The winner of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly election Atose Mohammed has dragged the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the Federal High Court sitting in Lafia for allegedly refusing to publish his name for the 2023 general election after winning the party’s primary.

Mohammed, the senior legislative aide to Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, the immediate past Nasarawa State Governor had defeated the incumbent assembly member for Keana State Constituency Adamu Omadefu with 46 votes against no vote.

In a chat with reporters at the Federal High Court Lafia after filing the suit, the Director-General of Atose Mohammed Campaign Organisation Abdullahi Musa expressed his optimism that the court will deliver justice to his candidate.

In the suit, Musa said he instituted the case after the APC and its officers refused to send Mohammed’s name to INEC having won the primary election garnering almost all the votes cast.

Adamu Omadefu and other aspirants did not score any vote. The election was conducted successfully and my candidate won and was dully declared the winner right at the election venue.

Also, the candidature of Shehu Tukur the APC Senatorial candidate and Senator Abdullahi Adamu’s preference to take over his seat in the Senate is being threatened.

Labaran Magaji, who scored 114 votes against Tukur’s 179 votes is challenging the latter’s emergence as the candidate for Nasarawa West Senatorial District said the delegate lists were doctored during the June 4 Senatorial primaries.

At the resumed hearing of the case in Lafia, lawyers to the APC Senatorial aspirant, Labaran Magaji discovered that some INEC documents tendered by the defendant were alleged to have been forged.

Magaji told the court that from facts and available evidence, a prima facie case of impersonation, forgery and perjury was established against the APC Senatorial candidate, Shehu Tukur and accused him of forging the signature of an INEC officer to convince the court that the list of delegates who participated in the Senatorial primaries was not forged.

Justice Nehizina Idumudia Afolabi adjourned the matter to August 31 to enable the court to summon the INEC to clarify the discrepancies in the signature of one Mr Omale Samuel in INEC whose signature appears differently on documents before the court purportedly emanating from his office.

In a chat with our correspondent after the hearing, the plaintiff Magaji said: “We are extremely comfortable with the proceedings of the court. What we discovered curiously again is another set of forgery by the second defendant.

“The court has graciously adjourned this matter to September 31 for us to produce the particulars of the forgery.

“The forgery is about the delegate list which we are contesting. Instead of them providing the proper delegate list from INEC, they rather produced another different list from their confines or pocket and appended the signature purported to have been the signature of an INEC member of staff and we are taking it up very seriously.”

A political youth group under the aegis of Tinubu Support Organisation (TSO) yesterday called for massive support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential flagbearer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu whom it described as a highly detribalised man.

The group, in a communique signed by its Coordinator, Lawan Sadiq and made available to The Nation Newspaper in Gombe said Asiwaju should be encouraged to continue his empowerment of many Nigerians politically and financially from the national to the grassroots levels.

“He is one of the major architects of the call for equity, fairness and the return of democracy in Nigeria through the struggle of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO).

“He performed beautifully well as a two-term Lagos State Governor as well as a Senator,” TSO said.

According to the communique, TSO pencilled Asiwaju for the presidency: “because he is detribalised and has no religious bias.

The group added that: “Asiwaju was able to create a sea in the desert where he increased the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Lagos State by about 600 per cent.

“He is the greatest living Nigerian who has empowered so many, politically and financially from the national to the grassroots levels.

“He is one of the major politicians that sponsor and encourage peaceful co-existence in the country among many other qualities,” it said.

The group, however, commended its Director-General, Aminu Suleiman with the foresight to create TSO three years ago to promote Tinubu’s activities “at national, state, local government, ward and unit levels’ mobilisation with 25 national executives, 729 state executives, 15, 480 local government executives and over 24 million members nationwide and in the Diaspora,” it explained.

Niger State Governor Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has lamented that the state is paying a high price for the insecurity bedevilling the state as investors avoid the state.

The governor acknowledged that the state has lost several investment and trade opportunities due to insecurity, even as he added that it has been worsened by the proliferation of false stories about insecurity in the state.

Sani-Bello stated this during the 2022 Press Week of the Niger State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists with the theme “Fact-Check to End Fake News: Tasks before Niger State Journalists amid Security Challenges,” in Minna at the weekend.

The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the Niger State Government (SSG), Ahmed Matane said the government is not disputing the trend of insecurity in the state but several reports on social media regarding insecurity are false.

“Fake news has provided unnecessary perception about what is truly going on about insecurity in the state. Many investors have refused to come to the state, and the state has lost so many opportunities in terms of investments,” he said.

Matane called on journalists to be more investigative and cross-check all information they receive.

The NUJ National President, Comrade Chris Isiguzo pointed out that fake news can lead to communal, religious and political crises and need to be checked.

Isiguzo urged journalists to always fact-check their stories and avoid sharing and forwarding articles sent to them via social media unless they verify their sources.

“Journalists, don’t make yourselves tools to merchants of fake news. Be willing to reject fake news from those who are interested in making the country ungovernable,” he said.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada appealed to journalists to use the power of their pens to check the proliferation of fake news in Nigeria.

Dada urged the NUJ to work hard in fishing out the bad eggs that are spreading fake news within the profession.

The Niger State Chairman of the NUJ, Comrade Abu Nmodu said journalists should not allow fake news to overshadow their patriotic role, especially those in a state with security challenges.

The Nigeria Police, Yobe State Command yesterday, paraded seven suspects alleged to have carried out an illegal decommissioning of a telecommunication mast belonging to the Yobe State Television Authority.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Dungus Abdulkarim, while briefing the press at the headquarters of the State CID, said the suspects were arrested by police detectives of the Dapchi Police Division.

He said, “On the 28 July 2022, at about 11.30 hour, detectives from Dapchi Divisional Police Station arrested and brought to CID seven persons who claimed to be hired by a particular company which is named AGN Garun Malam Investment Limited to decommission an antenna mast, which belongs to Yobe State Television Authority.

“After the information, we have commenced an investigation on the seven persons. Their names are, Bello Wanti 52, Abdulminini Jibril, 39, Alhaji Sabiu 40, Saidu Mohammed Bulunkutu 54, Jibril Yakubu 40, Musa Abubakar 20, Habibu Mohammed 30 years. All are currently in the state CID for onward prosecution,” ASP Abdulkareem said.

Read Also: Lagos police arrest 300 suspects in July

The PPRO while answering questions from journalists said their command has written to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) to find out their level of investigation in the matter.

According to him, the suspects alleged that the mast was sold to them by the NSCDC and therefore the police have to investigate to get to the bottom of the matter.

However, one of the suspects, Bello Wanti, told the press that he is a legitimate business man who is just a victim of circumstance.

According to him, he bought four masts in Yobe State located at Dapachi and Gashua. He, however, noted that his men were not aware until after dismantling the mast that it was initially bought by the Yobe State Government from former NITEL.

“We did not know that Yobe State Government had bought the mast until after we had dismantled it. But when we got that information, we came ourselves and reported to the police. Nobody arrested us. We came ourselves. If this thing were not legally bought, we would have run away from Yobe State, but we came and reported ourselves to the police. We are just victims of circumstance, but they are making us look like thieves,” Bello said.

The Commandant, NSCDC Yobe State, Saidu Yakubu Aliyu, said he was not aware of what happened at Dapchi nor had he received any correspondence concerning the matter.

The Katsina State chapter of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in parts of the North-West and North-Central states over the prevailing state of insecurity in the zones.

The NNPP State chairman, Sani Liti, who made the above call at a press conference in Katsina, also warned that the scheduled general elections may not actually hold in Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Niger and Sokoto states due to what he described as the festering insecurity situation.

“It’s an illusion to believe that credible elections can hold in these states except the Federal Government takes measures to resolve the issue of insecurity before 2023,” Liti said, adding that the recommended state of emergency should be for duration of six months.

Read Also: Onaiyekan urges Nigerians to join forces against insecurity

“It is pertinent to point out that the current APC government has failed the country and it is also on record that the President and his party deceived Nigerians with their false promises that have not been fulfilled and not realisable before the end of their tenure.”

He further noted that the declaration of state of emergency in parts of the country is not a new thing, arguing that the level of insecurity of lives and property in parts of the North-West and North-Central has made it imperative for the Federal Government to act without further delay.

The NNPP chieftain also criticised the Katsina State government for imposing security lockdowns in the state aimed at checkmating the activities of bandits; stating that going after the bandits instead, offers the best option.

The Plateau State Government has deregistered all private schools operating in the state with immediate effect.

The State Commissioner for Secondary Education, Elizabeth Wapmuk, made this known to reporters at a Press Conference in Jos.

She warned parents against registering their ward(s) in illegal schools, adding that they would not be allowed to sit for all approved federal and state government examinations.

The government, therefore, asked those with proper certification to approach the relevant office to get approval for operation ahead of the September resumption of schools for the 2022/2023 academic session.

“This is to inform the general public that the operating licenses of all operating private nursery, pre-primary, primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools in Plateau State are hereby deregistered with effect from 28th July, 2022.

Read Also; Gunmen kill seven, abduct 54 in Plateau, Kaduna, Bauchi

“The order means that all private schools in the state will have to revalidate their certification. This is as a result of the following: The quality assurance mandate requires all private schools to renew their operating license after every five years but unfortunately, private schools’ licenses in Plateau State have not been renewed for so many decades.

“Dependable records revealed that there are over 5,000 private schools operating without licenses in Plateau State. 85% of 485 private schools granted licenses have compromised their standards. 90% of the private schools do not adhere to government policies and mandates.

“Many of the private schools use secondary school graduates to teach instead of the minimum Nigeria Certificate in Education, NCE or degree certificates that should be duly registered with Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN,” she said.

Wapmuk also said that reliable reports showed that some of the private schools have concealed their premises to avoid routine inspection while serving as hideout for criminal activities. He pointing out that the proliferation of unregistered/illegal private schools in the state has robbed the state of the potential impact on education.

Incessant attacks against Chonoko community in Kebbi State, and Kagara community in Niger State, have contributed immensely to the abrupt decline in professional health care delivery, education services, and other humanitarian interventions in the states, PR Nigeria has said.

This was even as it specifically noted that modes of survival in the Internally Displaced Persons camps (IDPs) have become a Herculean task as the people were seen in massive need of major human basic amenities such as food, water, and shelter among others.

The news platform, however, accused state governments of hoarding relief materials donated by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to vulnerable communities.

A PRNigeria representative, Mukhtar Madobi stated these during a two-day workshop on Humanitarian Journalism for Economic Development, in Abuja, following its investigative study on the humanitarian situation and plights of IDPs in Kebbi State, and in Niger State, respectively.

According to him, education is another critical sector that was also badly hit due to this insecurity.

Findings by the organisation showed that the majority of schools in those villages have been closed due to fear of bandits’ attacks.

He said: “Farmers in some surrounding villages have resorted to paying levies to the bandits in order to gain access to their agricultural fields and conduct farming activities. Nevertheless, agricultural activities have reduced drastically thereby leading to a corresponding increase in the food crisis

Read Also; Lawan: level of insecurity frightening

“Most of the schools in villages are closed down due to fear of bandit attacks, thus affecting the educational sector in that area

“Healthcare system delivery is being dragged to the mud as the General Hospital was forced to offer skeletal services.

“Meanwhile, some that are located within the towns have been turned into IDPs camps where the victims are being accommodated. This situation has sent many students away from classes, thereby adding to the number of out-of-school children in the area and the country at large.

“Chonoko town is suffering from lack of potable water supply as investigation showed that the IDPs and the residents battle to get water for domestic purposes from the only two available boreholes present within the community. In fact, people do spend the night queueing in order to get water for their daily needs.

“With regard to the shelter, the IDPs are living in an overcrowded settlement where a single room is being occupied by up to more than 15 persons. This called for great concern because disease becomes easily transmitted in this type of under-spaced environment, thus threatening the healthcare system.

“The over 10, 000 Chonoko IDPs are living under hardships as they lack basic necessities of life. These include but are not limited to adequate food, shelter, medications, clothes, detergents, and other vital household items necessary for living a good life.

“Residents of Kagara have been doing the needful in assisting the victims of banditry by providing them with some relief materials aimed at improving their living conditions.

“Majority of the IDPs are engaged in one or different kinds of businesses in order to sustain their lives, a development which is helping a lot in the process of their resettlement in Kagara town.”

Madobi, therefore, urged the government at all levels and security forces to intensify efforts not only to ensure that peace and security are restored to the affected communities but to see to the welfare of the affected people.

He prayed National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), to intervene in the situation of the IDPs by providing them with relief materials and other forms of humanitarian assistance.

He said: “The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) should look into the situation of these IDPs by providing them with relief materials. These items should include; foodstuff, detergents, clothes, wrappers, mattresses etc. Also, agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, chemicals, seeds etc. should also be distributed in order to improve agricultural activities.

“Provision of medical supplies should be considered in order to ensure the delivery of a robust and sound healthcare system. This will go a long way in averting diseases outbreak and other emergencies

“Efforts should be outlined and implemented toward rescuing the dwindling educational sector, thereby absorbing back the school dropouts from the streets which is necessary for averting future security breaches

“International donor agencies including the International Red Cross Society (IRCS) and other nations should intervene in the awful situation of the IDPs, especially in providing them with adequate shelter so as to reduce too much population in their overcrowded settlements.

“Government and stakeholders should engage the victims in vocational training after which logistics and capital should be distributed to them in order to enhance their business enterprises.

“International humanitarian organizations, including the Red Cross among others should intervene in providing assistance to the internally displaced persons.”

A non-profit humanitarian organisation, Preston Development Foundation, has appealed to private and public employers to create a private space in the office for breastfeeding mothers.

The Chairperson, Preston Development Foundation (PDF), Dr. Nkem Ene, stated this at a one-day event to mark the World Breastfeeding Week 2022.

The week-long programme had: “Step up for breastfeeding-educate and support” as its theme.

The PDF is dedicated to improving the lives of women by strategically empowering them in sustainable ways.

Dr. Ene noted that women become more productive when their minds are at rest, especially as it relates to their children.

She said: “As a foundation, we would like to focus on what happens in the work place. Women should not choose between being able to feed their families or contribute to the household or giving their children the nutrition that they can give them.

“We are imploring that both public and private sector employers should go out of their way to make some space available for women to enable them breastfeed privately; to enable them access their children.

“If (an employer) doesn’t have a crèche, this is the best time to invest in a creche.

“You get the best out of women in terms of productivity when their minds are at rest. When they know that their children are safe, they are able to come back to their desk in the office and give you their best.”

Greenfield University, Kaduna State, has appointed the Emir of Zazzau, Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, as its pioneer Chancellor.

The appointment is coming one year after it was attacked by bandits and scores of its students killed and some kidnapped.

It is also part of the university’s preparation for its maiden graduation in 2023.

The management, led by the Founder and Pro-Chancellor, Engr. Simon Ifediora Nwakacha, presented Bamalli’s appointment letter to him yesterday at his palace in Zaria.

Receiving the appointment, Bamalli called for the establishment of more universities in the country to meet Nigerian’s demand for quality education.

The emir, who lamented the insecurity in Nigeria, said: “I commiserate with the founder and management of the university over the happening of last year which was really disheartening. We pray that Allah continue to protect us all from these happenings.

“This is not the same country we use to know, which was very peaceful and safe for people to. We pray to Allah to protect us all against this banditry and other challenges.”

While thanking the varsity for the appointment, Bamalli expressed delight that the university has grown in student population four times than it was.

“This is remarkable and it is an indication that there is a lot to be done. We need more universities in Nigeria than what we have at the moment, and I can say proudly that being a private university located in Kaduna, you have gotten a good location considering the cost of living and transportation that are very high in other climes…”

Nwakacha, while presenting the letter to Bamalli, recalled that bandits attacked the university’s main campus last year, killing five 300 level students and a porter. This forced the school to relocate to its city campus inside Kaduna town.

He said: “By next year, we will be graduating the first set of our students and part of the process is that we should appoint a Chancellor who will, among other functions, preside over the graduation ceremony…”