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Tag: MAN

  • Man, 30, docked for alleged abduction of ‘girlfriend’

    A 30-year-old man, Idris Usman, who allegedly abducted his 16-year-old girl friend, was docked yesterday before an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

    Usman, a resident of 25, Muricals Street, Agege, is on trial for alleged kidnapping, to which he pleaded not guilty.

    The Prosecutor, Inspector Chinalu Uwadione, told the court that the accused committed the offence on June 16 on Railway Line, Ikeja, the state capital.

    Uwadione said the accused hid the girl from her mother because she did not consent to the relationship.

    “The accused took the teenager to his sister’s place in Ondo State where she was until she was found,” Uwadione said.

    He added that the offence contravenes Section 2 of the Kidnapping Prohibition Laws of Lagos State, 2017.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mr O. O. Olatunji, granted the accused bail for N200,000 with two sureties each in like sum.

    Olatunji said the sureties must have proof of evidence of tax payment to the state government in the last three years.

    He adjourned the matter till October 24 for mention.

     

  • How NIMASA, MAN collaboration can change industry’s narrative

    I am highly impressed by what has happened between the last time I visited the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) informally and now. There have been tremendous improvements. Indeed, I am over-whelmed. I literally do not know where to begin my commendation of the man behind the success story, Commodore Duja Effedua. Besides, I have seen determination, pragmatism, and vision on the side of the leadership.The Rector has clearly shown where he wants to take the academy to and NIMASA will surely give him all the needed support going by the pace and determination he has already demonstrated.’’

    These inspiring words  showered on Commodore  Effedua by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Director-General, Mr. Dakuku Peterside, were like the appraisal of the Rector’s first anniversary.

    The NIMASA chief gave the commendation when he visited the Academy last Friday. He said he was on a fact-finding mission to confirm what he had read in the newspapers, adding that he was not disappointed.

    He expressed satisfaction with the transformation of the over 40-year-old Academy in the last one year.

    After  inspecting the campus, where many dilapidated or abandoned structures have been renovated, completed or undergoing construction by the Management, the NIMASA DG further appreciated the Rector for his vision and taste for quality.

    Peterside added that he was pleased that the Federal Government has found a round peg in a round hole in its quest to reposition the foremost maritime institution for the benefit of Nigerians and others in the sub-region.

    The DG stated the correlation between repositioning the Academy in terms of availability of facilities, quality of instructors and professional competency of cadets and the maritime narrative of the country.

    He argued that the status or functionality of the Academy has a direct bearing on the economy of the country; the reason government cannot treat the Maritime Academy with kid-gloves.

    “The importance of the maritime industry in Nigeria is directly related to the fortunes or performance of MAN. That is because the Academy grooms personnel for the industry. Therefore, if we expect the nation’s maritime industry to be top-range, the quality of personnel produced by the Academy also must be of top range. Again if we expect the quality of products from the Academy to be top range, then the quality of facility and instructors must also be at par with such expectations. It implies that if we want the industry to advance with the realities of the time, we must necessarily address issues pertaining to the Maritime Academy of Nigeria”, Peterside stated.

    Be that as it may, there is, therefore, much to glean from Commodore Effedua’s brief  highlight of policy and objectives of his administration, challenges and experiences in office. Commodore Effedua stated that his mission was on how to change wrong perceptions and the narratives of the Academy, to leave a legacy that stakeholders and posterity will be proud of.

    He said: “I must confess that I feel sad about where the Academy is today having been established about 40 years ago. It is far, far away from its contemporaries and even those that were founded long after it. Something must be done to redeem the grand objective of establishing the institution. And my goal is to achieve that to the best of my ability and this would be seen in the quality of products produced by this Academy under my watch. If the needed quality of staff, facilities and appropriate exposure are given, I can guarantee you that there is no how cadets from this academy cannot compete comfortably with their counterparts elsewhere in the world.”

    The Rector enumerated some of the challenges facing the academy to include unavailability of core maritime professionals, such as master mariners and navigators; obsolete teaching aids; lack of simulators and training ship for cadets’ sea-time; and bloated staff strength where over 70 per cent is non-teaching staff.

    Other challenges, according to the Rector, are incursion by host communities, who wrote volumes of frivolous petitions against the Management of the Academy; bloated cadets and lack of publications or books.

    Even in the face of these challenges, the Rector has devised a peculiar modus operandi to overhaul the structures and policies of the academy to achieve optimum results and strong diplomacy with host communities.

    Such include enforcement of discipline, training and restraining of workers at home and abroad through workshops, reduction of staff volume through redeployment, audit of certificates to ensure transparency. The Rector also involves in Corporate Social Responsibility for the communities.

    On the secret of his success, the Commodore stated that the magic lies in the belief that bad situations could be turned around for good with the right attitude, determination, competence and integrity. The second is creating  the right atmosphere for workers to key into your leadership pattern.

    Indeed, one major aspect of the Rector’s integrity in handling issues of the academy could have been dictated in his statements. Whereas others in the past ran down the government in the area of funding, the Rector gave what can be taken as a piece: “Let me say something no one may be bold enough and frank to say: funds from NIMASA to this Academy cannot strictly be said to be inadequate; but they are irregular. It takes so long to come. And that affects our operations so adversely. I wish they come when they should”.

    The Rector nonetheless expressed appreciation to the Federal Government and NIMASA for their commitments and interventions in critical areas of needs in the Academy. He, however, said much still had to be done to bring the Academy to international standard. The promises by the NIMASA DG were both encouraging and indicative of where the Academy should be.

    After suggesting measures to tackle the challenges,  Peterside said his agency would assist the Academy to realise its aims: “Let me make it very clear that NIMASA will offer help and support in all areas of need. This will include  bringing in core maritime professionals as external lecturers, initiating engagements and negotiations with affiliate organisations on exchange of programmes and facilities, acquiring simulators, ensuring timely release of funds due the institution, including donations of books.

    “I give my word that NIMASA will go all out to support the Management of the Academy because we are convinced beyond words of its capacity to deliver, so that together we can advance the vision of the maritime industry in this country. This is also in line with my strategic agenda for a complete turnaround of the sector for the envisaged benefits in all ramifications. In collaboration with sister organisations, we will train cadets and lecturers in highly professional aspects in places like Singapore, Egypt, etc.”

    Individuals and organisations that visited the Academy in recent times also praised the Rector for the changes at the Academy.

    The Naval chief attributed the problems in the institution to poor management and inability of those in charge to interpret the objectives of the foremost maritime training institution in Nigeria.

    Intersetingly, Commodore Effedua is changing things for the better.

    Other facilities that Peterside inspected include the remodelling of the library and resource centre, state-of-the-art survival pool,  and lecture theatres.

  • The complex being called man

    Today, I remember one of the best and most philosophical songs of Juju music king, Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey in decoding the trending political goings-on in Lagos State.

    In it, he admitted to the empirical fact that of all God’s creations, man is the most complex. Hear him:  “Ninu gbogbo oun t’Eledumare da s’ile aiye, awa enia la soro”

    It is why it is easy for people to speak oftentimes from both sides of their mouths – and on every occasion, they tend to find justification for their confusing, if not confounding positions.

    When Bola Tinubu, acutely aware of the the acrimony usually associated with open, all-comers affair otherwise called direct primary in politics, opts for a less acrimonious system known as consensus, he’s accused of autocracy, imposition and other undemocratic malfeasance.

    If, like a normal human being he feels like letting it be known that blood and water also run in his veins and his skin too can also be irritated by unfair criticisms, and therefore decides to let people enjoy their fancy and have their way, he’s also charged of being the unseen hand behind every other person’s travails.

    I see all of that in the ongoing debate about whether or not Governor Akinwunmi Ambode deserves being given an automatic ticket to return for a second term of four years, without being challenged at any primary. Those who believe he should, are right to the extent of using the ongoing infrastructural upliftment of the state by his administration, as yardstick.

    If the dismantling of the gridlock at the Oworonshoki end of the Third Mainland Bridge or at the Ojodu Berger point on Ibadan Expressway or the flyover at Abule Egba on Abeokuta Expressway are the only parameters to go by, Ambode has gotten it all wrapped up.

    But there are others who list many areas of his failing as his albatross. They speak of his being petty and vindictive, if not his high handedness. And some also make allusion to the row between a minister of God and his wife, Bolanle, when the cleric was sent off his apartment, as the typical shylock landlord would deal with his defaulting tenant. The astronomical increase of land use charges in Lagos State is another area by which he’s being assessed by the discerning public.

    If what I read of him in the social media earlier in the week by a contributor is all true, then mark me down as a thoroughly shocked fan of Governor Ambode.

    Why? Okay, I will tell. The Ambode I knew before he became governor was a damned good person, kind, considerate and passionate about doing good. That post portrayed him in a different light that I’m puzzled what could have been responsible. What changed him, if indeed he has changed? Could it be the people around him or has it anything to do with negative celestial intervention?

    Current moves by well-intentioned people of goodwill can still swing things in favour of Ambode and if that happens, there are lessons to be learnt about how to relate with political leadership and civil service leadership in any polity, as they are crucial when it matters most.

    Those who had been offended by the governor’s acts of omission and commission may be grinning to the ears at the moment but those I dread most are the beneficiaries of the governor’s acts in office, some of who may be working hard at the moment at transferring their allegiance to their benefactor’s traducers, even when all hopes don’t seem dimmed.

  • ‎Man docked for defecating on crops

    The Police on Friday‎ arraigned a 21-year-old man, John Danladi, in a Kubwa Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, for allegedly defecating on crops.

    Danladi of Dutse, Abuja, was docked on charges bordering on criminal trespass and assault.

    The prosecutor, Babajide Olanipekun, told the court that one Bitrus Duguba reported the matter at the Kubwa Police Station on Sept. 11.

    He said ‎that the defendant criminally trespassed into the complainant’s farm and intentionally defecated on his crops.

    Read Also: Man docked for stealing phone

    Olanipekun said that when the complainant challenged the defendant, he used a plastic chair to assault him.‎

    Olanipekun added that the complainant sustained severe body pains, adding that the offences contravened the provisions of Sections 342 and 265 of the Penal Code.‎

    The defendant pleaded not guilty, while the judge, Abdulwahab Mohammed, granted him bail in the sum of N100, 000, with one surety in like sum and adjourned the case until Oct. 8 for hearing.

  • Man of the people

    •Balarabe Musa shows the way forward as he resigns as PRP leader

    Principle is a rare virtue on the Nigerian political space. In this season of horse trading, when politicians are ready to throw away everything they had pretended to hold dear, it is good to be reminded that there is still one who has remained consistent and steadfast over the decades.

    Alhaji Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa is an icon of patriotic politics. Since he hopped on the political train when the military chose to step out of the scene in the Second Republic, the Kaduna-based politician has not looked back in championing the cause of the common people. Personal interest and comfort count for little in the Balarabe Musa school of politics. Although he found the Aminu Kano brand of politics attractive, he has since moved to define his model of leadership. His leader, the late Mallam Aminu Kano, known for his asceticism, was sometimes ready for pragmatic moves that would preserve his relevance.

    Mallam Aminu Kano is on record to have teamed up with those he once described as feudal lords in the Northern People’s Congress in the 1950s, and the National Party of Nigeria in 1978/79. Hr only chose to recline into his movement when he realised he would lose more than gain in the arrangement.

    But, Alhaji Balarabe Musa has been as straight as a ramrod since he left the corporate world for politics. In 1979, he was elected governor of Kaduna State and that paved the way for the persona known as Balarabe Musa today. Despite emerging governor after the NPN had effectively taken control of the state legislature, he would not agree to a compromise with the NPN, if only to ensure a proper take-off of his administration. For two years, the ship of the state, under him, floundered on the high sea, and, eventually, he was impeached June 1981.

    All through the impeachment proceedings, he refused to agree to any form of settlement. But, what he refused to do, his deputy and successor, Alhaji Abba Musa Rimi, was forced to do. It is a matter of opinion if he failed or succeeded in that early phase of his political life. What can’t be denied is that he stood for and by the people all through the turbulent period.

    And, out of office, Alhaji Balarabe Musa remained politically connected. He has remained leader of the socialist movement in Kaduna State for four decades, and even when socialism appeared to have lost its allure and the rank of the ideologues depleted, Alhaji Musa would neither join the drift nor modify his stance.

    To him, the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) is it; no more no less. It did not matter to the ideologue whether partisan politics was banned or thriving. The remnant of his followers met regularly at his house to discuss the Nigerian political scene, governance in Kaduna State, and issue statements on the way forward. A test of his steadfastness came again when the Babangida administration lifted the lid on party politics and, through the National Electoral Commission invited political associations to apply, with many loading trucks with documents to scale the hurdle. Balarabe Musa was unfazed; with a large envelope, he went to make his presentation.

    In 2003, he was the PRP presidential candidate, despite knowing he stood no chance in a contest that had the then incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo flying the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket, General Muhammadu Buhari contesting on the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) platform and Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu being the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate.

    The decision to step down as PRP national chairman illustrates once again the uniqueness of the man. Nigerians are not known to resign from office. He said he was doing so on the ground of “fading energy and failing health”.

    At 82, Alhaji Balarabe Musa has shown that there is hope in Nigeria if only more politicians and leaders could follow his example, irrespective of their ideology; Nigeria’s future would be brighter. Alhaji Musa’s stepping down marks the end of an era, if others on the scene turn attention to issues, it could equally mark the turning point; the beginning of another.

     

  • Man, 52, rescued from collapsed building

    The Kano State Fire Service yesterday morning rescued a 52-year-old, Mohammed Zakiru, from a collapsed duplex at Kofar Na’isa Quarters in Kano.

    He sustained serious injuries.

    The spokesman, Saidu Mohammed, said Zakiru got trapped in the building in the early hours of the day.

    He said: “We received a distress call today (yesterday) from Musa Muhammed, who lives in the neighbourhood, about 6.45 am, that a building had collapsed and we sent our rescue team and a vehicle to the scene about 7.20 am.”

    According to him, Zakiru was rushed to Murtala Mohammed Teaching Hospital.

  • Man docked for allegedly beating friend

    A 30-year-old man, Michael James, was on Friday arraigned in a Kaduna Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly causing grievous hurt to his friend.

    James, who resides at Barnawa High Cost Housing Estate in Kaduna, is standing trial on a count charge of causing grievous hurt, an offence he pleaded not guilty to.

    The Prosecutor, Insp. Chidi Leo, told the court that the matter was reported at the Barnawa Police Station in Kaduna by one David Ezekiel of Barnawa on Aug. 20.

    Leo said that the complainant and defendant, who were friends had an undisclosed misunderstanding.

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    “The complainant was sitting in his room when the defendant came back with two others who are at large and beat up the complainant.”

    The prosecutor said that the complainant sustained injuries in his left eye and body as a result of the beating.

    He said that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 246 of the Penal Code.

    The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    The Magistrate, Mr John Dauda, granted James bail in the sum of N50, 000 with one surety in like sum.

    He said the surety must reside within the jurisdiction of the court and adjourned the case until Sept. 5, for hearing.

  • Man ‘kills’ Okada rider on farm in Ekiti

    There was confusion yesterday in Agbado Ekiti in Gbonyin Local Government Area of Ekiti State when a commercial motorcycle (Okada) operator was allegedly killed on a farm.

    The suspected killer, identified simply as Toyin, was said to have hired the service of the victim to convey him to his farm on Ode Road.

    The suspect allegedly overpowered the victim and hanged him with a rope before attempting to bury the body in a shallow grave.

    The screams of the victim were said to have attracted workers in a nearby factory who raised the alarm and arrested the suspect.

    It was unclear last night what caused the killing.

    It could also not be ascertained if there was quarrel between the duo.

    The deceased was said to have left behind a heavily pregnant wife.

    A source said: “Toyin was said to have gone to the terminal of the commercial motorbike operators in Agbado this morning (yesterday) and engaged the service of his victim to convey him to his farm, located in front of the shoemaking factory of the popular politician and former senator, Gbenga Aluko.

    “People who were at the factory told us that they learnt of the incident when they heard agonising cry of Toyin’s victim repeatedly and decided to check up what had happened.

    “It was then they allegedly met Toyin throwing the body of his victim into the freshly dug hole. He was apprehended and handed over to the nearest police station in the area.

    “The police have arrested Toyin with the body taken to their station.”

    Police spokesman Caleb Ikechukwu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said he had not been briefed on the incident.

    Ikechukwu promised to get back once he gets the details on the incident from Gbonyin Divisional headquarters.

     

  • Man ‘sends Terminator after ex-lover’

    An Igbosere Magistrates’ Court will on October 11 begin the trial of a man, Thomas Morgan Olufemi, who allegedly hired one ‘Terminator’ to threaten his ex-lover, Miss Adeleke Taiwo.

    Magistrate M.F. Onamusi fixed the date on August 6, following Olufemi’s not guilty plea to a three-count charge of conspiracy, assault and threat to life.

    Olufemi, 41, of No. 18A, Lugard Avenue, Ikoyi, and Terminator, said to be at large, were arraigned by the Onikan Police Division on a charge marked: Q/55/2018.

    Prosecuting Sergeant Friday Mameh alleged that the defendants conspired and committed the offences in Lagos at about 4pm on August 1, at Obalende in Eti-Osa Local Government Area (LGA).

    Mameh said the trouble began after Taiwo allegedly resisted Olufemi’s demand for custody of their baby.

    The court heard that Olufemi recruited an accomplice, who phoned Taiwo on her GSM No. 0909036…..

    The accomplice introduced himself to Taiwo as ‘Terminator’ and “threatened to terminate her life if she refused to comply with his warnings and demand…”

    Olufemi then went to No.30, Masalashi Street, Obalende, where Taiwo was seeking refuge with her friend, Okiti Steffi.

    A quarrel broke out and Olufemi allegedly assaulted Taiwo’s friend, Okiti Steffi, “by giving her a dirty slap on her left cheek.”

    Mameh told the court that the offences contravened sections 172, 232 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

  • Man machetes two siblings to death in Delta comunity

    A 45-year-old man, Kingsley Nwani, has allegedly killed his younger brothers with a machete and a dagger during a domestic squabble.

    The Nation gathered that the three men were watching a soccer match in their matriarch’s home in Asaba, the Delta State capital, when they returned from a church thanksgiving service marking her safe return from a medical trip in Canada.

    The matriarch, who is a retired permanent secretary, reportedly has a chain of businesses which the deceased’s second son managed.

    A source said an argument ensued when the television channel was changed from football match to a soap opera.

    According to the source, Nwani demanded that the television be returned to the football match.

    It was learnt that an argument ensued, resulting in the fatal scuffle.

    The oldest of the deceased is said to be 42 years with four children.

    He is said to be a manager at a major filling station in Asaba, while the youngest just got married.

    The Nation gathered that the assailant had fled the area.

    When our reporter visited the filling station, it was under lock and key.

    But a source close to the family attributed the incident to an alleged fight among the brothers over family property.

    The source said: “Since their father died, the brothers have been fighting over property, especially the filling station.

    “Kingsley has been the one running it and their mum loves the two younger brothers and favours them more than the older one.

    “So, when the older brother noticed that he was losing out, he killed both of them yesterday with a knife by cutting their necks. Kingsley died immediately while the other brother was taken to a hospital where he died.”

    The command’s spokesman Andrew Aniamaka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), did not pick the calls when our reporter called him for his comment.

    Police Commissioner Mustafa Muhammed promised to get back to our reporter but did not respond to a text message sent to his mobile phone last night.