The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Ore residents get electricity after 20 years blackout

    Twenty years after Ore, the headquarters of Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, was disconnected for non-payment of electricity bills, the community and others in the council have been reconnected to the national grid.

    The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Klick Konnect Networks International Ltd, Mr. Alex Ajipe, who disclosed this through a letter to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, said the reconnection was made possible by the intervention of the governor.

    Ajipe facilitated the Ondo-Linyi Industrial Hub where several companies are situated.

    He said the conglomerate at Ore reconnected the communities as part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the companies.

    Read Also: Kebbi youths protest electricity blackout

    The letter said: “The most significant development is that we must thank you for your

    intervention. Ondo-Linyi Industrial Hub and their entire host community have just been electrified.

    “This is very significant to the host community, who has had no electricity for close to two decades. It is also significant to the Linyi investors, who had relied on self-generated, expensive sources to power their equipment.”

    Besides reconnection to the national grid, Ajipe said the presence of the Ondo-Linyi Industrial Hub in Ore has increased the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the government.

    Other CSR of the Ondo-Linyi Industrial Hub, he said, included the provision of transformers in order to ensure steady, stable electricity supply and provision of potable water.

  • Lions Club to build diabetes centre in Alimosho

    The new District Governor of Lions Club District 404B1, Bernard Oziegbe Eboreime has said the club will build a diabetes centre in Alimosho General Hospital, Ijegun Lagos.

    He made this known during his public presentation as the district governor of the club for 2019-2020, as well as fund-raise to help achieve the project.

    The event was held at Ikeja, Lagos. In attendance were the Ogun State Deputy Governor, Noimot Salako-Oyedele and the Secretary to Edo state Government, Osarodion Ogie, among others.

    Eboreime said the diabetes centre will cost N82m including equipment, adding that the project will be completed in a year and handed over to the people of Alimosho Local Government.

    “My priority is to build a diabetes centre for the people of Alimosho Local Government which is one of the biggest in Lagos State.”

    The immediate past District Governor, Lekan Babalola said, “I believe so much in the new district governor and I believe he will do better than me. For my own tenure, I will call it a successful tenure because we were able to achieve a lot. We were able to donate N400, 000 to children suffering from cancer at LUTH. We were able to feed a lot of people and also educate the people on how to take good care of their environment.”

  • Osun to begin bank account monitoring system

    Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola has ordered the commencement of the Bank Account Monitoring System (BAMS) for the day-to-day financial transactions of state-owned tertiary institutions.

    According to a statement by the Supervisor for Finance, Mr. Bola Oyebamiji, the governor had given a directive to all Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs) and local government councils to mainstream their accounts into the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and adhere to the TSA policy of the government.

    Oyebamiji, who said the order was part of efforts of the Oyetola administration to further sanitise the state’s financial sector, added that the move would make the state to be in tune with global best practices in financial and treasury management.

    He said Osun State is compliant with the TSA policy of the Federal Government.

    Said he: “The reform will also enhance effective transparent and accountable revenue management (among others) in accordance with the Strategic Public Sector Transformation Initiatives of the Federal Government as enshrined in Section 120 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

    Read Also: Oyetola to stimulate Osun economy

    “Having met stakeholders at different events regarding effective implementation of the TSA policy, I wish to inform all and sundry that Mr. Governor has also approved the final deployment, institutionalisation and immediate commencement of the usage of the Bank Account Monitoring System (BAMS) for day-to-day financial transactions across state-owned tertiary institutions in Osun, with particular reference to each institution’s peculiarities.

    “Consequently, all Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs) and local government councils have been directed to mainstream their accounts into the TSA and adhere strictly to the TSA policy of the state government.

    “All accounting officers, heads of non-ministerial agencies, parastatals, commissions, local government councils and heads of tertiary institutions in the state are hereby kindly requested to key-in to this policy and ensure full implementation of TSA.”

    Another statement by the Press Officer in the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Kingsley Omoyeni, noted that the Technical Assistant to the Governor on TSA, Mr. Adetona Adefokun, had embarked on training and sensitisation workshops for account officers in all state-owned tertiary institutions as well that of the MDAs and local government councils in preparation for the commencement of the Bank Account Monitoring System (BAMS).

  • Protesting varsity students attack Fayemi’s wife’s convoy

    Some yet-to-be identified students of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) yesterday allegedly attacked Ekiti State governor’s wife Erelu Bisi Fayemi’s convoy while returning from a tour of some local governments.

    The students allegedly barricaded the Oye-Ikole-Abuja highway to prevent the convoy from passing, to express their anger about poor power supply in the town.

    The students were said to have engaged the security operatives detailed with the governor’s wife in a clash. Some vehicles in the convoy, including that of the security operatives, were burnt and two pump rifles seized.

    The Nation learnt that Mrs. Fayemi was rescued and taken away in a commando-like manner in a marked white Hilux van for safety.

    She was taken away through Ayegbaju-Ekiti, with civil servants, journalists and policemen on her entourage severely injured.

    The students were said to have gone on the rampage a few hours after they had protested against incessant power outage.

    Read Also: UPDATED: Police kill FUOYE student, injure three during protest

    FUOYE students had gathered at 6:39am in front of the gates of the twin campuses of the institution in Oye and Ikole.

    It was gathered that they dispersed after a few hours and normalcy had returned on the campuses and their environs, but suddenly they allegedly regrouped.

    Police spokesman Caleb Ikechukwu confirmed the attack on the governor’s wife.

    He said the students protested in the morning and blocked the Ifaki-Ikole-Omuo highway, preventing free flow of traffic.

    “The students did not allow vehicles to move freely and they vandalised the property of Benin Electricity Distribution Company.

    “When the police went there to appeal to them, they resisted. The governor’s wife who went on local government tour ran into the barricade mounted on the road.

    “The students were reported to have been destroying cars and smashing the windscreens of vehicles.

    “We want to warn that the command won’t tolerate hooliganism under any guise. We want to assure the public that the police are on top of the situation and our people must go about their normal businesses”.

  • Why we revoked 26,000 hectares forest allocated to Ajimobi, by Oyo govt

    The Oyo State Government on Tuesday shed light on the revocation of 26,000-hectare forest land, which was allocated to former Governor Abiola Ajimobi during his administration.

    The Commissioner for the Environment and Natural Resources, Kehinde Ayoola, said it was reprehensible for anyone to take possession of forest land, knowing the importance of forest resources to the ecosystem, humanity and animals.

    Ayoola told reporters after the state Executive Council meeting that it was wrong to decapitate forest resources at a time many countries are planning to increase their forest resources and curb global warming.

    He noted that it was ungodly for anyone to cite agricultural production as basis for allocating forest land for personal use, especially where there is a vast arable land in the state for agriculture.

    Other commissioners at the briefing include Prof. Dahud Shangodoyin (Education) and Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun (Information and Mobilisation).

    Read Also: Oyo South: PDP floors Ajimobi at tribunal

    Ayoola described as mendacious and misguided responses by some elements of the immediate past administration that the forest lands were allocated to individuals to boost agriculture.

    He said: “You will recollect that yesterday, it was in the news that the Oyo State Government revoked the allocation of forest lands to individuals. About 20,000 hectares at Opara in Oke Ogun and 6,000 hectares in Gambari in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State.

    “It is to that fact that those elements have been saying that the allocations were made to boost agricultural production. But if anybody gets to these sites now, there is no agricultural production going on there and we want the public not to be misled.

    “We want to educate the public on why the government is so touched by this act of a prodigal. Forests are essential in the management of the ecology of our state in such a way that it assists in fighting global warming, which is a precursor of climate change.”

    “Forests help to clean the air; take off atmospheric carbon dioxide, which affects human, plant and animal life and refills it with the freshness of oxygen. Forests also contain plants with their roots which help to bind the soil together to ensure there is no erosion

    “So, to avoid ecology disaster; you need forests. Nations of the world look to preserve and increase the size of their forest resources, so it is actually antithetical to good living, antithetical to public-spiritedness and even ungodly for anybody to do anything that will reduce the size of our forests and to take such for themselves.

    “The Makinde administration is not only revoking the forests, but we are also taking steps to expand our forest resources.”

  • Will Buhari Surpass Buhari

    There verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, affirming the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari, has cleared the way for him to settle down to the business of governance without the distraction of a whining opposition. The testiness that had characterised his first 100 days in office can now be done away with while he takes unpleasant decisions that would reset Nigeria for the benefit of citizens.
    This assertion does not in any way suggest that President Buhari’s first term in office was of no benefit to Nigerians. Any impression that suggests that must have been borne out of relativity – this is in the sense that instead of comparing his administration against other governments that preceded his, President Buhari is being compared with President Buhari. Consequently, the second year of his first term was compared with his first year, the third year was compared against the preceding two and the fourth year was compared against the initial three. He has only himself to beat for the mere reason of the sixteen disastrous that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), now the opposition, gifted Nigerians.
    For instance, President Buhari inherited a Nigeria where roads in Abuja, the nation’s capital were sealed off because of Boko Haram’s attacks that involved successful bombing in the city; the same Abuja is now a place of tranquillity, people now think of bomb attacks only in terms of the north-east, mostly Borno state, which by the way now witnesses fewer bomb attack when the data is extrapolated for year on year rate of attacks.
    One can also point to the power sector where installed generating capacity has climbed to 13,427MW as against the less than 3,500MW that the government met on ground. Of course, because ingrained decay in the sector has made it difficult to achieve 24-hour electricity supply, people are scant to recall that they once grappled with day of no commercial electricity supply now that they enjoy 12 to 18 hours supply. Those six to – 12 hours of power cuts are sour grapes that relativity will not allow them swallow without complaining.
    Then there are the other acquired problems that are best typified by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) imbroglio. Ibrahim el-Zakzaky, IMN leader’s sons were killed under the Jonathan government yet his group’s angst is today directed against President Buhari’s government and those who do not have the benefit of facts are cheering the group on. The fortunate thing is that the IMN problem, like the other problems he inherited, has been contained.
    There have been several lifechanging social intervention programmes in the first term that are set to get even better. These projects have given some families sense of belonging for the first time ever. Those that had in the past believed that government was for the benefit of a select few now know that government has more responsibility to the vulnerable than it has to the strong.
    President Buhari’s second tenure, now assured with the Tribunal’s ruling, has now pitched him against himself. He must surpass the achievements recorded in his first tenure so that relativity will not again make people think he has not recorded much.
    The tasks at hand are straightforward. Mr. President must now ramp up the war against corruption. He can now ignore the perception that the war is lopsided so that he can go after those that had up till now taken on the status of untouchable because they claim to be in the opposition. This is the one strategy they have used to evade answering for their crimes of stealing the nation blind in the past.
    The diversification of the economy aimed at ending the dependency on crude oil must continue unhindered even though some people have remained critical of the trend because it is not giving them access to slush funds. They would rather that they the country continues to run on the business as usual model. But Mr. President must know that the duty falls to him to insist the right must be done.
    The same attitude must be extended to the ongoing infrastructural renewal. Nigerians must necessarily be weaned off the addiction to opulence and ostentatious living that does not leave room for savings and subsequent investment in infrastructure.
    Security, which has been President Buhari’s strong point, must be improved upon. The greatest drawback of his first tenure was the failure to go after identified sponsors and supporters of terrorists and the criminals that are trying to make life horrible for Nigerians. They had in the past describe efforts at making them give up support for terrorism by various names including alleging a clamp down on human rights amongst others, which they attribute to a desperation to be re-elected. But now that there is no election afoot, anyone caught facilitating the commission of acts of terror.
    The President equally have the burden of being firm with his appointees as many of them in the civil sector failed to provide the kind of dedication seen among the military chiefs in his first term. Some of his appointees were known to be openly working for the opposition thereby sabotaging the government and by extension the country.
    Thankfully, the Buhari that was re-elected has shown that he can deliver higher than what Nigerians expect of him. If his first term had built the foundation for Nigeria’s prosperity this second term will definitely see him putting the roof, icing on the cake, on this edifice of the new Nigeria that is emerging. Is a task that Nigerians can make more successful by discarding religious, ethnic, economic and political differences to support the man who has made it his life mission to surpass the achievements of his first term.
    Ajayi is a good governance crusader  and wrote from Abuja.

  • President mourns housekeeper of 30 years

    President Muhammadu Buhari has mourned the death of a man he called loyal and honest member of staff, Buhari Nalado Sandamu.

    The late Sandamu served the President and his family for more than 30 years.

    In a statement yesterday in Abuja by his Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the President said: “I have lost a good and honest caretaker.”

    President Buhari prayed for the repose of the soul of the former house keeper, who was popularly called “Commander”.

    Read Also: Buhari mourns Robert Mugabe

    “I have lost a prudent and a wonderful custodian who did so well taking care of my country home in Daura (Katsina State). May Allah bless his soul and give strength to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss, Ameen,” President Buhari added.

    The President also sent a delegation to the family of the bereaved in Sandamu Local Government Area of Katsina State, comprising the SSA, Domestic and Household Matters, Sarki Abba; Garba Shehu and State Chief of Protocol, Ambassador Lawal Kazaure.

    The President’s Housekeeper Saleh Yuguda was also on the delegation that visited the family of the bereaved.

    “Commander” died at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano, on Monday.

  • $1.2b email fraud: FBI combs Nigeria, France, Kenya, six others

    The United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Tuesday said it had completed a four-month investigation in nine countries, including Nigeria, over the loss of over $1.2 billion by Americans to cybercriminals.

    In Nigeria, the FBI said it carried out its investigation in collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    The anti-graft agency also announced that it recovered $169,850, N92 million and four exotic cars, among others, from 167 suspected ‘Yahoo Boys’ in a separate 30-day joint operation with the American security agency.

    The operation, tagged: Operation Re-wired was initiated following last month’s indictment of 77 Nigerians for alleged cybercrime in the U.S.

    Both agencies spoke at a joint media briefing in Lagos.

    EFCC Operations Director Mohammed Umar Abba said the EFCC/FBI joint operations in Nigeria began on August 12 and recorded “tremendous successes” that led to arrests, seizures and recoveries.

    Abba said: “It is instructive to note that from August 12 till date, the collaborative Operation Rewired coordinated by the EFCC in Nigeria …resulted in the arrest 167 Nigerians for alleged computer-related fraud.

    Read Also: ‘N650m fraud’: PDP chieftain is flight risk, EFCC tells court

    “We have also recovered from the arrested fraudsters the sum of $169,850 as well as N92 million.

    “Also, four exotic cars, plots of land in choice areas in Lagos and a property in Abuja were recovered during the EFCC-FBI collaborative operations.”

    The EFCC director noted that internet crimes have received a global attention and concern.

    He added: “There will be no hiding place for fraudsters. The EFCC will continue to partner the FBI and other international law enforcement agencies.”

    Abba explained that investigation on some of the 77 indicted Nigerians was at an advanced stage.

    FBI’s Legal Attaché at the United States Embassy, Mr Uche Ahamdi, explained how the $1.2 billion fraud occurred.

    He said: “In 2018, the IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Centre), that’s our global reporting internet fraud body, received 20,373 BEC (Business Email Compromise) complaints with losses of over $1.2 billion.”

    He noted that the FBI and its law enforcement partners in the US and abroad then implemented strategies to target and disrupt the scammers and their illicit actors.

    “The sweep ran from May 2019 to September 2019 with an uptake of focused law enforcement activity during a four-week period in the U.S, Nigeria, Ghana, Turkey, France, Italy, UK, Kenya and Malaysia.

    “The FBI-led operation involved in multiple U.S law enforcement partners, including the Internal Revenue Services (IRS), the U.S Secret Service, the U.S Postal Inspection Services, U.S Department of State Diplomatic Services and Homeland Security Investigation (HIS),” Ahamdi said.

    The goal of the operation, he added, was to “dismantle international fraudulent BEC transactions and pursue bad actors and organised criminal enterprises including money, mules that engage in BEC and fraud schemes that target and harm American businesses”.

    Ahamdi explained that the operation was largely successful with criminals being apprehended. But he declined to state the nationalities of the suspects.

    He said: “Wrong is wrong, even if everybody is doing it. It doesn’t matter who it is, whether it’s Nigerian, Moroccan, South African, Russian, American, a criminal is a criminal. So, we don’t categorise. We sweep them all up with the help of our international partners.

    “We have a plethora of nationalities who we look at; we don’t single out specific individuals or people or countries. If you break the law, you do the time. We do not categorise, we go after everybody.”

    Ahamdi said whether a suspected cybercriminal arrested in Nigeria would be extradited to face trial in the U.S or not would depend on the circumstances of the case.

    On August 22, a 252-count federal grand jury indicted 77 Nigerian nationals of participation in a massive conspiracy to steal millions of dollars through a variety of fraud schemes and launder the funds through a Los Angeles-based money laundering network.

    The indictment was unsealed after law enforcement authorities, led by the FBI, arrested 14 defendants across the United States, with 11 of those arrests taking place in the Los Angeles region.

  • Kidnappers of CMD to be caught soon, says Obaseki

    Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has assured that kidnappers of the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Prof. Sylvanus Okogbenin, would soon be captured.

    Prof. Okogbenin was abducted by gunmen at Ramat Park in Benin City while on his way to Benin Airport en route from Abuja.

    He spent seven days before he was released on September 4.

    Governor Obaseki said the state government would compensate the families of two police officers killed during the kidnap.

    Read Also: Obaseki lauds security operatives, as abducted ISTH CMD regains freedom

    The two officers, Sergeants Odion Jonathan Ajibola and Etinosa Erhuegbea, were orderlies of Prof. Okogbenin.

    Obaseki made the pledge when he visited the CMD at his residence in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of the state, adding that the compensation would come under the Edo State Government’s Insurance Scheme for the state security architecture codenamed, ‘Wabaizigan’.

    The governor said he would visit families of the deceased police officers and make adequate arrangements to ensure they are captured in the insurance scheme.

    He said security agencies were on the trail of the abductors having obtained useful information on their activities.

    Prof Okogbenin commended the state government, security agencies and the hospital community for their role in his rescue, adding that their support was helping him recover from the trauma.

  • Nine Oro members held for ‘attacking’ Muslims in Ogun

    Ogun State Police Command has arrested nine Oro adherents for allegedly unleashing violence on Muslims in Idi-Iroko area of Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State during the celebration of Oro festival.

    The Nation learnt the Oro adherents were said have levied curfew on the people in the Local Government on Saturday, restricting residents to their homes but the stay-in-order was defied by the Muslims; who went out to observe their prayers.

    It was learnt further that the Oro adherents were incensed on sighting some Muslims and Christians outside, attacked them for alleged noncompliance with the curfew during performance of the Oro ritual which was at day-break.

    The Nation gathered that the Muslims and Christians in area acting on the subsisting order of the state High court sitting in Ipokia which had in its judgement few years ago, held that the Oro adherents must desist from holding their festival in day time in any part of the area, had decided to go about their lawful movement but they were beaten by the Oro followers.

    Mr. Tolahat Yahya; one of the victims of the alleged attack, claimed the Oro adherents damaged his car during the festival.

    Read Also: ‘Mentally ill’ man held for ‘robbing bank’ in Kwara

    He said: “We were coming back from a programme held at our mosque when the Oro adherents attacked us. They beat us that we did not obey the curfew order .

    “We stood our ground and we ensure we grabbed three of them who we later handed over to the police.

    “The intimidation is too much, they refused to allow us practise our religion despite the agreement that the Oro ritual will not be performed in day-break, they did not obey that.”

    The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the attack on Muslims, said the suspected Oro adhetents have been arrested in connection with the incident.

    Oyeyemi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) gave the names of the Oro adherents as idowu Desu, Monday Akinlolu, Dele Dada, Raimi Jacob, Dondo Sunday, Abiola Azeez, Olarenwaju Akerele, Nurudeen Lawal and Tetede Jamiu.

    The police spokesman said the suspects would be charged to court for breach of peace and other criminal acts.