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Tag: Nigeria News

  • Workers threaten to shut down NIGCOMSAT over alleged victmisation

    Workers threaten to shut down NIGCOMSAT over alleged victmisation

    The Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies ( SSASCGOC ) has accused the management of Nigeria Communications Satellite ( NIGCOMSAT ) of victimizing workers in the company and warned that unless the victimization and issues of promotion is addressed, it will have no option than to disrupt official activities of the agency.

    In a letter to the Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, the union said it may be forced to embark on a three day warning strike unless the issues of promotion and victimization, of its members in the company is addressed.

    The letter, dated  January 10, Reference SSASCGOC/LAB/17/2018/9941​​​​​ and signed by the President, Mohammad Yunusa and the General Secretary, Comrade Ayo Olorunfemi alleged that one of its members is being victimized by the management for refusing to take part in corruption related activities.

    The letter entitled: “Re: Operational Modalities in NIGCOMSAT-Our Demands,” the letter read: “Under the directive of the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the Association we refer to our letter No SSASCGOC/HM/FMCT/1/2017/ of 9th Oct 2017 on the above subject matter and observe with dismay the non-response to any of the issues raised.

    “We are most concerned about issues that bother on the rights of our members; particularly the issue of promotion. As we speak, one of our members is being victimized  for  refusing to participate in activities that promotes corruption in the workplace.

    “We shall be left with no other choice than to embark on a ​3 day warning strike to drive home our points, if nothing is done to address all the issues raised in our letter under reference within 21 days from the date of receipt of this letter.”

    Speaking with newsmen, Comrade Olorunfemi, condemned the promotion exercise done by NIGCOMSAT management after a long pressure from the union, adding that the promotion was lopsided as important issue of seniority was lost due to earlier embargo and delayed in the process.

    He said the union would not accept a situation whereby some senior officers have to forfeit one year due to no fault of theirs but just because the management decided to place embargo on promotion.

    “The essence of promotion is to motivate, but when promotion is becoming a de-motivational factor, there will be reduction in productivity and the union would not accept that.”

    On the victimization of its member, he explained that an officer, who is the head of account refused a directive from an executive director to pay a money which was not approved and was being victimized.

    Comrade Olorunfemi said the present government came into power on the mantra of corruption, saying that the minister should conduct an investigation into this case and ensure that workers who stand up against corruption are not punished.

  • Smuggling: Customs appeals for cooperation to with communities

    Smuggling: Customs appeals for cooperation to with communities

    The Niger Area Command of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Monday appealed for cooperation with border communities to check smuggling.

    Mr Bengal Benjamin, the Area Comptroller, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna.

    According to Benjamin, the command believes that the support of the border communities was necessary to achieve more success in ending smuggling across the borders.

    He appealed to residents of members in the communities to offer intelligence reports on the movement of smugglers to help save Nigerian economy.

    He said that the time had come for all Nigerians to see smuggling as a crime to the nation’s economy.

    NAN reports that the command is made of Niger, Kwara and Kogi states.

    Read also :Customs  sets N1.3trn revenue target for 2018

    Benjamin said that the command had also partnered some traditional rulers, especially those around border communities, to alert the command on the movement of smugglers.

    He urged the mass media to educate members of the public to shun smuggling and embrace export of local goods because of the inherent gains in export trade than smuggling.

    He said that officers and men in the command had been mobilised to ensure that the command would meet it’s N3.7 billion revenue target for 2018.

    “We have since issued effective operational order to our officers in the border areas on how to prevent the illegal business and deal with smugglers.

    “We have blocked all their identified exits through our border posts in Kwara as well as in other states,” he said.

    NAN

  • Court remands man in prison over assault, trespass

    Court remands man in prison over assault, trespass

    A Sokoto Chief Magistrates’ court has ordered the remand of a 35-year-old man, Alhaji Danmagajiy in prison for alleged assault and trespass.

    The Magistrate, Abubakar Adamu, who gave the order on Monday, adjourned the matter to Jan 31, 2018 for hearing.

    The defendant of Gidan Sanda village area of Kware Local Government Area in Sokoto State is facing a three-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, trespass and assault.

    Read also: Court  orders probe of Patience Jonathan’s property’s demolition

    The offence, according to the prosecutor, Cpl. Umar Rabi’u contravened sections, 342 and 268 of the penal code law.

    Rabi’u told the court that on Jan. 9, one Alhaji Abubakar Gago lodged a complaint at the Police Criminal Investigation Department, Sokoto.

    He said that the accused attacked the complainant’s daughter-in-law, named Hadiza, with the intent of having intercourse with her.

    The prosecutor said that the 25-year-old girl raised alarm attracting people nearby who came to her rescue.

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

    NAN

  • Teacher in court over alleged raping of neighbour’s daughter

    Teacher in court over alleged raping of neighbour’s daughter

    A 38-year-old man, Joshua Babatunde ,was on Monday arraigned in an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court, for allegedly raping his neighbour’s daughter.

    The defendant, a teacher, who resides at No.7, Ogunshola St., Alaguntan, Alimosho, a suburb of Lagos, is facing a charge of rape.

    The prosecutor, Sgt. Raphael Donny, told the court that the offence was committed on Jan. 11, at Animashaun St., Alaguntan, Lagos.

    Donny said that the defendant lured the 16- year –old girl to his friend ‘s house under the pretext of sending her on an errand, but shut the door and raped her.

    “The defendant had sexually molested the girl for about three times in his friend’s house, and had always threatened to deal with the girl if she talks.

    “The defendant’s friend didn’t know anything about this because he traveled and gave the house key to his friend,” he said.

    Read Also: Court sentences student four months in prison for cheating

    Donny added that luck ran out of the defendant when one of the neighbours peeped in through the window and caught him molesting the girl.

    “The woman who saw him raised an alarm and the defendant was apprehended,” he said.

    The offence, according to the prosecutor contravened Section 259 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

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

    The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Folakemi Davies –Abegunde, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N400, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

    The case was adjourned until Feb. 26 for mention.

    NAN

  • 80 students escape death as fire razes hostel in Sokoto

    80 students escape death as fire razes hostel in Sokoto

    Eighty female students of Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) Mabera in Sokoto metropolis escaped death on Sunday night when fire completely razed down their hostel.

    The inferno destroyed the four-room A’isha hostel and valuables but no student was hurt.

    It took the combined efforts of officials of State Fire Service and other security personnel to put off the blaze suspected to have originated from electrical sparks.

    Read also: LCCI received N30m claims for fire incident

    The school authorities declined to speak on the incident, saying that they have no authority to entertain media enquiry.

    Efforts to speak to officials of the state Ministry Education and state Fire Service were unsuccessful as they failed to pick phone calls and did not reply text messages.

    NAN recalled that in December 2017 a student hostel was also burnt down at the Government Science Secondary School Kware in the state.

    NAN

  • CCNN Sokoto donates uniforms to 290 primary school pupils

    CCNN Sokoto donates uniforms to 290 primary school pupils

    The Cement Company of Northern Nigeria ( CCNN ) on Monday distributed 580 sets of school uniforms to 290 pupils of Sabongarin-Alu primary school in Wamakko Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

    The company, trading under brand name of Sokoto Cement, built the school, which is close to the company, for the community as part of its corporate social responsibility.

    Presenting the items, the company’s Corporate Affairs Manager, Alhaji Sada Suleiman, said the gesture was part of the company’s support package aimed at complementing the efforts of Sokoto State Government to develop education.

    Sada said the company was also assisting the state through portable water supply, electrification, rural roads, health-care, women and youth empowerment.

    He said the company had also awarded scholarships to 50 indigent students in tertiary institutions, adding that more support programmes to be executed by the company were on progress.

    “The uniforms and educational materials are mainly for primary schools, basic and secondary education for enrolment sustenance,” Sada said.

    Read also: CCNN grows net profit by 182% to N2.04b in Q3

    He said 150 girls and 140 boys had benefitted from the gesture, noting that each pupil would get two sets of uniform.

    The Manager promised that the gesture would continue and pledged to also partner with the state’s Ministry of Education to identify areas of need for more assistance.

    The Special Adviser to Gov. Aminu Tambuwal on Corporate and Social Responsibility, Alhaji Faruk Suwidi, described the support as strategic because of the importance of instructional materials to students.

    Suwidi said the gesture was the first of its kind from any corporate body in the state, noting that it would significantly reduce the burden on parents.

    He therefore, urged parents and guardians to reciprocate the gesture by ensuring that their children and wards attended school regularly.

    He further appealed to other corporate organizations and wealthy individuals to take a cue from the company.

    Alhaji Bello Buba and Alhaji Abubakar Ahmadu, Chairman and District Head of Wamakko LGA respectively, expressed the community’s appreciation and thanked the company for impacting so much on the community.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that highlight of the event was songs presentation by pupils.

    NAN

  • Katsina spends N2bn on drainage constructions – Commissioner

    Katsina spends N2bn on drainage constructions – Commissioner

    The Katsina State Government says it has spent N2 billion on the construction standard drainage systems in 10 towns across the state in 2017.

    The Commissioner of Environment, Alhaji Hamza Faskari, said this on Monday.

    “Standard drainage systems were constructed in flood-prone towns across the state.

    “The Katsina State Government executed the N2billion project to avert flood disasters in those areas.

    “The drainage systems were constructed in Funtua, Malumfashi, Dutsinma, Mani, Kankia, Musawa, Matazu, Mai’adua and Daura Local Government Areas.

    Read also: Gunmen abduct teenage girl in Katsina

    “The government also constructed several drainage channels in the Katsina metropolis to avert flood in the state capital.

    “In Katsina city, the government also constructed drainage channels in some neighbourhoods such as Kofar Kaura, Kofar Kwaya, Gadar-Nayalli, Adeleke, Kofar Marusa and Kofar Sauri.

    “Another drainage construction project was executed in Kofar Saro, General Hospital, Yammawa and Kofar Sauri areas of the city,’’ he added.

    Faskari said that over N1.5 billion had been earmarked in the 2018 budget for the construction of drainage systems in the 34 local government areas of the state so as to check flooding in the state.

    He commended Gov. Aminu Masari for giving priority to environmental issues that were aimed at promoting the safety of the people’s lives and property.

    The commissioner called on the citizens of the state to support to the Masari-administration to enable them to enjoy more dividends of democracy

    Flood disasters have been an annual occurrence in Katsina State in the past, causing deaths and loss of property.

    NAN

  • NNPC deploys 50-fuel-laden trucks in Lagos to end queues at filling stations

    NNPC deploys 50-fuel-laden trucks in Lagos to end queues at filling stations

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Monday appealed to motorists in Lagos State not to embark on panic buying of petrol because it had increased the fuel-laden trucks supplying fuel  to the city/state by 50 trucks

    Mr Ndu Ughamadu, the Corporation’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, told the  the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the queues at filling stations would soon vanish with the new development.

    He said that the members of the public should not indulge in storing petrol in their homes because additional 50 trucks of petrol had been released to Lagos.

    Read Also: NNPC ‘releases 250 trucks of petrol’

    “About 250 trucks have begun to discharge petrol to Lagos compared to less than 200 trucks allocated to Lagos at the weekend.

    “Motorists are advised to avoid hoarding and panic buying of petrol as the NNPC has sufficient product in stock that will last several days,” he said.

    Ughamadu  attributed the sudden scarcity of petrol being experienced to a slight change in the distribution network in Lagos.

    According to him, Lagos is currently being supplied by members of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN).

    The NNPC spokesperson also acknowledged that there was a slight hitch at the Port Harcourt Refinery which he said was caused by power problem.

    “The Port Harcourt Refinery is slightly down for now, pending when the problem will be rectified,” he said.

    Meanwhile, NAN reports that hawkers had begun to capitalise on the situation to sell petrol to the public at exorbitant prices.

    The hawkers had been selling the commodity for  between N200 and N300 per litre.

    At Fadeyi on Ikorodu Road, a hawker sold a five-litre gallon of petrol for N1,500 instead of the official price of N725.

    Also, commercial transport operators had increased their fares by about 50 per cent.

    A trip to Oshodi from Costain now goes for N150 from its former N100 while Oshodi to Sango Ota in Ogun attracts N300 as against the former N200.

    NAN

  • Bayelsa revenue board seals NDDC’s office in Yenagoa over N168m tax liability

    Bayelsa revenue board seals NDDC’s office in Yenagoa over N168m tax liability

    The Bayelsa Board of Internal Revenue (BIR)  on Monday sealed off the office of  the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)  in Yenagoa over alleged non-remittance of N168 million Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax liability.

    The building  was earlier sealed off in June 2017 when the liability was  N336 million, with the  NDDC paying  half of the sum leaving the balance unpaid.

    The Director of Compliance, Mr Robert Lokoson, who led the enforcement team, said the government was compelled to act following the failure of the NDDC to keep to the agreement to offset the debt in two instalments.

    Read Also: INEC creates 10 additional centres in Bayelsa

    “Sometime in June 2017, the board was forced to levy a warrant of  distrain (Order of court to compel payment)  on NDDC in view of a tax debt for 2008-2014  totalling  N336 million.

    “Following the intervention by stakeholders and a meeting between the board and the NDDC, we graciously suspended destrain  with provision that the liability will be cleared in two tranches of N168 million within two months.

    “Sadly after the first tranche was paid in July 2017, the NDDC has refused to clear the last tranche of N168 million  five months later.

    “It is this intransigent attitude that has compelled the board to re-levy the distrain and recover the outstanding N168 million,” Lokoson said.

    Meanwhile, staff of the NDDC who were forced out of their offices, wondered why the commission could not remit the taxes deducted from their salaries.

    The Bayelsa representative on the NDDC board, Prof. Nelson Brambaifa, was not available when the team visited for the tax drive.

    NAN

  • Man accused of raping 13-yr-old remanded in prison

    Man accused of raping 13-yr-old remanded in prison

    A 55-year-old man, Mfon Iyang, was on Monday remanded in  Kirikiri prison as he was alleged of raping a teenage girl,  by an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Folakemi Davies-Abegunde,  refused to  grant the bail application for the accused and ordered his remand in  prison.

    The accused, an auto mechanic, who resides at Fagba, a suburb of Lagos,  is on trial  for rape.

    Earlier, the Prosecutor, Sgt. Rachael Donny,  told the court that offence was committed on Jan. 8 at the workshop  of the accused in Fagba, Lagos.

    Donny said that the 13-year-old girl  was sent on an errand to the  workshop by her brother.

    Read Also: Two friends in court for raping minor

    “When the girl got there, she met only the accused and after delivering the message, she was about going when he dragged her inside the workshop.

    “The accused covered her mouth so that her voice would not be heard and raped her,” Donny said.

    Donny added that the girl cried to the house and told the brother what happened.

    “The case was reported at the police station and the accused was arrested,” he said.

    The offence, he added,  contravened Section 259 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

    Davies-Abegunde adjourned the case till  Feb. 14 for hearing on bail application.

    NAN