The Nation Newspaper

Tag: 14

  • Man remanded for allegedly kidnapping, raping girl, 14

    A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has ordered the remand in prison custody of a 20-year-old man, George Miebaka, for alleged rape.

    Miebaka, a neighbour to the teenager, allegedly abducted the 14-year-old on February 24, took her to an unknown place, tied her mouth, hands and legs and raped her.

    He was alleged to have raped the girl continuously for five days before he was apprehended on March 1.

    The accused allegedly committed the offence between February 24 and March 1 at Okrika town in Okrika Local Government.

    The two-count charge of rape and abduction was not read to him because the court lacks jurisdiction to hear the matter, hence, he did not take any plea.

    Miebaka was not represented by any lawyer.

    Magistrate Sokari Andrew-Jaja ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody and his case file be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.

    He adjourned the case till April 18.

  • We have treated 14,000 patients in 13 years

    We have attended to more than 14,000 patients in our 13 years of existence with some of them having minor ailments while some had Malaria, Typhoid, and other serious infections. We’ve had a lot of deliveries both normal deliveries and of course Caesarean Sections (CS). We’ve done a lot of complex surgeries in this place ranging from an appendectomy, exploratory laparotomy, myomectomy and mastectomy just to mention but few. We have visiting consultants that come from teaching hospitals. There are no surgical operations that we cannot handle because we have people that come here to do that for us.”

    These were the words of The Solace Hospital (TSH) Medical Director, Dr Abdul Wasiu Busari during the opening of the hospital in Papa-Ajao, Mushin, Lagos.

    Busari, who is also a consultant physician and morphologist at Gbagada General Hospital, said TSH was moved from its former base in Itire (also in Mushin) to the new place because of accessibility.

    “There is a particular evening market in that place (Itire) whereby when once it is 4 O’clock, you can hardly have easy access to the hospital because the road will be blocked by the traders. So, we’ve been trying to cope with this for a number of years. But, we think it’s high time we relocated. TSH is positioned to serve humanity and because of the teeming population of our customers and the high demand that we should relocate to a more accessible, that is why we have to come down to this place,” he said.

    According to him, the hospital is not meant for profit.

    “It’s a missionary hospital established to provide qualitative and affordable health care especially to augment what government is doing. The government cannot do all, hence the need for faith-based organisations like ours to establish hospitals in order provide affordable medical services for people. So far so good, we’ve been enjoying cooperation and good patronage from the people,” he said.

    A member of Lagos State House of Assembly representing Mushin Constituency II Abdul Sobur Olayiwola Olawale, hailed the hospital management.

    Olawale, Chairman House Committee on Home Affairs, said: “We all know the importance of having this kind of hospital in our midst and that is why one should identify with the good initiative that has been put in place here. I give kudos to the management of the hospital. It’s a clarion call on them that they should support government health policies. We are assuring them of our maximum support.”

    The lawmaker urged the hospital staff to be friendly with their patients and ensure that the charges have a human face.

    “I’m highly impressed with what I have seen, the structure, the equipment and the atmosphere. It really showed that when we give Nigerian doctors the opportunity, they can go places. They need to be encouraged. People should take advantage of having this edifice around to patronise them. They have been in the business for long and it’s evidently clear that they know their job,” he said.

  • CBN leaves interest rate at 14%

    CBN leaves interest rate at 14%

    THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday kept its Monetary Policy Rate (MPR), its base interest rate, at 14 per cent.

    CBN Governor Godwin Emiefele, who spoke to reporters after the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting in Abuja, said the recession corridor would come to an end by the third quarter because of the positive financial and economic indicators, which he said would endure.

    Defending the MPC’s position to retain the current level of the MPR, Emefiele, said: “In consideration of the challenges weighing down the domestic economy and the uncertainty in the global environment, the Committee decided by a unanimous vote of eight members in attendance to retain the MPR at 14 per cent,  alongside all other parameters.

    The MPC decided to retain “MPR at 14 per cent.   Retain Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) at 22.5 per cent. Retain liquidity ratio at 30 per cent and Retain the asymmetric corridor at plus 200 and minus 500 basis points around the MPR.”

    According to him, the Committee’s reluctance to alter the MPR in any fundamental manner is because of the current economic policy configuration and the need to allow the existing policies to fully achieve their intended goals and objectives.

    He said the Committee noted that the cost of capital interest rate in the economy was high and that the trend was not helpful to growth.

    Nevertheless, he said the MPC was concerned that loosening MPR would exacerbate inflationary impression, worsen the gains so far achieved in the exchange rate of the Naira and further increase the interest rate.

    On the financial stability outlook, Emiefele said the committee noted that in spite of the banking sector resilience, the weak macroeconomic environment had continued to exert pressure on the banking system, but however urged the Deposit Money Banks to intensify its surveillance in order to address emerging vulnerabilities.

    He urged the DMBs to step up credit drive in the private sector to support the economic recovery, a measure he claimed would send positive feedback to the financial system.

    On his insistence of the economy moving on the growth trajectory and ending the recession, he said: “My view is that with all the positive signs we see: inflation trending downwards, Gross Domestic Product improving to the extent that the negative growth rate has decelerated quite significantly, the fact that we have seen forex go to real sector and production capacities and industry capacities are beginning to improve, we have seen positive signs in various sectors of the economy, I am very confident that by the end of third quarter that we would be out of this and I still hold to that position.”

    Emefiele said the MPC, alerted on the risk of the possibility of the current increase in American shale oil production reducing the prices of crude oil and by implication,Nigeria’s revenue generation. As he put it: “We also alerted as risk the possibility of increased production of shale, that if that happens, it could upset our number,” but quickly added that the country must continue its drive towards the diversification of the economy.

    “No doubt, the movement of US fuel normalization will lead to movement of funds from a margin back to the US and will no doubt have adverse effects on this economy. But I will say that I do not anticipate that those adverse consequences will be so intense in our environment because these investments have long left us,” Emefiele stated

  • 14, not 67 persons were resettled in Anambra, says Fashola

    14, not 67 persons were resettled in Anambra, says Fashola

    LAGOS State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, yesterday revealed that only 14 rehabilitated persons rescued from the streets were returned to their state of origin in Anambra State, and not 67 as reported. Fashola, who made the clarification during a visit of Aka Ikenga, Igbo community in Lagos to his office in Alausa, Ikeja said what happened was indeed “a very small matter” that has been exaggerated to score cheap political gain. Explaining the situation, the governor said that there was actually correspondence between the Lagos State Government and the liaison office of the Anambra State Government in Lagos on the 9th of April, 2013, from the Special Adviser on Youths and Sports, Mr. Enitan Badaru, to the office on integration. According to him, there was a reply from the liaison office to the Lagos State Government on 15th April requesting specific information, which he said was provided in another letter to the liaison office on 29th of April, adding that when they failed to respond to the last letter, the state government was forced to act since the state was expending resources on feeding. Fashola explained that it is wrong for Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State to say that he was not informed, adding that it is either he was being mischievous or was not properly informed by the liaison office, which exchanged correspondence with the state government. Fashola felt sad that the governor, who had called him personally on minor issues in the past, opted to go to the press on a matter that could have been settled. “If the governor had called, we could have sorted out things”, he said, adding that what happened was not new. Governor Fashola displayed a similar letter he received from Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Godswill Akpabio on two persons who claimed to be from Lagos State. “We took them in, but they are not from Lagos and we are looking through the South West”, Fashola said, adding that such issues ought to have been treated on merit without ethnic or religious coloration, which he said engenders sentiments in people. Speaking on comments from some constitutional lawyers, the governor said that rights guaranteed by the constitution are not absolute. “If you want to live in my house, you must live according to the law by not constituting nuisance. If you become a nuisance, I have a duty to protect myself”, he said, and advised experts to moderate their comments. Earlier, President of Aka Ikenga, Mr. Godwin Uwazurike, said Igbo in Lagos have always supn ported the government and will continue to be loyal, but that they were put under pressure following alleged deportation of 67 Igbo from Lagos State. Another member of the team, Mr. Ben Aka, told the governor that his group is now finding it difficult to convince Igbo in the state and indeed Anambra to support the All Progressive Congress (APC) with Anambra election around the corner.