The Nation Newspaper

Tag: group

  • Group seeks probe of journalist’s attack

    A group, the Seme Concerned Citizens (SCC), has urged security agencies to probe the attack of a journalist by suspected smugglers in order to unravel the truth.

    It said the culprits should be fished out so as not to give the entire Seme community a bad name and brand them as smugglers.

    Executive Director and Editorial Board Chairman of Badagry Prime Magazine Otunba Yomi Olomofe was brutalised by smugglers in Seme.

    He had accused the Customs Area Command (CAC) of working with one Alhaji Momoh, popularly known as Basket, to set him up for the attack and to unleash terror on him.

    The group, in a statement by its leader, Alhaji Igun Shotunde, said it was informed that some persons who claim to be “journalists” had been in the habit of blackmailing some of the businessmen and extorting money from them.

    It said in May this year, a man who claimed to be a reporter for a local magazine showed them a 21-page documented evidence he purportedly had on smuggling activities at the border.

    The “journalist”, he said, had earlier come in the company of another colleague and demanded N1million so as not to publish the document.

    SCC said it believes a transaction that went awry must have led to Olomofe’s attack. “We were informed that N1million was given to them (journalists), and they later demanded for additional N2million because the initial money was not enough.

    “This request made the people angry and they in-turn demanded for the refund of their money. All efforts failed to recover the money hence some of the angry boys saw Olomofe at Seme and requested for the money. Then an argument ensued.

    “We, therefore, call on NUJ and security agencies to thoroughly investigate these developments so as to get to the root of the matter and check those who give the journalism profession a bad name,” Shotunde said.

    But Olomofe denied ever demanding or receiving money from anyone over any story. “May I tell you that that is just bullshit. Well, that is Customs, trying to get back at me. I have never met anybody called Seme Concerned Citizens. It would have been good if the group stated where and how they met me. That is absolute bullshit. I’ve never met any such group in my life.

    “I’ve never met anyone by the name Alhaji Igun Shotunde. No such transaction has ever transpired between me and anyone.

    “In any event, I was invited to a meeting by Customs, not by Seme Concerned Citizens. There were five of us at the meeting I had with Customs. There is no substance to those claims by the group,” Olomofe said.

    The publisher had vowed to bring those responsible for the attack to book and to seek justice.

    “It is unfortunate that life can be so meaningless in our society. I intend to see this to its logical conclusion; I will not relent until justice is done and these criminals are brought to book. These people see themselves as above the law and always publicly announce severally  that they need to kill a fellow human being to serve as a lesson to other journalists,” he had said.

  • Group to Buhari: stop Amnesty stipends

    The Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ), a Non-Governmental Organisation, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to send all ex-militants and beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme to a farm settlement where they would be useful to the nation and themselves.

    The group warned that doling out largesse to the former armed agitators and pampering them with political appointments and lucrative contract were dangerous to the economic wellbeing of the country and creating wrong role models for Niger Delta youths.

    CEPEJ CEO Comrade Sheriff Mulade said: “The Amnesty Programme is a Greek gift; we advise President Muhammadu Buhari to tackle head-on the fundamental issues of deprivation in the region as the only way to engender lasting peace in the region.

    “We canvass the adoption of strategic action plans for the massive development of the region, since the present efforts by the Niger Delta Ministry and Niger Delta Development Commission are nothing to write home about.

    “On the December deadline set by the Federal Government to phase out the programme, CEPEJ wants the President to carefully study it with a view to adopting effective and more pragmatic methods in discharging its functions.

    “We suggest that the ex-militants should be involved in mechanised farming, rather than dishing out stipends to them at end of every month without doing anything.

    “Beside, we implore the Federal Government to create employment opportunities for those who are undergoing training in various fields under the programme to give them a sense of belonging.”

    Mulade also called on the President to ensure that only credible persons from the region are appointed as Minister of Niger Delta Ministry and to other intervention agencies, such as the Amnesty Programme and the Niger Delta Development Commission.

    He said CEPEJ was not unaware of intense pressure being mounted on the President Buhari by vested interests and stakeholders who are lobbying for the nomination of their “candidates” into the strategic ministry and agencies.

    Mulade advised the President not to be swayed by sentiments and such pressure by bowing to the gambits of the lobbyists and their agents, but he should take decisions that would benefit the people and his administration.

    He said CEPEJ believed that only the appointment of grassroots persons with a grasp of the issues and problems of the oil bearing region into the various offices could bring the much needed impact and dividends to the communities.

    Mulade warned against the appointment of ex-militants and offering of such positions as political patronage as it could provoke and incite their ilk to take on arms against the state, because they would think that it is rewarding to be violent.

    He said: “We believe that appointing a thoroughbred to oversee the affairs of the amnesty office will go a long way to reshaping the programme and making it more result-oriented.”

  • Group drums up support for Buhari

    The Yoruba Unity Forum (YUF) has appealed to chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to urgently end the ongoing leadership crisis in the National Assembly in order to give the electorate the confidence to believe in the ability of the party to move Nigeria forward.

    The group made the call at a meeting held at its Efunyela Hall secretariat, Ikenne Ogun State. The meeting also called for support for the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, especially in its efforts to fix the country.

    The group also resolved to host the Vice-President, Prof. Oluyemi Osinbajo to a grand reception at Ikenne, his home town.

    The forum, which is an umbrella body of all groups and societies that make up the Yoruba race, is a non-political socio-cultural group.

    Furthermore, the Executive Council also nominated some members into the planning committee to execute the 100 year birthday celebrations of Chief H.I.D Awolowo, which is expected to hold at Ikenne, Remo, Ogun State, on November 25, this year when she will be 100 years old.

  • Akwa Ibom group seeks more money for Maritime Academy, Oron

    The National Assembly has been urged to enhance funding opportunities for the nation’s premiermaritime  training institution, the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) by passing a Bill seeking the increase current five per cent funding from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to 15 per cent.

    The request was made in Abuja on Wednesday by a group, the Civil Societies of Nigeria (CSN), Akwa-Ibom chapter. The group, while lamenting the inability of the institution to meet its responsibilities, blamed the development on paucity of funds and neglect by past administrations.

    The group, led by Richard Wilson, hailed the current management of the institution led by Dr. Joshua Okpo, which it said has improved on the standard of the school. It called for the retention of Okpo as the school’s Rector in view of his achievement so far.

    CSN faulted the planned conversion of the institution located in Oron, Akwa  Ibom State to a conventional university, arguing  that such a decision will rob Nigerians the privilege of the institution established to train marine engineers  and seafarers.

    The group described as mere political move the reported announcement by the immediate governor of the state, Goodwill Akpabio that the Goodluck Jonathan government had approved the school’s conversion.

    “When did the federal government empower former governor Godswil Akpabio to overtly announce the conversion of a highly technical institution such as MAN Oron into a university without strict adherence to due process?

    “The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Convention, which Nigeria is a member state, makes it mandatory for Certificate of Competency (CoC), issued by the institution, to be acceptable beyond the shores of Nigeria, while degrees can only assist the holder in other aspects of maritime education and training.”

  • Group creates BVN registration awareness

    Group creates BVN registration awareness

    The Consumer Right Awareness Advancement and Advocacy (CRAAAI) has  urged Nigerians to go and register for their Bank Verification Numbers. Registration deadline is June 30.

    The Chairman of the CRAAAI, Mr. Moses Igbrude, who spoke  at a stakeholders’ forum on identity management in the economy, organised to enlighten Nigeria, said identity management is a broad administrative area that deals with identifying individuals in a particular system. He listed the system to include a country, a network, or an enterprise and controlling their access to resources within that system by associating, user rights and restrictions with the established identity.

    He added that the role of technology in modernising the banking sector has witnessed a paradigm shift from the traditional methods of banking to digital channels which involve enormous levels of electronic data capture (EDC) of customer’s information.

    “Everybody needs security; if people are identified before they commit any crime, the person will be identified easily. “

  • Group holds rally for Biafra’s fallen heroes and heroines

    A Pro-Biafra group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has held a rally in Aba, the commercial nerve centre of Abia State. Sunny Nwankwo was at the rally

    Aba, the commercial nerve of Abia State was at the weekend beseeched by members of a pro-biafra group, the Indigenous People of Biafra from the Southeast and Southsouth states of the country.

    The group who neared about 20, 000 as early as 9am on Saturday had trooped out in their numbers in front of Christ the King Catholic Cathedral Church (CKC) ahead of a march round the city in remembrance of the 1929 Aba women who fought the colonial masters to stop moves they (colonial masters) made for women to start paying taxes.

    The second reason was also to honour Biafran heroes who laid their lives in the struggle for the freedom of Biafra land.

    The crowd had who came from various states of Abia, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Port Harcourt, Bayelsa, Edo, Ebonyi, Anambra, Edo, Delta and other parts of the country had both the old and the young in attendance and by 10am traffic around CKC was brought to a halt as members of the group including Aba residents had already gathered at the venue.

    Though there was initial apprehension whether the event was going to hold in Aba or not when the news filtered into town that members of the pro-Biafra group were being arrested and detained by the Police, Imo State Command, the event however took place without any member of the group arrested or harassed by Police Officers and Detectives from Abia State Security Services who were on guard to make sure that there was no breach of peace within the Aba Command.

    Investigation has it the Aba Area Commander, Peter Wagbara who was on ground had saved what could have led to shootings and killings when some members of the group had a confrontation with the police which led to the breakage of their patrol van’s glass, though The Nation learnt that the members of the group on their own later came to replace the damaged glass and as well apologized to the police authority in the state for the damage.

    They sang various pro-Biafra songs where they praised the gallantry efforts of Late Biafra Warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, Philip Effion, Okoko Ndem, Joe Ajuzie Onwu Atuegwu among others who in one way or the other participated in the struggle for freedom of the former eastern region.

    From CKC, they divided themselves into groups and marched through Ogbor Hill where they had a stopover at the Premises of the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA Channel 6 Aba and later marched through Aba-Owerri road, Tonimas-Umule axis, Ariaria, Port Harcourt road leading to Flyover Bus Stop, one of the populous areas in the city of Aba and among other places they went during the march.

    And for over 8hours that the march lasted, traffic was however moving in a snail manner along some of the major roads in the commercial city as commuters, motorists and residents of Aba trooped out in their numbers on the road to have a glimpse of what was happening.

    Police patrol vans were however seen at various strategic junctions where the Armoured Personnel Carrier was stationed at Ehi road by CKC to ensure that the protesters didn’t turn violent or ceases the opportunity to cause breach of peace in the city.

    Some of IPOB members who spoke to our reporter said that the movement in Aba today was to honour some of the Biafran Warlords who died during the Nigerian-Biafran Civil war, adding that it was also part of their efforts to further push for their agitation for the realization of the sovereign state of Biafra.

    According to one of them who gave his name as Kalu Francis, “It is more than 100years after Lord Lugard amalgamated the people of Southern and Northern Protectorates. According to the treaty, it was agreed that after 100years anyone that felt that they are no longer comfortable to with the way things are being done has the right to secede and that is what we are doing.

    “We are the Indigenous People of Biafra and we believe that time has come for us to let the world know how badly we have been treated as a people. Even when we lay the eggs that feeds the nation, we are still are still not benefiting from the eggs we lay.

    “What we are saying is that we want to be free and until realise the dreams and aspirations of our founding fathers we shall continue to push the struggle and push our case to its logical conclusion. People think that we are going to be troublesome, but we chose the path of peace and honour as a non-violent group to pass our message to the international community that we are no longer comfortable. What we want is a sovereign state of Biafra and nothing else”.

    However, residents of Aba have commended the police officers under Aba Area Command for exhibiting maturity in the way they handled the protesters yesterday, stating that it was a paradigm shift from what was obtainable.

    They added that if the template set out today by the police could be sustained, “they will be achieving the saying that police is your friend and not the enemy of the public”.

  • Group demands probe of ESUT VC selection

    A group, Enugu Regional Association (ERA), has condemned what it called irregularity and injustice that characterised the appointment of Prof Luke Anike as the Vice-Chancellor of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT).

    ERA comprises serving and former senior staff from old Enugu region working at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).

    Speaking to reporters after its emergency meeting on Monday, the ERA president, Prof Aloysius Okolie, urged Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to set up a panel of inquiry to look into the process of VC selection.

    Okolie said the panel should look into the circumstances that led to the retraction of appointment of Prof Ben-Chris Onah, who was ratified by the immediate past governor, Mr Sullivan Chime.

    He said: “After an interview considered to be transparent and in accordance with due process, Prof Ben-Chris Onah’s name was submitted to the visitor and his appointment was ratified. It was announced in media for five days as duly-appointed Vice-Chancellor of Enugu State University of Science and Technology.

    “Surprisingly, when he was invited to collect his letter of appointment, there was a twist. He was told the appointment letter had been given to another contender, Prof Luke Anike.”

    Okolie said the group had no interest in who was chosen as school VC but he said the ERA’s interest was to ensure fairness in the selection of administrators for higher institutions.

    He added: “We remain stakeholders in advancing qualitative education and good governance in the state. ERA is demanding that a panel of inquiry be set up to investigate what led to the retraction of appointment of Prof Onah after being ratified by ex-Governor Sullivan Chime. As workers in higher institution, we need no further education on the process of selecting Vice-Chancellors.”

    Okolie said the panel became necessary to enable the public know why a particular candidate was appointed as VC after another candidate had been selected.

  • Group condemns imbalance in NDDC appointments

    Bothered by an alleged imbalance in the appointment of key officials into the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) among the nine- member states, one of the concerned groups in the riverside communities of Ondo State has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to correct the alleged injustice with regard to appointments.

    In a communiqué issued after its meeting in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area and signed by its Coordinator, Nelson Mafo, it lamented that since the inception of NDDC in 2001, all its executive positions have been produced by the five states which include Bayelsa, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Rivers and Delta.

    The group said: “The NDDC Act stipulates that Executive positions in the NDDC shall rotate among the oil-producing states of the Niger Delta; beginning from the state with the largest quantum of oil production to the least.

    “We appeal to President Buhari to extend the appointment of the Managing Director (MD) or any of the Executive positions in the NDDC to the oil-producing area of Ondo State for the sake of equity, justice and fair play.

    “We plead with the present administration to end the provocative discrimination by previous administrations in the appointment of Executive positions in the NDDC.

    “It is unfair and runs contrary to the NDDC Act which clearly projected the principle of Federal Character in the distribution of full-time positions in the commission.

    The communiqué frowned that the NDDC has performed abysmally below average

    in the 14 years of its existence in spite of huge amount of money at the commission’s disposal.

    This, the group attributed to dearth of people with immense administrative experience, integrity and strong character which were unavoidably excluded from

    appointment to manage NDDC plans and resources for the benefit of the inhabitants of Niger Delta who are daily experiencing agonising environmental

  • Group seeks support for Buhari

    Jagaban Elders Forum, a non-governmental organisation aimed at fostering unity among supporters of All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sought support for the Buhari adminstration.

    Its Chairman, Elder Adebanjo Ogunmayin, praised members for their role in the party’s victory during the last election.

    He called for continued support for the party’s members, especially the elders.

    Ogunmayin added: “To win an election is one thing, to fulfil the promises made to the electorate is an onerous task that needs the cooperation of party members”.

     

  • Group launches first online beat market in Nigeria

    Group launches first online beat market in Nigeria

    Music artistes can shop for their beats online, as a new music market, www.beat234.com, the first in Nigeria, was launched recently.

    According to the platform’s spokesperson, Durotimi Lash, the website is the first in Africa, described it as a brilliant initiative for producers who wish to commercialise their beats, while also serving as a bridge for aspiring producers and aspiring musicians.

    Lash said: “The website is a phenomenon that deals on beat production and interactions between producers and artistes, movie soundtrack directors and record labels.

    “It promotes productions from ace producers to upcoming producers and also gives an opportunity for artistes and music acts to afford any sound production of choice- making it the first beat production exclusive sales website in Africa.”

    Speaking on how safe the platform is for transactions purposes, he noted that there is no complication on our website, as there is copyright for every beat you see on the website. “Also, people need to understand that it is only the demo that is available for you to listen to by notable producers. From there, bidding starts coming in and the highest bidder will be favoured. We are well confident at any transaction that occurs because we have structures put in place,” he said.

    According to him, the website also has different categories for all class of stakeholders in this prospect.

    ”The beat categories on the website include Gold, Silver, and underdog. With this, the platform is available for everybody, not just anybody but all the stakeholders,” he disclosed.