Author: The Nation

The Ogun State Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) yesterday confirmed the death of one person in an accident on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway in Ota at the weekend.

The accident involved a commercial bus at Joju area of the town.

The commander of the sector, Mr. Clement Oladele, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ota that the accident occurred at about 5.15 p.m. on Friday.

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Oladele explained that a Madza bus with registration number MUS-600 CU was heading to Lagos from Abeokuta when it lost control as a result of brake failure and hit the road divider.

He said that 10 people were involved in the accident but that one person died, while nine people escaped unhurt.

“The corpse of the victim has been deposited at the mortuary of Ifo General Hospital in Ogun State,” he said.

The sector commander advised motorists to drive cautiously and ensure that their vehicles were in good condition before embarking on trips during the Eld-el-Kabir, to avoid unnecessary loss of lives.

Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has called on Muslim faithful in the state and in the country to use the period of Eid-el-Kabir celebration to offer prayers for the country in order to quickly overcome her challenges.

Fayemi equally urged them to sustain and replicate the lessons of love, loyalty and sacrifice which form the foundation of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration in their daily lives.

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Also, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, urged Muslim Ummah not to be weary of helping the country with relevant spiritual supplications that could bail it out of the present predicament.

The federal lawmaker, representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District at the upper chambers of the National Assembly, stressed that prayers remain the strongest pillar and bond of unity of any nation, saying using this celebration to seek the face of God will benefit the country than the usual fanfare.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora, Non-Governmental Organisations and Civil Societies, Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, has advised the Nigerian and South African governments to work together in solving animosity between the two countries occasioned by xenophobic attacks against Nigerians resident in South Africa.

Speaking with reporters in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, Basiru said both governments should not allow the situation of the attacks against foreigners in South Africa degenerate.

The senator representing Osun Central senatorial district cautioned youths in the two countries to avoid inflammatory utterances and actions that can worsen the situation.

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Basiru, who recalled the threat by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in retaliation against South Africans resident in Nigeria and their businesses, described the seven-day ultimatum issued to them to leave the country or face dire retaliatory consequences as worrisome.

He said: “This threat handed down at a press conference organised by the Nigerian Diaspora Commission in Abuja on Wednesday, August 7, 2019 should be a source of worry to all of us. This is indeed a disturbing and potentially dangerous dimension in the Nigerian/South Africa Xenophobic attacks conundrum.”

Bashiru continued: “We are not blaming the students for contemplating the option of meeting fire with fire on the issue of the deadly attacks being daily perpetrated on our compatriots living in South Africa, with one hundred and eighteen (118) Nigerians already killed in South Africa as at the end of 2016 and about eighty-eight (88) others reportedly killed between 2016 and last week.”

The Senate Committee on Diaspora, Non-Governmental Organisations and Civil Societies, he stressed, is ready and willing to work with all stakeholders, both local and international, to see that the raging scourge of xenophobia is eradicated on our continent.

Oyo State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, has felicitated with Muslims on the celebration of the 2019 Eid-el-Kabir, urging them to imbibe the virtues of Prophet Ibrahim, who, in obedience to God’s directive, was ready to sacrifice his only son.

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He admonished the Muslim Ummah in the state to reflect on the significance of the celebration, which he said bordered on encouraging piety, sacrifice and love, noting that without these, no state or society could advance.

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has felicitated with the Muslim community on the upcoming Eid-ul-Adha (feast of sacrifice) celebration, calling on the faithful to spend the holiday reflecting on the lessons of the season.

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“The message of this season is that of sacrifice, selflessness, and total submission to the will of God as exemplified by not just Prophet Ibrahim, the father of all Abrahamaic faiths, but also Prophet Muhammad. As a faithful, it is not enough to offer animals in sacrifice. We are in fact required to translate these qualities to our day-to-day living.”

Two bricklayers in Benin City, the Edo State capital, have won at in the ongoing Dangote Cement bag of goodies promo.

The two bricklayers namely: Momoh Aliu and Evbuemwan George were handed keys and particulars of the cars at an event in Benin City.

An elated George, who spoke on behalf of the winners, thanked God for emerging winner, saying he always recommends Dangote cement to builders.

He said he always use Dangote cement but was shocked when he was contacted that he won a car.

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Other winners carted home consolation prizes such as refrigerators and television.

Regional Director of Dangote Cement, Mr. Olaleye Bodunde urged distributors and consumers to continue to use the products.

Olaleye described Benin as a hotspot for the company saying the company sells 50 trucks every day in the state.

Executive Director, Mrs. Ufot Dorothy, said they were in the state to redeem the firm’s pledge of giving out goodies to winners.

According to her, “We have come to redeem our pledge. It is our way of giving back to those that contributed to our growth. Whatever we promise, we deliver.”

Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has cautioned communities in the state against casting aspersions on their traditional rulers.

He said the office of the monarch was a revered one which must be accorded the respect it deserved.

The governor spoke through his Special Adviser on Security, Safety and Emergency, Chikodi Anarah during a solidarity march by the people of Umunya, Oyi Local Government Area of the state in support of the traditional ruler, Igwe Kris Onyekwuje.

The march followed earlier protest by some indigenes of the community under the aegis of Odumodu Ebenabo Improvement Union, at the Government House over alleged highhandedness by the monarch.

Addressing the protesters yesterday, the governor, pledged quick resolution on the matter to guarantee peace and justice.

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He said, “We need to respect our monarchs the way it’s done in the West and Northern parts of the country. Casting aspersions on any traditional ruler will no longer be tolerated.

“When the other group came here on Monday to protest against the monarch, I told them that I must hear from the other side because it takes two to tango.

“Those who were present during the protest would think the monarch was a devil, but today that I have heard from you people, I can say that Igwe is not the problem.”

Earlier, the spokesperson for the community, Ichie Wilson Ikwuka told the governor that those accusing their monarch were individuals interested in sale of lands in the community land for their selfish gain.

“We are here to tell the government and the public that the Igwe did not create any problem but rather those who want to milk the community dry. We want the government to quickly intervene in this matter to avert bloodshed.”

A group known as the Conference for Good Governance and Justice in Cross River State has expressed confidence in the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in the state to ensure justice is administered in the petitions before it.

A statement by the Coordinator of the group, Chief Etta Ujong Bassey made available to The Nation in Calabar maintained that they believed the Tribunal is composed of a panel of noble judges.

Bassey said they expressed this against the background of allegations that a governor in the south-south was working with some respondents to subvert justice by compromising the Tribunal.

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The statement alleged, “It has come to our knowledge that a senior lawyer and counsel to some respondents in the Cross River State National Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal has been working round the clock to subvert justice by desperately attempting to compromise the Tribunal with financial inducements. Information making the rounds has it that one Governor in the South South is behind the funding.

“As the saying goes, in every rumour, there is an iota of truth, hence this privileged information now at our disposal must not be taken lightly and cannot be waved aside, especially given the recently published antecedents of this lawyer and some senior lawyers in securing judgments in their favour through extrajudicial means.

“We advise the said governor and senior lawyer to retrace their steps, because the searchlight has been directed at their activities with regards to petitions before the election Tribunal.

“The lawyer and his team should  know that in this era of telecommunications technology, before long this illicit affairs in the temple of justice would be laid bare, and they would be put to permanent shame, if the refuse to retrace  their  steps.”