The Nation Newspaper

Tag: bars

  • SSS man bars The Nation from Ondo tribunal

    An official of the State Security Service (SSS) yesterday barred The Nation’s correspondent in Ondo State, Mr. Damisi Ojo, from covering the proceedings of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting on the premises of the High Court in Akure, the state capital.

    Although the reporter showed the SSS official his Identity Card, he said there were enough reporters in the court room.

    Two of his colleagues identified the reporter as a regular face at the tribunal, but the SSS man did not buldge. He told the reporter to leave the area if he did not want to be embarrassed.

    It was learnt that he was recently posted to the state from Abuja and was at the tribunal for the first time.

    Some politicians around the court premises condemned the SSS official’s hostility.

    Penultimate week, SSS men prevented the Head of News and Current Affairs of a private radio station, Adaba FM, Akure, Mr. Jide Ogunluyi, from covering the tribunal’s proceedings.

    The tribunal ended its pre-hearing session yesterday, urging parties to be time-conscious.

    The panel’s Chairman, Justice A. Kaka’n, was reacting to a plea for adjournment by the counsel to Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr. Lasun Sanusi.

    Sanusi, in a motion dated February 9, sought to present the report of the inspection of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) documents as earlier ordered by the court.

    Counsel to the first, second and third respondents Mr. Ifedayo Adedipe, Mr. Yusuf Ali (SAN) and Mr. O. Ozaze objected to the motion.

    They said they were served a few minutes before the court resumed sitting and would need time to go through it.

    Justice Kaka’n gave the respondents five days to respond to the motion.

    To fast-track hearing, the tribunal has allotted time to the parties.

    The petitioners will have eight days to call their witnesses and prove their cases, while the respondents will have five days each.

    The tribunal will also have 10 days for submission of addresses and judgment.

    Sanusi pleaded for an adjournment till the respondents respond to his motion before hearing begins.

    Justice Kaka’n said two days would be removed from the days allotted to the petitions of Akeredolu and ACN.

    The tribunal adjourned till Tuesday.

  • AFN bars military, overage

    The Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has said that over-age athletes and those from the military will not participate in the 3rd Pastor D.K. Olukoya U-18 Athletics Championships taking place in March.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the championships will hold from March 6 to March 9 at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos.

    The Technical Director of AFN, Navy Commodore Omatseye Nesiama, told NAN on Thursday in Lagos that the move was part of efforts being made to build a good foundation for young talents.

    He said that some of the athletes that would be discovered at the championships would be called to camp in preparation for the maiden Africa Youth Athletics Championships (AYAC) in April.

    “The idea is to ensure that we get it right, and lay a good foundation for our future stars and we shall be better off for it.

    “Hosting the AYAC is not our current priority. Although we expect to win, we want to do so with a qualified and acceptable team,” he said.

    Nesiama warned that the AFN would not entertain entries at the venue of the competition, and advised the state to abide by the procedure for entries sent to them.

    “The entries are expected to be made well ahead of the beginning of the competition proper. We have said severally that we shall not entertain entries at the competition venue,” he said.

    The director listed other requirements for accreditation as international passport, original birth certificate, last secondary school result or a copy of WAEC statement of result “if the athlete is out of school’’. He added that the athletes must not have registered to represent any athletics club to compete in the AFN major circuit before 2012.