The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Federal government

  • Senate seeks police, military collaboration to rid Lagos of kidnappers

    Senate seeks police, military collaboration to rid Lagos of kidnappers

    The Senate Tuesday resolved to ask the Federal Government to mandate the Nigeria Army, Navy and other security agencies to assist the Police in its quest to rid Lagos State particularly the creeks in Lagos East Senatorial District of criminal syndicates making use of its waterways to perpetuate crime.

    The upper chamber also urged the government to direct the inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, to immediately instruct the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, to beef up the strength of the task force already constituted in order to effectively secure all the affected creeks and communities.

    It also advised the government to direct Mr. Idris to immediately make available sufficient helicopters for aerial surveillance and gunboats to the Marine Police department of the Lagos State Police Command to enable the State Command to effectively tackle the activities of militants in Lagos State.

    The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion on “the urgent need for the Nigerian Police Force and other security agencies to intervene in the increased rate of kidnapping in the Lagos East Senatorial District and securing the water ways.”

    Senator Gbenga Ashafa (Lagos East) who sponsored the motion in his lead debate noted recent increase in the activities of criminal syndicates who specialize in kidnapping/militant activities in and around communities in the Lagos East Senatorial District, particularly Kosofe, Epe, Ikorodu, Ibeju Lekki Local Government Areas.

    Ashafa expressed concern that the activities of the criminals have forced law-abiding residents of coastal/riverine communities of the affected communities to flee their communities and livelihood out of fear.

    He further expressed concern that on Friday, 7th April, 2017 one Mr. Ademola Salami, a 42 year old plank dealer was kidnapped in Ise community in Ibeju Lekki area of Lagos East Senatorial District by seven dare devil abductors, who escaped in a gunboat via the river.

    The abductors, he said, were demanding the sum of N100 million as ransom for his release.

    Ashafa said that “the situation is now so bad that even prominent citizens of Ise community, including HRM, Kabiyesi Onise of Ise, Oba Ganiyu Adegbesan, has had to vacate the community due to the level of insecurity in the area.”

    He said that it is disturbing that for the past seven years, a divisional Police station commissioned in Ise had been a ghost of itself as no police officers were deployed there until the recent attack.

    He recalled that a publication had the report of the case of two sand dredgers who were kidnapped in Ibeju Lekki by kidnappers that also stormed the community in a gunboat.

    Ashafa further recalled that between April and July, 2016 there were reports of militant activities in some communities in Ikorodu, including Elepete, Agbede, Ishawo and Igbo-Olomu, which led to the death of residents.

    He said that the militants were equally reported to have stormed the communities through the creeks using gunboats.

    The lawmaker said that he is “alarmed that the recent kidnap incidents have assumed a totally new and disturbing dimension in the sense that just yesterday, 9th April, 2017 an army Captain, identified as Muhammed, two other rank soldiers, four policemen, and a civilian lost their lives after suspected militants attacked Ishawo, in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State.

    “The late security operatives were responding to a distress call after the militants stormed and kidnapped some residents of Woodland Estate, close to the Ishawo creeks with about 10 speedboats according to reports relayed online.

    “It was also reported that other innocent citizens who were seriously injured are now receiving treatment at the Ikorodu General Hospital,” he lamented.

    He said that it is obvious that the activities of the criminal syndicates have caused untold hardship to the people of Lagos East Senatorial district and the intervention of the Federal Government is urgently required.

     

  • Chibok girls: Reps urge FG to hasten negotiations 

    Chibok girls: Reps urge FG to hasten negotiations 

    The House of Representatives has urged the Federal government to hasten negotiations for the release of the remaining abducted Chibok girls.

    The decision of the lawmakers followed the adoption of a motion by Asabe Vilita Bashir (APC, Borno), who said tomorrow will mark the third anniversary of the abduction of 219 students from Girls Secondary School Chibok by Boko Haram insurgents.

    House Committee on Women Affairs was also mandated to ascertain the condition and level of rehabilitation so far carried out for the 21 girls released in October 2016.

    Bashir said it has become imperative for the Federal government to fulfil its promise to build on the successful negotiation with Boko Haram that led to the release of 21 of the girls.

    Saying that the release of the remaining 83 students still held by the group must be a priority, she noted that the continued captivity of the girls is exposing them to more harm by the day.

    “Thursday 14th of April 2017 will mark three years since the abduction of the school girls, yet, 195 of them are still in captivity and negotiations for their release seems to be taking too long.

    “We are concerned about the safety of the abducted girls as three years is too much a period for them to remain in captivity considering they risk being subjected to more untold hardship, slavery, molestation, abuse, rape, pregnancy and forced marriage in the  hands of their abductors”, she said.

    In her contribution, Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje (PDP, Abia) said a comprehensive  rehabilitation program for the released girls and their children must be put in place

    “That is the only way the girls and their children many of whom are products of sexual assault would be fully reintegrated back into society,” she noted.

     

    The motion was unanimously adopted after it was put to a voice vote.

     

  • FG vows to reform postal system

    The Federal Government Tuesday vowed to reform the postal service system in Nigeria to improve its quality and revenue generation potential.

    Minister of Communications, Mr Abdur-Raheem Adebayo Shittu, who stated this in Lagos, said the government would ensure an enabling environment for the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) by facilitating the passage of the Postal Reform Bill.

    Shittu was delivering his keynote address at the ongoing Express Mail Service (EMS) symposium for senior management of the Africa Region, “Positioning EMS for growth” and performance improvement training at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Ikeja.

    The three-day symposium which began Tuesday, is hosted by the Postmaster-General of Nigeria and NIPOST Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Bisi Adegbuyi and featured the Director-General of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), Bishar Abdirahman Hussein, represented by UPU manager, EMS Unit, Ms. Jane Dyer.

    Other participants included Chairman EMS Cooperative, LA Poste Group, Mr Patrick Richon, Secretary-General Pan African Postal Union (PAPU), Mr. Younouss Djibrine among other individuals and firms from around the world.

    Shittu observed that NIPOST, with over 1,500 outlets across the country, could render quasi-banking services in many communities’ areas where banks had no presence.

    He said NIPOST was gearing up for e-government services whereby people could apply for or renew their international passports at NIPOST branches.

    The minister listed other planned innovations to include NIPOST e-commerce, transport, logistics and property development whereby wasting NIPOST lands would be given to developers “on a lease basis, not selling NIPOST land, but leasing part of the property and getting regular income from rents.”

    Adegbuyi said the government would do its best to encourage the National Assembly to pass the bill and emulate the postal successes of Tunisia, Morocco, Kenya and South Africa.

    He said: “This government is determined to reform the postal system and legal reform is a key element in the way to go.

    “We are engaging them (lawmakers) and because they are also representatives of the people who are also stakeholders, they cannot but just cooperate with us in passing laws that will ensure that we reform NIPOST for the benefit of all Nigerians who voted them into office. I’m pretty confident that very soon the bill will be passed into law.”

    He added that there was no disagreement between the Central Bank of Nigeria and NIPOST over the amendment of the Stamp Duty Act.

     

  • Lawyer urges Nigerians to stop celebrating corruption

    Lawyer urges Nigerians to stop celebrating corruption

    A Legal Practitioner, Mr Stanley Dien has called on Nigerians to stop celebrating each time the Federal Government loses its case against alleged corrupt individuals in court.

    Dien made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja against the backdrop of corruption cases the Federal Government has been losing in courts.

    According to him, “I shudder at the rate at which some Nigerians celebrate people that were alleged to have made away with the country’s money.”

    He called on the citizenry to have a sober reflection on the way they celebrate allegedly corrupt people whenever they won their cases in court.

    He said that such could send the wrong signal to the international community.

    The legal practitioner said that though the decision of the court had been very worrisome, especially in the fight against corruption by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the law must however be allowed to take its course.

    Dien said that there was no point to celebrate such losses, adding that since Nigeria operates a democratic government, the rule of law must be allowed to prevail.

    He said that a situation where the court would keep relying on technicalities to rule on a case would not augur well in the fight against corruption.

    He said that the judge handling the case involving Justice Adeniyi Ademola should have gone into a full trial, adding that the justice should have been allowed to state how he came about the money

    The legal practitioner said that the judge should have allowed the case to go on its merit and people should not be allowed to celebrate it.

    The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) recalls that an FCT High Court in Abuja had on April 5, dismissed the 18-count criminal charges brought by the Federal Government against Ademola of the Federal High Court and his wife.

    Also, the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on April 3 ordered the unfreezing of the account of Lagos lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), with a sum of N75million professional fee paid to him by Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had alleged that the money was proceeds of corruption.

    The initial forfeiture of the sum of 900,000 dollars found in an account of former First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan was similarly reversed on the order of another court.

    Former Minister of Niger Delta, Elder Godsday Orubebe was also discharged and acquitted on offence bothering on corruption after the Attorney General for the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami told ICPC that the case filed against Orubebe did not exist.

  • NANS wants FG to address poor social amenities in tertiary institutions

    The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has appealed to the Federal Government to address the issue of student’s welfare, such as poor social amenities in various universities in the country.

    NANS president Chinonso Obasi, who made the call in a statement in Abuja on Friday, said that this would go a long way in creating environment conducive for the Nigerian students to learn.
    “We call on the Federal Government to take the issues of student’s welfare serious.
    “We want the Federal Government to take the infrastructural decay and poor social amenities in various campuses very seriously.
    “ We also want to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to beam the anti-corruption searchlight on the nation’s tertiary institutions,” he said.
    He however, expressed happiness over the unconditional release of 13 students of University of Lagos (UNILAG) from detention at the Kirikiri Maximum Prison.
    A Special Offences Mobile Court in Lagos had on April 1, remanded 13 UNILAG students in Kirikiri Prisons, pending their bail applications.
    The accused persons were alleged to have engaged in unlawful invasion of Television Continental in Lagos.
    They were arraigned on a two-count charge of unlawful invasion and disruption of activities which they all pleaded not guilty.
    Obasi said their release came before the expiration of 24-hour ultimatum given to a Special Offences Mobile Court in Lagos to free the students or the union would relocate to the Kirikiri Prisons.
    “Our joy stems mainly from the fact that the gesture from the special court averted what would have undoubtedly sparked off a major students’ unrest in the country.
    “Because we were greatly pained that such a harsh punishment would be handed to long-suffering students at a time of immense socio-economic challenges.
    He therefore, commended the magistrate and the Special Offences Mobile Court for the wisdom and circumspection displayed in the matter.
    The NANS president urged the police authorities to always treat university undergraduates with care and caution, knowing the hard economic and social conditions they go through.
    “Because any attempts to deny students their right of free speech or treat their peaceful protest against high handed policies usually lead to needless violence and destruction of property,”Obasi noted

     

     

  • Abuja Airport runway is 80 percent ready, says FG

    Abuja Airport runway is 80 percent ready, says FG

    The Federal Government Friday said the rehabilitation work that is ongoing at the Nnamdi Azikwe International airport runway is 80 percent ready.

    Also, it was disclosed that the terminal building will wear a new look on the 19th when the airport will be opened for traffic.

    This was disclosed in Abuja Friday after the Vice President; Yemi Osinbajo inspected the runway and other facilities at the airport.

    The VP after inspecting the runway also assured that there won’t delay in delivering the work as promised.

    He said: “I have looked round and from what I have seen and also from the Information from contractors and  consultants, it looks as if things are going very well and we are told that we are now nearing 80 percent completion and that we are clearly on schedule.

    On his assessment of the ongoing work, the VP said: “We expect to see that this will be completed well on schedule and i don’t think we should expect any delay whatsoever.

    “We have assurances from the consultant, contractors that we are clearly on schedule. So, by the 19th of April, the runway will be set.

    “I have no reservations and looking at all of these, inspecting it and listening to contractors,  personnel from FAAN and the ministry of Transportation and

    Aviation, I think a lot of work has gone in here.

    “The contractors were doing 24 hours shift, working round the clock. I think they have taken the job very seriously and we expect to see that the work will be completed and done by the 19th as promised.”

    To however forestall future closure of any airport across the country, the Managing Director of FAAN said the solution is to have a second runway.

    According to him: “To avoid shut down of any airport across the country in future, we need a second runway.”

    Dunoma also hinted that mechanical, electrical and civil renovation is ongoing at the terminal building adding that the work will also be ready on the 19th of this month.

    Giving status report, he said: “The total overall completion of the work is 80 percent as of today.

    “The other critical elements of the work that we have is; asphalt laying which is about 73 percent, air field lighting re-installation is about 40 percent, the next critical item is marking which will start on the 10th.

    “Also there will be general cleaning because at the end of the day, our regulator will have to come and certify what we have done and then we will be ready for opening on the 19th.

    On the work that is ongoing at the terminal, Dunoma said: “We are ceasing this opportunity of empty building to make sure that we rehabilitate the entire terminal building and that includes all the facilties that are there; mechanical, electrical and civil.

    On whether the terminal building will be ready on the 19th when the airport will be reopened for operations, he said: “that’s the plan. All the works that are going on there will be completed by the 19th.

    “I am assuring Nigerians that April 19th remains sacrosanct, you have seen how far we have gone and we are pushing and I want to assure Nigerians that come 19th, we will reopen for traffic.”

     

  • N54bn pension arrears will boost economic activities – Experts

    Some experts have commended the Federal Government for releasing N54 billion pension arrears, saying it would boost demand for goods and services in the county.

    They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in interviews on Friday in Lagos that the funds would stimulate economic activities.

    NAN reports that the National Pension Commission (PenCom) is expected to disburse the fund to Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) for onward payment to retirees.

    Mallam Garba Kurfi, the Managing Director, APT Securities and Funds Ltd., a PFA operator, said the release of the funds would boost economic activities through various investments.

    Kurfi, who commended the Federal Government for settling the arrears, saying that part of the funds would find their ways into the bond market, equities market and money market instruments.

    “The development is a good thing because we have many outstanding funds with PenCom; the release of the funds will go a long way in revitalising the economy,’’ he said.

    Kurfi said that PFAs, in line with their mandate to divert part of the money to investable incomes, would invest some of it in the market.

    He called on the government to avoid delays in paying pensioners, noting that some of the beneficiaries could have died before the release of the funds.

    “Pensioners should be paid as and when due for individuals to benefit from it and at the same time to kick-start economic activities”.

    Dr Uche Uwaleke, Head of Banking and Finance Department, Nasarawa State University, said that the issue of pension arrears had always been a knotty one for the Federal Government.

    Uwaleke told NAN that state governments were equally facing the same challenge which, in most cases, were due to under-appropriation or shortfalls in projected revenue.

    He said that governments’ inability to settle salaries and pension obligations contributed significantly to the current economic recession.

    “If fund for the pension arrears is released now, it will go a long way in boosting demand for goods and services as well as stimulating the economy, thereby hastening the recovery process,’’ Uwaleke said.

    He said that adequate provisions should be made in the annual budget to avoid arrears, especially now that the contributory pension scheme is in place.

    “Government at all levels, when rationing available revenue, should accord priority to the payment of workers’ salaries and pensions of retirees.”

    Reports have it that the Federal Government, on April 6, said it had cleared inherited arrears of accrued pension benefits for 2014, 2015 and 2016 by releasing N41.5 billion and N12.5 billion for January, February and March this year.

    Mrs Kemi Adeosun, the Minister of Finance, confirmed the release of the money in a statement signed by the Director of Information in the ministry, Salisu Dambatta.

    She said the government was concerned about the plight of pensioners who retired under the Contributory Pension Scheme without being paid.

    “Despite conflicting demands for available cash, President Muhammadu Buhari has always expressed concern about the plight of workers and pensioners.

    “Consistent with this, we have released N41.5 billion, which clears the arrears inherited from the previous administration from 2013 to 2015 and underpayments in 2016.

    “This will bring relief to thousands of our elders who have served and deserve to be paid their entitlements promptly and fully.

    “The amount we paid includes arrears and the impact is that those who retired as far back as 2013, who had been unable to access pension under the contributory scheme due to non-payment, will now be paid.”

    The minister said that henceforth, the monthly allocation to PenCom, based on the 2017 appropriation, would be paid regularly along with the monthly salaries of ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government.

     

  • You can’t quell Biafra agitation with force, Obi warns FG

    You can’t quell Biafra agitation with force, Obi warns FG

    Former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, Thursday warned against the current approach adopted by the Federal Government in handling pro-Biafra agitations in the Southeast.

    Obi who spoke with journalists after a closed door meeting with the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha at the Governor’s lodge in Owerri, the Imo State capital, insisted that the use of force or the continued incarceration of Biafra activists cannot quell the growing agitations.

    According to him, the Federal Government should continue to engage the players in continued dialogue as a means of finding a lasting solution to the challenges, particularly the issue of Biafra, which he said is given Igbo leaders serious concern.

    In his words, “I have warned against the use of force against Biafra agitators. The Federal Government should be open to continued dialogue, which is what we are supporting. That is why I am here today to thank Governor Rochas Okorocha for his efforts in managing the Biafra challenge”.

    He continued that, “our people won’t support the use of force against those agitating for Biafra; it is a very delicate matter that must be treated with caution. As a matter of fact, the FG should release all Biafra activists that are currently in detention to begin the process of meaningful dialogue”.

    Although details of the meeting were not made known to journalists, but The Nation gathered that it may not be unconnected with the plan by the former Governor to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    It was also suspected that the ex-Anambra Governor also came to perfect plans on how to assist the APC win the November 22 governorship election in Anambra State.

    Obi, who has been locked in a cold war with his successor, is said to be weighing the option of joining other Igbo leaders in the APC and helping the party win the governorship election will brighten his chances in the APC.

    But the former governor dismissed any plan to join the APC, “I am a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and I am not dumping the party for any other party. So I am not joining the APC. I am here for a private visit that is all, nothing more”.

     

  • FG restates commitment to food security

    The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to use agriculture to ensure food security and provide more employment opportunities for Nigerians.

    The Director, Department of Agriculture and Extension Services, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Alphonsus Onwuemeka, disclosed this on Thursday during a training organized for Agricultural Extension Officers at head office of Ekiti State Agricultural Development Programme in Ikole-Ekiti.

    Onwuemeka pointed out that the Federal Government is working towards using agriculture to generate export and support sustainable income and job growth.

    According to him, Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of cassava which is handled only by small farmers in southern, central and lately northern Nigeria regretting that the country still imports starch, flour and sweeteners that can be made from cassava.

    In his remarks, the Acting Programme Manager of Ekiti State Agricultural Development Programme, Mr. Oladele Yakubu, said Nigeria is presently facing shortages in staple crops because of dependence on imported food.

  • Meningitis outbreak: NAWOJ seeks FG’s intervention

    Hajia Binta Mora, Chairperson, Kwara chapter of the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) has urged the Federal Government to intervene for states ravaged by outbreak of meningitis, to arrest the menace.

    Mora gave the advice in Ilorin on Thursday at a one-day seminar on Health and Wellness organized by the chapter as part of activities marking its 2017 Week.

    The week has as the theme, “Women Journalists as Agents of Change”.

    Mora also called on the state governments to make treatment on the outbreak of meningitis affordable and accessible to victims.

    She advocated adequate provision of vaccines to prevent further outbreak of the scourge.

    “Permit me to make a passionate appeal to the Federal Government to provide adequate support for states facing the outbreak of meningitis.

    “Vaccines should also be made available for adequate prevention. May the souls of those who lost their lives as a result of the outbreak rest in peace,” she said.

    Also speaking at the seminar, Alhaji Mahmud Ajeigbe, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, enjoined Nigerians to prioritise prevention in place of cure.

    He stressed the need for Nigerians to be more concerned about their health status and act swiftly on early warning signals.

    Ajeigbe said the state government would continue to support NAWOJ and by extension NUJ membersw in Kwara to ensure they perform their statutory responsibilities accordingly.