The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Nasarawa: Drama as lawmaker shuns panel

    Nasarawa: Drama as lawmaker shuns panel

    There was drama at the sitting of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry probing the killing of security personnel in Nasarawa State on Friday.

    The drama followed the failure of a lawmaker representing Kokona West Constituency in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Danlandi Jatau, to appear and present his memorandum.

    Danladi’s counsel, Ovye Ezekiel Yusuf, had on Wednesday informed the commission that his client could not attend the sitting due to illness.

    The commission had granted his prayers for adjournment and fixed the hearing of the petition for Friday.

    But when the memorandum was called on Friday, Yusuf told the commission that his client was still indisposed.

    The lawyer added that he has the leave of his client to ask for a new date to present the memorandum or that the commission should cause his submission to be read and taken as his evidence before the panel.

    Counsel to the Hausa Community in Bassa District of Agwada Development Area in Kokona LGA, Yakubu Hassan, objected to the options.

    Hassan said the options given to the commission were untenable seeing that it is the lawmaker that is seeking the blessings of the panel.

    He said, “There is no prayer before the commission from the lawmaker to warrant the options he has given to the panel.

    “He cannot give the commission options because he is the one seeking the blessings of the commission.

    “But for the interest of substantial justice we will proffer a prayer and options for him.

    “We crave the indulgence of the commission to fix another date for the motion to be heard on merit considering his status in the community and as a lawmaker.

    “We believe his revelation will assist this commission to some extent. However, if the commission is mindful of time constraint, we have no other alternative than to take the second option which is to read the memorandum in his absence.”

     

     

  • Three sentenced to death for robbery in Ekiti

    An Ado-Ekiti High Court on Friday sentenced three men- Taiwo Hassan (39), Henry Okeke (30) and Oladimeji Olanrewaju (27) to death by hanging for armed robbery.

    Delivering the judgment, Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi, said the court found the convicts guilty of the two-count charge of conspiracy and armed robbery.

    “ I have carefully considered the evidences before this court by the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), the prosecution and the defence counsel.

    “ I hereby find the accused guilty of the charge of conspiracy and armed robbery as charged and hereby convict them thereof,” Ogunyemi said.

    The prosecutor, Mr. Oluwaseun Fasote, had earlier told the court that the men committed the offence on December7, 2010, on Ado-Afao Road, Ekiti.

    He said Hassan, Okeke and Olanrewaju robbed one Lateef Saka of his cell-phone, N360 as well as a Toyota Hummer bus marked XQ 987 BDG while armed with a gun.

    Fasote said the offences contravened sections 6(B) and 1(2) (a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provision) Act Cap R11 Volume 14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the first and third accused were represented by Mr. Ebenezer Adedeji while the second had Mr.Tosin Babalola as counsel.

    All the accused persons had earlier pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.

     

  • Nigeria’s revenues ‘tumble’ by 42%

    Nigeria’s revenues ‘tumble’ by 42%

    …Government blames oil theft, production outages

    Nigeria’s government revenues slumped by 42 percent in July due to oil theft and production outages, the accountant general said on Friday, underscoring how oil theft is damaging public finances this year.

    State revenues fell to 498 billion naira ($3 billion), the lowest monthly earnings this year and down from 863 billion naira in June, Reuters reports.

    Oil theft has cut government earnings in several months this year, and by more than last year, and July was particularly badly hit.

    Military in the restless Niger Delta said they are renewing efforts to catch oil thieves, while the Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, disclosed that she is reaching out to foreign governments to help stop the buying of Nigeria’s stolen oil.

    “This was due to continuous theft of crude oil, leakages, pipeline breaks at various terminals, compressor failure and repair work,” Accountant General Jonah Otunla told reporters.

     

     

  • IGP warns police on excessive use of force, arms

    IGP warns police on excessive use of force, arms

    The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, has warned all police personnel against excessive use of force and unjustifiable application of lethal weapons contrary to standing rules of engagement.

    He gave the warning in a circular addressed to all Zonal Assistant Inspectors General of Police, Command Commissioners of Police, Heads of Department and Formations across the country.

    Abubakar warned that officers who violated the rules of use of weapons would be punished, according to the circular a copy of which was made available to journalists on Friday

    The IGP urged officers and men of the force to be mindful of the constitutional rights of the citizenry, while performing their statutory duties.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Abubakar reminded the AIGs and CPs that the ban on road blocks subsists and should therefore ensure strict enforcement.

    He restated his commitment to reforming and returning the police to the path of professionalism in line with international best practices and the transformation agenda of the Federal Government.

    He also expressed the resolve to rid the force of all forms of corruption, and charged the personnel to desist from such practice.

    Abubakar enjoined them to abide by the Code of Conduct and Professional Standards for members of the force.

    He called on the X-Squad, an internal Police Department that monitors enforcement of discipline within the force, to step up its monitoring of the personnel to stem corrupt practices in the force.

     

     

  • Real Madrid ‘hooks’ dropped Eaglet

    Real Madrid ‘hooks’ dropped Eaglet

    Spanish giants Real Madrid has snapped up Abuchi Obinwa, a United States- born Nigerian, who was dropped by Golden Eaglets’ officials for failing the MRI test, futaa.com reports.

    The parents of the young Nigerian had sent him to the Nigeria Football Federation to undergo trials with the Eaglets, and according to reports, the youngster had dazzled the technical crew.

    However, some expressed doubts about his real age and the parents promptly shelled out about N100, 000 to have an MRI scan done on him.

    Obinwa reportedly failed the test, but is now heading to Real Madrid who had earlier expressed interest in him.

     

  • Oshiomhole vows to sign condemned inmates’ death warrants

    Oshiomhole vows to sign condemned inmates’ death warrants

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State said he would sign the death warrants of convicts who killed their victims.

    Oshiomhole gave this assurance in Benin on Thursday when members of the Conference of Non-Governmental Organisations (CONGOs) paid him a courtesy visit.

    “There are seven convicts whose cases are being reviewed. I will sign the death warrant of any of them, especially kidnappers, found to have killed any of their victims.

    “I believe that those who killed by the sword should also die by the sword, “the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the governor as saying during the visit.

    Oshiomhole said that signing convicts’ death warrants was a signal to other criminals that the state was a wrong place for criminal activities.

    He said the non-execution of convicted criminals in the last 15 to 20 years had not led to reduction in criminality in the state.

    He, however, said the government was proposing to the state legislature that if kidnappers released their victims unharmed and without raping them, such kidnappers should be given life imprisonment.

    Oshiomhole also said that if the need arose, the Edo Government would make law to protect the girl-child from underage marriage.

     

     

  • Israeli jets bomb Lebanon target

    Israeli jets have bombed a target south of Beirut a day after rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel, BBC reports.

    They targeted a “terror site” near the coastal town of Naameh, between Beirut and Sidon, the Israeli military said.

    The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) said one of its bases had been hit.

    But the group denied any involvement in Thursday’s rocket attack into Israel. Neither incident caused casualties or much damage.

    The Israeli military, in a statement, said its air force “targeted a terror site located between Beirut and Sidon in response to a barrage of four rockets launched at northern Israel yesterday.”

     

     

  • FG releases N250bn for 3rd quarter capital projects

    The Federal Ministry of Finance says it has released the sum of N250 billion for capital projects for the third quarter of the year 2013.
    A statement from Paul Nwabuikwu Special Adviser to the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance said the funds will be deployed to expedite the execution of key infrastructure, security and social projects captured in Budget 2013 “in line with the priorities set out by President Goodluck Jonathan.”
    With the release of this new capital project funds Paul Nwabuikwu noted that the “figure means that a total of N850 billion has so far been released for capital projects this year.”
    In addition he said “all the funds released have been cash-backed. It will be recalled that N400 billion and N200 billion respectively were released for capital projects in the first and second quarters of the year.”
    Nwabuikwu added that the “implementation of various capital projects across the country is ongoing and currently, utilization of the released funds for capital projects for this year stands at 71 per cent.”

  • Brief PDP NEC meeting shows unity among members, says Yuguda

    The Bauchi State Governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda has  maintained that the short period of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) meeting in Abuja showed that there was unity and all was well with the party.

    While many had expected a stormy NEC meeting  on Thursday, the meeting which was attended by President Goodluck Jonathan at the National secretariat of the party lasted less than one hour.

    The meeting ratified three items on the agenda.
    Speaking with State House correspondents after a meeting with President Jonathan, the Bauchi State governor said that the meeting was conducted peacefully.
    He said: “It went on very well, very short and straight to the point. It was just for the ratification of the date for the convention. That was all.

    On what to expect from the convention, he said “A lot of goodies. People were disturbed that it lasted for only 15 minutes. It shows that the family is together and that everybody is working  together.

    According to him, it was a sign of good things to come.

    “Oh, yes, we are now happy with one another. The family is together and if there was a problem, we would have stayed longer to solve it.” He stated

  • ASUU withdraws from negotiations with FG

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities on Thursday announced its disengagement from further negotiations with the Federal Government, over what it describes as the latter’s perceived insincerity in the 2009 agreement as well as the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) both parties signed in January last year.

    The union National President, Dr. Nassir Faggae Isa, said at a press briefing held at the University of Lagos on Thursday that the 2009 agreement and the MoU must first be honoured, even if ASUU feels the need to consider renegotiation with the government.

    The union had embarked on a total strike on July 2 over government‘s failure to honour the 2009 agreement.

    Faggae said, “Consequently, our members are left with no other choice than to prosecute this strike to its logical conclusion. ASUU members nationwide are saying this striker will not be suspended until and unless the government respects the 2009 agreement and makes concrete efforts to implement it in the best interest of the country.”

    According to him, during a meeting held between ASUU and the government representative on Monday, government declared that it neither had any motive to revitalize public universities through committed funding, nor was it ready to pay in full the accumulated Earned Academic Allowances between 2009 and 2013.