The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Suspected hoodlums kill LG majority leader in Delta

    Suspected hoodlums on Tuesday allegedly killed the Majority leader of Sapele Local Government Legislative Arm, Chief Venture Kagbude along the busy Warri/Sapele Road in Delta State.

    Kagbude who is also the Chairman of Okirighre Community in Sapele was allegedly returning to Sapele where he had gone to inspect a house he was building for his mother at Okuoke along Warri road, when he ran into the gunmen at Okwadede, close to the Sapele/Warri main road, at about 5pm.

    The Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Onome Onovwakpoyeya could not be reached for comments but a source at the Sapele Police Area Command confirmed the incident.

    Read Also: Insecurity: Nigerians in Diaspora deplore killings, back state police

     

    A young lady who is a family relation to the late Community Chairman said Kagbude was killed by suspected assassins, saying that it was painful that hoodlums have been having their way along the Sapele/Warri road with full comfort without interruption from security agents.

    She said the late Chairman had always led the battle with the local government Chairman against cultism few months ago, and that she is sure his death must have come from there.

  • Australian researchers develop computer game to diagnose mental illness

    Researchers from Australia’s peak scientific body developed a computer game capable of helping diagnose mental health disorders.

    The game, developed by the Data61 team at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) presents users with two choices and tracks their behaviour as they respond.

    That data was then analysed by artificial neural networks that are able to distinguish the nuanced differences between healthy players and those with bipolar disorder or depression.

    It was tested on 101 participants, 34 with depression, 33 with bipolar disorder and 34 without either.

    Amir Dezfouli, the neuroscientist who led the study, said it represented a possible step-change in the emerging field of computational psychiatry.

    Read Also: ’90 per cent of suicide cases have traces of mental illness’

    “Currently, 69 per cent of bipolar patients are initially misdiagnosed and around one-third of these patients might remain misdiagnosed for 10 years or more,’’ he said in a media release on Wednesday.

    “If we can understand how the brain works, we can develop more accurate processes for diagnosis and more effective treatments for people with mental health disorders.

    “Characterising mental health disorders in granular detail could allow clinicians to develop more personalised treatment plans based on an individual’s unique diagnosis.’’

    (Xinhua/NAN)

  • Nigeria’s sovereignty and the exemplary leadership of the Nigerian Army

    The security architecture in Nigeria is such that it revolves around the operations of the Nigerian Army. I say this for the simple fact that since 2015, and with the advent of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian Army has indeed risen to the occasion in times too numerous to mention with innovations and operations that have always restored peace around the country.
    I am one of those in the school of thought that posits that, but for the present commitment of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, as well as the Chief of Army Staff, Nigeria would have disintegrated in line with the doomsday predictions of 2015. But the sheer commitment of these individuals altered the equation, and Nigeria is united today.
    I must add that in the annals of the country, there hasn’t been a time that the Nigerian Army has been stretched thin like this period, with operations running simultaneously across the country, including the Boko Haram/ISWAP conflict in North-East Nigeria. The truth is that one wonders how the Nigerian Army has been able to combine all of these operations of protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria without fail.
    It is, therefore, my considered opinion that one of the early gifts that President Muhammadu gave Nigerians was the choice of Service Chiefs who were mandated to hit the ground running in ensuring that the various security challenges facing the country are addressed. This is also on the heels that Nigeria was on the brinks and with a military that had been overwhelmed by the myriad of challenges confronting it, which was occasioned by the selfish and lackadaisical attitude of the then political and military authorities towards the unity of Nigeria.
    That period was indeed free for all endeavours that saw the misappropriation of funds meant for critical military operations as well as the welfare of the fighting troops in North-East Nigeria. So the consequent result was an upsurge in the activities of Boko Haram terrorists till they took control of over 16 local government areas in North-East Nigeria.
    We must agree that since the coming of the present administration and the operational strategies deployed by the various services of the Armed Forces, the security architecture in Nigeria indeed experienced a considerable facelift. Worthy of mention is the exploits of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, who has been described in various quarters as the war legend of our time due to the way and manner he has led the fighting troops in confronting the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist and other militant groups in Nigeria.
    It is indeed not an understatement to state that but for the efforts of the Nigerian Army, militant groups such as the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) would have caused maximum damage to the sovereignty of Nigeria. But again, the Nigerian Army under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai was able to nip in the bud their nefarious activities.
    The exploits of the Nigerian Army under Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai has never been in short supply. This also explains the encomium that has been showered on him from home and abroad for exemplary leadership in the operations of the Nigerian Army in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria. For example, the Nigerian Army was honoured with the Certificate of Professionalism by the International Human Rights Commission Geneva, Switzerland, jointly with the Committee of Foreign Observers, for its efforts at protecting Human Rights during the just concluded 2019 general elections in Nigeria.
    Again, sometime in 2017, the Chief of Army Staff was given the Presidential Award for Excellence for his determined war against the Boko Haram insurgents by the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM). Reading a citation at the award ceremony, the NIM stated that “In less than two years of Lt. Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai becoming the Army Chief of Staff, the tide has changed to much safer northeast and thereby restoring confidence in the Nigerian Army as a reliable agent for National Security.”
    “Many of the captured and deserted cities and towns were recovered and normalcy gradually restored. This rare feat could not have been possible without the intervention of Lt. Gen. Buratai, who, upon the assumption of duty, swiftly demonstrated his leadership skills and military prowess coupled with patriotic zeal, to tackle headlong, the nefarious activities of the insurgents, which threatened our national cohesion.”
    You must agree with me that the above citation aptly describes the level of life the Chief of Army Staff has been able to inject in the operations of the Nigerian Army since he assumed leadership. Would you consequently have been surprised by the fact that also, the Chief of Army Staff, was conferred with the highest military award in Brazil?
    The Brazilian military order of merit award, which is the highest military honour in the country, is awarded to military officers, who had distinguished themselves in various military endeavours. According to citation at the occasion, the award was in recognition of Buratia’s exemplary and world’s recognized leadership qualities and the Nigerian Army’s effort in the fight against terrorism and insurgency. And this is no fluke.
    The Nigerian Army has indeed risen to the occasion in the fight against terrorism. As such, it behoves on all well-meaning Nigerians to give it that support in its quest towards defeating the last evil standing, which is the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist group.
    I can go on non-stop on the exemplary leadership of the Nigerian Army in protecting the sovereignty of Nigeria. And in all of these, one thing stands out; the rare display of an unflinching commitment by the Chief of Army Staff towards protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria has been the magic wand. And if the truth must be told, if this has been the case before the advent of the present administration, the Boko Haram crisis would have been long over.
    Be that as it may, the leadership of the Nigerian Army has been able to reclaim the lost glory of the Nigerian Army and indeed sent many merchants of death hovering over Nigeria out of business. Those whose stock in trade is to cause ethnic and religious division in the country have also been sent out of business with the renewed commitment of the Nigerian Army in protecting the sovereignty of Nigeria.
    This is indeed commendable, and it consequently behoves on those holding sensitive positions of authority in Nigeria to take a cue from the exemplary leadership as exhibited by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai. Nigeria shall be indeed great again.
    Okpabi wrote from the New Nile University, Abuja.

  • Gunmen attack army general’s house, kill guard

    Malual Ayom Dor, the former deputy military chief for administration, said that his residence at Hai Nyakuron West in Juba was attacked by unknown gunmen on Sunday evening.
    Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday, Lieutenant General Malual Ayom said his security guard, Garang Deng, who was posted outside the residence was killed when unknown assailants opened fire outside the house, adding the attackers also took phones from his nephew.

    “The incident occurred when the security guard and my nephew Ayom Lueth were returning home from my late brother’s house where they normally have dinner,” he said.

    “When the two people were coming home, two armed men in plain clothes emerged from the gate and asked my nephew who was ahead to kneel down, so after they asked my nephew to surrender his wallet and phones, they shot Garang when he appeared,” he added.

    Read Also: Unknown gunmen attack Ebonyi community kill 10 persons

    The security guard was rushed to Juba Military Hospital after being shot but died on Monday while being treated, he said.

    The South Sudanese army general pointed out that he was not present when the incident took place. “I left Juba for Nairobi on Sunday, but I will go back to Juba to attend the funeral,” he said.

    Malual pointed out that the motive of the attack that left his security guard dead remains unclear.

  • LG Chairman pays WAEC/NECO fees for 500 students in Nasarawa

    Alh. Abdulrahman Maigoro, Chairman, Keffi Local Government area of Nasarawa State, has paid the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) fees for 500 secondary schools students from the council area.

    Maigoro disclosed this on Tuesday during the independence anniversary and inter-primary schools march past and quiz competition, organised by the council in Keffi.

    He said that the gesture was aimed at reducing the burden of school fees on the parents of the affected students and improving the standard of education in the area and the state at large.

    The chairman said that he decided to organise the independence anniversary celebration, considering the importance of the day in the life of the country.

    “The political independence by our country on Oct. 1, 1960 was a result of many years of struggle by the people of Nigeria against the colonial rule.

    “Those heroes who made sacrifices and got imprisoned in order that this country might be independent should not be forgotten,” he said.

    Read Also: Sokoto releases N300m for WAEC, NECO exams fees

    Maigoro also disclosed that he had enrolled 8,000 pupils into various primary schools towards achieving basic education and for the overall development of the council area.

    “We also purchased and distributed school uniforms and other materials to pupils to reduce the sufferings of parents, most of whom are less-privileged.

    “It may also interest you to know that considering the cries of most of our students and parents, my administration also registered and paid WAEC/NECO, NABTEB and JAMB fees for over 500 students.

    “I, therefore, want to appeal to the beneficiaries and other students to take their studies seriously in order for them to excel in their academic pursuit,” he said.

    The chairman advised parents and guardians to see education as the only investment that they should give to their children.

    Earlier, the Education Secretary of the council, Mr Emmanuel Barau, lauded the chairman for his efforts at improving the standard of education in the area.

    He called on the political class and other stakeholders to join hands with the chairman towards providing an enabling environment for teaching and learning.

    (NAN)

  • Benin Enterprise Park Mgt rolls out plan for infrastructure, power, others

    The Benin Enterprise Park Limited has rolled out plans to build the needed infrastructure, including roads, industrial plots, gas-fired power plant, water system and modularised accommodation, among others, on 93 out of the 997 hectares of its premises in the first phase development of the park.

    The park is among the big-ticket projects of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration in Edo State and is expected to drive industrialisation in the state.

    The company said “it is in the process of developing the 997 hectares Benin Enterprise Park (BEP) which is located in Edo State, Nigeria. The first phase of the BEP occupies a footprint of 93 hectares and is the subject of this request for expression of interest by prospective Engineering, Procurement Construction (EPC) contractors.

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    “BEPL intends to hire the service of one or more engineering, procurement and construction companies (the “EPC Contractors”) with experience in delivering large scale complex projects.”

    The management of the company said the appointed EPC Contractors will be responsible for the primary infrastructure at the park, to include: “Roadworks; storm water drainage; borehole water supply; domestic sewage collection and treatment; power distribution at 11 and 0.4 kV; street lighting; cable conduit system for ELV (Extra Low Voltage); and boundary wall and fences.

    It added that the EPC contractors will also carry out works on “power generation to include: 40MW gas-fired open cycle power plant; 6km gas spur line; hot tap into gas trunkline; and PRMS (Pressure Reducing and Metering Station).

    There will also be the development of industrial plots to include the construction of industrial buildings with a combined footprint of circa 30 hectares as well as temporary accommodation units, including modularised accommodation units for up to 500 personnel.

  • French ex-president Sarkozy to face campaign finance trial

    A French court on Tuesday ordered Nicolas Sarkozy to stand trial for illicit campaign financing, adding to the ex-president’s legal woes as he also prepares to answer charges of exerting pressure on a judge.

    Sarkozy, 64, lost his final appeal to France’s highest criminal court, and risks a year in prison and a fine of 3,750 euros ($4,085) if found guilty.

    The ruling came the same day as another court ordered a trial for ex-prime minister Edouard Balladur on charges of campaign finance violations in an unrelated case.

    Sarkozy is not the country’s first former president to be prosecuted — Jacques Chirac, who died last week, was given a two-year suspended sentence in 2011 for embezzlement and misuse of public funds during his time as mayor of Paris.

    Prosecutors say Sarkozy spent nearly 43 million euros ($40 million) on his failed 2012 re-election bid — almost double the legal limit of 22.5 million euros — using fake invoices.

    He has said he was unaware of the fraud by executives at the public relations firm Bygmalion, who are among 13 others being pursued in the case.

    Sarkozy’s lawyer Emmanuel Piwnica called the appeals court ruling a “disappointment”.

    Since losing the election to the Socialist Party’s Francois Hollande and leaving office, Sarkozy has fought a barrage of corruption and campaign financing charges, all of which he rejects.

    The former Republican party leader faces another trial on charges of corruption and influence peddling over his alleged attempts to try to get information from a judge about an investigation focused on him.

    And he has been charged over accusations he accepted millions of euros from the late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi towards his first presidential campaign in 2007.

    – ‘Disappointment’ –

    Sarkozy will face a standard criminal court, while Balladur, 90, will be tried by the Court of Justice of the Republic, a tribunal set up to hear cases of ministerial misconduct.

    The court has no jurisdiction over heads of state, except in treason cases.

    Balladur and former defence minister Francois Leotard, 77, were charged in 2017 with “complicity in misuse of corporate assets” over the sale of submarines to Pakistan and frigates to Saudi Arabia when Balladur was prime minister, from 1993 to 1995.

    Read Also Ex- French President Sarkozy to face trial for corruption

    The kickbacks are estimated at some 13 million francs (almost two million euros in today’s money), which are suspected of including a cash donation to Balladur’s 1995 presidential campaign of a little over 10 million francs, prosecutor Francois Molins said in a statement.

    Balladur also has to answer to a charge that he concealed the crimes.

    The claims came to light during an investigation into a 2002 bombing in Karachi, Pakistan, which targeted a bus transporting French engineers.

    Fifteen people were killed, including 11 engineers working on the submarine contract.

    The Al-Qaeda terror network was initially suspected of the attack, but the focus later shifted to the arms deal as investigators considered whether the bombing may have been revenge for the non-payment of promised bribes after Chirac pipped Balladur in the vote and cancelled the payment of commissions.

    Balladur’s lawyers said Tuesday that he was “confident” he would be cleared of any wrongdoing, “given that he never committed any of the acts of which he is accused.”

    Six others facing trial in the case include Balladur’s campaign manager Nicolas Bazire; Thierry Gaubert, who worked for Sarkozy, who was budget minister at the time; and a Franco-Lebanese middleman, Ziad Takieddine.

    They will go on trial this month in a Paris criminal court.

    Other senior French politicians charged with financial misconduct include the former prime ministers Francois Fillon and Alain Juppe.

    Fillon crashed out of the running for the presidency in 2017 after being charged with using public funds to pay his wife for a fake job as his assistant.

    Juppe, a prime minister under Chirac, was given a suspended jail sentence in 2004 over a party funding scandal.

    On Monday, ex-justice minister Jean-Jacques Urvoas was given a suspended month-long sentence for passing on secret details of a tax fraud and corruption investigation to the politician targeted, the rightwing MP Thierry Solere.

  • Buhari joins dignitaries to mark Independence Anniversary

    President Muhammadu Buhari joined hundreds of dignitaries to mark Nigeria’s 59th Independence Anniversary at the forecourt of the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was the first independence celebration in the second tenure of the Buhari administration.

    Buhari, who appeared in blue traditional attire with a blue cap to match, inspected a quarter guard before marching to the presidential villa’s forecourt to receive national salute.

    The salute was followed by renditions of the national anthem, staging of the conduct of change of guards parade, silent drill and special displays.

    The ceremony was followed by band displays and 21 gun salute and inspection of the quarter guard.

    There was also presidential change of guard from 177 Guard Battalion to 7th Battalion of the Guards Brigade.

    Buhari later signed the anniversary register and released 59 pigeons from a cage.

    The president cut the anniversary cake, assisted by Vice-President Yemi OsinbajPresident Muhammadu Buhari joined hundreds of dignitaries to mark Nigeria’s 59th Independence Anniversary at the forecourt of the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was the first independence celebration in the second tenure of the Buhari administration.

    Buhari, who appeared in blue traditional attire with a blue cap to match, inspected a quarter guard before marching to the presidential villa’s forecourt to receive national salute.

    The salute was followed by renditions of the national anthem, staging of the conduct of change of guards parade, silent drill and special displays.

    The ceremony was followed by band displays and 21 gun salute and inspection of the quarter guard.

    There was also presidential change of guard from 177 Guard Battalion to 7th Battalion of the Guards Brigade.

    Read Also: Magu, mayor join Nigerians on Independence Day parade in New York

    Buhari later signed the anniversary register and released 59 pigeons from a cage.
    The president cut the anniversary cake, assisted by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmed Lawal, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

    A former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, former Vice-President Namadi Sambo and a former Chief of Staff Supreme Headquarters, retired Gen. Oladipo Diya and the APC National Chairman, Mr Adams Oshiomhole were among personalities at the event.

    Ministers, heads of security agencies, including service chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu, traditional and religious leaders were also in attendance.

    Buhari had earlier addressed the nation in a broadcast as part of activities to mark the Independence Anniversary. (NAN)o, Senate President Ahmed Lawal, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

    A former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, former Vice-President Namadi Sambo and a former Chief of Staff Supreme Headquarters, retired Gen. Oladipo Diya and the APC National Chairman, Mr Adams Oshiomhole were among personalities at the event.

    Ministers, heads of security agencies, including service chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu, traditional and religious leaders were also in attendance.

    Buhari had earlier addressed the nation in a broadcast as part of activities to mark the Independence Anniversary. (NAN)

  • N90b controversy: Lawyer says Osinbajo’s offer to waive immunity unconstitutional

    Mr Realwan Okpanachi, a constitutional lawyer in Abuja says Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is legitimately entitled to sue any person during his tenure without having to waive his immunity.

    The lawyer made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.

    Okpanachi was reacting to the statement credited to the vice president that he would waive his constitutional immunity to clear his name over the N90 billion he allegedly received from Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

    The lawyer said that Section 308 of the Constitution which raises arguments in some quarters that the vice president could not institute any case in his name no longer represent the position of the law.

    He said the case of I.B.M. Securities Plc. Vs Ahmed Bola Tinubu as decided by the Supreme Court being relied upon by those holding such opinion was no longer tenable.

    “The current position of the law as expressed by the Supreme Court in the case of Global Excellence Communications Ltd. &Ors.Vs Mr Donald Duke (2007) LPELR-1323(SC).

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    “The apex court held that had the legislature intended to prohibit any of the holders of the offices listed in section 308(1) of the constitution from instituting cases in the names in their tenures.

    “They would have expressly stated it, and that, since there was no such express provisions, then they are entitled to institute court case during their tenure,’’ Okpanachi said.

    The legal practitioner added that the only effective way Osinbajo could waive his immunity, “if he sincerely desires to do so is to resign his position as vice president.’’

    “He cannot remain in office and waive his immunity as the immunity is attached to that office and not his person,’’ the lawyer said.

    Okpanachi also dismissed the allegations against the vice president as baseless and orchestrated by a particular opposition party.

    (NAN)

  • Nigeria @ 59: work for betterment of Nigeria, Atiku urges

    As Nigeria marks its 59th Independence on Oct.1, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on citizens to put the country first and work for its betterment.

    Abubakar, who was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 elections, gave the advice in a statement in Abuja on Monday, saying “no one is bigger than the laws of the land’’.

    He urged lovers of Nigeria to take concrete steps to aid Nigeria’s progress by not just praying and showing understanding but also taking democratic action to ensure that the ideals of the country`s founding fathers were protected.

    He said that everyone had a role to play in making Nigeria great.

    “You see, when we put Nigeria first; we not only revive the Nigerian dream, we also revive unity and faith, peace and progress.

    “These were the ideals that our founding fathers had in mind when they came together to put forward this new and independent nation 59 years ago on Oct. 1, 1960.

    “Nigeria belongs to all of us and we all have a role to play in making our nation great.

    “Nigeria should be the beacon of hope, democracy and freedom, to not only the African continent but to the black Diaspora the world over.

    “And to ensure that this becomes the case, we all have a duty to support and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And this we must do, so help us God.’’

    Abubakar said that on Oct. 1, 1960, Nigeria’s founding fathers could never have fathomed that 59 years after, Nigeria would be facing some of the challenges “it is still having’’.

    Read Also: Nigeria may not celebrate 100th Independence anniversary – Bisi Akande

    He said that it was evident that all was not well with the country, adding “it is not all gloom and doom. There is still hope. Much hope.

    “ I took time to listen to a recent remark made by the Emir of Kano, HRM Muhammed Sanusi II about why we need to pay more attention to the issue of girl-child education. It is an age-long truism that women are the teachers of a nation.

    “I make bold to say that the greatness of our country has much to do with how well we educate our children, especially the girl-child.’’

    Abubakar commended Gov. Bello Matawalle of Zamfara for leading the way by massively investing in public education.

    “It is on this note that I wish all Nigerians a happy Independence Day. May God bless all of us and may God bless Nigeria.’’(NAN)