The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • 2023: ‘We didn’t sponsor campaign group’

    The Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has disclaimed a group that stormed the State secretariat of the party in Akure, on Thursday, canvassing support for the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, ahead of 2023. The group had stormed the state secretariat, with banners in a campaign tagged: ‘OSINBAJO 2023.’ It was led by one Bamise Akintomide. The party viewed the effort as “an avoidable distraction.”

    A statement by the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Comrade Alex Kalejaye, said, “The party wishes to firmly declare that it has no link whatsoever with the said group.” He contended that “the unusual campaign” was an embarrassment to the leaders of the party in the State.

    For the records, the group that could best be described as a non- governmental body, and looked a bit unorganised, only stormed the State secretariat of the party unannounced with their banners and other write-ups.

    “The party notes with deep concerns that a politically sophisticated state like Ondo knows better than engaging in premature campaigns for any election,” the statement read in part.

  • Arson: Man arrested over death of three family members in Kano

    The Kano State Police command on Saturday confirmed the arrest of a 25-year-old man, Salisu Idris, for allegedly setting a house ablaze, killing three occupants who are believed to be members of the same family.

    The incident occurred last Wednesday at Gayawa Tsohuwa village, Ungogo local government area of the state.

    Police Public Relations Officer of the command, DSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, who confirmed the arrest, said the victims included the father, the pregnant mother and their 2-year-old daughter.

    “After the incidence, the command’s commissioner of police, Ahmed lliyasu, raised all the tactical units, the area commander of the metro division and the DPO of Zango division and he gave them 24 hours to produce the perpetrators of the heinous act.

    They immediately swung into action. Using our community policing strategies we were able to trace, track and arrest one person by name Salisu Idris at mijinbir town,where he went to take cover at the local government area,” he said.

    Read Also: Cultism: Police arrest cultist for murder of final year student

    Responding to inquiries from reporters, the suspect confessed that he was hired on a promise of N200, 000 to carry out the act. Idris, a mobile phone seller, said he wanted to use the money to enroll into the Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano. “A friend of mine asked me to accompany him to the house. He asked me to come along with him that at the end of the operation he will give me N200, 000. We came around 2pm. And when we came we both climbed unto the building with petrol and immediately the fire was ignited I got caught up and burnt my hands and legs” he confessed.

  • Corruption is Nigeria’s war, says Shehu

    Deputy Secretary-General of Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Prof. Salisu Shehu, has identified unbridled corruption as the major factor militating against the country’s socio-economic and political development.

    Prof. Shehu, who chaired the 2019 Annual Symposium with Religious Leaders in the Northeast zone, organised by Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Studies (Mambayya House), Bayero University, Kano (BUK), in conjunction with MacArthur Foundation, lamented that the unbridled corruption in the country has deprived the common man the needed social amenities such as good roads, hospitals, schools, job creation and good governance.

    According to him, while countries like Iran and Iraq are ravaged by physical war, but enjoy adequate infrastructural amenities, Nigeria has been ravaged by systematic corruption which has permeated even into the circles of religious leaders.

    According to him, “Corruption is our own war. Corruption is the very war Nigeria is facing; because of corruption, there is no electricity, our hospitals are not functioning, our education system is in shambles. Iran and Iraq are ravaged by war, Nigeria is ravaged by corruption.”

    He also fingered corruption as the major reason why the war against insurgency in the Northeast has not yielded the desired results, pointing out that, “corruption has made the fight against insurgency almost impossible. So, we should do our best as religious leaders to stamp out corruption in the society.” He regretted the fact that corruption has become endemic in mosque and churches, noting that, “we should do something very quickly to fight corruption because religious leaders are the last resort and the light in the society.

    In his welcome address, the Director of Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Studies, Prof. Ismaila M. Zango, urged participants to engage their congregations and communities around them on the need to eradicate corruption for a better society. “In the nearest future, the fight against corruption will shift from government agencies to the people within the communities because through consistent awareness, people are getting to know the danger posed by corruption against the growth and development of the nation.”

  • Two drown in Ondo rivers

    A commercial motorcyclist identified as Idowu Akomolafe and one Abiodun Olomiye have reportedly drowned in two separate rivers at the weekend in Ondo State.

    Akomolafe was found dead in a stream at Ijoka area of Akure, the state capital, on Saturday morning, while Olomiye reportedly drowned when he went to swim in a river in Uso town, Owo Local Government on Friday evening. Eye witness said Akomolafe drowned during the heavy rainfall which caused flood in Ijoka area.

    The down pour was said to be too heavy following which the road was flooded and as the late Okada rider was trying to pass through the road he lost control of the motorcycle and was swept away by the raging flood.

    The source said, “The okada rider was swept away by the flood during the rainfall on Friday, it was on Saturday morning that his lifeless body was found by the road side.” Similarly, a police source in Uso said Olomiye went to swim in the river and could not come out of the river. “It was through the help of the local swimmers that his corpse was recovered after several hours of searching for him,” the source stated.

    When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Femi Joseph, confirmed the incidents and said investigation into the matter had commenced.

  • NYSC pays N1m insurance compensation to late Channels TV reporter, two others

    The National Youth Service Corps has paid one million insurance cover to the family of Precious Owolabi, the Channels Television reporter and serving corps member, who was shot dead during a bloody protest by members of Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) in Abuja in July. The scheme has also processed and paid the families of two corps members-Okanlawon Ibrahim and Ibisaki Amachree who died during the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

    Amachree was killed during the February 23, 2019 presidential election in Rivers State while Okanlawon died in a boat mishap in Ondo while serving as an ad hoc work deployed by the Independent National Electoral Commission during the House of Assembly elections. The NYSC, had in a letter dated July 30th and sighted by our reporter, directed the insurance company engaged by the federal government on behalf of the scheme to process one million insurance benefit to the next of kin of the late Owolabi.

    The insurance benefit was paid to Beracah Owolabi, the next of kin to the late Owolabi, by the insurance company on behalf of the NYSC. Beracah confirmed the payment of the amount to our reporter through telephone in Abuja. She said: “Yes they have made the payment to us. The payment was done in August.”

    Read Also: Patriotism, NYSC and ‘True Federalism’; ‘Victims Compensation Fund’

    However, a top source at the NYSC told our reporter that the Independent National Electoral Commission was yet to pay Okanlawon and Amichree their insurance benefits as stipulated in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) the scheme had with INEC. The source explained that INEC was supposed to provide a temporary insurance cover for corps members who served as ad hoc staff during elections. When our reporter contacted the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, INEC, Festus Okoye, last week Sunday to find out if the commission have processed any insurance benefit for the slain corps members, he promised to get back to the reporter on Tuesday.

    Also, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, in a Whatsapp message, only said: “The commission has an insurance package for the corps members serving as Ad-Hoc staff during elections and we have a history of responding compassionately when corps members or any ad-Hoc staff is injured or killed. Also, INEC sent a delegation led by Mr Patrick Uzoka, an Electoral Officer to condole with the family of Mrs Ibisaki Amachree who lost her life in Rivers State during the February 23 Presidential Election.”

  • Obaseki suspends another council boss

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has suspended the Chairman of Etsako East Local Government, Alhaji Aremiyau Momoh, for a period of two months over allegations of misappropriation of funds and low revenue profile.

    Last month, the Chairman of Etsako West Local Government, Mr. Yakson Musa, was suspended over alleged fraud in salary payment to ghost workers.

    The suspension of Momoh followed a petition signed by 10 councilors in which several fraudulent allegations were made against him.

    Among the allegations were that the suspended council boss claimed to spend N7m on Sallah gift whereas only N2m was spent and failure to remit N67m collected from trucks taking cement from BUA Cement.

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    In a related development, Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, has directed the immediate sack of the General Manager of Abia State Environmental Sanitation Agency (ASEPA), Mr Okechukwu Apugo.

    A release by the Commissioner of Information, Chief John Okiyi, said Apugo was sacked over poor sanitation situation in Umuahia, the state capital.

    According to Okiyi, the governor gave the directive while on project tour in the state after passing through Ochendo bypass road and saw heaps of refuse littered along the road.

    Ikpeazu also said he would, in the next four weeks, personally coordinate and supervise evacuation and disposal of refuse within the Aba metropolis.

  • 1,000 ghost workers exposed in Niger

    Over 1000 ghost workers have been exposed in Niger State following the verification conducted by a committee set up by the Niger State Government.

    Some of the civil servants in the state were also discovered to be collecting double salaries while further investigations showed whose names appear in the payment vouchers but are not in the nominal roll of the state government.

    The Chairman of the Committee on Civil Servants Salary Management and Verification, Engineer Ibrahim Mohammed Panti, revealed this to newsmen after the submission of the committee’s report to the state government.

    According to him, a lot of discrepancies and malpractices have been discovered in the payment of salaries while the committee is saving the government more than N100 million with the recent findings.

  • Kogi: Gunmen kill 24-year-old student

    Yet-to-be identified gunmen have allegedly killed a fresh student of the Department of Community Health, College of Health Sciences and Technology, Idah, Kogi State, Sule Moses.

    The 24-year old student was allegedly attacked and killed by the unknown gunmen on Thursday, at a private hostel, located behind the school.

    The college provost, Dr Nuhu Anyegeu, described the attack on the student as ‘inconceivable and shocking and called on the police to do a thorough investigation to bring the killers to justice.

    In a statement on Saturday, the provost expressed regret over the death of the deceased, who he described as “a promising young man.”

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    He appealed for calm and cooperation, particularly among the students of the institution, explaining that the incident was immediately reported at the Idah Police Station and that the deceased has since been buried in his home town in Dekina LGA of Kogi, amidst weeping and wailing by students of the institution.

    The Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), William Anya, however said he was not aware of the incidence, but promised to find out and get back to our reporter.

    As at the time of filing this report, the police spokesman was yet to get back to our reporter.

  • …Centre has no operational license – Police

    As the 300 persons evacuated from the Kaduna Islamic School were handed over to the state government, the police has said that, centre lacks operational license.

    Kaduna State Police Command spokesman, DSP Yakubu Sabo who confirmed the development in Kaduna yesterday evening, said the evacuated persons, including children would be reunited with their families by the state government.

    Some parents of the evacuated persons had on Friday protested against the raid of the Islamic center, where majority of its students were found in shackles.

    The parents equally demanded that the police release their children to them, claiming that, they took their children to the centre for correctional purpose.

    Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Sabo who reacted to the claims of the protesting parents that they took their children to the centre, said their claim does not matter to the law, but the fact that their children were dehumanized matters.

    He suspected that, the school asked some parents who were loyal to it for the protest to enable them get soft landing while facing the law.

    According him, “the children have been handed to the state government for reunion with their family, while the suspects arrested are undergoing investigation.

    Read Also: Buhari denounces Kaduna school of torture

    “Whether or not the patents were the ones who handed their children over to the Centre or not, there is limitation to what can be done to human being, even if you are the father.

    “According to law, even if the father subjects his child to an inhuman treatment, there is a level where he will be held liable for his action.

    “Besides, nobody is questioning whether the parents took their children there or not, what we are saying is that, inhuman treatment was meted out to these children, which is violation if their right as stated in the constitution.”

    On the authority of the centre, DSP Sabo said, “These people have no license to operate as well. The agencies of government that are supposed to supervise them are not put into consideration. As far as we know, they have not entered into any documents to show that they are licensed.

    “They are concurrently running both educational and correctional program which is supposed to be different institutions with different licenses. If you have license to give correctional program, that in itself does not give you order to do educational program and even if you are licensed, that does not give you a go ahead to dish out social maladjustment.

    “These are all issues that border having required manpower, skill to undergo this program. All these are not there.” He said.

    The PPRO however said that, the Command will soon complete investigation into the entire matter, after which the arrested operators of the centre will be charged to court.

  • Osun APC to Oyetola: You’re on threshold of distinguished governance

    The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has told Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, that he is on “the threshold of a distinguished career in governance “as he turns 65 today.

    Oyetola’s performance, according to the APC will not “only astound his friends and supporters, it will also confuse his political foes.”

    The party’s director of publicity, Kunle Oyatomi said in a congratulatory message in Osogbo, that   the governor has “a unique opportunity to transform the next decade of his life to one of exceptional service to the state and people of Osun.”

    According to him, “We have no doubts in our minds that this event which comes close to the first anniversary of your governorship, brings with it the good omen that our people desire

    “Regardless that protracted legal challenges considerably hindered your ability to devote full attention to governance, you still had time and the will power to address those urgent issues that impacted the lives of our people.

    Read Also: 10 facts about Osun State Governor Oyetola

    “Your efforts on healthcare infrastructure since you assume responsibility as governor have been remarkable.

    “You have also since then resurrected that cost efficient culture, (which predated our Independence), of fixing broken and failed sections of our roads before they become death traps.

    “You have also refurbished and opened up roads leading to towns, villages and communities that had for some time now been very difficult to access.

    “You have shown extraordinary compassion to civil servants, who might have been in some discomfort, but also for their understanding of your position

    “Above all, you have been spotted and recognized by the world for your commitment to opening access to our rural communities in which regard the French Ambassador to Nigeria came visiting the other day to pledge further assistance to the state.

    “From all of the above, we have no doubt that our governor is on the threshold of a distinguished career in governance that will astound friends and confute foes in the coming months and years.

    “So, by celebrating this birthday event with the state governor, the APC is not only making a statement of delight and confidence in the governor’s ability to govern exceptionally well.”