The Nation Newspaper

Tag: hours

  • 288 hours in a dungeon

    288 hours in a dungeon

    Hooded and armed to the teeth, they stormed the Lagos residence of Segun Olatunji, editor of FirstNews, an online publication. Even with their uniform, you cannot be too sure that they are really who they claimed to be. But Segun had no choice. He had to follow the soldiers all the same.

    To have refused to go with them would have been tragic. In such a situation, it is good to err on the side of caution. Be calm and allow the other party to have its way. A living dog, it is said, is better than a dead lion. Segun gently sought to know why they came for him. “Just dress up and follow us”, the leader of the team barked at him, in the presence of his seven-year-old son.

    His wife and one-year-old son also witnessed the drama, right there in their living room where Segun and his seven-year-old boy were watching television before the soldiers marched in the woman and the baby in her arms. It could not have been a sight to behold. How do you explain the open display of guns and other weapons of war around kids and a woman, who the military knows are shielded from such ugly sights?

    Anyway, they were less bothered by such niceties of treating women and children politely. They were on a mission to fetch the head of the family and they were ready to discharge it without respect for their rules of engagement. They took Segun away with them, pushing his wife and son out of their way, as the woman asked no one in particular where they were taking him to.

    On the street, the neighbours had gathered to watch the unfolding drama in the Olatunjis’ apartment. They discussed in hushed tones as they wondered what the editor might have done to warrant the invasion of their neighbourhood. Nobody could challenge the invading team. As Zik once said only a mad man would confront the person with a gun. The crowd yielded way as the invaders zoomed off with Segun in their convoy of vehicles. A convoy just to pick an harmless citizen! It makes no sense at all to go to any citizen’s home in that manner when he is not a security risk.

    Even, if he is, is that the way to arrest him? Will such a person leave his flanks open, knowing full well that security agents can come for him at anytime? This is why our security operatives must always apply wisdom and be rational in their dealings with others, especially those considered ‘security risks’ so as to avoid bloodbath at the point of arrest. If Segun were to be a security risk, do they think he would have left himself susceptible to easy arrest like that?

    Why did they come for Segun? What did he do? Who complained against him? Should the invading team have gone to his home in that manner? Should state power be deployed against any citizen that way, even if he is a known security risk? I do not know the information that the invaders had at their disposal before that mission, but whatever it is, it does not call for the deployment of such force to effect an arrest. Intelligence officers do not act that way.

    Intelligence officers are circumspect and calculating. They keep watch over their target and close in on him as soon as the person is entrapped. They do not go about noisily announcing their arrival in a neighbourhood that they are about to make an arrest. They come in quietly and leave the same way without anybody knowing about their mission. In this instant case, the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), from reports so far, does not have any cogent reason for arresting and detaining Segun incommunicado for 12 days.

    What is more. It initially denied having the editor in its custody until it was confirmed beyond any reasonable doubt that he was there. Why did DIA lie? What does it have to hide over this matter? Is it now an offence for the media to report about security operations or the activities of the heads of those outfits? That FirstNews did a story on the Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Maj Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye, is not enough reason to arrest Segun, even if the report is inaccurate.

    There are remedies in law for the CDI or any other person for that matter who feels offended by any publication. The CDI cannot by virtue of his position use the weight of his office to  clamp down on people that he feels have offended him. Doing so, as he did in this instant case, is an abuse of power. He cannot use his power to settle personal scores or to stifle free speech and freedom of the press. We are in a democracy and the CDI and others like him should learn to subjugate themselves to civil authority. The defence and civil authorities must work together to strengthen our democracy. In the nation’s interest, security agencies should cease from actions capable of undermining democracy.

    Segun was arrested in Lagos on March 15 and driven blindfolded to Abuja where he was held till March 27. His release did not come easy. It came after a long and tortuous search for him as the DIA, which took him away from Lagos vehemently denied having him in its custody.

    Even with the interventions of the Presidency, Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA), Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Nigerian Police, Nigerian Army, Directorate of State Service (DSS), Ministries of Interior and Information, among others, the agency insisted that it did not have Segun in its custody. Whereas, it did, as it eventually turned out.

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    If not for the persistence of the International Press Institute (IPI), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), nobody knows what would have happened to Segun, who was held against his will for almost two weeks in a dungeon. What did he do to deserve such treatment? DIA has refused to say. One of its operatives that handed Segun over to NGE secretary Iyobosa Uwugiaren and Deputy Editor (Abuja) of this paper, Yomi Odunuga, under a bridge in Abuja on March 27, reportedly said he was held for ‘terrorism’ in response to a question.

    ‘Terrorism’? How? Where is the evidence that Segun engaged in ‘terrorism’? The DIA should not in a bid to cover up its illegal act give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. It should provide evidence, if any, of Segun’s involvement in terrorism. Otherwise, DIA and Undandieye should apologise publicly to Segun and pay him compensation for defaming and illegally arresting and detaining him for 288 hours, which is 240 hours more than the 48 hours constitutionally allowed for holding a suspect, without charge.

    By calling him a ‘terrorist’, Segun has been defamed by the DIA  and his right to freedom breached by his arrest and detention. With what the country is going through now, our security agencies should be careful not to compound things for the government. The DIA is not above the law. Its job is to execute the law and not to flout it. When it flouts the law, it must pay the price. It is high time the DIA and other related agencies learnt to work within the ambits of the law in a democracy.

    I agree with NUJ, NGE and IPI that Segun’s release should not be “the end of this matter”. They should hasten work on their ongoing consultations and see what can be done to right the wrong done to Segun. If they keep quiet now, we do not know what the DIA or any other related agency will be up to in future. It is Segun today, it may be any other editor tomorrow. As the saying goes: a stitch in time saves nine.

  • I trekked for hours, says kidnapped ex-Ondo Speaker

    I trekked for hours, says kidnapped ex-Ondo Speaker

    Former Ondo State House of Assembly Speaker Victor Olabimtan, who spent three days with his abductors, yesterday said he was forced to trek barefooted in the bush by his abductors.

    Reliving his experience to reporters at his home in Akure, the Ondo State capital, the All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant said he and other victims were put inside a pit, where they spent the night.

    Olabimtan was abducted last Sunday at Kwali on his way to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The APC chieftain confirmed that ransom was paid, but he didn’t give the exact amount.

    The victim, who was received by his supporters, amid jubilation, said: “It was exactly 6:35pm on January 10, when we got to a spot at Kwali and I heard loud gunshots. I asked my driver what was happening.

    “When I saw the shooters, they were in army and police uniforms and I thought it was the police and the  army exchanging fire.

    “It was later that we discovered that they were robbers.

    “They stopped so many vehicles and blocked the road. Then they started searching the vehicles.

    “When they got to my vehicle, they asked for what I had and I gave them what was on me- very little money. I gave it to them and they left. They said we should lie down and I laid down.

    “In the twinkle of an eye, some of them came and said where is Oga? Where is Oga? They saw me lying down beside the car and said ‘na you be the owner of this car’ and I said ‘yes’.

    “The abductors told me to get up. They held me by the waist and started dragging me into the bush.

    “When I tried to resist, they slapped me and I had no choice but to obey them.

    “We had walked for about 30 minutes when they asked me to stop. One of my captors said I should stand up and walk into the bush. I refused. I said ‘no’.

    “He had a cutlass in his hands and he used the blunt side to beat me on the back, but I still refused to move. One of them came and said ‘leave him, leave him, don’t bother, leave him’.

    “They said I should sit down and I sat down for about 30 minutes. We continued our journey. I was walking bare footed because my shoes had been removed.

    “Some of the abductors were in front leading us; others were behind following us and by 11:30pm, we arrived at a spot.

    “When we got to that spot, they said we should all lay face down and we obeyed. It was at this point that they shared the stolen money.

    “When they finished, the abductors told us that is where we would sleep and we were there till the following morning.

    “By 4am, they said we should be on the move and we started another journey till 11:30 am.

    “Later, one of them came up to me and asked ‘How much do you have?’ I said ‘I don’t have money’. He asked again ‘How much is in your bank account?’

    “I said there was no money in my account. He said okay ‘Who do you know that can give you money to bail you?’

    “He said my ransom was N20million; another victim was N10million; another person N5million.

    “Then I asked how can mine be N20million and they said ‘Na you be oga now, you no see yourself , you no see the car wey we take you from, na you be Oga, say who you be sef.’

    “I said okay, I have people I can call; let me call my son. They gave me my phone and what I did was I tried to send a text message to my son.

    “They took the phone from me and said we asked you to call your son and you are sending text message. ‘You will die today.’

    “After some time, they came back to ask for a number, which I gave them.

    “From there, they took over the negotiation. The only times they called my attention was to complain that ‘your people are not cooperating and because your people are not cooperating, we’ll kill you.’

    “One of them will put a dagger on my neck to frighten me. I pleaded with my family to raise the funds.

    “The only food they gave us was bread but I didn’t eat because I was fasting.

    “There was no water and I requested for Coke, which they brought the following day. I drank it.

    “We walked from 7pm till around 1am. We stopped on a mountain from where you can see the whole of Kwali and Gwadalagda. They said this is where we were going to stay ‘till you are bailed’.

    “By 4pm on Wednesday came the cheering news that the ransom had been paid.”

  • Supermart.ng : delivery in three hours across Lagos

    Raphael Afaedor is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Supermart.ng. He was also co-founder and Managing Director of jumia.com.ng for Lagos Nigeria from March 2012 toJanuary 2014. In this interview with TONIA ‘DIYAN, he speaks on his online business journey so far, some challenges the business is facing. Excerpts:

    Share your journey so far in online business.

    Actually, it’s been quite some years of adventure. I began my career at Monster.com where I rose to become Senior Manager in charge of Software Product Development for 18 Western European countries. I later worked at Goldman Sachs and Notore Chemical Industries before co-founding Jumia Nigeria in 2012.

    In 2014, we saw a need to solve more every day problem of households in Nigeria especially Lagos, so we started Supermart.ng, Nigeria’s leading grocery delivery service.  We have observed the stress that people go through in order to shop for groceries. Most time they move from one shop to another before going to local market to buy local ingredients. This is due to the unstructured nature of the traditional retail and wholesale system.

    Supermart.ng, however through its partnership with leading supermarkets and local markets has developed the largest one stop online market for customers to shop from over 60,000 items and have it delivered to them in as early as three hours across Lagos.

    What was the initial response from customers?

    Nigerians have come a long way in terms of accepting the e-commerce solution. At first they were actually reluctant but over time they have come to trust the system. From what it used to be when it started a few years ago, there has been significant progress. For instance earlier in 2012 ecommerce sites were recording 2,000 orders per day. Between 2012 and now we have had an exponential growth to the tune of 50,000 orders per day. At Supermart.ng, for instance, we currently record 30 per cent growth month-on-month. The major thing is to put in place a structure that customers can trust.In our own case, supermart.ng has put a system in place that customers can trust to deliver their groceries to them in as early as three hours without any hitch.

    What are the challenges?

    There are several challenges in the course of this business I must tell you but more importantly we have been able to surmount all of them.

    First, the market itself is not organised. By the market I mean the traditional wholesale and retail system. This is quite visible in the fact that it is quite hard for someone to get everything he or she wants in just one supermarket.Sowhat Supermart.ng, has done is to partner with leading supermarkets and local markets in Lagos. This ensures that Nigeria customers can now buy their groceries and everyday essentials (local and imported brand products) at one address online and have it delivered to their homes and offices across Lagos in as early as three hours. Customers can now select from over 60,000 items on Supermart.ng,website– the largest assortment of groceries and everyday essentials in Nigeria across physical and online Supermarkets. With just a click you can access everything you need from the comfort of your home without having to move from one market to another.

    Another challenge is that of logistics. Especially in Lagos, there is the fear of the unpredictable traffic situation. The traffic situation is a challenge both to the customers and to the ecommerce companies. For the customers it’s a discouraging factor from going to the stores. For the ecommerce companies, it accounts for their delay in delivery. Traditionally, it takes two to 10 days for orders to be delivered to customer’s doorstep. However, this approach cannot be used for groceries considering that most of the orders are needed the same day. In view of that, what Supermart.ng, has done is to embark on adequate city research to understand the flow of traffic so that we are able to deliver groceries in as early as three hours against all odds. In fact, during the last fuel scarcity period when telecoms companies and banks were shutting down, we still delivered and our three hours delivery promise did not fail. Essentially, those challenges are always there but when there is a will, there is always a way.

    Compare online business with other types of businesses?

      Honestly, I just feel the best way to think about this is that almost the same set of principles applies to both online and offline businesses. A typical successful business sets out to solve people’s problem and it is rewarded for doing that. The hallmark is solution and reward.

    For instance, Supermart.ng, saw the stress that people go through on daily basis from one market to another in order to purchase their groceries, we decided to assemble all the products into one market place where people can order for everything at the exact market price and have it delivered to their door step in three hours. Currently we have partnership with leading supermarkets and local markets, allow customers shop from over 60,000 items and have it delivered to them in as early as three hours, seven days a week. It is all about commitment to bringing solution.

     

  • Ekiti bans manual labour at school hours

    Ekiti State government has outlawed manual labour by pupils of public primary and secondary schools during school hours.

    The academic session starts today.

    In the past, pupils used the first week to cut grasses and clear bushes on the premises, which made many of them to stay away.

    A statement yesterday by the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Jide Egunjobi, said academic work was expected to begin on resumption day, adding that “there will be no cutting of grasses, except during break or after school hours.”

    The statement said public schools had been directed to engage in agriculture, noting that holding of inter-house sports must not extend beyond first term.

    Stressing that the government had increased the war against truancy, cult activities, lateness and examination malpractices, the statement said it had directed schools to complete JSS3 and SSS3 syllabuses by the end of second term to ensure revision in third term.

    The commissioner urged stakeholders, including parents, guardians, teachers and pupils to complement government’s efforts at restoring education to its pride of place.

  • Working long hours may increase stroke risk — Researchers

    Researchers on Friday revealed that working 55 hours or more per week, might be associated with greater risk of stroke and developing coronary heart disease, compared with working a standard 35 to 40 hours.

    The study led by researchers from University College London, was published in the journal The Lancet.

    Prof. Mika Kivimaki, who led the study, said they did a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies and unpublished individual-level data examining the effects of longer working hours on cardiovascular disease.

    He said the analysis of data from 25 studies involving 603,838 men and women from Europe, U.S. and Australia, were followed for an average of eight and a half years.

    Kivimaki said in the final analysis they found a 13 per cent increased risk of incident coronary heart disease, in people working 55 hours, or more per week, compared with those putting in a normal 35 to 40 hour week.

    He said further that there was another analysis of data from 17 studies involving 528,908 men and women who were followed up for an average of 7.2 years.

    Kivimaki said in this researchers found a 1.3 times higher risk of stroke in individuals working 55 hours or more a week compared with those working standard hours.

    He said most importantly, the researchers found that the longer people worked, the higher their chances of a stroke.

    “For example, compared with people who worked standard hours, those working between 41 and 48 hours had a 10 per cent higher risk of stroke, and those working 49 to 54 hours had a 27 per cent increased risk of stroke.

    “We fully investigated the association between working hours and cardiovascular disease risk with greater precision than has previously been possible,” he said.

    Kivimaki said the researchers discovered that increasing health-risk behaviours, such as physical inactivity and high alcohol consumption, as well as repetitive triggering of the stress response, might increase the risk of stroke.

    He stressed that the causal mechanisms of these relationships need to be better understood.

  • Eagles’ list out in 24 hours

    Eagles’ list out in 24 hours

    Coach Stephen Keshi will be making public the list of players to be invited for the March 23, 2013 World Cup qualifying duel against the Harambe Stars of Kenya in a ‘short while’, Media officer to the National team Ben Alaiya has hinted.

    Alaiya on Monday told Lagos Sports radio station Brila FM that the Big Boss would make his list public in the next 24 hours.

    “The list of players to be invited for the game with Kenay will be out in the next 24 hours,” Alaiya stated.

    “Like we have always done, the home-based professionals will hit camp first before their foreign counterparts join them to round off preparations, the Eagles spokesman added.

    Already there have been insinuations in different quarters on who and who will make Keshi’s list as he steps out for his first assignment after the Africa Cup of Nations success in South Africa where Nigeria finished tops to win her third AFCON trophy.