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Tag: MAN

  • Police parade man, 80, for allegedly killing mum, 100

    Police parade man, 80, for allegedly killing mum, 100

    •Grandson also paraded 

    An 80-year-old man, Kwacha Manu and his son, Likita, 40, have been paraded by Niger State Police Command for their alleged involvement in the death of their 100-year-old mother and grandmother, Inne Kaiyo.

    The incident occurred at Marke Gada Maje in Rijau Local Government.

    Manu allegedly killed his mother for purportedly killing Likita’s daughter, Magajiya, through witchcraft.

    The Nation learnt that following the death of Magajiya, 17, her grandfather, Manu, who could not bear the loss, allegedly used sticks to flog his mother to death.

    Sources alleged that Inne used witchcraft to kill people in her extended family.

    Magajiya is said to be the ninth person to die in “unnatural circumstances” in the family.

    Manu, who admitted to have flogged his mother, claimed he only flogged her on the legs, “which couldn’t have killed her.”

    He alleged: “After killing my granddaughter, I could not just let her go free. So I used a dry stick to cane her on the legs, asking her why she killed her great grandchild, who took care of me, unlike her, who did nothing for me.”

    Asked how they knew his mother was responsible for the girl’s death, Manu said: “We knew through my late granddaughter, Magajiya, when she was ill. She cried and begged her great grandmother, Inne, to release her soul. We all begged my mother to release her, but she refused. I’m aware that my mother was a witch.”

    Likita said he was not in the village when the incident occurred.

    His words: “I don’t know why the police arrested me. Besides losing my daughter, my two other children are ill. I’ve not even seen the body of my late child.”

    Police spokesman Abigail Unaeze said father and son were nabbed for homicide and had confessed.

    He added that they would soon be arraigned.

  • Man arraigned for ‘threat to life’

    A 35-year-old man, Semion Oluwole, has been arraigned at a Modakeke Magistrates’ Court in Osun State for alleged threat to life.

    He is facing charges of threat to life and breach of the peace.

    The prosecutor, Ona Glory, told the court that the accused committed the offence on October 22, about 11 am, at St Stephen’s Primary School, Modakeke-Ife.

    He alleged that he threatened to use a cutlass to cut the heads of members of a political party, who attended a congress.

    Glory further told the court that the accused conducted himself in a manner likely to cause breach of public peace at the congress’ venue.

    He said the offence contravened sections 80, 86 (2) and 249 (d) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Osun State, 2003.

    The accused pleaded not guilty.

    The Magistrate, Bose Awosan, granted the accused bail at N50,000 with two sureties.

    She said they must swear to affidavit of means and produce three years’ tax clearance certificates.

    Awosan ruled that the sureties, who must live in the court’s jurisdiction, should present two recent passport photographs to the registrar.

    She adjourned the case till today for hearing.

  • Man remanded for robbery

    A Sango-Ota Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ogun State has ordered the remand 22-year-old Isamaila Jimoh for robbery.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. B. B. Adebowale, ordered that he be remanded in prison, pending advice from the Director of Public Prosecution.

    She adjourned the case till December 21 for hearing.

    The defendant, whose address was not given, is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and robbery.

     

  • How to make Budget of Consolidation work, by MAN, LCCI, others

    REACTIONS yesterday trailed the N8.612 trillion 2018 Budget proposal presented to the joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja by President Muhhamadu Buhari.

    One of such reactions came from the Organised Private Sector (OPS) which said the level of the implementation the appropriation will determine its success.

    The Director-General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI), Muda Yusuf said the budget’s full implementation will make the difference, saying the presentation of the estimates for consideration was just the first step.

    He also urged the National Assembly to put a time line for the proposal’s consideration and its passage into law, suggesting that a month’s time frame will ideal to scrutinise the budget.

    According to Yusuf, the executive and the legislature must shun unnecessary conflicts so that the implementation of the budget can start early next year.

    He said: “It is regrettable that the projected resources for 2017 budget were not met and one wonders how far the projection for the 2018 will go. We urge the executive and the legislature to cooperate in this onerous task in the interest of the generality of Nigerians to make it work this time. Unnecessary bickering should be avoided in the interest of the public.”

    The President of the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dr Frank Udemba Jacobs, commended the projections, saying the policy direction of the budget will have positive and far-reaching effects on the economy.

    He said the Niger Bridge was inadequate for the volume of vehicles from the East to other parts of the country.

    Jacobs said: “The South Eastern part of this country deserves a second Niger Bridge besides the proposed east west road. It is a major issue that has been on the drawing board for a long time.

    “If it is eventually constructed it will create room for strategic development in that axis. The only drawback on the budget will be the half-hearted implementation of its provisions to the letter.”

    “The dearth of infrastructure such as roads, railway lines, electricity is a main issue and it is interesting that the budget is about to take care of it”.

    BudgIT, a civic organisation, said it welcomed the early presentation of the budget, pointing out that the economy needed significant fiscal injections to sustain and accelerate economic growth.

    “Significant investment in infrastructure, education, agriculture among others are also important if Nigeria’s hope to diversify government revenue and export base is to be sustained”, the group said through a statement by its Communication Lead, Abiola Afolabi.

    It also lauded the President’s plan to improve on tax administration in the years ahead, reminding the government of the need to end the cycle of poverty with social interventions.

    The statement reads: “In all, the 2018 proposed budget of N8.6 trillion and its guiding framework captures a majority of the objectives and philosophy which scholars, researchers and economist are inclined to think about when the need for fiscal injections arises. The philosophy of the current government to spend big due to the relatively slow economic activities is welcome and clearly understood.

    “As such, the capital expenditure allocation of N2.42 trillion is huge in nominal terms when compared to previous budgets. Given that almost all capital expenditure allocation will be financed primarily by debts, we hope that the line items in the budget will reflect such.

    “Nigeria cannot continue to borrow to buy cars, computers, retrofit office buildings at the detriment of the critical mass needed to end the cycle of poverty and improve the economy. We hope the biggest proportion of capital allocation will go into improving infrastructure, expanding access to education, health among others.

    “Also, we believe the revenue projection of N6.6 trillion is very optimistic considering the total retained revenue of the federal government including non-oil and oil-related revenue in 2015 and 2016 was N2.8 trillion and N2.6 trillion respectively.

    “The Federal Government non-revenue in the first six months of 2017 stood at N587bn and no significant facts suggesting the figure would double or triple in approaching the new fiscal year. Oil revenue for the 2018 fiscal year is projected at N2.332tn while the biggest bracket of government expected revenue is projected to come from the non-oil sector at N4.16tn.

    “We accept that the budget benchmark is of $45 per barrel is within the band but there has to be excessive caution in keeping the peace of the Niger Delta which is a crucial element in ensuring optimal production.”The Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr Osita Okechukwu, lauded the budget for offering great hope for Southeast infrastructure, especially roads and the solid mineral sector.

    Okechukwu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu, that the proposals had a lot of promises for the completion of critical road projects, especially the completion of the 2nd Niger Bridge project.

    He noted that the government has allocated $10 million in the 2018 budget for the ongoing 2nd Niger Bridge project.

    The director-general noted that the Federal Government had earlier released $14 billion out of $36.7 billion for the project.

    He said: “The Federal Government recent commitment of N16.7 billion from the N100 billion SUKUK bond to the major South-East roads is clear indication that this administration wants to open-up the zone for more business and human activities.”

    However, a pro-transparency and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), described the presentation as an “empty ritual”.

    The group’s coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said in statement that there were no evidence-based and empirical proofs to show that the extant 2017 Budget has been implemented optimally, going by the declining standards of living by millions of Nigerians.

    The statement reads: “In the last one year, there have been more deaths by suicides caused by absolute poverty than in recorded history of Nigeria and therefore we wonder whether the outgoing budget was implemented for the benefits of aliens or for real Nigerians who are living from hands to mouths in their millions due to grinding poverty and lack of effective economic empowerment programmes and social support programmes to mitigate the unwarranted and horrendous human sufferings.”

     

  • Man commits suicide in Lagos

    •Woman stopped from jumping into lagoon

    A man identified only as Emmanuel yesterday committed suicide at his Ishashi, Ojo residence.

    It was gathered that the man hung himself with his wife’s head tie inside their 1, Adeniji Street, by Mechanic Bus Stop.

    The Nation gathered that the man’s dangling body was discovered by his wife yesterday morning when she returned from work.

    She raised the alarm which attracted members of the community, including the Baale.

    The police and officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) who arrived soon afterwards, were allegedly prevented from immediately retrieving the corpse.

    The Baale, it was learnt, insisted on performing some rituals on the body before it was brought down and handed over to the deceased’s family.

    Meanwhile, an unnamed woman was prevented from jumping into the lagoon by motorists and policemen on the CMS Bridge.

    According to an eyewitness Kehinde Akinrinmade, the woman, said to be a maid, wanted to kill herself because she was tired of hardship.

    Akinrinmade, who posted a short video of the incident on social media, said the woman, who began crying after she was prevented, told her rescuers that she was frustrated because her employer threw her out without payment.

    Akinrinmade said: “The lady was about to commit suicide on CMS Bridge. Some cars were damaged. At first we thought she was blind and then some people rushed to hold her and she kept crying.

    “Some of us got down from our cars. She said she was fed up with life. That she was a maid and became sick at the place she worked. She said they took her to a church and after spending almost all her savings on her, she told them she wanted to leave to go find another job.

    “That as she was in the bus, she thought life had not been fair to her and she just wanted to die.

    “Thanks to National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) members, conductors, officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and policemen that ran after her.

    “We tried to calm her. We talked to her and told her to trust God. I gave her my number to call me later. I will help with the little I have. Sadly, she does not have a phone but I pray she gets someone to help her call me later.”

  • Ayomike: A man for all seasons

    Ayomike: A man for all seasons

    I had planned privately to surprise him with a visit in Warri. I had never met him in person. On phone we spoke so regularly it seemed we had even hugged. There had been no tactile contact between me and Johnson Oritsegbubemi Sunday Ayomike. When news came that he passed, I was more than heartbroken. I lost a father. When he turned 90 in April, I asked him how he felt.

    He said, “my body is weak, but my mind is very active.” He was a man of the mind. I recall our many intellectual engagements, whether about a derailing political elite, the decline of debate, the materialism of a decaying generation, or a column he read, or the failure of our people to appreciate the study and sublime compulsion of history, he was always high on the marks.

    As an author, he sent me several books, those he wrote and classics he had read. He was immersed in Itsekiri history, and he was sensitive to what German philosopher Nietzsche called the “theory of eternal return,” how history comes when we think we have forgotten it. I cannot forget his prelude to any important point during our phone dialogues, “look, Sam…” and he would go off from idea to idea. As The Nation newspaper editorial characterised him, he was a renaissance man, an author, administrator, teacher, raconteur, activist, peacemaker, curator, historian. My former teacher, Professor Femi Omosini, who taught me the renaissance years, described Leonardo Dan Vinci, as “a universal man of the renaissance, a jack of all trade and master of many.” Ayomike was no Dan Vinci, he was our own JOS, our own renaissance man, who combined ethnic fidelity with nationalist elan. We don’t have men like him anymore. O de ju ma.

  • Man caught with stolen phone

    A 43-year-old man, Dauda Olaonipekun, has appeared at an Ile-Ife Magistrates’ Court in Osun State for allegedly receiving a stolen phone.

    He is facing a charge of stealing, to which he pleaded not guilty.

    Olaonipekun was granted bail at N20,000 with one surety on the order of the Senior Magistrate, Mrs. Risikat Olayemi.

    She said the surety, who must swear to an affidavit of means, should be a relation of the accused and should be resident in the court’s jurisdiction.

    Olayemi added that the surety must present a national ID card and provide two recent passport-size photographs.

    Police prosecutor Sunday Osanyintuyi had told the court that the accused committed the offence on August 27 at 5:30 am at Sabo, Ile-Ife.

    He alleged that the accused received a Nokia phone valued at N25, 000 from Mr. Bisi Olawole, knowing that it was a stolen property belonging to Mr. Ayo Okekunle.

    The offence contravenes Section 427 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Osun State, 2003.

    The case was adjourned till November 9 for hearing.

  • Man arraigned for allegedly stealing cocoa trees

    A 37-year-old man, Kunle Omotosho, has been arraigned at an Ado-Ekiti Magistrates’ Court in Ekiti State for allegedly stealing cocoa trees.

    The defendant, of no fixed address, is standing trial on a two-count charge of malicious damage and theft of cocoa trees.

    The prosecutor, Caleb Leranmo, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on October 25, about 10 am, at Igbo Aso Farm, Ado-Ekiti.

    He alleged that Omotosho damaged the cocoa trees, valued at N100,000, belonging to Chief Sunday Ogunleye.

    Leranmo alleged that the accused stole logs of tree, valued at N120,000, belonging to the complainant.

    He said the offences contravened sections 451 and 390 (9) of the

    Criminal Code Cap C16 Laws of Ekiti State 2012.

    The prosecutor asked for adjournment to enable him study the case file and present his witnesses.

    His counsel, Mr. Peter Ogunkinle, urged the court to grant him bail, promising he will not jump bail.

    The Magistrate, Mrs. Taiwo Ajibade, granted bail to the defendant at N50,000 with two sureties, who must have verifiable addresses and voter cards.

    She adjourned the case till November 21 for hearing.

  • MADE partners MAN, RMRDC for cassava investment

    Market Development in the Niger Delta (MADE), intervening in Agriculture in the Niger Delta region of the country has indicated its interest to collaborate with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) to accelerate the development of Cassava Value Chain in the country.

    MADE made this known at a workshop tagged, “Total Cassava Value Chain for Noodles and Animal Feeds Industries” which held at the MAN House in Lagos on Tuesday.

    The Team Lead of MADE, Mr. Tunde Oderinde, said at the event that the workshop was part of his organization’s effort to facilitate investment and partnership with the private sector in a manner that would engender sustainable development across the Cassava Value Chain.

    He said MADE was not only interested in producing cassava for the food market but for industrialization, which was why the workshop was organized for private sector players who see opportunities in the value chain to carve a niche for themselves.

    According to him, MADE was determined to see Cassava farmers imbibe good agricultural practices which will lead to better yield from 10-12 metric tonnes per hectare to about 18-25 metric tonnes per hectares.

    “But that’s not all. Beyond production, we know we need to create demand and drive investment in the region. If farmers improve productivity and there is no market, then the tendency to abandon the product is there.

    They can switch to maize, rice or other crops. But we know the potential within the cassava sector. We know the transformation that cassava can bring to our nation,” Oderinde said.

    Also speaking at the workshop, the Director-General of RMRDC, Dr. Ibrahim Doko advocated for the substitution of wheat which is exported, with cassava, which is locally available since the import bill for wheat runs into billions leading “to the depletion of the nation’s limited foreign reserve.”

    Group Managing Director of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, Mr. Paul Gbededo, who delivered a paper at the workshop, listed policy inconsistency, poor infrastructure and funding and inconsistent quality and supply of High

    Quality Cassava Flouras the challenges facing the development of the staple product in Nigeria.

  • A renaissance man

    •J.O.S. Ayomike (1927 – 2017)

    No great man can live forever. That explains why history has its place as a theatre for breeding models. In that sense, their souls are eternal. So, the death of Johnson Oritsegbubemi Sunday Ayomike, in spite of happening at a ripe old age of 90, ripped apart the peace of many homes, people of the Itsekiri stock, his home state of Delta, the Niger Delta region and Nigeria at large.

    Known familiarly as JOS, he was a veritable renaissance man and that made him a rare breed for this age. He was a teacher, a raconteur, a peacemaker, author, historian, an organiser of men, an administrator, a communal hero, a nationalist.

    In the last years of his life, he caught the imagination of his fellow country men and women for two emblematic doings. He was the president of the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought, ILOT. Secondly, he contributed to the preservation of memory by donating important books and historical memorabilia to the National Commission for Museums and Monuments. While he was making similar presentation recently to the Federal Government College, Warri, he rebuked the country for neglecting its history, a voice that contributed to the modest progress in reintroducing the study of history to our curriculums, especially in the secondary schools.

    He crested the Itsekiri body as an icon of leadership. He demonstrated you can pursue ethnic pride without being a bigot. He espoused justice for the Itsekiri without compromising the honour of other tribes. He therefore emblematised the true Nigerian nexus of ethnicity and nationalism. He fought for the rights of his Itsekiri with the same ardour of Nanna, without the arms but with an intrepid spirit. He also played a great role in the time of conflict between the Ijaw and the Itsekiri in bringing that turbulent chapter to an end.

    He was a republican but was able to fuse that ideology in his relational with royalty, the Olu of Warri being a huge standpoint of the Itsekiri being. But his activities were vouchsafed with the time-honoured struggles of the progressive front runners in the country for economic equality, social justice, and a fair federation.

    As head of ILOT, he lent a Trojan’s voice to the call for restructuring in the country.  He thought every ethnic group or region ought to enjoy the joys of a fairer union. Former governor of Bendel State, late Gen. Samuel O. Ogbemudia, paid the following tribute when he visited the Nanna Living History Museum in Koko: “The Itsekiri nation is an abiding study of how quality can roundly trump quantity. In the long unbroken chain of excellent leadership, right from the epochal exploits of Nanna to the recent Rewane phenomenon and the current robustness of Ayomike and his peers, the itsekiri nation has a lot to be proud of.”

    Born April 7, 1927 at Ogidigben in Ugborodo in Warri South West Local Government Area, he savoured the graces of early education at the First Baptist School, Sapele, in 1945. He proceeded to obtain a teachers’ Grade Two certificate in 1956. It qualified him to teach in schools in the riverine area and rose to become a headmaster. He also taught in Hussey College, Warri.

    A restless soul, he continued his education by obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Business administration at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He launched into corporate Nigeria and worked with the Nigerian Tobacco Co. Ltd, where he rose from salesman to senior management.

    His virtues opened positions for him in government as he served at various times between 1975 and 1979 as commissioner for health, commissioner for agriculture and natural resources and, finally, as commissioner for information, culture and sports.

    As he is laid to earth this weekend, we join all Nigerians in saying to him in his Itsekiri tongue, ode ju ma.