The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NAN

  • Police: two killed in Kaduna

    Police: two killed in Kaduna

    The police in Kaduna State have confirmed that two persons were killed in Manchok, Kaura Local Government Area, following a clash between nomads and  residents.

    Police spokesman Aminu Lawal told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that four were injured during the clash on Sunday.

    Lawal said some settlements belonging to nomads were burnt. The victims are receiving treatment at the Kafanchan General Hospital.

    He said although details of the clash had not been provided, security had been strengthened in the area.

    “Normalcy has been restored, as our men are on ground to forestall any breach of peace.’’

  • FRSC to train, re-train workers in 2014, says Chidoka

    FRSC to train, re-train workers in 2014, says Chidoka

    The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) said yesterday it will organise training and re-training for its workers in 2014 to ensure effective capacity-building.

    FRSC Corps Marshal Osita Chidoka told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Onitsha, Anambra State, that the exercise would enable the commission to bolster its capacity to ensure the safety of lives on the road.

    The FRSC chief said the training would hold in January with the assistance from the World Bank.

    He said: “The World Bank has come out with a project that says building roads are not enough anymore; that building roads must go together with managing the roads after construction.

    “So, for them, any contract that they are going to fund in road rehabilitation must come with a plan of ensuring that the roads do not lead to death.

    “Because of the lessons we have learnt from the World Bank’s safe corridor project, we want to transfer that now to the Nigerian project.

    “That the Ministry of Works would not see their roads as beginning and ending with just tarring the roads; it must end with a plan to make sure that those roads remain safe corridors.

    “So, we believe that the World Bank project, which is up to about $10 million, has gone into purchasing of physical infrastructure. It is also to the training of our workers. We have a lot of training programmes.”

    “In January, a huge training programme will start in earnest, to train our staff on key elements of our work in enlightenment, in education, in enforcement, and in ICT.

    “Those trainings will span most of next year and are being funded by the World Bank.”

    The Corps Marshal hailed the World Bank for assisting the commission.

    He said its initiative was a testimony to its noble intentions for Nigeria.

    NAN reports that the World Bank’s Safe Corridor Project will see the bank going beyond funding of roads construction or re-construction to ensuring the safety of the lives of road users.

    The global bank has donated to the FRSC 37 patrol vehicles, 12 ambulances, four heavy duty tow trucks and 24 motorbikes as well as other specialised apparatuses for road and speed monitoring.

  • Teacher charged with ‘defiling’ two pupils

    A 27-year-old teacher, Mohammed Ibrahim, yesterday appeared before an Ebute Metta Chief Magistrate’s Court in Lagos Mainland. He was charged with defiling two pupils ages six and 11.

    Ibrahim, of 2, Olaosebikan Street, Lawanson, Surulere, Lagos, Mainland is charged with “defiling two minors.”

    The Prosecutor, R. Odigie, an Inspector, said the crime was committed on December 18 about 11 a.m at Al-adab Nursery and Primary School, Abalti Barracks in Surulere.

    He said the accused took the pupils to the school’s toilet and forcefully had unlawful carnal knowledge of them. “The victims screamed for help and they were rescued by another teacher. An eyewitness reported the accused to the headmaster,” he said.

    Odigie said the offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. But the accused pleaded not guilty.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mrs A.A. Demi-Ajayi, granted the accused bail N1 million with two sureties in the like sum.

    According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), she adjourned the case till January 29, 2014.

  • Women urged to vie for elective positions

    NIGERIAN women have been told to vie for elective positions as they have achieved the 35 per cent affirmative appointive positions in line with UN recommendation.

    A Lagos-based gender activist, Mrs. Mairo Amshi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that “there is hope in the political activities of women, especially with the support of the current administration. Political parties should give women the chance to contest for elective positions in the forthcoming elections.

    Women for Equity and Welfare Organisation of Nigeria (WEFON) has also canvassed quota for women interested in elective positions.

    Its president, Alhaja Nourat Babs-Olorunkemi, said it would also boost their morale.

    The Vice Chancellor of Caleb University, Imota, Lagos, Prof. Deji Olukoju, expressed optimism that a female governor would soon emerge in the country.

    He said, “Soon, we will have a female governor that is popularly elected. Whether from the south, Middle-Belt or from the far north, I cannot tell. We have female senators, and, from there, they will want to graduate into governorship position and then the vice-president and finally the president.”

  • National teams will have befitting outings in 2014 -Maigari

    National teams will have befitting outings in 2014 -Maigari

    The President, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Aminu Maigari, on Monday said that the body was conceiving a strategy that would ensure a befitting outings for national teams in 2014.

    Maigari told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone that the strategy was aimed at ensuring that national teams remained consistent and progressive with their performances. He said that the body had directed the Super Eagles’ technical crew to submit its action plan for 2014.

    “There is no doubt that this has been a remarkable year for us, but we do not want it to end just there. It must be continuous. We have developed a short, medium and long term plan in order to achieve our objectives, not only for the Super Eagles but for all our national teams,” Maigari said.

    He said that the NFA was doing its best to ensure that Super Eagles would play some `Grade A’ friendly matches before the 2014 World Cup.

    “We have advanced in many ways with our teams, and we will do well as a body to take the country’s football to its pinnacle in the nearest future. We are not relenting because this dream is not just ours but the collective desire of Nigerians as stakeholders who expect the best from our football teams.

    “I must express my deep appreciation to Nigerians and, of course, the media for the role they played in shaping our thoughts positively at critical moments. We must collectively work hand-in-hand again in 2014,” the NFA president said.

    Maigari said that Nigeria’s victories in 2013 gave the federation an insight into how it could successfully execute its plans for 2014. He expressed confidence that Super Eagles would soar high at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil slated to hold from June 12 to July 13, 2014.

  • Biffo still team chief coach — Giwa FC

    Biffo still team chief coach — Giwa FC

    The management of Giwa Football Club of Jos on Monday said it was not shopping for a new coach to replace its Chief Coach, Abdullahi Biffo. The club, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Yemi Mathew, said Biffo had not been sacked.

    “There is no vacancy in the club as being speculated in some quarters. Biffo is still our head coach. We don’t have a plan for now to drop our head coach or any member of the technical crew which made the club proud by leading the team to promotion to the Nigeria Professional Football League last season,’’ the statement added.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Giwa FC secured promotion from the Nigerian National League (NNL) to the premier league at the end of last season. The club also won the NNL Super Four trophy in Abuja.

  • Curious investment

    Curious investment

    •Nigerians want to feel the impact of govt’s policies in agric sector, not rhetoric that is the minister’s hallmark

    COULD it be true that private sector investment in Nigeria’s agricultural sector since 2011 is worth over $8billion (about N1.25trillion)? This agitating question arose as a result of Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development’s assertions at a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja. He said that: “In the last two years, we have been able to attract $8 billion of private investment commitment into the agriculture sector and $4 billion is being implemented as we speak.’’ Where then is the visible impact of such big investment?

    Adesina attributed the curious investment to the ‘positive impact’ of the Federal Government’s Transformation Agenda on agribusiness. He gave names of companies that have greatly invested in the sector to include Dangote Group (about $9billion investment in petrochemical plant and fertiliser manufacturing plant); Indorama, an Indonesian company which he claimed invested $1.3 million in fertiliser manufacturing; and Notore’s $1.5 billion investment to expand its fertiliser manufacturing plant in Nigeria.

    The minister also said that Syngenta, the world’s leading seeds production and specialised chemicals/pesticides company equally established a company in Nigeria that has so far employed 14 Nigerians, but did not put value on the worth of its investment. He attributed the companies’ interests in the country to the ‘working’ policies of government in the sector. But the truth is that these private initiatives, even if they are true, are long-term investments that cannot meet the immediate, short and medium term agricultural aspirations of Nigerians. Where is concrete evidence of government’s quick intervention to quell the thirst of Nigerians for agricultural benefits?

    We are surprised that Adesina gleefully disclosed further without specifics/facts that the best performing stocks in the Nigerian market today were agriculture-related stocks, and this came about because of his purported government-induced enabling environment that has made agriculture to be seen now as ‘a viable and profitable sector capable of creating the money that the banks could lend to investors.’

    He also said, without providing facts, that banks now offer loans to farmers unlike before because of the inherent potential in the agric sector, consequent upon the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme introduced by the Federal Government. According to him; “last year, the banks lent to those agro-dealers N3.5 billion. This year, the banks lent N20 billion to those agro-dealers.” We ask: Who are the beneficiaries of these loans and what are the names of the banks that gave the loans out? These, in our view, would aid public scrutiny of the entire process. It would not augur well if all government does is to reel out figures and claims without any means of ascertaining the truth, as has been the case in the grandiose achievements by the agriculture ministry under Adesina.

    Nigerians are more interested in empirical results from the sector and not mere rhetoric that has become the minister’s hallmark. The impact of the $4billion out of the $8billion invested into the economy has not been felt. For instance, who consumed the 240 metric tons of rice that the minister claimed was produced by 14 new rice mills in 2012? Has government installed the 100 large scale rice processing mills expected to produce 2.1million metric tons of rice annually with the $1.2billion it secured from ADB since 2012?

    It is a known fact that most of the rice consumed in the country is smuggled in through Benin Republic because of the high tariff imposed on rice importation by government. This makes nonsense of the erroneous official claim that the nation has reached 60 per cent sufficiency in rice production. Also, we call on the minister to tell us who the beneficiaries of the about two million new jobs promised by him to have been created for rural dwellers since 2012 are? Above all, the minister should engage in more rewarding agricultural ventures for the benefit of motherland than his current rhetoric.

  • Two killed in Kebbi police/youth clash

    Two killed in Kebbi police/youth clash

    A violent clash between the police and some youths in Warra, Ngaski Local Government Area of Kebbi State has claimed two lives, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    Several others were injured.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state , Deputy Superintendent Mohammed Mainagge said in Birnin Kebbi that some youths had attempted to burn down the divisional police station on Wednesday.

    The police resisted the action of the youths, he said.

    Mainagge, however, said that normalcy has since been restored to the area, while investigation into the causes of the clash has commenced.

    Alhaji Yusuf Umar, the Chief Orientation and Mobilisation Officer of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Ngaski Local Government Area, said that the clash was triggered by a dispute between a young man and a policeman.

    He said that his (Umar’s) efforts to resolve the dispute proved abortive.

    Umar said that attempt by the policeman to arrest the man was resisted by the youths, who accused the police of victimisation.

    He said that the young man took the matter to court, while the magistrate referred the matter to the police for investigation.

    Umar said that the police investigation found that man had a case to answer for assaulting a policeman in uniform and the court ordered that he should be remanded in prison.

    He said that when the court refused to grant bail to the accused, some irate youths, who protested against the court’s verdict, became unruly and violent in their agitation for the suspect’s bail.

    Umar said that in the ensuing fracas, the police attempted to restore calm and fired some shots which led to the death of two persons.

  • NYG’s closing ceremony brought forward

    NYG’s closing ceremony brought forward

    The National Youth Games (NYG) will now close ahead of its scheduled time today as its Abuja National Stadium mainbowl venue is slated to hold another event.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NYG was earlier billed to end in the evening as is customary of such events. However, the games, which formally commenced on Sunday, Dec. 8 at the same venue, will now end a few hours ahead of schedule today.

    The development was as a result of the 2014 FIFA World Cup’s African Qualifier Second Round First Leg Match between Nigeria’s Super Falconets and their Tunisian counterparts. NAN reports that the match has been scheduled to hold from 4 p.m. at the same venue.

    As a result of this, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of NYG has had to bring forward the activities lined up for the closing ceremony.

    The games’ closing ceremony will now start by 11 a.m. and end by 2.30 p.m., to allow for the match to begin as scheduled at 4 p.m.

    NAN reports that the number of athletics events that would be part of the ceremony has also been reduced to two, with only the boys and girls medley relays holding.

  • ASUU: How we tried to avert strike

    ASUU: How we tried to avert strike

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said that not less than 50 letters were written between 2011 and 2012 to the Presidency to avert the ongoing strike.

    ASUU President Nasir Fagge, who was represented by Prof. Olorunyomi Oju, stated this at the 2013 World Human Rights Day celebration yesterday in Osogbo.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the occasion, which was organised by the Osun Civil Societies Coalition, was attended by representatives of government and human rights groups.

    He said in spite of the efforts made by the union to resolve the issue of the 2009 agreement between it and the Federal Government, there was no response to its letters.

    He decried the allocation of 8.9 per cent of the country’s budget to education as against 31 per cent Ghana commits to the same sector.

    The ASUU leader called for more attention to be given to education to address the myriad of challenges in the sector, especially the decay in education infrastructure.

    Fage, who lamented that the union had been on strike for the past five months in order to re-position education, noted that “education is a human right and not a privilege”.

    He said education remained the right of every child and should not be delayed for any reason.