The Nation Newspaper

Tag: gets

  • Court registrar gets three years in jail

    The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission(ICPC) yesterday that the Registrar of a Magistrate’s Court in Enugu State, Anikwu Ambrose Ifesinachi, has been sentenced to three years imprisonment for demanding bribe in the course of discharging his official duty. He got no option of fine.

    The commission arraigned the convict in the High Court of Enugu on two counts for demanding and receiving bribe under the ICPC Act.

    A statement by the commission’s Resident Consultant (Media and Events), Mr. Folu Olamiti, said the convict asked for N80,000 bribe to process suspect’s warrant of release.

    The statement said: “In the judgment delivered by Justice A. A. Nwobodo on 17th March 2014 convicted the accused person for contravening section 10 (a) (ii) of the ICPC Act of 2000.

    “Ifesinachi was accused of demanding a bribe of N80, 000.00 (eighty thousand naira) from the relation of a suspect before he would process the warrant of release of the suspect who was in custody for about two years.

    “After persistent demand, the relation approached ICPC and the Commission gave him marked money. As soon as the accused collected the money from the relation, he was arrested by the operatives of the ICPC.

    “Consequently, the accused was charged on two counts for demanding and receiving bribe under the ICPC Act in the High Court of Enugu.

    “The ICPC had in the charge sheet filed before the court averred that Anikwu Ambrose Ifesinachi ‘m’ on or about June 2010, whilst being the clerk of the Magistrate Court, Awgu, received the sum of N80,000 from one Arukwe Charles purportedly for Chief Magistrate J.S Ede of the same Magistrate Court, Awgu before the warrant of release could be processed to effect the release of one Maduabuchi Oji from prison custody

    “In the course of the trial, the prosecution called three witnesses and tendered some exhibits while the accused gave evidence without calling any witness.”

  • NRC gets six new rail cars, coaches

    The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) at the weekend took delivery of six new coaches and six rail cars, otherwise called Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU).

    Showing the new rolling stock at the Terminal E of the Apapa Ports in Lagos, the NRC Managing Director, Prince Adeseyi Sijuwade, described it as an epoch in the annals of the 109-year-old corporation and another promise kept by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.

    Sijuwade, who was represented by the Director, Mechanical and Engineering, Fidet Okhiria, said the rolling stocks, which had been scheduled to arrive the country in December, is an answer to the mass transit needs of Nigerians, in line with the transformation agenda of the present administration.

    He said while the six air-conditioned 67-seater coaches are meant for long distance express passenger shuttle service, the DMUs would be deployed in Lagos to boost the urban mass transit initiative of the corporation, in line with the mandate of the government.

    According to him, the DMUs would be a new experience for commuters on the rail lines when they are eventually rolled out.

    Okhiria, who supervised the offloading of the stocks from a Chinese vessel named Wolong Song COSCOL, hailed the government for its investment in the rail sector.

    He said the new stocks would be put into use once they have been inaugurated by the Federal Government.

    At 3:40pm, the cranes lifted one of the DMUs from the ship and were guided gently unto the rail tracks by officers and men of the Mechanical and Engineering unit of the corporation, while the drivers were also on ground to drive the six new coaches, which had earlier been offloaded to create room for others to be offloaded from the ship.

    A diesel multiple unit is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines.

    A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. They may also be referred to as a railcar or rail motor, depending on the country.

    Diesel-powered units may be further classified by their transmission type: diesel-electric (DEMU), diesel-mechanical (DMMU) or diesel-hydraulic (DHMU).

  • Isaac Success gets work permit today

    Isaac Success gets work permit today

    According to leaks gathered by allnigeriasoccer.com, Nigeria youth international Isaac Success is hopeful of departing the shores of the country this weekend to begin his adventure with Granada.

    Recall that immediately after his goals for the Golden Eaglets led the team to win silver at the CAF Under 17 championship, Udinese poached the highly rated starlet by offering him a four-year contract which started running when he clocked 18 in January.

    For the past two months, the ex Megap Soccer Academy (now known as B-J Foundation) forward has been awaiting the outcome of his work permit application to the Spanish embassy.

    At the start of this week, specifically Monday, there was contact between a representative of Success and Spanish embassy staff and the good news is that the work permit application was successful.

    Today, the 18 – year – old and his entourage will visit the embassy to collect the processed document. If there are no last-minute changes, he will leave for Spain this weekend accompanied by another Granada recruit Uche Agbo.

    It should be noted that Udinese have an excellent relationship with Granada and the higher-ups at the Italian outfit have sanctioned that the two Nigerian teenagers move to Spain to enhance their development.

  • Lagos gets 181 rape cases in six months

    Lagos gets 181 rape cases in six months

    No fewer than 181 people were raped in Lagos in the last six month, the Managing Partner for Partnership for Justice, Mrs. Itoro Eze-Anaba, has said.

    This, she said, was contrary to the report released by the police that only 114 people were raped last year.

    Mrs. Eze-Anaba spoke while receiving donations from members of the Rotary Club of Ikoyi Metropolitan and Rotary Club of Accra East, Ghana, at the Mirabel Centre at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

    She said: “The centre’s main goal is to provide holistic and qualitative services and support to survivors of sexual assault in a caring manner, where each individual’s specific needs and rights to make choices on how to address those needs are respected and met.”

    Mrs. Eze-Anaba said rape was never a victim’s fault, adding: “A child can never give consent.”

    Rape, she said, is a serious crime in Nigeria, stressing that the absence of injuries to a victim does not imply that there was no rape.

    Mrs. Eze-Anaba said: “85 per cent of victims were raped in their homes. There is no excuse for rape. It can never be justified.”

    She said rape affects a person’s physical health, as well as psychological and emotional well-being.

    Victim, she said, were at risk of death, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and other infections, unwanted pregnancy and injury.

    Mrs. Eze-Anaba said: “Victims range from babies under one year to women of 70 years. They often experience guilt, shame, anger, self-blame, sadness, fear, eating disorders, insomnia and difficulty in settling back to life, among others.”

    The Mirabel Centre offers medical examination and treatment for illnesses and injuries caused by assault. It also counsels victims.

    Mrs. Eze-Anaba said: “The centre also reports the incident to the police. Information on the legal system is provided and referral to other agencies for help not provided by the centre.”

    President, Rotary Club of Ikoyi Metropolitan, Mr. Kevin Ofili said it was part of the club’s objective to help those in distress, especially the less-privileged.

    The centre, he said, helps sexual abuse victims to regain their confidence and put the past behind them.

    The Rotary Club of Ikoyi Metropolitan and the Rotary Club of Accra East, Ghana, donated items worth N350,000 to the centre.

    Representative of the Rotary Club of Accra East, Ghana, Bright Attah said the clubs support health care and sanitation programme.

     

  • FUTO gets NDDC’s 174-room hostel

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has handed over a 174-room modern prototype hostel to the authorities of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), in Imo State.

    The intervention agency in July 18, last year, gave out a hostel to the Imo State University, IMSU also in Owerri.

    Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw, said the hostel would provide a conducive learning environment for the academic community “to help the students perform well in their studies.”

    The assignment was Senator Ewa-Henshaw’s official assignment, along with other members of the NDDC governing board. He said the commission would step up its partnership with institutions of higher learning in the Niger Delta for the advancement of teaching and learning, noting that the training of students in science and technology “falls directly in line with the philosophy of the NDDC.”

    The NDDC Managing Director, Mr. Bassey Dan-Abia said the body had granted the approval of the request by the university for a 500KVA transformer and generator for the hostel. He said: “After consultation with other members of the board, approval has also been given for the installation of burglary proofs for the hostel.”

    The NDDC Chief Executive Officer said human capital development takes pride of place in the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan. “One of this administration’s policy for the development of education, is the provision of infrastructure across all levels, so as to ease over-crowding of students and increase access to decent accommodation, in line with the millennium development goals,” he said.

    Dan-Abia listed some of the contributions of the NDDC to the education sector as including provision of “science equipment to our secondary schools; retraining of 500 science teachers and 225 principals and vice principals, provision of 3,600 sets of computers to all the polytechnics in the region and awarding 610 overseas scholarships for Master degrees and Ph.D programmes in engineering and sciences, including medicine to our children, in the best universities across the world.”

    Vice Chancellor Prof. Chigozie Asiabaka said the NDDC had largely fulfilled its mandate of facilitating the rapid, even and sustainable development of the Niger Delta region by providing projects that significantly affect the lives of the people. He thanked the interventionist agency for building a hostel for the university and requested for more facilities.

    Students of the university, represented by the President of the Students’ Union Government, Comrade Godson Okeke, said the new hostel had given them cause to celebrate. “We have thoroughly inspected the project and we certify that it is worthy to be occupied by our students,” he said.

  • Centre for Financial Studies gets advisory board

    An Advisory Board of the Centre for Financial Studies (CFS), a subsidiary of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and Lagos Business School of Pan African University was inaugurated in Lagos.

    CIBN President/Chairman of Council, Segun Aina who commissioned the board said it was meant to assist in producing new breed of bankers with requisite knowledge and skills to drive the financial services sector.

    He said the board has reputable personalities experienced in the banking profession. The members of the board include Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Deputy Governor, Economic Policy, Dr. Sarah Alade who serves as the Chairman; Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha; Director-General, Nigeria Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), Prof. Olufemi Taiwo; Managing Director/Chief Executive, First Bank of Nigeria Plc, Mr. Olabisi Onasanya; Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri, Dr. Mrs. Cele Njoku; and Registrar/Chief Executive, Dr. ’Uju Ogubunka. The Administrator of the Centre, Mr. Habila Amos, serves as the Secretary of the board.

    The CIBN has equally entered into strategic partnership with Lagos Business School/Pan Atlantic University, with a view to improving the quality of manpower in the financial services sector.

    This is coming on the heels of the signing of an Affiliation Agreement between the CFS, a subsidiary of the CIBN.

    Aina said the affiliation will among other things enable CFS and LBS/PAU to strategically engage in a number of activities to achieve the objectives of the CFS.

  • Microsoft 4Afrika gets advisory council

    Microsoft 4Afrika gets advisory council

    US technology giants, Microsoft Corporation has unveiled the 4Afrika Advisory Council, an external board of advisers tasked with guiding strategic investments undertaken by the Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative across the continent and ensuring that it is closely aligned to African development goals.

    According to a statement, former president of the United Republic of Tanzania, Benjamin Mkapa, chairs the board while the Managing Director of Microsoft South Africa, Mteto Nyati, serves as the vice chair.

    Mkapa said: “I am deeply honoured to chair the 4Afrika Advisory Council and to represent this prestigious group of council members because we all believe deeply in Microsoft 4Afrika’s mission to help Africa improve its global competitiveness. Together with the Microsoft team, we look forward to helping to grow African leaders, encourage and support African businesses and highlight African innovation here on the continent and on the world stage.”

    The council had its first meeting Oct. this year in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. At the meeting, the council discussed topics relevant to advancing the 4Afrika mission, including the importance of developing strategies that address both rural and urban youth populations, the role of teachers as content creators, and approaches to building sustainable models for growth of African entrepreneurs and small businesses.

    In addition, to ensure that the critical voices of African youth are heard, the council made provisions for four additional slots on the 4Afrika Advisory Council, to be occupied by youth leaders from the continent. Candidates were selected from existing African youth leadership groups, including U.S. President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative, the African Leadership Network, the African Leadership Initiative, the Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellowship Program and the World Economic Forum’s Forum of Young Global Leaders. Nominees will be contacted in the coming weeks with formal invitations to join the 4Afrika Advisory Council.

    “As established influencers and innovators in Africa, we know that this group composing the 4Afrika Advisory Council will make highly impactful contributions to Microsoft 4Afrika’s efforts to shape development priorities across the continent with the use of technology as an enabler,” Nyati said. “Not only will the group help Microsoft 4Afrika to understand and engage in existing areas of untapped potential, but we are confident it will also help us break new ground within the initiative’s targeted sectors, including healthcare, education and small business enablement.”

    The council will meet in person twice annually and will also hold regionally focused meetings at other times in the year. The council members have also committed to contribute to 4Afrika efforts in capacity-building with African youth leaders.

  • Chime gets NSE award

    Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime has won the 2013 Special Presidential Merit Award of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE).

    The award, a plague, was received on his behalf by the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Goddy Madueke, an engineer, in Abuja during the Society’s Annual General Meeting (AGM).

    It was in recognition of his good work.

    According to NSE, “the 2013 Special Presidential Merit Award is presented to Governor Chime for the confidence reposed in engineers and commitment to infrastructural development in the state.”

    Madueke attributed the award to hard work and vision by the governor, “who knows what he wants to achieve for the state with his four-point agenda and how to pursue them with vigour”.

    He said NSE does not give out award anyhow, but only to those who deserve it. “The 2013 award was given to only Governor Chime and Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.”

     

  • Keystone Bank Uganda gets new MD

    Keystone Bank has confirmed the appointment of Ms. Yetunde Kakulu as the Managing Director of its Uganda subsidiary.

    In a statement, the bank’s divisional head, marketing and corporate communication, Mohammed Ciroma, said Kakulu was, until her new posting, a divisional head in the bank’s Northern division.

    An old girl of Federal Government College, New Bussa, Kakulu possesses a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Ilorin as well as a Masters Degree in Banking and Finance from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

    She also recently attended the leadership course at Wharton Executive Education College, University of Pennsylvania. Her foray into banking spanned over 20 years garnering experience variously as operations manager and business manager with some of the leading banks in Nigeria before being head-hunted by Keystone Bank to be part of the change management team.

    Her professional trajectory has been in retail, commercial and public sector banking in Keystone Bank where she rose to become an Assistant General Manager making her eligible for her new assignment as CEO of Keystone Bank’s subsidiary in Uganda.

  • Jigawa gets fish hatchery

    The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said it has established an ultra-modern fish hatchery in Jigawa to accelerate fish production in the state.

    The State Programme Coordinator, Alhaji Umar Abubakar, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Hadejia.

    Abubakar said the hatchery was established at Garki village in Garki Local Government Area of the state, adding that the hatchery was equipped with surface water tanks, boreholes and fish ponds.

    He said the hatchery was also designed with a five million fingerlings production capacity to enhance its availability in the state.

    “In IFAD, we are trying to provide raw materials to our farmers; fish farming in Jigawa State is becoming a pronounced business and because of that our people have to go to Kano; sometimes as far as Zaria to purchase fingerlings for their fish farming.

    “Looking at their demand; we decided to make a hatchery in Jigawa, which can supply the whole state in due course; from that centre we can hatch a large number of fish that can serve the entire state.

    “So each and every fish farmer willing to buy fingerlings does not have to go to Kano or Zaria to purchase fingerlings; now we can supply it in Jigawa.”

    Abubakar said IFAD had trained its staff members to ensure effective management of the hatchery, while some selected farmers were also trained under the programme for fish farming.

    He urged the farming communities to go into fish farming so as to enhance wealth creation and food security in the country.