The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Rapper, Sky B, dies of heart attack

    By Agency Reporter

    Rapper, Sky B, is dead.

    He reportedly died of a heart attack on Tuesday morning at his residence in Owerri, Imo State.

    The artiste who was one of the 2007 rave was reportedly found unconscious and

    According to Instablog9ja, the artiste who came to limelight in 2007 was found unconscious in his house. And he was pronounced dead at the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri.

    Read Also: Gospel artiste pays homage to Abiola on Democracy Day

    He is remembered for his 2007 hit track ‘I’m Calling’.

    Other songs to his credit include ‘You Promised Not To Go’, ‘Pray For Me’ and ‘Here I Am.’

  • Trump Calls on Hillary Clinton to Enter Presidential Race

    By Agency Reporter

    President Donald Trump on Tuesday challenged Hillary Clinton to join the 2020 U.S. presidential race on condition that she gives an explanation regarding the notorious email scandal.

    The emails he refers to in his tweet are related to an FBI investigation into Clinton who used a private server and email accounts during her tenure as U.S. Secretary of State.

    Clinton was accused of culling out some 30,000 of her personal emails without following the correct National Archives procedures.

    The Clinton email saga, also known as emailgate, has followed Clinton for many years.

    Read Also: House subpoenas Pentagon, budget office in Trump impeachment inquiry

    In 2017, materials handed over to Judicial Watch by the State Department revealed examples of what appeared to be `pay-to-play’ politics.

    It was alleged that Clinton would receive generous donations to the Clinton Foundation from private and state donors in exchange for government appointments, policy positions, and government contracts.

    Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was President Trump’s principal rival in the 2016 presidential election.

    She lost to Trump despite winning the majority of the popular vote.

  • FG discovers 1,260 abandoned mining sites

    By Grace Obike Abuja

    The federal government has discovered about 1,260 abandoned mining sites in the country.

    The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite said about 25 sites have been receovered from 2007 since the programme started.

    The abandoned sites, he said, are useful sometimes because they form artificial lakes especially in dry season farming for those areas where they used to be.

    Adegbite also said they constitute dangers to people because in some places, vegetation grows over them and people get stuck when they mistakenly fall into them.

    The Minister said these on Tuesday in Abuja at the pre-event press briefing for the Nigerian Mining week, which commences next week.

    He said: “We will surpass what oil and gas is doing for Nigeria. If we get the work right, we will surpass the earnings from oil and gas. Mining is not an immediate thing and it needs a lot of inputs.

    “In the 60s, mining was the main thing of the Nigerian economy. At that time, we were very good on coal and tin mining from Jos and all that. Nigeria was recognised for that, for commodities but I think with the advent of oil and gas, a lot of people abandoned mines.

    “The ministry took cautious support and when they conducted inventories of abandoned mining sites, as of the last count, there was 1260 abandoned sites. Now, every year we make provision for the recovery of this mining sites, this mining sites are like a two exploit.

    “At times they are useful because they form artificial lakes, water gets collected in them and this water becomes useful especially in dry season farming for those areas where they use them. Stating that they also constitute dangers to people because in some places, vegetation has grown and you don’t know there is a hole there. If you fall into that, it is almost impossible to get out.

    Read Also: Tasks before Mines and Steel Development Minister

    “It’s a continuous process reclaiming this abandoned sites, because when they are recovered, they almost spoil soil base for farming and I think so far, the ministry has been able to recover 25 sites from 2007 that the programme started.

    “We have been able to get about 25 but in our budget every year, we also try to put money for reclaiming abandoned mining sites. We do get some money. We must say that 25 to 1260 is a far cry but it’s a start and we would continue on that,” Adegbite said.

    Nigeria’s Head Advisory/Mining Leader, Price Water Cooper (PwC) Mr. Cyril Azobu, informed that the event with theme: “Removing the roadblocks along the value chain: Setting the mining industry as a key driver for economic growth” is in continuation in the implementation of the road map by the new ministers, albeit with adjustments and enhancements made to certain aspects to ensure the targets that have been set therein are met.

    He said that no fewer than 1,200 mining experts, 180 mines and exploration companies and 24 countries are set to grace the conference.

  • UN Habitat, Lagos, others chart way to solve waste management challenges

    By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie

    The Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Sanwo-Olu said the state is poised to harness frontier technologies to achieve sustainable development, while mitigating their adverse economic, social and political consequences.

    He spoke at the World Habitat day in Lagos with the theme “Frontier technologies as innovative tool to transform waste to wealth”. The event was attended by professionals, officials of UN Habitat, members of the National Assembly, Commissioners, captains of industries and others. The governor who was represented by his Deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, said effective management of waste is now a global priority and must not be discountenanced.

    He said: “It is now important to view ‘waste’ as a valuable resources that can be turned to wealth, through technology. It offers the potential of better, cheaper, faster, scalable and easy to use solutions for everyday problems. This innovative approach will address all areas of the waste hierarchy; reduction, reuse, recycling, recovery and disposal. We believe that with innovative and technology driven waste management system, cities can resolve not only the challenges, but also create employment, promote growth, improve health and ecosystems which in turn contributes to happier, greener and healthier cities”.

    He regretted the strategic position of the state that serves as the economic and industrial hub which has according to him unfortunately resulted in the continuous migration of people seeking greener pastures. Sanwo-Olu said it has come with its attendant consequences on waste generation and management.

    The governor revealed that he is committed to ensure a cleaner and healthier environment, by re-energising the solid waste management sector and promoting the concept of reduce, reuse and recycle.

    He said they have further spread the gospel of ‘blue box initiative’ through the State waste management agency and introduced innovative community approach to waste management to strategically manage solid waste.

    UN-Habitat Executive Director, Maimunah Mohd Sharif said the yearly celebration affords the UN body an opportunity to think about how there can be real changes in cities and towns that people live in.

    He observed that as hubs of innovation and creativity, cities are the best place to come up with solutions, he pledged the preparedness of the agency to sustain urbanization. The Executive Director who was represented by Mr. Paul Okunlano from the Communication Department said this year’s theme can only come to reality if countries rethink the entire waste management cycle.

    According to him if this is achieved, nations will be able to resolve not only the challenges of inadequate waste management but also create employment, promote economic growth, improve public health, ecosystems and combat climate change.

    The greatest impact will come from changing the way we generate waste and reducing the amount that we produce, wastes can be reduced, reused and we can also recycle what we really do not need he added.

    He called for new materials that are biodegradable and recycled material that can replace raw materials for various applications. He advised that 3D printing can improve efficiency in manufacturing by reducing waste and can reuse waste plastics for the printing process.

    Read Also: Sanwo-Olu approves more courts for Lagos

    Guest Speaker, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele said frontier technologies can play a key role in innovating waste management by using new materials such as sustainable polymers in production to avoid waste generation but generate recyclable waste. He called for innovative partnerships such as formalizing ‘waste pickers’ organizations, relationship with local governments by giving them access to health care education and other services.

    Earlier, Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Idris salako said the theme of this year’s UN Habitat day is a clear indication that the world has not for once stopped devising strategies towards making life better for all noting that waste is an inevitable natural occurrence.

    He maintained that the state is aware of the degree or choice of management, mitigation and adaptation needed because the state is privileged with the benefit of hindsight to explore advanced technologies to effectively surmount the challenges.

    He further pledged the preparedness of the state to contribute frontier technologies to achieve sustainable waste management.

  • Two police sergeant, civilian abducted in Rivers

    By Rosemary Nwisi, Port Harcourt

    Two police sergeant and a civilian have been abducted by Sea pirates in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers state.

    The victims were said to be returning to Port Harcourt, the state capital early hours of Tuesday before they were ambushed on Andoni river and kidnapped.

    The incident reportedly happened between 6 and 8 am.

    Spokesman of the Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, a Deputy Superintendent of Police(DSP), who confirmed the incident, said the whereabouts of the victims were yet unknown but assured that the Police were on top of the situation.

    Read Also: Gunmen abduct 6 people in Adamawa

    ” I can confirm the news, it is a worrisome development, but man hunt has already been stages against the criminals, and I can assure the public that the victims will be released unhurt in no time.”

    A source from Andoni area, who broke the news, said: “Two police officers and a boat driver have been kidnapped on Andoni river this morning.

    “The boat laden with passengers was heading towards Port Harcourt before sea pirates ambushed them on top of the sea and disembarked other passengers, before taking away two police officer onboard and the boat driver to unknown destination.”

  • Okowa defends appointment of daughter as aide

    By Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

     

    Delta Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, Tuesday, said the choice of who becomes the next governor of Delta State in 2023 will be determined by God.

    He said although he expressed his personal view that the next governor of the state should come from Delta Central, stressing that ultimately the choice was beyond him.

    According to Okowa he cannot enforce views, adding that the most important factor is the need to ensure “unity and equity”.

    Okowa who spoke at a media quarterly briefing in Asaba said the PDP will continue to work towards achieving a situation that keeps the people United, realising that working together makes the party stronger.

    His words, “I am not God. I don’t make a Governor. Nobody makes a governor; it is only God that can make one. The important thing is we want to ensure there is unity and equity and we will continue to work towards achieving a situation that keeps us United as Deltans realising that working together makes us stronger as a people.”

    He dismissed insinuations that he appointed two of his daughters as an aide in his administration, stressing that only one of his daughters was given appointment

    His words, “It is not true that I have two of my daughter’s appointed. I have only one appointed and she is rightfully qualified. I do not have any daughter in social media. The one appointed for girl child education is rightfully qualified. I do not have any apologies for that because I know the quality of daughter that I have.”

    He said the huge debt profile of Delta State was not adversely affecting governance as his administration has devised smart approaches to tackling its indebtedness.

    He added that his administration was not piling debts for his successor as new contracts are planned to chime with expected receipts.

    Read Also: Okowa’s aide donates to schools in Delta

    He said Delta State had at October 2018 exited from payment of the bond taken by the previous administration by making a monthly payment of N1billion from 2015 to 2018,adding that with the restructured debt the state now pays a manageable N1.5 billion monthly.

    He said his administration “was planning its economic approaches in a manner that his successor will be debt free save for old restructured debts”.

    Okowa, however, admitted to taking short term loans for contracts that are financed through Irrevocable Standing Payment Orders (ISPO).

    He said the huge figures credited to Delta State are not the actual debts accumulated by the State, but includes both capital and the interest rates computed over a period.

  • Court fixes October 16 for alleged husband killer to open defence

    By Bolaji Ogundele, Abuja

    A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has fixed October 16, 2019, for Maryam Sanda, alleged husband killer, to open her defence.

    Sanda was charged to court by the police with culpable homicide, punishable by death, for allegedly killing her husband, Bilyaminu Ahmed Bello, son of former National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Haliru Bello.

    She was arraigned along with her mother, Maimuna Aliyu; brother, Aliyu Sanda and housemaid, Sadiya Aminu.

    The three accused were charged with concealment of evidence by cleaning the blood of the late Bilyaminu from the scene of the crime, were however discharged for the inability of the police to link them with the alleged crime.

    The presiding judge, Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court, sitting at Maitama, Abuja, had on April 4 ruled that Sanda had a case to answer in the culpable homicide case and subsequently ordered her to enter her defence.

    Read Also: Police arrest alleged killer of three family members in Kano

    The ruling followed the no-case submission filed by her counsel, Olusegun Jolaawo (SAN), and counsel for other defendants, Hussein Musa, after the prosecution closed its case.

    In proving their case against the defendants, the police called six witnesses to testify, including the late Bilyaminu’s friends and a member of the police investigation team, which investigated the alleged crime.

    In directing Sanda, who is the first defendant in the case, to enter her defence, the judge held that from the evidence of the prosecution witnesses, “a thick cloud seems to form around the case of the prosecution, making it impossible at this point of time for the other side not to be considered”.

    “The submissions of no-case to answer as it were in this particular situation is overruled. I call on the first defendant, Maryam Sanda, to enter her defence with respect to the offence of culpable homicide, punishable by death,” Justice Halilu held.

    It would be recalled that Justice Halilu had previously adjourned the case till May 6 and directed that it should be held on day by day trial unless otherwise directed by the court, but the case could not go on due to the absence of the judge, who was on election petition tribunal duties in Ogun State.

  • Obaseki suspends third council chairman for alleged fraud

    By Osagie Otabor, Benin

    Chairman of Esan West local government area, Hon Patrick Aguinede, has been suspended from office.

    Hon Aguinede is the third council chairman to be suspended from office within the last three months.

    Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Monday Osaigbovo, said Governor Obaseki has always warned them on his zero tolerance for corrupt practices.

    Osaigbovo said Aguinede was suspended for a period of two months to allow investigation into allegations made against him.

    He said one of the allegations was that an estate agent petitioned Aguinede that he bought a house for him for N30m and Aguinede refused to pay his agency fees.

    Read Also: Don’t sell Azura power plant, ex-aide tells Obaseki

    Osaigbovo said Aguinede was alleged not to have remitted complete money collected as Internally Generated Revenue.

    “The statistics he gave as the number of tricycles and motorcycles operating in Esan West is 3000.

    “If he collected N150 each from them, that amounts to N9m monthly but Aguinede was remitting only N4.5m.

    “The Governor always warned us that anybody caught would not only be sacked but be prosecuted.”

    Responding to the suspension, Aguinede said he has accepted it in good faith.

    Aguinede said the issue of buying a house for N30m was not a government matter because he was rich as far back as 1988.

    He said he would appear before any panel set up to investigate the allegations.

    Other council chairmen previously suspended were Alhaji Yakson Musa in Etsako West and Alhaji Aremiyau Momoh of Etsako East.

  • Angry retirees chase away Okowa’s Chief of Staff

    By Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

    The Chief of Staff to the Delta State Governor, Mr David Edebvie was Tuesday, shouted down and chased away following failed attempts to calm protesting retirees

    The protesting retirees had stormed Government House over alleged refusal of the state government to implement harmonization of their pension according to the N18, 000 minimum wage.

    While trying to speak on behalf of Okowa, the retirees rejected him, saying they were only interested in seeing the governor.

    He left after many failed attempt to get their attention.

    Several other functionaries including the Special Adviser on Labour and Servicom, Mike Okeme intervened but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

    The retirees under the aegis of Association of Contributory Retirees (ACR), are protesting the refusal of the State government to implement the harmonization of their pension according to the N18, 000 minimum wage.

    The over 100 retirees from the 25 L.G.A’s assembled at the gate of the Delta State Government House, Asaba to appeal for the immediate intervention of government.

    In the address issued by the Chairman of ACR, Comrade Agbaka Isaiah, he lamented that, despite the correction of the anomaly after dialogue with government for the past seven years, no changes have been made.

    According to Agbaka, “Our major problem is Government delay to correct the disadvantaged position we are placed by the use of obsolete N7, 500 to calculate our terminal benefit instead of N18, 000 which the retirees earned before they retired into the scheme”.

    Read Also: Be wary of pension fraudsters, Minister warns retirees

    He recalled that ever since the committee constituted by the state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, submitted their report as approved in principle at the State Exco, the interest aspect has not been implemented.

    “Your Excellency, upon your assumption of office in this second tenure, we were informed that you are setting up a committee to discuss the interest when the final report will be endorsed and implemented. We are becoming restive and worried about the delay in constituting the committee so as to conclude this age long issue,” he said.

    While Vice Chairman of ACR, Mr Anthony Osanekwu decried the situation, he mentioned that the issue warranted various pensioners across Delta to come for the protest.

    He maintained that the decision of the State government to pay them according to the N7,500 minimum wage is a breach of the pension law, stating that, we retired with the N18,000 minimum wage, and the law of pension say you should be paid based on salary which you retired.

    The retirees urged the State government threatened to bring their families to occupy Government House should government fail to address their grievances.

  • Dickson, PDP blackmailing Bayelsa traditional rulers, says APC

    By Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

    The Bayelsa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Tuesday accused the state Governor, Seriake Dickson, and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of blackmailing traditional rulers ahead of the November 16 governorship poll.

    APC said the governor and his party were desperately ambushing palaces of kings and traditional stools and coming out with reports that such revered institutions adopted their candidate for the forthcoming election.

    The Chairman of APC Contact, Reconciliation and Integration Committee, Chief Dikivie Ikiogha, in a statement in Yenagoa said the people of the state were taken aback when Dickson in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Fidelis Soriwei, claimed that the PDP candidate was endorsed by the Epie-Atissa monarch, King Malla Sasime and his Council of Chiefs.

    Ikiogha, who is also a member of the Epie and Atissa councils of Chiefs and member of Epie-Atissa Joint Council of Chiefs, said it amounted to desecration of traditional values for the governor to twist a normal traditional protocol in a courtesy visit to score cheap political points.

    He said Dickson and the PDP suddenly realized their failures in the state and the imminent harsh judgement reserved for them at the poll and resorted to outright lies and propaganda.

    Ikiogha said with the high level of disconnect between the people and Dickson’s government, no traditional institution apart from the council of Chiefs in Toru-Orua, Dickson’s community in Sagbama, would identify with the PDP’s candidate, Senator Douye Diri.

    He said following the reports of the adoption, he contacted his King, who denied endorsing Diri saying he only performed his traditional duties of giving his blessings to any visiting party candidate.

    Ikiogha said the council of Chiefs were angry at the report of purported endorsement and appealed to members of the public to disregard it.

    He further pointed out that even if the the council would go to the extreme of endorsing any candidate, the Epie-Atissa, would adopt the candidate of the APC, Chief David Lyon because he is a son of the king and a loved resident of the area.

    He said: “I am a member of the Epie Council of Chiefs and a member of Epie-Atissa Joint Council of Chiefs. I am a political leader in Epie-Atissa and being a member of the council of chief, I was supposed to be there when the governor visited the council of Chiefs. But I was unavoidably absent.

    Read Also: PDP cautions Bello, APC against ethnic politics

    “Nevertheless, it has never been in history that a courtesy call by a governor to a council of chiefs would amount to adoption. So, the Epie-Atissa never adopted the PDP candidate at all. When I got the information, I called the king because I know that this one would never happen.

    “I know that the APC candidate, David Lyon is a son to King Sasime. I wanted to know from the king and he said there was nothing like that. I asked the secretary of the council and he said there was nothing like that. They only received the governor and his team as the tradition demands.

    “Anybody contesting election in the state visits the palace to introduce themselves and tell them they are contesting election and the usual traditional matter is to bless the person. That was what was done.

    “But I have noticed that any traditional council Dickson visits, they come out with the short that the people have adopted their candidate. Dickson has not done well to attract adoption from any group of people”.