The Nation Newspaper

Tag: news

  • Public nuisance: Court jails three

    A Karu Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, on Thursday sentenced three men to three months’ imprisonment each for constituting public nuisance.

    The Judge, Mr Sani Mohammed, sentenced Christopher Sunday, 33, Dauda Mohammed and Joseph Maduchukwu, both aged 39, following their guilty plea to a count charge of public nuisance.

    The judge, however, gave them an option of N4,000 each.

    The trio had pleaded for leniency.

    Read Also: Lagos sets up team for free flow of traffic

    According to the prosecutor, Mr Vincent Osuji, a team of policemen attached to the Karu Police Station and led by ASP Moses Maku arrested the convicts at midnight on Oct. 11, during a raid of black spots in Karu.

    Osuji submitted that the convicts, who have different residential addresses, could not give satisfactory accounts of themselves.

    The prosecutor noted that the offence contravened Section 198 of the Penal Code.

  • Bagudu assures corps members of adequate security, welfare

    Governor Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi has assured corps members deployed to the state for the one year mandatory national service of adequate security and welfare during their stay.

    Bagudu gave the assurance at the swearing in ceremony of the NYSC Batch C Stream 1 corps members at the Orientation Camp in Dakingari, Suru Local Government Area on Thursday.

    Bagudu who was represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Samaila Yombe said: “Kebbi State has been known for Peace, your safety here is well assured, already, various security agencies in the state have been directed to double their efforts towards giving maximum security to corps members.

    ” The state government on its part will continue to do every thing possible to see to your general welfare and wellbeing.”

    Bagudu said the NYSC had contribute immensely to the development of the state in the areas of education, health, environmental sanitation and other key sectors of the economy.

    He advised the corps members to distance themselves from unhealthy practices such as bigotry, cultism, corruption, violence and other social vices.

    Read Also: NYSC: Educationist seeks end to age barrier

    ”The orientation programme is specially designed to instill in you the right attitude and arm you with the leadership qualities required in our future leaders.

    “ With this in mind, you should distance yourself from unhealthy practices such as bigotry, cultism, corruption, violence and other social vices,” Bagudu said.

    The governor also urged them to respect the social and cultural beliefs of the community they are posted to serve.

    Earlier, the state Coordinator of NYSC, Mr Barde Usman , said that 2,350 corps members had registered for the three weeks orientation.

    Usman said that the corps members would undergo orientation on skills acquisition and entrepreneurship during the programme.

    He added that the aim was to make the corps members self reliant and employers of labour rather than job seekers at the end of the service year, as the county is facing daunting challenges especially in the areas of unemployment and security.

  • New York police respond to ‘suspicious package’ in Manhattan

    New York City’s Police Department (NYPD) was responding to reports of a “suspicious package” found in Manhattan on Thursday, following a series of suspected pipe bombs sent to high-profile Democrats and critics of U.S. President Donald Trump.

    “Please avoid the area and expect a police presence and heavy traffic,’’ the NYPD wrote on Twitter.

    It was unclear whether the incident was linked to suspected package bombs intercepted in the U.S. this week, which were sent to Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton, former President Barack Obama, said broadcaster CNN and others.

    Read Also: Potential explosives sent to White House, Hillary Clinton, Obama

    Broadcaster NBC news said Thursday’s discovery was made at a site linked to Robert De Niro, citing a local law enforcement official.

    The actor owns a restaurant in Manhattan’s upmarket Tribeca neighbourhood, where the package was found, and has been critical of Trump in the past.

    Television footage showed a heavy police presence in the area.

    De Niro cursed the president on national television during the Tony Awards in June, saying “Fuck Trump” with his fist in the air.

    Trump retaliated by calling the 75-year-old veteran actor a “very low IQ individual.”

  • Ethiopia’s parliament approves first female president

    Ethiopia’s parliament has approved senior diplomat Sahle-Work Zewde as the country’s first female president, proceedings on state television showed, cementing another shift in the country’s political system from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

    Zewde is at present UN under-Secretary-General and special representative of its Secretary General to the African Union.

    She replaces Mulatu Wirtu, who tendered his resignation to parliament earlier on Wednesday.

    The president’s post is a ceremonial one in Ethiopia. The prime minister, who is the head of state, holds executive power.

    “In a historic move, the two Houses has elected Amb. Shalework Zewde as the next President of Ethiopia.

    “She is the first female head of state in modern Ethiopia,” Fitsum Arega, Abiy’s chief of staff, said on Twitter.

    Read Also: FIFA Ranking: Nigeria move up by Four spots placed 44th

    “In a patriarchal society such as ours, the appointment of a female head of state not only sets the standard for the future but also normalizes women as decision-makers in public life.”

    Recently, when the prime minister reshuffled his cabinet, he appointed 10 female ministers, making Ethiopia the third country in Africa, after Rwanda and Seychelles, to achieve gender parity in their cabinets.

    “When there is no peace in the country, mothers will be frustrated. Therefore, we need to work on peace for the sake of our mothers,” Zewde told parliament after her approval.

    Wirtu, who had held the office for five years, departed one year ahead of his term ending, saying he wanted to be part of change and reforms.

    Zewde became the fourth president since the ruling EPRDF coalition came to power.

    Since his appointment in April, Abiy has presided over a raft of reforms that have turned the region’s politics on its head, including the pardoning of dissidents long outlawed by the government.

    Earlier, the Ethiopian parliament’s two houses in a joint extraordinary session on Thursday approved the resignation request by Ethiopia’s President Mulatu Teshome.

    Teshome, who has been the East African country’s head of state since October 2013, on Wednesday submitted his letter of resignation as the Ethiopian parliament’s two houses are scheduled to consider his resignation.

  • IPC worried over increase in hate speech, fake news

    The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos has expressed worry on the increase  in fake news, unprofessional reporting and hate speech in the social media space which may mar the smooth conduct of the 2019 general election if not checked.

    To nip the problem in the bud, the organisation recently organised a workshop Conflict Sensitive Reporting for online Journalists and bloggers across the country.

    With support from the European Union-Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) project, the second part of the workshop held at the Grand Pela Hotels, Abuja for media practitioners from the North, South East and South South regions of the country.

    Speaking during the opening ceremony of the two-day training, the president of IPC Mr. Lanre Arogundade, said the training became necessary because of some evidence that hate speech actually flourishes in the online environment.

    Arogundade who was represented by IPC Program Manager Stella Nwofia, pointed out that the online environment now occupies a very central place in media operations, as it now offers a converging point for all the traditional and conventional media.

    He noted that with the 2019 general elections approaching, it became necessary to remind participants on the rules of engagement with regards to elections reporting and conflicts therein.

    The Director drew the attention of the participants to section four (4) of the Nigerian Media Code of Election Report (revised edition 2018) where ‘Hate Speech’ was singled out as a menace in online reporting and elections conflicts.

    Arogundade said Nigeria has a large population of internet users, and as a result there is a rapid increase in the number of journalists offering to practise online to reach this ‘Internet or online population’.

    He however, noted that the activities of the practitioners should help checkmate the menace of hate speech and conflicts in the country.

    He said :“the online now covers Radio, Television and the Print – such that we now speak of media convergence. The online media now offers a broad spectrum of information and dissemination as well as access to the media by millions if not billions of Internet users be they as individuals or groups”.

    “With the large population of internet users in Nigeria, there is a rapid increase in the number of journalists offering to practise online to reach this ‘Internet or Online population’.

    “What all this means is that we simply cannot ignore what goes on Online in the name of journalism especially against the background of growing perception that online media and social media platforms are the major harbingers of hate speech and stokers of inciting flames.

    “it is feared that in the realm of politics, violent conflict during elections could occur if online journalism practitioners and bloggers refuse to embrace conflict sensitive principles.

    “The emerging consensus therefore is that online journalists and bloggers need to strive to do better so they could be part of efforts that seek to remove hate narratives from political communication as a way of making the electoral environment healthier.”

    He urged the participants to understand and imbibe the principles of fairness, diversity and objectivity in reporting the electoral process and the elections.

    “Our expectation is that the online media would be used as a platform for fair, balanced, language sensitive and conflict sensitive reporting of the elections”.

    He commended the European Union for its support that made the training possible through Component 4b: Support to the Media of the European Union Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) project.

    “In the above regard, it is expected that this training will help participants to understand and imbibe the principles of fairness, diversity and objectivity in reporting the electoral process and the elections”.

    He said that the Centre expects the online media practitioners to use their platforms for fair, balanced report, language sensitive and conflict sensitive reporting of the elections.

    Leading a session on ‘Social Media & Elections: Giving Practical Effect to Conflict Sensitive Reporting Online’, the Editor-In-Chief, Premium Times, Abuja, Mr. Musikilu Mojeed, advocated for fair and balanced news reporting by the practitioners.

    He also cautioned against hate speech and conflict-inducing headlines.

    “Therefore, the need to be cautious has risen, especially when we cast headlines; as conflict can be triggered by ambiguity in communication intended by the journalist involved.

    “Thus, when issues arise in the society, journalists can provide parties with the information that convoke wise decisions in managing and resolving conflicts. Always remember that your ‘business’ thrives only when Nigeria is peaceful,”

    He went further to enumerate how online journalists can make a difference in the profession.

    The Editor-in-Chief of Premium Times, further urged the participants to “Be proactive and careful with translation (intended meaning or language) and to avoid  the use of offensive and graphic images or videos”

    In her presentation on ‘Understanding Conflict, its Nature and Character’, Dr. Ruqayyah Yusuf Aliyu of the Department of Information and Media Studies, Bayero University, Kano State, described conflicts as a natural and inevitable occurrence orchestrated by perceived threats while mutual respects is the antidote.

    She classified conflicts into seven; namely: intrapersonal, inter-personal, Intra-group, party factions, Inter-group, intra-society and international conflicts.

    On hate speech and fake news, she urged online media practitioners to be abreast of the cardinals of journalism to guide against escalating the scourge which is capable of causing breakdown of law and order in the entire country.

    She cautioned the practitioners from sourcing news from social media, especially without verifiable sources.

    According to the Facilitator, identified embellished news reports with tribal, ethnic and religious undertone are purveyors of conflicts in the Nigerian setting.

    Similarly, the Executive Director, CITAD, Kano, Dr. Y.Z. Ya’u, facilitated discussions on ‘Contemporary Conflicts in Nigeria and Possible Impact on Media Coverage of 2019 General Elections’, urging all stakeholders to work harmoniously towards conflict-minimised 2019 general elections.

    “Online journalists in particular must not fail to uphold peace through reporting, especially those that fuel conflicts like Boko Haram, Political-thugs, IPOB, etc.

    “You are required to be very careful about certain colourations which tend to depict individuals in the form of Hate Speech. For instance, some individuals are reported in the media as sympathisers of Boko Haram, IPOB, Militants, etc.

    “It is important to understand the root or what the conflict is all about before reporting to avoid inflammatory reportage.

    He however warned that the fear of fake News should not incapacitate journalists from carrying out their duties effectively.

    “The answer to it is investigative journalism as today fake organisations are issuing press releases to incite people against others”, the ED of CITAD, Kano, said.

  • FIFA to regulate transfer fees, player loans

    A FIFA task force has proposed the use of an algorithm to calculate transfer fees as well as a luxury tax and a limit on the number of players who can be loaned in a report on possible reforms to the soccer transfer system.

    The report, which has been seen by Reuters, found multiple failings in the current system, saying among its many criticisms that it led to “various abuses at the expense of young players and the integrity of competitions”.

    It said that an inflated transfer market was driving “unsavoury practices which may lead to the exploitation of players”.

    In a section on the role of agents, the report added: “The transfer system appears to have turned into a speculative market.

    “This is not fair to the football clubs or grassroots which are the foundation of the professional sport.”

    FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, said after being elected in 2016 that transfer system reform was one of his priorities and he has since voiced his concern at spiralling transfer fees.

    The report said that “mechanisms to achieve transparency and objectivity” in the calculation of transfer fees should be considered.

    It raised several ideas for putting the brakes on fees, including the use of an algorithm, or set of mathematical rules, to calculate the value of players.

    The task force, set up by Infantino in November, said the Swiss-based CIES Football Observatory had already developed an algorithm to “estimate transfer values and probabilities in a scientific way.”

    Another idea it put forward was to impose a luxury tax on excessive transfer spending and use the money raised to create a solidarity fund.

    The report also recommended limiting the number of player loans a club could make in a season to between six and eight in and the same number out, with a maximum of three to or from the same club.

    It also said the loan system needed to have a clearly-defined purpose.

    The report said the current setup “sometimes prevents young players from fully developing their talent”, adding that one unnamed club had loaned out 146 players between 2011 and 2017.

    A limit on squad sizes was also proposed, the report saying that “the stockpiling and subsequent loaning of players, particularly young players, can be detrimental to their development due to the unsettling nature of being ‘on loan’.”

    Regarding agents, it proposed a cap on fees and an end to the practise where the same agent can act for both clubs and the player in a single transaction.

    It proposed the creation of a clearing house to process transfers, pay agents and redistribute training compensation, saying this would help prevent “fraudulent conduct and money laundering.”

  • Good news

    •We are happy that the anti-corruption cases monitoring committee has swung into action

    The news that the Corruption and Financial Crimes Cases Trials Monitoring Committee (COTRIMCO) inaugurated by the National Judicial Council (NJC) has swung into action, is a welcome development. According to NJC’s Director of Information, Mr Soji Oye, the committee has so far received information on 2,306 existing corruption related cases pending in various courts across the country. With protracted cases of corruption in courts, joining to detract the present government’s efforts to fight corruption, Nigerians anxiously wait to see how impactful the committee will be on the sagging war against corruption.

    According to the report, COTRIMCO, which is headed by Justice Suleiman Galadima CFR (retd), has created sub-committees on Practice Directions, Training, Feedback, Engagement and Awareness. It has also divided the country into three zones, for ease of monitoring and evaluation of the cases. These are, Zone A: Abuja (FCT), Zone B: Northern states, and Zone C: Southern states. According to the report, from the cases so far reported, Zone A has 554 pending cases, Zone B has 347, while Zone C has 1, 405 pending cases.

    There are reports that some state chief judges have not sent report on cases pending in their jurisdictions. We encourage such chief judges to buckle up,  compile and send all cases that fall within the parameters given to them. According to Oye: “The committee, after brainstorming on all the pending alleged corruption and financial crime cases submitted to it by the heads of courts that had complied, indicated that a new Practice Direction would be issued to judges handling the said cases.” We urge for a practice direction that will aid a quick dispensation of the age-long cases.

    We also hope that chief judges and heads of appellate courts have designated as promised by the CJN, courts that will concentrate on the corruption related cases. So, we identify with the directive of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, GCON, that heads of courts should “designate courts and judges that will solely handle the on-going trials on daily basis; to fast-track all the pending alleged corruption cases.” In choosing the judges, security agencies should be discretely consulted, so that corrupt judges are not given opportunity to cause greater havoc.

    Corruption, no doubt, has made a mess of our judicial process, and it is in the interest of the NJC, judicial officers and lawyers in particular, to restore confidence in the process. The prevailing view is that the judicial process is ineffective, and the consequence can be better imagined. Also, the embarrassment the laxity causes our country in the international arena is enormous, and Nigerians will be appreciative if COTRIMCO can rise up to the challenge.

    Recently, because of the hopelessness of our criminal justice, the Attorney- General of the Federation and the Presidential Committee Against Corruption stringently canvassed that a fugitive from our laws, should stay in England to face charges, instead of returning to face allegations of infractions at home.

    The prevalent practice, under which political office holders who were charged since 2007, or thereabout, are still undergoing trial, 10 years after the cases were instituted because of all manner of dubious preliminary objections by defence counsel makes a mockery of our judicial process.

    If, as Oye was quoted as saying:”the Practice Directions sub-committee has commenced a review of various practice directions by leveraging on both local and foreign comparative jurisdictions to meet global best practice…”; then we urge the Chief Justice, the President of Court of Appeal and chief judges, to be on stand-by to adopt such recommendations, to restore our dignity and sanity.

  • Hate speech, fake news threat to national security, says El-Rufai

    Hate speech, fake news threat to national security, says El-Rufai

    Governor Nasiru El-Rufai of Kaduna State on Wednesday said hate speech and fake news were the biggest threat to national security and called for collective action to tackle them.

    The governor made the observation when he received Maj._Gen. Anthony Alolagbe, the new Commander, Operation Safe Haven, a special task force established in 2010 in Plateau, who paid him a courtesy visit in Kaduna.

    “There is need to curtail the emerging trend of using social media to create crisis in the country.

    “I think collectively we have to fight it and discourage those behind it by arresting and prosecuting them,’’ he said.

    El-Rufai disclosed that the social media had been used to incite people to violence in the state, but warned that the government would not condone that anymore.

    “In this state, we will not allow anyone engage in propagation of hate speech and fake news; there is provision in the penal code in Kaduna state that deals with that.’’

    He however expressed satisfaction that Nigerians were “becoming more aware of the dangers hate speech, fake news and the abuses on social media pose to the peace, unity and stability of this country.’’

    El-Rufai told the commander that his administration was putting in place measures to promote social justice, and was working closely with all security agencies to sustain peace in the state.

    “There are still challenges, but with the intervention of army and police it has been curtailed to some extent,” he said, adding that security agencies were doing their best to address them.

    Earlier, Alolagbe explained that the operation’s major duty was to protect all civilians in  Southern Kaduna and Plateau, especially those living along the boundaries of the two states.

    “We have deployed our security and patrol teams to ensure free movement of people carrying out lawful activities, and we have been able to curtail cross boarder banditry,’’ he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the mandate of Operation Safe Haven was extended to cover southern Kaduna in July 2017 after clashes there.(NAN)

  • Gov. Ikpeazu, wife underscore need for urbanisation

    Gov. Ikpeazu, wife underscore need for urbanisation

    Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia has expressed regret that the three major cities of Aba, Ohafia and Umuahia, the state capital, do not have master plans, 26 years after the creation of the state.

    Ikpeazu made the observation at a meeting organised by Vicar Hope Foundation in collaboration with UN-HABITAT Programme in Nigeria.

    He wondered how past administrations carried out physical infrastructural development in the cities without master plan.

    He said that the meeting was auspicious, considering the way and manner people abused the environment.
    “We need to preserve our environment for our generation and generations to come.

    “I believe that if you do not take care of your environment, your environment will kill you.’’

    He, therefore, charged stakeholders at the meeting to think about the environment and how to achieve a better place for human habitation.

    In her speech, the Wife of the Governor, Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu, urged the participants to evolve the best ideas and realisable action plan that would help turn around the conditions of the cities.

    She further underscored the need for all hands to be on deck in the onerous task of “making our cities cleaner, safer, functional and more profitable to dwellers and visitors’’.

    Mrs Ikpeazu, who is the founder of Vicar Hope Foundation, thanked the UN Habitat Programme for collaborating with the foundation to organise the meeting.

    In a goodwill message, the UN-HABITAT Programme Manager in Nigeria, Mr Kabir Yari, said the essence of the event was to promote sustainable urbanisation.

    Yari was represented by Dr. Steve Onu, a member of the UN Steering Committee on making cities resilient.

    He expressed the hope that the meeting would come out with a road-map on how to tackle the challenges posed by rapid population growth in the urban centres.

    In her speech, the Executive Director, Women Communication Centre, Hajia Limota Giwa, said that the meeting provided an opportunity for the cross-fertilisation of ideas on how to achieve the UN objective for the new urban agenda.

    Giwa commended the governor’s wife for her passion and commitment toward achieving sustainable urbanisation in Abia.

    She said that her initiative had given Abia visibility on the global map.

  • NIGERIA IN THE NEWS FOR MARK ZUCKERBERG

    NIGERIA just got the world’s attention again with the visit of the Facebook man, Mark Zuckerberg who was more than delighted to meet some filmmakers, having been attracted to the industry called Nollywood.

    The mere reason that Zuckerberg finds more attraction in our film industry than our music sector says a lot about the special place that filmmaking holds in the entertainment space.

    It’s a mix grill for our dear country, as we are so in the news all the time whether for the good or bad reports. But, sure, this is a good one. And I must say another promotional stuff for Lagos State, with the picture of the guy jogging among many along the much celebrated Ikoyi Bridge.

    Few hours later, the world’s sixth richest man was meeting with Nollywood, having said earlier at a Town Hall meeting with entrepreneurs: “One of the things I’m looking forward to on this trip is checking out Nollywood. I think it is, and I hope it’s not disproved, a kind of national treasure.”

    I guess that the fact that Nigeria has the largest Facebook population in the whole of Africa is quite endearing, going by the level of social and political engagements that take place on that space.

    Anyone would also be amazed our political woes play out in such a subtle manner on Facebook in form of still and motion picture visuals. These are no less talents that call for some more opportunities. Thus, he said, while talking on investing in Andela and Bridge Academies; “We want to try and make opportunity as equal distributed around the world as talent is.”

    Indeed, it takes a man who believes in a people to want to ‘invest’ in their future, hence, he said, “I’m here (in Nigeria) because this is where I think a lot of the future is gonna get built.”

    Leading his conversation with Nollywood was the rave-of-the-moment filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, whose international exposure has just received further boost, after his recently attained record as the first in Nigeria to partner an international airline such as Air France in a pan African movie and arguably the first to have an in-flight premiere of his movie on an international flight.

    A typical business savvy Afolayan was captured in a video released after the encounter, asking about the Facebook application that can complement movie distribution in Nigeria.

    “The question I’m willing to ask,” says Afolayan, “is that is there a possibility at some point for Facebook to do something whereby you post a content and you monetise it?”

    According to the filmmaker, “ before now, I used to post and promote, but I’m looking at more opportunities because distribution is a major problem in this country; DVDs are no go area, and we have always tried to come up with an App that is safe and not easy to copy, but it’s a major challenge. So, if there is an opportunity where there is an App on Facebook where you put content like YouTube is doing and the amount of followings or views you get is monetized; that will make you our superman.”

    It is also remarkable that the Facebook man chose Afrinolly for this rendezvous. Where else could have been appropriate for such meeting if not this outfit run by a change agent called Chike Maduegbuna and his wife, Jane.

    “It was a surreal moment for us at Afrinolly, when Mark Zuckerberg paid us a surprise visit. This is one of those moments when you’re not sure if it’s just his gracing us with his presence, or the fact that he found what we do here “interesting – You tell me,” said Maduegbuna.

    Continuing, he said: “All we know here at Afrinolly is, that his surprise visit has done all lot to boost and affirm our belief in what we stand for.”

    The couple who became popular for their Afrinolly film App and short film competition had received an exceptional Google rating and prizing. They have also partnered Ford Foundation on talent development. Not only is their studio listed among the Bank of Industry (BoI)’s preferred, their facility pass for an official Secretariat and foreign business contact for Nollywood.

    It was an eventful visit for Zuckerberg who also attended the much anticipated birthday party of the most popular Nigerian on Snapchat, Bobrisky, at Escape nightclub, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    It is heartwarming that Lagos, and indeed Nigeria is in the global news for this great man and other opportunities his visit has offered in the marketing of the Nigeria brand.