The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • The Heritage Times names former NBA President Akpata African Legal Icon

    The Heritage Times names former NBA President Akpata African Legal Icon

    Senior Partner at Templars Law Firm and immediate past President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olumide Akpata, has been awarded the African Legal Icon by The Heritage Times.

    Akpata was presented with the African Legal Icon Award on Saturday at the first-ever African Heritage Concert & Awards (Afri-Heritage 23) which took place at the Kigali Marriot in Kigali, Republic of Rwanda.

    According to a communication by the organisers, Akpata was unanimously selected for special recognition and presented with the highly coveted award of African Legal Icon in recognition of his remarkable accomplishments as a legal practitioner, his genuine service to humanity and his positive contributions to the growth and advancement of the African continent with several other key landmark achievements when he served as NBA President.

    Akpata, a former Chairman of the NBA Section on Business Law, shot to national limelight in July 2020, when he defeated two highly respected Senior Advocates of Nigeria in a landslide victory to emerge the 30th President of the NBA, Nigeria’s foremost and oldest professional membership organisation and Africa’s most influential network of legal practitioners with almost 200,000 members and 128 branches. 

    He was the first non-SAN to do so in 30 years. Olu, as he is fondly addressed, then went ahead to serve the association creditably for a single two-year term as stipulated by the Association’s Constitution before handing over to his successor in August 2022.

    The Heritage Times, which organised the event, said the Afri-Heritage 23 is a platform “carefully intended to re-tell the African story through contemporary music performances and poetry” and to “appreciate those distinguished Africans who have projected the collective image and aspirations of the African people through their various works and profession, across diverse sectors and industries, whilst creating sustainable impact that uplifts others and the continent”.

    Other distinguished awardees on the night include Nigeria’s former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who was presented with the African Democracy and Peace Icon Award, and Botswana’s former President Seretse Khama Ian Khama, who bagged the Africa Philanthropist Award. Dr. Jewel Howard-Taylor, Vice President of Liberia, was also presented with the African Humanitarian Award, while Professor P. L. O. Lumumba, former Director of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, received the African Advancement Icon Award.

    Speaking while accepting the award, Akpata dedicated the award to his Partners at Templars Law Firm, all of whom agreed to let him take a sabbatical for two years to fully concentrate on the highly demanding job of NBA President.

  • Polls: FG cautions Obi against fanning insurrection

    Polls: FG cautions Obi against fanning insurrection

    The Federal Government has admonished the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party(LP) Peter Obi from inciting people to violence over the outcome of the Presidential elections.

    The Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed gave the admonition in Washington DC during his official engagements with some international media organisations.

    The Minister is in Washington to engage with international media organisations and Think-tanks on the just concluded 2023 polls

    The Minister had so far engaged respectively with the “Washington Post”, Voice of America, Associated Press and Foreign Policy Magazine.

    During the respective interactions with the media organisations, the Minister said it was wrong for Obi in one breadth to seek redress in court over the outcome of the polls and in other breadth inciting people to violence.

    “Obi and his Vice, Datti Ahmed cannot be threatening Nigerians that if the President-elect, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is sworn-in on May 29 , it will be the end of democracy in Nigeria.

    “This is treason. You cannot be inviting insurrection, and this is what they are doing.

    “Obi’s statement is that of a desperate person, he is not a democrat that he claimed to be.

    “A democrat should not believe in democracy only when he wins election,” he said.

    The Minister said in challenging the election results, there was no pathway to victory for either Obi and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    According to the Minister, both Obi and Atiku failed to meet the constitutional requirements to be declared as president.

    “The constitution has stringent criteria for anybody who want to be president of the country.

    “Not only must he has the plurality of vote cast in an election, he must also have scored one quarter of votes cast in at least 25 states.

    “Only the President elect met the criteria  by scoring 8.79 million votes and having one quarter of all the vote cast in 29 states of the federation,” he said.

    The Minister said Atiku who came second with 6.9 million votes was only able to make one quarter of votes cast in 21 states.

    He said Obi came third with 5.8 million votes but won only one quarter of votes cast in 15 states.

    “You cannot win election in a poll where you came a distant third position and failed to meet constitutional requirements.

    “Peter Obi, while complaining of fraud has not disown his victory in Lagos,” he said.

    Elaborating on his mission to the U.S., the minister said he was there to correct the negative narratives being promoted by naysayers and opposition on the election.

    He said the opposition, having lost in the election were alleging fraud, calling for its cancellation and constitution of interim government.

    “We have come here to balance that skewed narratives and to tell the world unambiguously that the just concluded general elections in Nigeria is the fairest, most transparent and authentic in the history of Nigeria.

    “The election is the most fair and credible because of the introduction of Bimodal Voters Verification System (BVAS) which I regard as a game changer.

    BVAS technology had helped to  weed out ghost and illegal voters, eliminate multiple voting and return sanity to the elections .

    Relying on INEC report, the minister said BVAS, during the polls worked 97 per cent giving unparalleled credibility to the elections. (NAN)

  • Navy rescues oil vessel hijacked by pirates

    Navy rescues oil vessel hijacked by pirates

    The Nigerian Navy (NN) said it intercepted and rescued a Motor Tanker (MT) MONJASA REFORMER hijacked by pirates around 144 nautical miles (nm) South-West of Pointe-Noire, Democratic Republic of Congo.

    The vessel with 16 crew members which was hijacked around 10:39 pm on March 25, while it was about 95nm off the Etame Terminal; was rescued adrift on the Island of Principe around 4 am on March 31.

    However, the hijackers were said to have disembarked the vessel and kidnapped six of the 16 crew members at the time the ship was intercepted.

    In a statement by Director Naval Information (DINFO), Commodore Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan noted that MT MONJASA REFORMER, a Dane-owned vessel registered in Liberia with IMO number 9255878 had been in the Gulf of Guinea waters since February 14, for petroleum products In related in trade.

    On the day of the hijack, he said the pirates used a skiff closed up and forcefully boarded the vessel, holding all crew members hostage.

    “Upon receipt of the incident which was conveyed to the Nigerian Navy by the West Africa Regional Maritime Security Centre (CRESMAO) in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, the Nigerian Navy swung into action. 

    “The Nigerian Navy surveillance infrastructure was used to search, locate and track the vessel despite the fact that the pirates disabled the Automatic Identification System (AIS) and communication set onboard.  

    “It is imperative to state that the hijacked vessel is registered in Liberia but owned by Danish Monjasa Chartering III DMCC. The vessel arrived the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) on 14 February 2023 following its departure from Amsterdam and had visited Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo and Gabon for petroleum product-related trade before her hijack.

    “It was observed that the pirates navigated the vessel northwards of the GoG passing Gabon and Cameroon on 28 and 29 March 2023 before heading to and arriving Sao Tome and Principe, off the Joint Development Zone on 30 March 2023. 

    “Commendably, the Nigerian Navy collaborated with the French Navy Ship, PREMIER-MAÎTRE L’HER, which was on patrol within the Gulf of Guinea (under the Coordinated Maritime Presence arrangement) and had sighted the hijacked vessel. 

    “As the vessel approached Nigeria maritime environment, the Nigerian Navy vectored her ship, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) GONGOLA to intercept MT MONJASA REFORMER and rescue the crew members held hostage. Accordingly, NNS GONGOLA intercepted the hijacked Tanker, MONJASA REFORMER, adrift 76nm off the Island of Principe. 

    “However, it was discovered that the pirates had disembarked with six crew members to an unknown destination while underway in the Sao Tome and Principe Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ),” he said.

  • Eunisell redeems N4bn commercial paper

    Eunisell redeems N4bn commercial paper

    Eunisell Limited has announced the successful redemption of its N4 billion Commercial Paper Series II Issuance Programme.

    In 2021, Eunisell registered an N10bn Commercial Paper Issuance Programme with FMDQ.

    Series I, which saw Eunisell raise N3.5 billion from the capital market, has since been repaid at maturity.

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    The Series I issuance witnessed a very strong investor rally with an oversubscription of 20 per cent, demonstrating investors’ confidence in the company’s business model and its management team.

    The Series II issuance, which was launched at N4bn in mid-2022, was also oversubscribed by 25 percent.

    Eunisell provides speciality chemical solutions across a wide range of industrial users, viz. food and beverage, can manufacturing, oil and gas, beauty and personal care, hygiene, etc. 

    Eunisell also offers engineering services in the oil & gas sector and is supported by a technical team that brings world class solutions to the markets they serve. 

    Group Managing Director of Eunisell Chika Ikenga thanked FMDQ, while acknowledging the strong trust and support the company has received from its numerous customers over the years and “appreciating the market for a resounding vote of confidence in the company’s sustained growth and performance in the various business lines.”

  • DJ Cuppy donates £100,000 to support African graduate students

    DJ Cuppy donates £100,000 to support African graduate students

    A popular disc jockey Florence Otedola has donated £100,000 in support of African Graduate students at the University of Oxford, England.

    The entertainer, who recently bagged yet another Master’s degree from the varsity, announced the launch of her partnership with the said institution, titled: ‘Cuppy Africa Oxford Fund’ on her social media pages.

    Cuppy explained her 10-year partnership with the University of Oxford, an initiative that meant a lot to her, is aimed at empowering future generations to come with the necessary skills, resources, and networks to maximise their impacts

    She said: “Proud to launch the Cuppy Africa Oxford Fund! I just graduated from Oxford_Uni and so this partnership means a lot to me…

    “This £100,000 gift is in support of African Graduate students. It aims to support future leaders from the continent by enabling them to access the necessary skills, resources, and networks to maximise their impact. Over the next 10 years, my hope is to support those in their education journeys and reach their full potential during their time at Oxford and beyond.”

  • Buhari celebrates Oshiomhole at 71

    Buhari celebrates Oshiomhole at 71

    President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated former Edo Governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on his 71st birthday.

    In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina,  Buhari lauded the former National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for his contributions to national development, particularly his role while leading the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).

    Hailing the Senators-elect’s exhibition of commitment and loyalty to democracy in the country, the President said the country owes him a debt of gratitude for always making the welfare of the ordinary worker his business.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari warmly extends felicitations to former Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who turns 71, April 4, 2023, highlighting the boldness of the political leader in advocating reforms and standing for the welfare of the people. 

    “The President congratulates the former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress for his loyalty, commitment to democracy and development, championing the cause of workers for eight years as President of the Nigerian Labour Congress before joining politics. 

    “President Buhari rejoices with the former party leader, who won his seat to the Senate, further revealing his zeal to serve the country in various capacities, after many years as an activist and labour leader, where he consistently pursued good governance, particularly in improving the livelihood of workers, which directly impacts on economic growth. 

    “As Oshiomhole clocks 71, the President believes the nation owes the former NLC president debt of gratitude for always drawing attention to the plight of workers, and fighting to ensure that policies reflect the reality of those on the last rung of the economic and political ladder.

    “President Buhari prays for the wellbeing of the former party chairman and his family,” the statement reads.

  • God my number one priority, Portable says after release from prison

    God my number one priority, Portable says after release from prison

    Popular street-hop artiste Portable has acknowledged the sovereignty of the Creator in his life, declaring God his foremost priority.

    The singer spent the weekend in a correctional facility after he was arrested on March 31 by operatives of the Ogun Police Command after the expiration of a 72-hour ultimatum slammed on him.

    He was then charged to court with alleged theft and assault charges.

    But on Monday, Chief Magistrate Aliyu Soneye of an Ifo Magistrate Court in Ifo Local Government Area (LGA) of Ogun State granted bail to the controversial singer, following his double arraignment and “not guilty” plea to separate charges filed against him by the Ogun State Police Command.

    The police brought the ‘Zazzu Zeh’ crooner before the court for two cases with charge numbers 192/c/ 2023 and 191/c/2023.

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    The three counts in suit 192/c/2023 bordered on assault, unruly behaviour and theft of musical equipment.

    Following his post bail post on Instagram which he captioned, “Alhamdulilahi” (Praise be to Allah), Portable in a more recent post on Tuesday, prayed fervently against his enemies and their plans to be brought to nought.

    He also prayed for the express release of whatever it was that was contending with his peace as well as more money and grace.

    Not forgetting his lovers, Portable appreciated them for being there urging them to get closer to God because He never disappoints.

    “God is my number 1 priority He didn’t say maybe… He said surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”, he said.

    “ZAzuu every evil plan of your enemies against you shall work against them, evil voice of those who trade words against your destiny shall be silenced forever Amin. 

    “Dear God please help me release what’s stealing my peace. Pray For money and Grace ….

    “Big Thanks to all my Lover’s out there una no go fall. God no go shame us. God Dey. Fear God. Get Close to God. My God no dey disappoint. I still stand Strong. IKA Of AFRICA.”

  • NDLEA, Customs sign MoU

    NDLEA, Customs sign MoU

    Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) and the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, Col. Hameed Ali (Retd) on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU to enhance the ongoing onslaught against illicit drugs in the country 

    This, both organisations, believed will inflict maximum loss on drug cartels bent on trafficking illicit substances at the detriment of Nigeria and Nigerians.

    Speaking at a brief ceremony at the NDLEA National Headquarters in Abuja, Gen. Marwa expressed his delight at the decision by the two government agencies to document their working relationship in an MoU.

    He said it would be of huge benefit to the country.

    He said “This is certainly a benchmark for information and or intelligence sharing. It is also a platform for sharing of operational and administrative experiences with a view to adopting best practices that work. With this united front, there can only be one assurance that the criminal elements in our society will definitely be the losers and I assure you that they will certainly lose big as we come for them to put them where they rightly belong and cripple their crime syndicates.

    “While there is no doubt as to the benefits that this MoU will provide to our two services and the nation at large, it is my hope that its successful execution and implementation will provide the necessary impetus for extension to other sister law enforcement agencies (LEAs) operating at our airports, seaports and land borders. On this basis, it is imperative to drive the implementation of the MoU to ensure that its objectives and derivable are achieved.

    “Therefore, on behalf of the NDLEA, I assure you of our commitment to this MoU and intend to provide all the necessary support required to drive the implementation process in order to ensure the realization of all accruable benefits. As it is usually said, together we stand and remain undefeatable.”

    While stating the great significance of the MoU, Marwa said the document contains a number of innovations that will encourage interpersonal relationship amongst the rank and file as well as at the various levels of command and administration of the two organizations.

     “It provides for joint training of personnel just as it makes provisions for regular meetings of command officers at various levels of our command structures. These are the meetings of Commanders/Comptrollers of the various relevant formations, at the relevant directorates/departments of the national headquarters and at the highest level of policy making between the Comptroller-General of Customs and my office, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, which is expected to take place at least twice a year.

    “The expected outcome of these series of interactions is to foster better understanding of the respective roles and mandates of our two organizations and how they complement one another in a mutually inclusive way. The ultimate objective is to dissolve suspicion, friction and general interagency rivalry that does not do our nation any good in terms of effectively securing the entry and exit points of our dear country. This will provide an effective defence line at our various ports of entry/exit to prevent the influx of offensive materials and substances that undermine our national security, and ensure that our national assets are not smuggled out to undermine our economic progress and stability.”

    The Customs Boss commended Gen. Marwa for the initiating the MoU as a notable committed leader all through his years in public service. 

    His words, “This MOU is sending a very strong signal to fighting crime. We believe that coming together shows commitment to saving this nation from drugs and other substances. I want to take this special opportunity to thank my senior for initiating this MOU. I must say something, he is a very committed person. It is not new to us in the uniform to see his strides, for those who have had the opportunity to serve with him. He is a game player and a game changer. When my attention was drawn to this initiative, I knew this was the Marwa trend. I thank him for initiating this event, and creating an avenue for us to synergize and come up with a veritable way for fighting drug abuse in this nation.

    “The essence of our being here has been underscored by my brother, but I want to reiterate that our coming together does not send a signal only to our nation but to the international partners, that we are committed to protecting our borders from illicit drugs. We have all along been doing this, finding drugs in the borders, but thank God the sole responsibility has been removed from us, and we had some relief. What we do now is that when we arrest the suspects, we hand them over to the NDLEA, where they will be pursued, investigated, and punished severely. The coming of Marwa has given us confidence that the suspects will be handled accordingly.”

    He expressed the commitment of the Nigerian Customs Service to the implementation of the MoU. 

    “We are indeed very grateful, to have been incorporated in this your thought and want to assure that the entire Customs will be behind this MOU. I want to believe that collaboration will make impact in reducing to the barest minimum the drug menace.”

    He said both NDLEA and the Customs must invest in technology to fight the drug menace.

    “Both of us must ensure we deploy technology as we go into this commitment, to fighting the drug menace. It is the key to success, as methods of concealment are numerous, with other illicit drugs put in pockets, shoes, and edible foods,” he said.

    END

    Photo caption 1: Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) exchanging copies of the signed MoU with the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, Col. Hameed Ali (Retd) at the NDLEA national headquarters Abuja on Tuesday 4th April 

    2: Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) and Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, Col. Hameed Ali (Retd) speaking during the signing of an MoU at the NDLEA national headquarters Abuja on Tuesday 4th April 

    3: Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) and Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, Col. Hameed Ali (Retd) flanked by management staff of both organisations after the signing of an MoU at the NDLEA national headquarters Abuja on Tuesday 4th April

  • Why I performed at Qatar 2022 World Cup after my son’s demise – Davido

    Why I performed at Qatar 2022 World Cup after my son’s demise – Davido

    Afrobeats singer Davido has opened up on his historic performance at Qatar 2022 World Cup closing ceremony despite the demise of his son, Ifeanyi Adeleke.

    According to him, the death of his son made him wonder if he should perform at the event.

    He said he decided to accept the ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ which he explained rarely came for singers.

    The singer wrote: “Crazy. This is like a year ago we did the FIFA draw which we performed the official theme song, and I think they had like 5, 6 official theme songs but that was like the first one. And uhm, you know the vibe was cool then but I didn’t really look at it like ‘oh they’re gonna call me back to do the World Cup’ or stuff like that”, he said.

    “And then later on, when it was getting closer to the World Cup, I think they started talking to my management like you know, yeah we want David to come down. But me I always thought like: is it the main one? Like is the main main one?’I didn’t even know it was like the main main main one till like a week to going to Qatar.

    “Then they sent like yeah, it’s the actual main event and we have to come a week before to rehearse — that’s like a month after my son passed.

    “So it was just like ah! Should I do it? But then I was like ah, this is an opportunity that might never come again, and people don’t even get it in their whole career. And I was like man, my son would probably want me to do it. I was like ‘okay, I think I’ll do this one, then probably just disappear again’

    “So we went to Qatar, got down. Bro, the production, it was like we haven’t done any work at all. Yo, that performance woke us up like whenever we get back to performing, we’re about to be doing some crazy stuff. Amazing experience.

    “Shoutout to the Qatari people, very loving people. Very loving, caring people. They took care of us the whole time. I feel like that was one of the best places I could have gone after what happened to me.”

  • NADIR appoints PRNigeria’s Head of Fact-Check Lawal Executive Secretary

    NADIR appoints PRNigeria’s Head of Fact-Check Lawal Executive Secretary

    The Head of Special Investigations and Fact-checking at PRNigeria, Mohammed Dahiru Lawal has been appointed Executive Secretary, Network of Advocates for Digital Reporting (NADIR).

    The designation, which takes immediate effect, is contained in a statement signed by NADIR’s Head of Information and ICT, Fom Gyem. 

    Gyem noted that the Board of Trustees and Directors were excitement about Dahiru’s appointment and are confident that he would perform diligently. 

    NADIR is a non-political organization that counters misinformation and fake news, promotes digital inclusion and fact-checking to enhance positive narratives and digital literace. 

    Dahiru, a journalist and fact-checker who was Campus Journalist of the Year in 2020, is expected to deploy a wealth of experience in the discharge of his new role. 

    With several fact-check and investigative reports, his “101 Fake News on EndSARS” book won the SABRE African PR Award in Tanzania, as well as IPRA Golden World Award 2022.

    Dahiru bagged the 2021 Best West African Fellow, Kwame Karikari; Premium Times Center for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) Research and Fact-checking Fellowship; Professor Ali Pantami Prize for Best Graduating Student in Digital Journalism at Bayero University Kano, etc.

    In June, the 2023 Mandela Washington Fellow will join his colleagues at the Presidential Precinct in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America.