The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Eight injured in Anambra accident

    Eight persons were injured in an accident on the Enugu-Onitsha expressway, Awka, Anambra State, at the weekend.

    The accident involved two Toyota Hiace buses which had an head-on collision by the two commercial vehicles.

    Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Andrew Kumapayi said 29 persons – 13 males and 16 females – were involved in the accident. Nobody died in the crash.

    Read Also: Five die in Bauchi-Jos road crash

    He said: “There was a crash involving two vehicles at Amawbia, opposite NIPCO filling station this afternoon. Twenty-nine persons were involved, but eight persons, four males and four females, sustained injuries. The injured have been rushed to the hospital and obstructions cleared by FRSC rescue team who arrived accident scene early.”

    Kumapayi, who attributed the crash to route violation, warned motorists to desist from driving against traffic on dual carriage roads.

    “Route violation remains a traffic offence and culprits would be arrested and punished accordingly,” he warned.

  • UBEC funds: Ahmed criminally neglected schools, says AbdulRazaq

    Kwara State Government has accused former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed’s administration of criminal neglect of schools through its alleged diversion of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) funds.

    Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq revealed that UBEC blacklisted the state because Ahmed’s administration mismanaged the N1.5 billion grant meant to upgrade schools in Kwara in 2013.

    Ahmed refuted claims that his administration mismanaged UBEC counterpart funds.

    A statement issued by his spokesman, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, absolved his administration of any wrongdoing regarding the management of UBEC funds.

    He maintained that the federal agency cancelled a N2 billion grant to the state when the government borrowed from the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) its 50 per cent counterpart fund of N1.5 billion for the payment of salaries at the height of the 2015 economic recession, which prevented most states from meeting salary obligations to workers.

    But, AbdulRazaq’s administration described the former governor’s response to the allegations as misplaced.

    In a statement, Chief Press Secretary to Governor AbdulRazaq, Rafiu Ajakaye, said: “The last administration cannot be forgiven for the criminal neglect of the schools because the consequences are there for all to see.”

    The statement added that Ahmed’s response to the outrage greeting the diversion of N1.5 billion UBEC funds has raised more questions on the sordid neglect of public schools under him.

    Read Also: Kwara gets N4.2bn federal allocation for June

    Ajakaye added that the former governor’s statement that claims that funds weren’t diverted or mismanaged hold no water in the face of revelations from UBEC and the decrepit state of schools.

    The government said the mismanagement was apparent in Kwara ranking 37th – or the lowest – on the list of UBEC Matching Grant Disbursement Performance as at April 30, 2019.

    The government said Ahmed’s claim that his government used the N1.5 billion to pay workers’ salary was untenable and fishy for an administration that received N22 billion Paris Club refund and additional N3.4 billion bailout funds that were meant to help states pay workers when federal allocation dropped.

    “As at April 30, 2019, Kwara has the worst rating under the UBEC Matching Grant Disbursement Performance! This is a written record. This is the legacy of the former governor and the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) administration in Kwara State,” the statement said.

    It added: “The former governor claimed he was unaware that Kwara was blacklisted. This is false. The diversion of the N1.5 billion UBEC funds and the decision of the agency to bar the state from further dealings until diverted sums were paid is nothing but official blacklisting of Kwara State.

    “UBEC officials made it clear that they investigated Kwara’s claim that it used the funds to pay workers and found the same to be false. The investigations, they said, showed that the money was diverted. The UBEC position is further corroborated by the fact that at least 49 school projects captured under the fund were either abandoned or not started at all.”

  • Grazing reserve expanded for cattle in Niger 

    The Bobi Grazing Reserve in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State has been expanded to 45,000 hectares to accommodate half of the cattle in Niger State, Secretary to the Niger State Government (SSG) Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Matane has said

    Matane, who said the expansion would reduce farmers/herders clashes, spoke when he visited the grazing reserve in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State over the weekend.

    He said government had already provided social amenities such as schools, roads, hospitals, veterinary clinic, security and milk collection centre at the grazing reserve to make life easy for the herdsmen.

    Read Also: Bandits beg Masari for amnesty in Katsina

    The SSG added that government is intensifying effort toward the provision of potable water for the livestock and pastoralists as well as make pasture available.

    Matane expressed optimism that the measure would encourage herders to remain in the grazing reserve instead of roaming from one place to another and trespassing into farms.

  • Bandits beg Masari for amnesty in Katsina

    Group of bandits in their hideout in the forest between Dandume Local Government Area of Katsina State and Birni Gwari in Kaduna State have pleaded with Governor Aminu Bello Masari for dialogue and to grant them amnesty.

    Their leader, Malam Idris Yahaya, during an arranged meeting with reporters near a primary school located at Dankolo Village in Sabuwa Local Government Area, said his members were tired of violence and suffering from deprivation imposed on them by the local security vigilance groups in the area.

    He said the meeting with the reporters was facilitated by the peace pact recently entered into between the local communities and the bandits to enable farming activities to go on uninterrupted.

    Yahaya explained: “We are tired of violence. Again, we have discovered that the real benefactors of this violence include highly placed government officials and security personnel, who will want it to go on for their pecuniary benefits. We want Governor Masari to talk directly to us.”

    Read Also: Troops Arrest 25 bandits in Zamfara and Sokoto States

    The bandits also requested the governor to help facilitate the release of two of their elders – Lawal Baldu and Ibrahim Nakutama – who, he said, were arrested at an airport two years ago.

    He maintained that the two elders can also help facilitate a quick end to the attacks, if released.

    But, the state police command has told the bandits that time is running out for them, urging them to surrender and repent on their nefarious activities

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), in a statement, said the state is experiencing a lull in attacks due to intensified security checks on the activities of the bandits.

    He said: “In a couple of weeks to come, there will be no hiding place for any bandit. They should either surrender or face the consequences.

    “The strategy put in place by the security agencies, couple with the cooperation of the public in giving out actionable intelligence, is yielding results.”

  • OML-25 crisis: no agreement to reopen flow station, says host communities

    Host communities of Oil Mining lease (OML)-25 in Kula Kingdom, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State have denied agreeing to the re-opening of the oil facility which was shut over two years ago.

    Stakeholders from the three host communities of Belema, Ofoin-Ama and Ngeje, in a statement at the weekend in Port Harcourt, denied signing any Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to end the continued occupation of the facility.

    The statement was signed by representatives of the three communities – King Bourdillon Allen Ekine, Amanyanabo of Opukula (Old Shipping); Chief-elect Mpakaboari Welsch, Chief-elect Oputuboye Walter and Prince Opunabo Ekine.

    Others are Alabo Fiala Okoye-Davies, Sibia Aaron Sukubo (Offo XIII), Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, Spokesman PANDEF, Chief Ibiosia Nath-Sukubo, Amb. Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, Chief Ibinabo Daniel Kiliya and Chief Wapakaboari A. Gaga.

    The reaction followed a statement by Governor Nyesom Wike’s media aide, simoen Nwakudu, suggesting that the OML-25 dispute had been addressed and the host communities agreed to sign a MoU with SPDC to end the crisis, and for protesting women to vacate the facility for a resumed operation.

    But the people dissociated themselves from the agreement, saying they were not invited to the meeting where the purported agreement was reached.

    They reiterated their previous statement that SPDC will never return to their domain again, saying they would rather divest the facility to their preferred investor.

    Read Also: OML 25 protest: Shell seeks peace with host communities

    The statement reads: “We insist that we do not want SPDC any more in our land. We will continue to occupy the oil facility peacefully until our demands are met. Let the Rivers State government and Shell come with their brute force, we are ready to die for this cause.

    “We remain resolute in our demands for the divestment of OML25 by SPDC, taking into cognisance the right-of-first-refusal of the host communities.”

    They also accused government officials who convened the meeting of colluding with SPDC, by taking a $5 million bribe to give the facility to Shell, against their wishes.

    “We are constrained to notify the public of the dangerous steps taken by officials of the Rivers State government in resolving the impasse surrounding the shutdown of OML25.

    “We have it on good authority that SPDC is engaging in unwholesome and fraudulent practices with government officials to do its bidding on the matter in flagrant disregard to due process, probity, fairness and equity.

    “We have been inundated with credible information that a top government official has received $5 million bribe from Shell, on behalf of the government, to undermine due process on this matter, all in a bid to forcefully re-open the facility.”

    But Nwakudu denied any sinister motive in the government’s intervention moves, saying the state and federal government have lost huge economic resources in the last two years and it was high time all disputes were resolved and the facility reopened for operation.

  • Fire guts TCN station in Benin City

    Fire on Sunday gutted a part of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) station on Sapele road, Benin City, forcing some parts of the city into darkness.

    Some areas in Benin City and environs, used to having nine hours electricity daily, have not had power supply after the fire.

    The cause of the fire could not be ascertained as at last night, but it was gathered that the fire started from a transformer.

    Read Also: Obaseki, Oshiomhole best of friends, says Edo Dep Governor

    Officials of the Edo State Fire Service and other fire service stations battled to quell the fire.

    Spokesman for Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) Tayo Adekunle could not be reached for comments but a worker, who pleaded for anonymity, said all areas connected to the Benin TCN were affected due to a partial system collapse. According to him, the TCN sub-station is interconnected to other TCN locations across the country.

    The specific locations affected by the fire are still unknown, but major parts of Edo State would be affected by the outage, he added.

  • ‘23 technology incubation to boost food production’

    The Presidential Amnesty Programme is partnering the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) to improve the quality and certification of agricultural products.

    The products to be improved are those grown by Amnesty beneficiaries trained and empowered in the agric and allied sector.

    Towards this end, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator, Amnesty Programme, and the NBTI will be signed tomorrow in Abuja.

    This is sequel to an approval granted the Presidential Amnesty Programme by the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, to use 23 technology incubation centres allocated to it by the NBTI for cluster manufacturing.

    The centres will be used by Amnesty beneficiaries trained and empowered in the agricultural sector to produce their products to obtain NAFDAC registration numbers to enhance quality and acceptability of products in the market.

    Amnesty beneficiaries trained in rice, garri, plantain-flour, plantain-chips, chin-chin, smoked fish, chicken, snail, fruit juice and cosmetics production, among others, will benefit from the partnership.

    The 23 NBTI technology incubation centres approved for the incubation are in Edo, Abia, Imo, Ondo, Rivers, Cross Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Delta States.

    Read Also: MADE shares achievements, lessons from ESIP project with stakeholders in Edo

    Apart from the MoU with the NBTI, the Amnesty Programme Small Business Support Desk, an initiative of the Coordinator of the Programme, Prof. Charles Dokubo, is to ensure that all graduates of Amnesty Programme vocational training centres trained on production of NAFDAC regulated products are registered for safety, efficacy, distribution and sale of their products.

    The Small Business Support Desk, headed by a Deputy Director, Mrs. Edotimi Olive, is to foster greater understanding of NAFDAC registration procedures, and also serve as a point of enquiry for clients on regulatory issues and assist in conducting Good Manufacturing Practice Inspection of Factories (GMPIF) to ensure that products are produced in accordance with international standards.

    Prof. Dokubo assured of his readiness to partner on technology incubation, especially in food production, when the management of the NBTI, led by the Director-General, Dr Mohammed Jubrin, visited his office.

    He said: “There is a necessity for us to work together to ensure we get those certifications that will enable people consume what we produce without getting to harm. I think there is a need for synergy between us because we do farming. If we go through the documents and understand everything, we will sit to have an MoU so that we can work directly with you…”

    Then, we will know all that it takes to set up other centres in the Niger Delta as most of the things we do will equally go to those centres to be accessed and evaluated to know if they are edible.”

    Dr. Jubrin also promised to quickly articulate a proposal for an MoU between the two agencies that will lead to quality food processing, production and manufacturing businesses.

  • Obaseki, others hail legacies of Michael Richard

    Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has celebrated the life and times of Dr. Michael Okhionkpamwonyi Richard, describing his contribution to road infrastructure in Nigeria and politics as “commendable”.

    The governor, who spoke at the funeral ceremony in Benin City, described the late Richard as a respected politician who worked for the development of the state, saying the deceased would be remembered for his noble legacies.

    National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said the late surveyor impacted on national development, helping to redefine road network in Nigeria.

    Read Also: Obaseki: Edo’s reformer at 60

    Oshiomhole urged the family and loved ones to continue with the deceased’s good legacies.

    Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu said a statesman talks about issues irrespective of party affiliation. He praised the deceased and comforted the family on their loss.

    Other dignitaries at the event were the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in 2016 Osagie Ize-Iyamu and Edo PDP Chairman Chief Dan Orbih.

     

  • TUC to employers: it will no longer be business as usual

    The new National President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Comrade Quadri Olaleye has said that for the trade union movement in the country to succeed in this new dispensation, it must be determined to tackle myriads of problems plaguing the labour movement and the nation at large.

    Olaleye who emerged President at the 11th triennial delegates conference of the Congress in Abuja at the weekend told employers of labour in the country that it will no longer be business as usual, but said his leadership was prepared to work in harmony with government and employers to ensure industrial peace in the country.

    He assured that the TUC will continue its collaboration with its sister Congress, the Nigeria Labour Congress to ensure that Nigerian workers are not denied their rights.

    While promising to run an open and transparent union, he stressed the need to reposition the labour centre in line with the dreams of the founding fathers, pointing out that being elected as President of the Congress was a dream come true.

    He said “I thank God Almighty for the grace he has given to me to see this memorable occasion in the history of my union. This is the first time my Association would clinch the position of the President of the Congress, in more than four (4) decades of its existence.

    Read Also: Minimum wage ‘ll give workers sense of belonging, says TUC

    “This opportunity came as a surprise to me after we have conceded for peace to reign. Indeed, it is God ordained! What we are witnessing today is more than just a change baton; it is also a call to service. Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, by this election, has just fulfilled the aspirations of the founding fathers of my great union -FOBTOB and has also chosen to reaffirm the confidence we have in the current leadership of this great Congress.

    “I want to mention here without mincing words that the task ahead is arduous. I am confident that with the help of Almighty God, we will surely succeed. Let me therefore reaffirm my commitment to work assiduously to pursue our planned programs and implement them with a high sense of responsibility, honesty and integrity and in line with the constitution of the congress, without undermining the collective efforts of other elected Officers.

    He however admonished his colleagues to be good ambassadors of the Congress, saying “the world of work has changed, our nation has changed, our union has changed and we must be ready to key into the change mantra without wavering.”

    Those elected alongside are Olaleye are Comrades Innocent Bola Audu of Association of Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, as 1st Deputy President, Oyinkan Olasanoye of Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) as 2nd Deputy President, Hygenius Chika Onuegbu of Petroleum and Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, as 3rd Deputy President.

    Others are; Comrades Muhammed Yunusa of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations, Government Owned Companies (SSASSCGOC) as National Treasurer, Isaac Egbugara of Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association, CCESSA, as Financial Secretary, Dr. Chris Okonkwo of Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, SSEA&AC as Auditor I, Dr. Obinna Ogbonna of Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professions, NUAHP, as Auditor II, Ambi Karu of Textile Union as Public Relations Officer, PRO, Dr. Benjamin Akintola as Trustee I, Dr. Adeyemi Ademola of Hotel and Personnel Services Union as Trustee II and Samuel Omaje of Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, ASSUS, as Trustee III.

    Also elected are: Comrades Shaibu Afisatu of ASCSN as Chairperson, TUC Women Commission while the immediate past president of Congress, Dr. Bobboi Bala Kaigama is an ex-Officio.

  • Don’t misquote Buratai, monarch urges Nigerians

    The Olowu of Owu Kuta, Osun State, Oba Adekunle Oyelude, has urged Nigerians to avoid making uncomplimentary remarks on the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, or quoting him out of context.

    In a statement he personally signed, Oba Oyelude, who described Buratai as gallant and patriotic, said he does not deserve public opprobrium thrown at him, and described the act as capable of demoralising the force on the field. According to him, Gen. Buratai has put up demonstrable leadership which is responsible for the success so far recorded in the battle against insurgency and terrorism.

    The statement reads: “It is high time Nigerians realised that military operations anywhere in the world require focus and absolute concentration. And in a situation where our soldiers are easily distracted by uncomplimentary remarks, the result is coming back to us.

    Read Also: Buratai treats troops to Dubar in Borno

    “No country can develop without peace. We should rather encourage our soldiers to bring us lasting peace. Nobody should be happy with the spread of crimes. And these security personnel are the ones to tackle the problem.” The monarch praised President Muhammadu Buhari for retaining the Services Chiefs in his second term, saying the president’s decision showed his confidence in their capability to achieve more results and leave the Armed Forces better than they met it.

    He said: “What is required at the moment is change of operational approach and not military leadership. Retaining the service chiefs did not come as a surprise because Buhari himself is a successful military tactician who knows the nitty-gritty involved in operations as those faced by the Army. Mr President knows the significance of continuity on this assignment. I am very happy at this development; it means we are moving close to the end of this insecurity.”

    Oba Oyelude, therefore, urged Buratai not to misplace the confidence reposed in him, but be stiffer in discipline where and when necessary.