECRETARY (NEU)
9.      COMRADE JUBRIL BILYAMINU                TREASURER (Fin. Sec. appointee) (NEU)
10.      COMRADE DARLINGTON EZENWA OKEKE DIRECTOR OF TRAVELS & EXCHANGE (CIU)
11.      COMRADE OBUOSON JEDIDIAH GIDEON  DIRECTOR OF SPORTS (GAU)
12.      COMRADE KINGSLEY UDOFIA                EX. OFFICIO 1 (EMU)
13.      COMRADE EZINNE FAVOUR OGWUEGBU  EX. OFFICIO 2 (EMU)

The President Elect further appointed other cabinet members base on the provisions of the constitution;

1.       COMRADE MICHAEL LUCHI IKOKO            DIRECTOR OF SOCIALS
2.       COMRADE VIVIAN AKU                           DIRECTOR OF WOMEN AFFAIRS
3.       COMRADE OLUWASEYI TAIWO FAMUYIDE   DIRECTOR EDUCATION & TECH.

Signed by

FREDRICK EDEH (EMU)

For Communique Drafting Committee

NANS TRzone Vice President National (Joshua) and other Comrades

Salim

Joshua

Ifeoma

Justin

Bolaji

Farouk

Zachariah

Kingsley

Ezinne

Convention election

Convention Chair acceptance speech

Convention chair election

EMU Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Prof. Dr. Ahmet Sözen Delivered a Presentation at the University of Bologna

Eastern Mediterranean University Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Prof. Dr. Ahmet Sözen participated in the University of Bologna’s Ravenna Campus’ Academic Year Opening Ceremony. Attending the ceremony as one of the keynote speakers, Prof. Dr. Sözen delivered a presentation entitled ‘Re-Visiting Power of Ideas (in Preventing Wars and Peace-building)’.

In the said presentation, Prof. Dr. Sözen talked about his personal accounts on peace and war. Prof. Dr. Sözen stated that the former dean of Yale University Law Faculty and Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit appointed by the former President of the USA Bill Clinton, Guido Calabresi was also one of the keynote speakers of the said event.

Explaining the multi-focused nature of his visit to the University of Bologna, Prof. Dr. Sözen put forth that he delivered a second presentation entitled Solving the Cyprus Conflict: Blending Idealism with Pragmatism at an event organised by Bologna University Law Faculty.

During his stay, Prof. Dr. Sözen also took part in various meetings focusing on the launch of a joint postgraduate program between the law faculties of EMU and the University of Bologna. Prof. Dr. Sözen’s presentation at Bologna University’s Academic Year Opening Ceremony is available at http://www.emu.edu.tr/tam-metin.pdf.

Source: EMU News

SPORTS: Nigeria beat Senegal 1-0, qualify for Olympics

Nigerians's Dream Team

Nigeria have qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics after defeating hosts Senegal in the semi-finals of the 2015 Africa U23 Championship.

Etebo Oghenekaro’s penalty in the 75th minute was all the Dream Team VI needed to ease past the hosts after Ousseynou Thioune had handled the ball in his penalty area to prevent Eyo Ebong from scoring.

Samson Siasia - Nigerian's Dream Team Head Coach

Ibrahima Keita failed to put his side ahead in the first half after seeing his penalty saved by man of the match, Emmanuel Daniel, who guessed the right way. With this victory, the Dream Team will now face the winner between Algeria and South Africa for the 2015 Africa U23 title with the 2016 Olympics men’s football event ticket in their kitty.

NSS-EMU Releases Tutorial Timetable

ANNOUNCEMENT: NSS Releases Tutorial Timetable

The NSS Directorate of Education use this opportunity to announce her Tutorial Timetable for this Saturday 12/12/2015 tutorials. 

Kindly inform us on the course/courses you are having difficulties in so we can include in the schedule.

Note that the tutorials are opened for all Nationalities, so inform your friends. 

For more inquiries please contact Onyeabor Arinzechukwu Micheal on 05338883096

Best Regards

EMU Changes Academic Calendar

                

Academic Calendar Change Announcement

Dear Students,

Please be informed that some modifications and revisions have been applied on the 2015-16 Academic Calendar due to some time-related clashes. The said date changes have been highlighted in red on the academic calendar available on your portal.

You can access the updated Academic Calendar belonging to the 2015-16 Academic Year from your student portal or EMU New Academic Calendar

EMU Faculty of Health Sciences Highlights 3rd December International Day of Disabled Persons

Eastern Mediterranean University Health Sciences Faculty Vice Dean and Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department Chair Prof. Dr. Mehtap Malkoç gave a news release to mark 3 December, International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Stating that in line with the United Nations’ resolution in October 1992, 3 December was specified as the “International Day of Disabled Persons”, Prof. Dr. Mehtap Malkoç put forth that the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, in Resolution 1993/29 of 5 March 1993, appeals to Member States to highlight the observance of the International Day with a view to the achievement of the full and equal enjoyment of human rights and participation in society by persons with disabilities.

According to the World Health Organisation, disability is the social relationship between a person’s characteristic qualities and their perception by the society. As stated by the World Health Organisation and the International Classification of Functioning, disability is not only unique to humans as it also relates to environmental, societal and individual factors. Prof. Dr. Mehtap Malkoç added that disability is a condition that anyone may encounter during a specific period of life.

Currently, approximately 15% of the world’s population suffers various types of disabilities. Between 110 and 190 million individuals have serious problems in their functions. This situation has contributed to the formation of universal norms throughout the world regarding disabilities and, at the same time, have given important responsibilities to governments. In the prevention of disabilities, the provision of treatment and rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities, raising awareness regarding disabilities and helping the disabled to understand their own rights, multiple sectoral collaboration is essential.

With this point of view, as Eastern Mediterranean University Health Sciences Faculty, we pay special importance to the projects aiming to improve community health. The faculty provides different types of rehabilitative services for the children in İrfan Nadir Rehabilitation Center and Famagusta Special Education Center. Our in-house Motor Development Laboratory has been designed to cater for the rehabilitative needs of disabled children and adults. Our Faculty’s Prosthesis and Orthesis Center is the first and only center throughout the TRNC with its PEDCAD system.

On the other hand, EMU Health Sciences Faculty will deliver a family training program to raise awareness on the problems disabled children may encounter at the training hall of EMU Health Sciences Faculty at 5:30 p.m. on 8 December 2015. During the said training event, Faculty of Health Sciences Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department academic staff members Prof. Dr. Emine Handan Tüzün (Pediatric Rehabilitation), Prof. Dr. Perihan Arslan (Nutrition and Dietetics), Assist. Prof. Dr. Yasin Yurt (Orthesis-Prosthesis Rehabilitation), academic staff members Zehra Güçhan (Pediatric Rehabilitation and Orthesis Rehabilitation), Ünal Aras Değer (Pediatric Rehabilitation) İlker Yatar (Cardioplumonary Rehabilitation) and Near East University Health Sciences Faculty Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department academic staff member Ediz Necati (Orometer Disorders and Swallowing Rehabilitation) and Zerrin Güneş (speech therapy) will be providing important information and, at the same time, be answering questions coming from parents.

Real Madrid thrown out of Copa Del Rey

Los Blancos have been thrown out of Spain's domestic cup competition for fielding a suspended player in the 3-1 win over Cadiz earlier this week

Real Madrid have been expelled from the Copa del Rey after they fielded the ineligible Denis Cheryshev in Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Cadiz. 

The Russian winger picked up three yellow cards in the competition last season while on loan at Villarreal - the third in the semi-final defeat to Barcelona - and was supposed to be suspended for the first game of this season’s Copa. 

However, Madrid did not realise and Rafael Benitez, taking advantage of his squad, played him from the start against the third division side. 

Cheryshev opened the scoring, but was taken off 45 second into the second half as word spread that he was not eligible to play.

Cadiz confirmed on Wednesday they had made a complaint to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) regarding Cheryshev’s involvement. 

Madrid are now likely to appeal the decision and fight for their right to remain in the Copa del Rey, as president Florentino Perez suggested they would do during a press conference on Thursday evening. 

"Madrid have not named an ineligible player. This is the opinion after consulting the legal services of Real Madrid.

"After analysing what happened, the penalty for three yellow cards should not be considered effective because nobody told the player of his punishment, as stated in Article 41 [of competition regulations].

"The sanction is not effective, and even if it were, we believe it would be considered void with the application of the final paragraph of section 12: 'At the end of the third round of the Copa del Rey, there will be a complete cancelling of penalty cycles for all concerned'.

"The penalty Cheryshev was given while playing for Villarreal is ineffective in our view, no one had mentioned the sanction to the player’” the Madrid president said. 

"As Article 41 of the RFEF's disciplinary code states, the punishment is not effective unless it notifies those to be punished.

"Real Madrid did not know of its existence, no one reported it - neither the player nor Villarreal nor the RFEF." 

The club’s first move will be to take it to the Appeals Committee, with the option to then take it to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if they are knocked back.

Source: www.goal.com/en