The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Boko Haram: Army continues onslaught against terrorists in N/East

    By Agency Reporter

    The Nigerian Army said that its troops had continued to hunt for fleeing Boko Haram insurgents and increased onslaught against them in Borno and other parts of the North East.

    The Nigerian Army Operations Media Coordinator, Col. Aminu Iliyasu, said this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
    Iliyasu said that the troops of Sector 3 Operation Lafiya Dole (OPLD) had recovered additional four AK47 Riffles and one Rocket Propelled Gun (RPG) Tube, one 60mm Commando Mortar.

    According to him, the troops also recovered one abandoned Gun Truck and one Motorcycle belonging to the fleeing Boko Haram criminals.

    He added that the troops deployed at Gubio successfully repelled a Boko Haram attack on their location and neutralised one of the terrorists.

    According to him, one AK47 Riffle, one magazine, one Very High Frequency (VHF) Radio, one mobile phone in addition to syringes/ample of injections were recovered during mop up operations.

    “Additionally, troops of 231 Battalion arrested one Boko Haram criminal suspect named Baana Zakari also known as Okocha at Biu main Motor Park.

    “Preliminary investigation reveals that the suspect acts as an informant to Boko Haram criminals within Bama general area.

    “Furthermore, troops of 231 Battalion in conjunction with of 331 Artillery Regiment and Vigilantes arrested another logistics supplier, Alhaji Lawan, also known as Caffenol at Maina Hari check point.

    “He was arrested while trying to cross with some consignments believed to be meant for the criminals.
    “Items recovered from the suspect include two jerricans of palm oil, two jerricans of vegetable oil, two cartons of biscuits, one carton of spaghetti and 30 packets of mosquito coils.

    “Suspect is already making useful confessions to interrogators,” he said.

    Iliyasu further disclosed that the Joint Tactical Team made a significant arrest of an Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) logistics supplier and courier.

    Read Also: ‘Hungry’ Boko Haram fighters surrender to Nigerian Army

    He said that preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect, Usman Yage, (Chadian) had maintained communication with Goni Jere, Abul Qaqa and Modu Sulum who are all top wanted Boko Haram/ISWAP commanders.

    According to him, investigations further revealed that the suspect used one of Goni Jere’s phone numbers to purchase vehicles and motor cycles spare parts for ISWAP.

    He added that the suspect was in possession of motorcycle spare parts and locally made smoke perfumes which were intended to be delivered to Goni Jere.

    The spokesperson further disclosed that army operations in other parts of the country had resulted in a number of arrests and recoveries in recent time.

    He also said that troops of 144 Battalion (Rear) under operation MESA had intercepted and arrested one Chinedu Mark in Abiriba in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia.

    He said that the suspect was in possession of a locally made pistol and two cartridges hidden in a polythene bag stuffed with garri.

    According to him, the suspect confessed that he was conveying the arms to three of his friends who are now at large.

    “Similarly, troops of 102 Guards Battalion arrested an imposter while on routine patrol along Jere–Katari–Kaduna–Abuja Expressway extorting money from motorists.

    “The suspect, Godspower Linus, was found with a fake Military ID Card, camouflage jungle hat, military belt and a motorcycle.

    “In addition, between Oct. 12 and 14, troops in the Niger Delta Region have intensified their operations against illegal oil bunkering, piracy, kidnapping, armed robbery and other sundry crimes.

    “During the period, the troops destroyed four identified illegal oil refining sites, 6 large metal storage tanks containing illegally refined Automated Gas Oil (AGO) and four large ground reservoirs.

    “Also recovered were 6,000 litres of stolen crude oil and 80,000 litres of refined products in plastic drums and Jerri cans as well as two vehicles and a motorcycle,” he said. (NAN)

  • Fix Aba roads, group appeals to Ikpeazu

    By Agency Reporter

    A group, Umu-Aba Connect, has called on Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to rehabilitate urban and rural roads in Aba as well as other dilapidated infrastructure within the city centre.

    The group, which consists of Aba indigenes from far and near, expressed concerns that continuous neglect of infrastructure by successive governments has brought untold hardship on citizens and businesses operating in the city, forcing many to abandon the foremost industrial capital for other cities in the country.

    In a statement by its publicity secretary, Ugochukwu Okpara, the group that Aba is gradually declining noting that “with huge amounts of waste dumped inside drainages and on walk-ways across the previously prosperous city, we are concerned that the situation may get worsened,” they said.

    The group said its members have received several calls from Aba residents, who have overwhelmed “our association with complaints and these complaints are tended to bring to attention these burning issues which the government seemingly have neglected. It is therefore in our position to embark on independent investigation, to verify and to make our findings open and public”.

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    The statement explained the group overwhelmingly supported the incumbent governor in the last election because of assurances that dilapidating roads and decaying infrastructure would be revived and Aba restored to its former glorious position, especially since the incumbent Governor is from Aba.

    “We are calling on his excellency the governor to immediately look into these issues concerning bad roads and incessant dumping of refuse all over the state. We are also using this medium to remind his Excellency that our massive support for him during his reelection was because we believed he will change things for better,” the group appealed.

    It listed roads that need immediate rehabilitation as: Eziuku Road, Osusu Road, Omuma Road, Cemetery Road, Ngwa Road, Teaching Hospital Road, Okigwe Road, Immaculate Road St. Eugene Street and Akalama Street.

  • Stakeholders advocate alternate healthcare funding

    By Moses Emorinken, Abuja

    Nigeria needs to begin to seek out alternative sources of funding for the health sector, especially in the area primary health, care which is at the epicenter of achieving the Universal Health Coverage for all.

    This was the focus of discussion for stakeholders in the health sector during a panel session by the development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) in collaboration with the Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health at Scale (PACFaH@scale) during a National Health dialogue by Premium Times in Abuja.

    According to them, there was an urgent need for Nigeria to begin to capture everyone, especially those in the informal sector in its health insurance scheme. The informal sector comprises of about 70% of the working population and contributes overwhelmingly to the GDP of the country.

    Explaining how Ghana leveraged domestic sources to fund universal health coverage through its health insurance scheme, the CEO of National Health Insurance Scheme of Ghana, Dr. Lydia Dsane-Selby, said that domestic funding through taxation played a pivotal role to the delivery health care to the majority of the population of the country.

    According to her: “Ghanaians were so agitated to get health coverage that it was easy for the government to introduce a small levy to pay for it, which was statutory earmarked.

    “The government put 2.5 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on all goods and services. Ghanaians were told that if they agreed to this, they will not have to pay in the hospitals, and the country agreed.
    “The Health Insurance law was passed. That levy accounts for 70 to 75 per cent of the funding. The rest funding comes from 2.5 per cent on the pension contributions of formal sector workers, which accounts for 20 per cent of our funding.

    “The rest comes from premiums from the informal sector. The premiums are not actually determined; it is a token just for people to have a sense of responsibility towards the scheme. The bulk of the funding for health is tax-based.”

    She added: “Currently, we have changed the law. It isn’t even a levy on VAT but a straight tax which has increased the funding, and Ghanaians have accepted it because they know they don’t have to pay at the point of service.”

    According to her, enforcement is usually a challenge to improve coverage, even in Ghana. To this extent, the Ghanaian government made it compulsory to have an active NHIS card before being admitted to school.

    “We have also leveraged mobile technology to help people renew their health insurance cards and also help us capture the number of people in the scheme; this way, we also know their demographical characteristics.

    “We need to find a way to make health a primary investment for our politicians and government. We must continue to demand this,” she said.

    On the issue of additional funds from the government for health care like the consolidated fund of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF), the Director, Department of Planning Research and Statistics Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Emmanuel Meribole said, “The Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is a global agenda that can be achieved through resource mobilization.

    “Apart from the 1% Consolidated funds of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), we also have funding from international donors. The BHCPF is basically for the vulnerable in the society being children, women, and the poor. It will ensure that people do not pay at the point of service.

    “The release of the consolidated funds started in 2018 and we are still pushing for a 100 per cent release of the funds because presently, we only have access to about 50% of it. We are also pushing for it to be made statutory as contained in the National Health Act (2014)”.

    In order for this additional revenue to reach PHC services efficiently, it is necessary that strategies are in place to ensure accountability between the different stakeholders responsible for implementing the BHCPF at national, state, local and facility levels.

    For the Director of the Department of Planning Research and Statistics of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Garba Bulama, “The main issue for Primary Health Care (PHC) is governance. We need the PHCs to be under one roof (board); for this to happen good governance is all too important to make sure that every level of government agencies work in sync. Once governance is fixed, 80 per cent of the problems with PHC will be solved.

    Read Also: ‘Closing healthcare funding gaps can save lives’

    “Bringing all PHC operations under one board is totally a function of good governance. If we don’t get this right, we will continue to have the same fragmentation, and our goal to achieve an effective PHC will not be achieved. This will also ensure discipline and management within the system.”

    The lead of the Universal Health Coverage of the AMREF Kenya, Dr. Beatrice Gatumia, also added: “We need to use alternative ways to capture and enroll citizens to health insurance because proper population documentation is usually a challenge. We need to leverage technology and also incorporate the culture of quality healthcare delivery in our PHC centres.”

    According to the Representative of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (Nipss), Rtd. Group Captain Mohammed Goni, “Funding for Universal Health Coverage involves not only the availability of more money for the health system, but also more health for the available money.

    “We have the challenges of what population to cover, what services to cover, what percentage of cost for health should be covered.

    “Our population statistics is a major challenge in determining funding for PHC; we don’t have adequate statistics for our demographic characteristics such as gender, age, number of pregnant women etc.

    “We have the challenge of who is to be covered when we talk about financing PHC in Nigeria. There is also the challenge of how to finance UHC and how to implement it.

    “We also have the challenge of raising funds for PHC in the presence of competing demands on national government; even developed countries cannot provide 100 per cent cover to 100 per cent of the population, for 100 per cent of the services, at 100 per cent of the cost. Therefore, raising revenues even for advanced economies is a challenge”.

  • Filmmaker tells IBB’s story in biopic film, ‘Badamosi’

    By Agency Reporter

    The story of former Nigerian military Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida popularly known as IBB, has been documented in a new biopic, ‘Badamosi: Portrait of a General’.

    The film, written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker, Obi Emelonye, explores Babangida’s story from childhood up to his run as the Head of State, also touching several key history points in Nigeria’s history.

    Babangida was Head of State from Aug. 27, 1985 to Aug. 26, 1993. He previously served as the Chief of Army Staff from January 1984 to August 1985.

    Wikipedia, the online dictionary describes him as a key player in most of the military coups in Nigeria (July 1966, February 1976, December 1983, August 1985) and notably moved the seat of power from Lagos to Abuja in 1991.

    In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, the filmmaker explained the inspiration behind the film and its importance in modern-day Nigeria.

    Emelonye said: “I decided to use the IBB story to explore our history and our political consciousness.

    “In a film, what creates drama is conflict. If you are such an easy-going, quiet person, nobody would want to make a film about you, which explains the hundreds of films made about Hitler.

    “It tells you that the more complex a character, the better their stories will be for film.

    “So we started looking for stories of Nigerian leaders that can be used to explore our history. The story of Babangida stood out,” he said.

    Emelonye also said that it was important to get Babangida’s authorisation and perspective while making the film to increase its authenticity.

    He said: “I wanted to make it authorised. I wanted his participation because that is what will make it more interesting.

    “This is because most stories are already in the public domain and there will be no point to make a film about it.

    “The only thing missing is his personal perspective, which we don’t have. For me, his participation was the determining and distinguishing factor,” he added.

    On the portrayal of Babangida in the film, Emelonye noted that in history, perspectives differ hence the need to document from Babangida’s perspective.

    He said: “Whatever came out as a persona of Babangida was a function of the information from news outlets.

    “What I did with this film was to dig deeper into the psyche of the man himself, to find his perspective to the things we already know in the public domain,” Emelonye said.

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    NAN reports that the trailer of the film, starring Eyinna Nwigwe in the lead titular role, has been sparking several conversations on social media as the premiere draws close.

    Some of the social media reactions to the trailer go thus: @Baudex said, “I hope they get the story right. Many of us still know how it all went and most of us who don’t have our parents to tell us. Getting the story right will determine the extent the film will go. This is portraying IBB as a hero.

    @Daisy said, “Finally we are telling our own stories and documenting our own history.

    @Stitchesandstones said, “This is welcome. If they remove history from the curriculum, art will help us remember.

    @Olabanle said, “Nollywood is finally listening and I am excited. There are stories in Nigerian history that need screen time and I applaud Obi Emelonye.

  • Two face trial for assaulting aunt

    By Agency Reporter

    The Police in Lagos on Friday charged two men, Emmanuel Udeme and John Samson, before an Ojo Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, for allegedly beating up their Aunt.
    The duo is standing trial on a two-count charge of conspiracy and assault in which they pleaded not guilty to the charges.
    The Prosecutor, Insp. Simon Uche, told the court that the defendants committed the offence on Oct. 13, at the Agric area of Ojo in Lagos.
    He said that following a misunderstanding the duo conspired to beat up their Aunty, one Comfort Sunday, who they were staying with, in one room apartment in Ojo.

    Read Also: Landlord allegedly defrauds tenant of N1.5m

    When given opportunity to speak by the Magistrate, Mr A. A. Adesanya, the defendants denied committing the assault.
    They however agreed that the complainant was the rightful owner of the premises and paid the rent.
    The Magistrate granted the defendants bail in the sum of N200,000 each, with two sureties each in like sum.
    The court ordered that the sureties must show evidence of tax clearance and must be blood relatives of the defendants.
    He adjourned the case until Dec. 11, for mention.
    The offences for which the defendants were changed contravened the provisions of Sections 170 and 409 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

  • Minimum Wage: Rep. commends FG, Labour for averting strike

    By Agency Reporter

    The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Compliance, Mr Dennis Idahosa, has commended the Federal Government and organised labour over the peaceful resolution on the full implementation of the new national minimum wage.

    Idahos, who gave the commendation in a statement on Friday in Benin on Friday said that strike would have further impacted negatively on the nation’s economy, were it not that it was averted.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the federal government and the labour unions finally sorted out the issues of consequential adjustment for other categories of workers after three days of meeting which ended early today.

    Under the agreement reached, the core civil servants on grade level 7 are to get (23.2 per cent) adjustment; grade level 8 (20 per cent); grade level 9 (19 per cent); grade levels 10 to14 (16 per cent); and grade levels 15 to 17, (14 per cent).

    Read Also: Fed Govt, Labour seal new minimum wage agreement

    President Muhammadu Buhari had on April 18, signed the new minimum wage act into law.

    Idahosa said that the peaceful resolution of the issues had further demonstrated that Nigeria could make headway when By challenges confronting the country were discussed on a round table.

    He said, “To me, this peaceful resolution has demonstrated the never give up spirit, the key actors were able to sit and find a way out of the logjam.”

    The lawmaker urged Nigerian workers to go about their normal duty of moving the country forward since the issues had been resolved.

    The chairman also said they needed not to worry about when the implementation of the minimum wage would commence.

    The lawmaker reiterated that the National Assembly (NASS) had always been willing to come out with policies that would not be detrimental to the welfare of the Nigerian workers.(NAN)

  • Kano convicts 5,000 traffic defaulters

    Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

    The Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA) has secured the conviction of over 5,000 traffic offenders within one month through the traffic offences Mobile Court.

    Briefing the executive members of Kano state Correspondent Chapel, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) who paid him a courtesy call in his office on Thursday, the Managing Director of the agency, Hon. Baffa Danagudi, said their offences ranged from wrong packing, reckless driving, receiving/making calls while driving, over-speeding, among other related traffic offences.

    Danagundi stated: “As a result of the measures we put in place, since I came in as the Managing Director of KAROTA, the rate of accidents within Kano metropolis has dropped by over 70 per cent.

    “This is no joke. This is not a fabricated data. The facts are there even in our hospitals.

    “When I visited some of the hospitals within the state, they confirmed this to me and I am very happy because this feat is due to the re-orientation of our staff who are now fully motivated to work for the interest of the people and our dear Kano state.”

    Read Also: Five ways to avoid contributing to traffic congestion

    He added: “To tell you that even the road users are now conscious of the traffic laws, by June this year for instance, we were getting about N5.5 million as fines from traffic offenders but in July, we were able to receive only N2 million as fines from traffic offenders—this is to tell you that the road users are now abiding by the traffic laws, rules and regulations.”

    Danagundi, who was the immediate-past Majority Leader in the Kano Assembly, said the agency is seeking to amend its laws “so as to incorporate community services as punishment for traffic offenders in the state.

    “You know, one of the challenges we face is that when you arrest some of these traffic offenders, they will tell you that they don’t have money.

    “KAROTA is not a revenue generation agency per se, what we are really after is for road users to maintain traffic laws.
    “So, we want to introduce this community services as a way of punishment so that when you say you don’t have money to pay your fine, you will be assigned to do a community service labour commiserate with the gravity of traffic offence you committed.”

  • Nigeria, China to collaborate on production of Nigerian-made transformers by 2020

    By Agency Reporter

    Nigeria is to work closely with China for the production of Nigerian-made transformers by 2020, a top ranking Nigerian official said on Thursday.

    Engr. Mohammed Haruna, the Executive Vice Chairman, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), who made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said that the aim of the partnership was to put an end to the power supply challenge in the country.

    According to him, the partnership with the Chinese government will witness the setting up of a factory in Nigeria for the production of transformers which will begin in 2020.

    He said that on that score, NASENI would look forward to launching made-in-Nigeria transformers soon.

    He said that the partnership would see more than 307.5 million dollars used to implement three main projects critical to addressing Nigeria’s power needs, namely: electric power transformer production as well as the establishment of both a High Voltage Testing Laboratory and the setting up of Solar cell Production Facility (phase one and phase 2.

    According to him, 60 Nigerian engineers and technicians are currently undergoing training in China to gain knowledge on transformer technology, production, installation, and maintainance.

    Read Also: Is Chinese investment a threat to Nigeria?

    “Let me first of all express gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari, our Chairman, and his government for supporting us, and for giving us the go-ahead to explore means that the country can profit from in its power predicament.

    “We are also grateful for the belief of government that for sustainable power supply in the country, the nation should be producing some components and pieces of equipment, as well as some machines needed in the power sector.

    “When we started in 2010, we went to China as a result of the open door and collaborative policy of the Chinese government, which introduced the Chinese African Development Fund (CADFund).

    “We started applying and followed the process for the approval under the former government of President Goodluck Jonathan who signed the agreement.

    “It was ratified, signed, and approved for continuation by the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “The agreement is to ensure that Nigeria is able to produce world-class power distribution transformers.

    “From its design to the material selection and production, to its installation, commission and maintenance.

    “As a result of that collaboration, we currently have 60 qualified engineers and technicians in China training to specialise in all the aspects of this production at the China Great Wall Industry Corporation.

    “The second component of this collaboration is high voltage technology because currently in Nigeria, it is only at the University of Lagos that has high voltage technology centre for testing equipment in the power sector.

    “The final component is, we are manufacturing solar modules in Karshi, but we import certain raw materials.

    “The most important raw material – the solar cells – are not produced in Nigeria.

    “The Chinese are providing this support, In fact, 85 per cent (or 261.4 million dollars) of the funds required for the three projects is being provided by the Chinese government through the CADFund.

    “These are what the collaboration is all about and it is very good for Nigeria because it will help us produce substantial components of local content in the power sector,” Haruna said.

    Haruna explained that Nigeria would contribute the 15 per cent (or 46.1 million dollars) balance of the total sum of more than 307.5 million dollars earmarked for the projects.

    He added that the Nigerian government had already started contributing its own share of the counterpart funds.

    “The project has already started. The training is according to the work plan because our system is such that the 60 trainees would be the ones to participate in the installation of the facilities in Nigeria.

    “They started training in September and the training is for various durations. While some people’s training would be for six months, some engineers would be trained for four months and some others for three months

    “We do not want the Chinese to come and do the installation for us; our own engineers would be trained adequately to come and do the installation for ease of sustainability and maintenance.

    “It is our hope that if things go as scheduled, depending of course on availability of funds from our own end, by February, March next year, machines would have started arriving.

    “We would not start producing by February/March because the factory itself will take two to three years to set up,” he said.

    (NAN)

  • Easy steps to check your national ID status

    By Eric Patrick

    If you have for long enrolled for the National Identity Card via NIMC, it is high time you confirmed your card is ready for collection.

    If the card is ready, you can check via an online platform. You can also check the status of your National ID Card. It will show you if it is ready for pick up or not and has been dispatched to an Activation Centre.

    Where to check the status of my National Identity Card?

    ==> Quickly visit the NIMC ID card Status checker HERE ==>> https://touch.nimc.gov.ng/

    ==> Click the green Proceed Button at the bottom to continue

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    ==> Fill in the form accordingly with your real First name, Last name and the Last 6 Digit of your Naitional Identification Number [NIN].

    ==> Hit the ‘Check Now’ button (this will take few seconds to load and then display the status of your NIMC card)

    You must be missing something big if you are yet to enroll for your National Identification Card.

    Please seize the opportunity to enroll and get yourself a copy by signing up on the NIMC Official Website.

  • Edo leads in teacher qualification – TRCN

    By Tony Akowe, Abuja

    The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has said that Edo state was leading other states of the federation in terms of teacher qualification and training.

    Registrar of the Council Prof. Josiah Ajiboye who disclosed this while speaking at the 2020 budget defence of the agency before the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education said six other states were not doing well in terms of teacher education.

    Prof. Ajiboye said the 31st December, 2019 deadline issued by Federal Government to phase-out quacks from the teaching profession in Nigeria remain sacrosanct.

    He however did not disclose publicly the states with large number of unqualified teachers, but stressed that the monitoring exercise to fish out unqualified teachers will begin in January 2020 across the country.

    He expressed confidence that the ongoing repositioning of the teaching profession will take teaching from normal scheme of service to a new level and will be able to give them their own specialized scheme of service where teachers will be motivated and able to enjoy the benefits of their services and ultimately be motivated to do better in the profession.

    Read Also: ‘Only registered teachers will be allowed in schools from next year’

    On efforts to improve the quality of teachers travelling outside the country, the Registrar said TRCN is a member of African Teaching Regulatory Authorities and also a member of the International Forum of Teaching Regulatory Authorities that regulate teaching in Africa and globally.

    The TRCN, he said has established cordial working relations with all Development Partners including UNESCO, MacArthur Foundation on teachers education and other training programmes.

    Chairman of the House committee, Hon. Julius Ihovbere applauded various initiatives and ingenuity of the Council, and harped on the need to improve its revenue generation drive.