The Nation Newspaper

Tag: members

  • Network rewards ‘loyal’ members

    The Meridian Network Group, also known as Melisfon, has  rewarded its network members for introducing people into the network.

    The receipients got bronze and gold awards. Others who are not members of the network will have the opportunity to register and be equally rewarded.

    Members of the network, who qualified for the bronze category, all went home with Android Tablet phones, as many of them got up to four phones, others three two and one depending on their hard work.

    In his remarks for the networks, Managing Director, Dr. Gift Madu said: “Maybe it’s because of its concept which is uniquely different from what many Nigerians who are into networking business are used to.

    Others sell herbal products, and network with people to get them into their circle, but Meridians as they are called render services to members of their network and do not sell products.”

    Expatiating, Madu said: ‘’Prospective winners will enjoy periodical free medical services, skill acquisition scheme, leadership training and management scheme and social responsibility scheme.

    ‘’This may have been responsible for why so many Nigerians trusted their own indigenous networking company by striving to become members in order not to be left out of the mouth-watering rewards. The fantastic rewards coming at a time when the country is in deep economic crisis amid falling oil prices, may be the elixir that is working in favour of the company. There was excitement and joy as the management of Meridian reeled out the awards after verification to over 1,500 people for their commitment and hard work.”

  • Members seal off APC secretariat for alleged anti-party activities

    Members seal off APC secretariat for alleged anti-party activities

    •Kekemeke: primary ‘ll be free, fair

    SOME members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the aegis of Ondo State APC Movement Against Imposition (MAI) yesterday sealed off the party’s secretariat in Akure, the state capital.

    They announced the purported removal of state party Chair, Isaac Kekemeke and his replacement by a member of the State Executive Committee (SEC), Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye in acting currently.

    But Kekemeke described the action as laughable, saying it was part of challenges confronting those in leadership position.

    He denied the allegations levelled against him by the protesters, who carried placards with various unprintable inscriptions.

    A detachment of policemen took positions around the APC secretariat to maintain the peace.

    Some of the allegations against Kekemeke include anti-party activities, manipulation of delegates’ list for the primary election and attempt to impose a particular aspirant as candidate, among others.

    The convener of the group, Tolu Babaleye, a lawyer, said a genuine delegates list used for the 2014 primary election of the National and State Assembly elections must be made available to the aspirants.

    He urged the APC national leadership to appoint an officer from its National Secretariat in Abuja to conduct the next week’s primary election to facilitate a credible exercise.

    Kekemeke noted that only the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) has the power to conduct primaries in every state.

    He said there was no going back on conducting free and fair primary election for the APC governorship aspirants.

    The party primary holds next Saturday in the state capital.

    Kekemeke said irrespective of blackmail from some quarters, he would continue to pursue the course of free, fair and transparent poll.

    The chairman refuted the allegation of bias, saying he has maintained a level-playing ground he promised the aspirants.

    Saka Yusuf – Ogunleye said the party would not accept anything less than free, fair and transparent primaries election devoid of undue influence.

    He expressed the need to allow internal democracy in the affairs of the party to facilitate victory.

    The protesters purportedly came from the state’s three senatorial districts.

     

     

     

  • Boko Haram: we’ll invade Lagos to free our members

    Boko Haram: we’ll invade Lagos to free our members

    Army declares three wanted over Chibok girls’ location

    DHQ to rescue girls

    Boko Haram yesterday restated its conditions for releasing the Chibok girls and threatened to bomb Lagos, Abuja and Borno in a fresh video.

    In a swift reaction, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said it was investigating the video which showed some of the Chibok girls in the background.

    The government also said it was in touch with the people purportedly behind the video, adding that it will do everything possible to rescue the girls.

    The video showed some girls in Hijab behind an armed Boko Haram militant wearing a desert camouflage combat uniform, a bullet proof vest and covering his face with a turban.

    The girls stood behind a black backdrop – 13 of them standing and the rest sitting –  while the armed spokesperson demanded the release of some of the captured militants in return for the girls.

    The insurgent also claimed that some of the girls died in air strikes by the Nigerian Air Force, while some others have been married off.

    He threatened to rescue the captured Boko Haram members held in Lagos, Abuja and Maiduguri (Borno).  ”I specially inform our people in captivity in Lagos that they should be patient and continue with their prayers, God will take us to where no one expects and we will rescue them.

    “All those in Lagos, Maiduguri and other southern parts of the country; keep praying, very soon, we will rescue you,” he said.

    The 11-minute footage came amid the decimation of the terrorist group’s capability to further cause large scale destruction. The military through its counter insurgency OperationLafiya Dole has also arrested many members of the group.

    The sect member also said in the video: ”They should know that their children are still in our hands; there is a number of the girls, about 40 of them, they have been married, some of them have died as a result of aerial bombardment,”

    The insurgent also interviewed one of the girls who gave her name as Maida Yakubu, who claimed that she was abducted from the Government Secondary School (GSS) in Chibok, Borno state.  The girl who appeared defiant speaks in her native language in what appears to be an appeal to the government to rescue them.

    Director of Defence Information Brig. Gen. Rabe Abubakar said the military was examining the video clip to verify its authenticity.

    In a telephone conversation with our correspondent, he described the video as “media war and technology in action’

    ”We are studying and analysing the clip. We are studying the video clips to verify the authenticity and analysing the comments of the speakers in the video especially the terrorist member and the girl that spoke in mother tongue,” Gen. Abubakar said.

    The Defence spokesperson also debunked allegations in the video that some of the kidnapped girls were hit by an airstrike.  According to him, the air operations were done through precision attack on identified targets. and locations.

    “However, the issue of air raid on the location of Chibok girls is just mere propaganda trying to insinuate the citizens against their professional military. We are using precision airstrike equipment which has the capacity of picking only the targets and engage them.

    Moreso, they said the location of the girls is only known to them. ”It is extremely difficult and rare to hit innocent people during airstrike because the operation is done through precision attack on identified and registered targets and locations. The Precision Airstrike is very effective at taking out targeted enemies because it is not a random operation. We are nevertheless studying the video clips to examine if the victims died from other causes rather from the allegation of airstrike.

    Spokesperson for the Air Force Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa said: “We are not talking now on the allegations, we will address the issues later.”

  • APGA condemns attack on members

    The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has condemned the attacks on some of its members in Upper Sokponba area, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government. It fingered members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as being behind the attacks.

    The APGA candidate, Mr. Osaro Onaiwu, cautioned the APC and its supporters not to create tension ahead of the election.

    Onaiwu, a former Director-General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), said attacks on supporters of the opposition are inimical to the practice of democracy. He warned the ruling party to desist from such acts, because violence was not an exclusive right of any individual or political party.

    Onaiwu however pledged to develop the abandoned International Money Market situated at Oregbeni-Egbeson quarters, which he said has been abandoned since 1996 by successive administrations.

    He said the money market would add value to the state infrastructural development, as well as boost its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

    Onaiwu promised to fix the road leading to the market, as well as provide medical centre, fire service and a police post within the market for a more conducive business environment.

  • NURTW chair to members: go for HIV/AIDS test

    NURTW chair to members: go for HIV/AIDS test

    The Lagos State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, has advised commercial drivers in the state to go for HIV/AIDS screening to know their health status

    He gave the advice in Lagos when he led members of his executive to undertake the HIV/AIDS screening

    The NURTW boss said the screening was to help people to know their HIV/AIDS status to enable them undergo necessary treatment if they tested positive

    He said the allocation of a screening centre to the state council secretariat showed the importance the state government attached to the transportation industry.

    Agbede said Governor Akiwunmi Ambode has done a lot to improve the transport system.

    “The state government has helped to repair most of the roads in the state and this has helped to boost our operation. Also, the operation ‘Light up Lagos’ has helped to improve night life in the state.

  • Suspected beggar-syndicate members arrested

    In its efforts to stamp out street begging in the Federal Capital Territory, the Special Task Team on Abuja Environmental Protection has broken up a syndicate of suspected suppliers of beggars to strategic locations in Abuja.

    The chairman of the FCT Special Task Team Squadron Leader Abdullahi Adamu Monjel (retd) disclosed this while parading the suspects at the FCDA Police Station at Area 11, Garki I District, Abuja.

    The chairman revealed that the feat was achieved with the close collaboration of security agencies in the Task Team.

    The leader of the suspected syndicate, Baba Gwarma from Kaduna State, said that he is based in Karma-Jiji, a suburb of Abuja with their leader (Sarki) in the same vicinity.

    According to a statement issued by the Deputy Director an Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, Squadron leader Monjel further disclosed that he has three personal vehicles for movement of beggars in and around Abuja as well as neigbouring states of Nasarawa, Niger and Kaduna states.

    He said that Baba Gwarma has houses that he has rented out and also provide shelter for the beggars in the syndicate in Karma-Jiji.

    The Chairman stated that the suspect has been arrested more than 50 times in the past, but this time he would be charged to court for subsequent prosecution.

    Squadron Leader Monjel further revealed that the suspect uses dangerous weapons to attack enforcement team.

  • Ex-councillor, 500 PDP members dump PDP in Delta

    A former councillor for Ibru community of Agbarha-Otor in Ughelli North Legislative Arm of Delta State, Roland Oyibo, yesterday dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Oyibo, who joined the progressives with over 500 supporters, said he made the move because it was only in APC he had his leaders and reclaim what he called his 16 wasted years in the PDP.

    The former councillor said with his teeming supporters, he had less work to do during the local government and 2019 general elections.

    He assured that the APC would be victorious in both polls.

    Oyibo pledged to get more members for the APC, saying

    Chief Austin Uloho had given exemplary leadership in the local government area.

    The former councillor also expressed his loyalty to Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the member representing Delta Central in the National Assembly as well as other leaders of the party.

    He reassured the people of his readiness to make Agbarha-Otor an APC ward.

    The ceremony was attended by a former Delta State lawmaker, Friday Onodjai; APC ward and local government chairmen, Felix Ekure, Chief Samuel Oteri and Comr. Monday Ojeghe.

    They said Delta State residents were tired of PDP’s impunity.

    According to them, the current hardship in the land is the result of what they called PDP’s years of mismanagement.

    They assured that the challenges would be over soon as the Muhammadu Buhari was restructuring the economy and the country.

  • $15b arms deals: Court orders panel members release

    $15b arms deals: Court orders panel members release

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered immediate release of a member of the Presidential Committee on the Procurement of Arms and Equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence Sector, Air Commodore Mohammed Umar.

    The committee has been probing alleged $15 billion arms deals in the armed forces.

    But Umar was arrested by the Department of State Security Service (DSS) about three weeks ago after $1,030,000 was found at his residence in Maitama District, Abuja.

    The DSS has been working on clues that Umar  might have taken “advantage of his membership of the Arms Panel” to extort suspects.

    Umar insisted that the money was payment to his company, Easy Jet Integrated Service Limited for cargo flights to  Houston and Hong Kong .

    According to him, the payment was made on May 12 for  services rendered by Easy Jet  as follows: Cargo flight (Ilyusin II-76 Cargo plane from Nairobi-Houston) at $520,000 and drop off from Nairobi-Hong Kong at $510, 000.

    The DSS was however pushing on with its probe of the Air Commodore as at the time of filing this report, a development that forced Umar to seek judicial redress at the Federal High Court to secure his bail.

    In a Motion on Notice filed on the July 21, Umar prayed sought for the following reliefs:

    *An order of the court admitting him to bail in charge No. FHC/ ABJ/CR/145/ 2016 pending trial and determination of this case.

    *And for such order(s) as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances.

    In his ruling, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, after hearing Umar’s counsel Hassan Liman (SAN) with Ibrahim Bawa and prosecution counsel E.A. Orji,  granted bail to Umar.

    Justice Dimgba said: “Bail is hereby granted to the 1st Defendant/Applicant in the sum of N100 million and two sureties in the sum of N50 million each of which must enter  a bail bond for this sum.

    “The sureties can be private businessmen or professionals or be in the civil service of thevFederation. And where in the civil service, a surety must be in the rank of a director.

    “The sureties must be owners of developed landed properties in any of Abuja metropolis excluding the satellite towns.

    “The sureties must provide evidence of their payment of income tax for the past three years.

    “The applicant must deposit his international passports with the Registry of this court and must not travel out of the country without the court’s permission.

    “The registry of this court shall verify the satisfaction of the above bail conditions and are free to call on the assistance of the prosecution whenever they deem it necessary.

    “The case is hereby adjourned to 26th and 27th of October for trial.

    Justice Dimgba also berated the DSS for flouting an order of the court to remand Mr. Usman in prison.

  • Re: Sacked council members petition Buhari over OAU crisis

    SIR: I refer to the story of the above title published in The Nation of Tuesday, July 12.

    I was rudely shocked to read about the violent behaviour of two unions (NASU and SSANU), Obafemi Awolowo University chapter, in the petition written by the Chairman of the unjustly dissolved Governing Council of the university, Prof. Rowland Egba, to President Muhammadu Buhari. Without mincing words, the actions of the unions constitute a serious constitutional infraction that must not be overlooked. It is an offence that should not be ignored so as to deter other persons who may want to do the same in the future. There must be deterrence. These unions must be made to take responsibility for their unlawful actions.

    From the account of Prof. Rowland as reported, it is clear that the Federal Government acted too hastily in dissolving the Governing Council. There is no problem with some unions making allegations about the actions of a Governing Council. But there is a big problem in accepting the accusations as truth and making a grave decision like the dissolution of the Governing Council therefrom. At least there should have been an investigation to establish the veracity or otherwise of the charges. This becomes even important in view of the fact that the unions who made the allegations had even behaved in ways that make their claims questionable. Had the Visitor through the Minister of Education taken its time to investigate the claims, he would not have settled for the embarrassing decision against the Governing Council.

    Certainly, the OAU SSANU and NASU cannot be taken seriously. The university laws on the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor do not even recognise any input from them in the process of appointing a university executive. Why their clangour of disapproval of the emergence of Prof.Ayobami Salami as the Vice-Chancellor of the university sounds more deafening than those of the legitimate actors is beyond me. I agree with Prof. Rowland’s position: There is no doubt that candidates who lost but do not want to come to terms with their loss are the hidden hands pulling the strings of the unions’ puppets.

    President Buhari must reconsider the disbandment of the Governing Council. Apparently there was no due diligence favoured before it was disbanded. There is also in office a substantive Vice-Chancellor that he cannot sack. If he cannot reverse his step as men of justice are wont to do, then the view that his government is hostile to justice and the rule of law is true. In the name of all that is good, I appeal to President Buhari to consider the petition of the dissolved Governing Council and cause an investigation to take place. This should go on while the school is going on with its normal activities. The court case by the unions should go on too. There is a substantive Vice-Chancellor in place; if an objective investigation proves the process that produced him was improper, then the right thing can be done. Justice is never known to be served where the claim of a party to a dispute is upheld as gospel truth.

     

    • Wale Erinfolami,

    Mayfair, Ile-Ife, Osun State.

  • Lagos cooperative chief seeks empowerment for members

    There’s need to empower  cooperative societies and their members to mitigate the harsh economic situation in the country, President, Lagos State Cooperative Federation, Oriyomi Ayeola, has said.

    He argued that apart from ensuring that cooperative societies and their members survive the prevailing harsh business environment, empowering them would also enable them to contribute to the revival of national economy.

    He said in a statement at the weekendthat cooperative members need the support not only to inspire the leadership and members, but also to assist the body complete its multi-purpose building designed to create opportunities in Lagos.

    The LASCOFED leader said   he was determined to complete the multipurpose building earlier than the scheduled  date.

    He said: “Experience and research have shown that one of the most challenging factors in carrying out cooperative business is getting the right place that is conducive for business at a competitive cost. We resolved to tackle this challenge by constructing a befitting and expansive multi-purpose building for cooperative societies and their members.

    “The first step was taken by the administration of my predecessor in office, Alhaji Saheed Oki, who laid the foundation in July 2010. I was an executive member and during our foreign trips, we understudied cooperative movements in other climes. Our findings were part of what inspired the LASCOFED cooperative building, which will be commissioned on July 19.”

    He said the speedy completion of the building was a fulfilment of the promise he made, saying: “We promised co-operators in Lagos state that if we were given the privilege to serve, we will be given them a befitting secretariat and ensure unity in the cooperative movement,’’ Ayeola added.

    He said the new building is not meant for cooperative societies alone, saying the structure is massive enough to accommodate businesses outside the cooperative movement, adding that Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, is expected to inaugurate  the building.