The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria News

  • EU top court rules against Austria in asylum case

    EU top court rules against Austria in asylum case

    The European( EU ) Court of Justice ruled on Wednesday that Austria was obliged to examine the asylum application of an Iranian national even though he had previously sought international protection in Bulgaria.

    Majid Shiri, the asylum seeker, applied for international protection first in Bulgaria, and then in Austria.

    Under current EU law – also known as the Dublin regulation – the member state which was the first point of entry into the EU – in this case Bulgaria – is obliged to handle asylum applications.

    Read: Nigeria records 1,300 registered victims in EU countries

    But the ECJ found that because Shiri was not transferred back from Austria to Bulgaria within a six-month time limit, the “responsibility is transferred automatically” to Austria.

    The ruling is likely to have repercussions for a number of asylum cases lodged in 2015 and 2016 when a large number of people seeking international protection entered Europe.

    Read Also: EU agrees on new labour rules to prevent social dumping

  • Plague kills 124 in Madagascar

    Plague kills 124 in Madagascar

    A plague epidemic in Madagascar has killed 124 people since August in an outbreak that hit the island’s two main cities the hardest, authorities said on Wednesday.

    Plague is endemic in Madagascar, but the outbreak that has caused 1,192 suspected cases since August is especially worrying because it started earlier in the season than usual and hit urban rather than rural areas.

    In addition, two thirds of the cases are of the pneumonic plague, the deadliest form of the disease.

    “The total number of cases (1,192) is already three times higher than the average annual total,” the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management said in a report on Wednesday.

    Last week a World Health Organisation ( WHO ) report said the death toll stood at 94.

    The capital Antananarivo and Toamasina, the two largest cities in Madagascar, an island in the Indian Ocean, were the most affected, with 55 per cent of cases recorded there.

    To date 54 medical staff have been infected, it said.

    The report said that of an estimated 9.5 million dollars in aid needed to counter the epidemic, only 3 million dollars has been raised.

    Read Also: Outbreak of Cough, Measles kills 17 children in Kano

  • Real Madrid to abandon team bus for safety reasons

    Real Madrid to abandon team bus for safety reasons

    Real Madrid will not use their branded team bus to transport players for the trip to Catalonia to play Girona on Sunday for security reasons, Spanish media reported on Tuesday.

    The club do not want the vehicle to become a target due to political unrest in the region over Catalonia’s bid for independence.

    Madrid do not usually bring the team coach to matches which are considered high risk, like the “El Classico” in Barcelona or away at Athletic Bilbao.

    The team are planning to arrive in Girona by plane on Saturday evening before the match on Sunday, which they will travel to in an unmarked coach, Marca said.

    However, the plans are subject to change based on the political situation.

    Read Also:

    La Liga: Ronaldo Returns, Saves Madrid against Getafe

  • PDP NEC approves Dec. 9 for national convention

    PDP NEC approves Dec. 9 for national convention

    The People Democratic Party ( PDP ) National Executive Committee has approved Dec. 9 for the party’s national elective convention.

    The PDP National Caretaker Committee Publicity Secretary, Mr Dayo Adeyeye, disclosed this on Tuesday at the end of the party’s 76th NEC meeting in Abuja.

    He said that the proposed budget for the convention that would hold at the Eagles Square was also submitted for NEC consideration.

    Adeyeye added that the NEC also granted waivers to new members in Anambra and Oyo States who recently decamped from other political parties to the PDP.

    “As you know in Oyo state, so many people are joining PDP from other parties and we want to give them a level playing ground just like other members who have been in the party.

    “The effectiveness of that is that as we are conducting congresses of the party from wards to local government level, new members can participate.”

    Asked if the PDP candidates for Anambra governorship election, Mr Obaze Oseloka, was among those granted waiver by the NEC, Adeyeye said that Oseloka had been granted waiver before the party’s primary election.

    “What we did today was for the NEC to ratify the decisions of the national caretaker committee.”

    He added that the NEC also approved party election guidelines for 2017 Congresses and national convention.

    Adeyeye said that the proposed amendment to the party’s constitution was presented for consideration to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2013.

    “Some of these proposed amendments were accepted, some rejected while others are still been considered.”

    He added that the final decision on the party’s constitutional amendment would be taken at the forthcoming national convention.

    NAN

  • Troops kill 11 Boko Haram insurgents, destroy IED factory in Borno

    Troops kill 11 Boko Haram insurgents, destroy IED factory in Borno

    The Nigerian Army on Wednesday said its troops had killed 11 Boko Haram insurgents and destroyed a bomb making factory at Ngala Local Government Area of Borno.

    Brig.-Gen. Sani Kukasheka, the Director, Army Public Rations said this in a statement in Maiduguri.

    Kukasheka said that the troops, in joint operations with the Air Force and Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), on Tuesday attacked insurgents’ hideouts at Mogole, Ngaiwa, Tongule, and Warsele villages of Ngala Local Government Area of the state.

    He disclosed that the troops destroyed the insurgents’ logistics base and a workshop at Ngaiwa village and an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) making factory at Tongul.

    The director further said 85 persons were rescued from the insurgents in the villages.

    Kukasheka said that the troops also recovered a gun truck; four suicide bomb vests, various IED making materials, three Dane guns.

    Others, he said were: one Barretta pistol, 22 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 5 motorcycles, 13 bicycles and a wheelbarrow.

    “Tuesday Oct. 24 will go down as one of the best in the outing of troops of 3 Battalion, 22 Brigade Nigerian Army of Operation LAFIYA DOLE in their daily clearance of the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists, especially in northern parts of Borno.

    “The unit in conjunction with gallant 22 Mobile Strike Team accompanied by Civilian JTF, based on credible information carried out offensive operations at suspected Boko Haram terrorists hide outs at Mogola,” he said.

    Other areas where the soldiers carried out operations he said were Ngaiwa, Tongule and Warsele villages in Ngala Local Government Area of the state.

    “The operation which was supported by the Nigerian Air Force was very successful in achieving its objectives”.

    NAN

  • Nigeria’s GDP records decline in Q3 and Q4 2016

    Nigeria’s GDP records decline in Q3 and Q4 2016

    The National Bureau of Statistics ( NBS ) says the Gross Domestic Product( GDP ) in real terms dellined in the third and fourth quarters of 2016.

    The NBS made  this known  in its “Nigerian Gross Domestic Product( GDP ) Report on Expenditure and Income Approach for the third and fourth quarter of 2016 released in Abuja.

    According to the report, the decline followed the negative growth trend from the first half of 2016.

    It explained  that the household consumption and government consumption expenditures led to the decrease in GDP in both the third and fourth quarter of the year under review.

    The bureau,however, stated that a strong recovery in growth in net exports, particularly in the fourth quarter helped to stem the decline.

    According to the report, the National Disposable Income recorded a strong growth in comparison to the GDP in the second half of 2016 in real terms.

    This it said was partly as a result of increases in other net transfers from the rest of the World .

    The report stated that Year on Year growth in Domestic Compensation of Employees in real terms declined.

    The bureau further said that the operating surplus declined in the third and fourth quarters but grew overall in real terms in 2016.

    NAN

  • Aisha Buhari urges Govts to give priority to education of women, girls

    Aisha Buhari urges Govts to give priority to education of women, girls

    The Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, on Tuesday called on government at all levels to give priority to education and empowerment of women and children.

    Buhari made this call in Abuja at the International Sheroes Forum with the theme: “Advancing women’s roles in business leadership and governance.”

    Buhari, who was represented by the Wife of the Nasarawa State Governor, Hajiya Salamatu Al-Makura, said that education is the foundation for empowerment of women and children to achieve gender equality.

    “We need to come together by supporting and encouraging each other in creating positive impact by empowering women and girls.

    “I believe education is the foundation for empowerment of women and children, especially the girl child.

    “I wish to call on government at all level and Non Governmental Organisation to ensure that issues that has to do with the right of women and the less privileged empowerment is mainstreamed.

    “We have to come together as partners to confront gender inequality.

    “We need to work with government, Civil Society and private sector to address the underlying bias and social norms that permit women and girls to be treated as lesser breed than men and boys.

    “We still have a long way to go in terms of enjoying a gender equal world; we also need to be vigilant against sliding back on progress already made,” she said.

    She said that there can be a change through legislation by working on the design progressive laws and ensuring that the laws are effectively implemented in other to be truly successful in the goals of equality.

    However, Ms. Comfort Lamptey United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, said that the conference needs relevant stakeholders to get the desired equality.

    Lamptey, who was represented by Adji Ndiaye, Deputy Country Representative, said that women in Africa were grossly marginalised, stating that Nigeria has the lowest level of representation in Africa.

    She said that the main objective of UN women was to close the gap of marginalisation, saying that in 2019 election women should invest in political participation.

    Sen. Jewel Taylor, Vice Presidential Candidate, Liberia, said that women in Africa should create a national fund to assist in increasing women participation in politics.

    “We can begin to raise funding to get women in national governance because that is the button line, we have to put our money where our mouths are.”

    NAN

  • Internet users hit 93m in September – NCC

    Internet users hit 93m in September – NCC

    The Nigerian Communications Commission ( NCC ) announced on Tuesday that subscribers browsing the internet through its network increased to 93 million in September from 92.1 million the previous month.

    The telecommunications industry regulator made the disclosure in its monthly internet subscribers’ data on its website.

    The commission said the data showed a marginal increase of 815,764 subscribers during the period.

    It said that the data reflected internet users on both the Global System for Mobile ( GSM ) communications and the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks.

    The regulator said that 92.97 million out of the 93 million internet users in September were on GSM network while 30,309 users were on the CDMA network.

    The data showed that MTN had 32.5 million subscribers, browsing its network in the month under review as against 32.1 million in August, indicating an increase of 359,409 internet subscribers.

    According to NCC, Globacom has 26.942 million customers, surfing its network in September, revealing a decrease of 12,405 users from the 26.955 million that surfed the network in August.

    Airtel had 21.76 million internet users in September, showing an increase of 600,400 customers from the 21.16 million recorded in August.

    The data also showed that 9mobile had 11.71 million customers, who browsed in September, indicating a decrease of 131,640 users from the 11.84 million users in August.

    For CDMA operators, Visafone had 30,305 customers surfing its internet in September while Multi-Links had only four internet users.

    Both operators had a total of 30,309 users in September, the same figure recorded by the two operators in August.

    NAN

  • 11 killed, 23 injured in Kogi accident

    11 killed, 23 injured in Kogi accident

    The Federal Road Safety Commission ( FRSC ) has confirmed the death of 11 people in a ghastly motor accident on the Auchi-Okene highway in Kogi.

    The Sector Commander of the FRSC in Kogi, Mr Olusegun Martins, told reporters in Lokoja on Tuesday that the accident occurred at a sharp bend on the road in the evening of Oct. 23.

    He said that 23 other people sustained varying degrees of injuries in the accident, involving a total of 34 people.

    Martins said that six of the victims died on the spot, while five others died in hospitals.

    He said that two vehicles, a trailer loaded with cows, foodstuffs and passengers and a Toyota Corolla car were involved in the incident.

    The sector commander gave the registration number of the trailer as Katsina XF 914 KTN, while the number of the Toyota car was Abuja BWR 756 BJ.

    The two vehicles were coming from Lokoja.

    He said that all the dead victims and the injured were from the trailer coming from Abuja, while the driver of the car and its other occupants escaped unhurt.

    Martins said that the accident occurred when the trailer hit the car from behind before losing control and crashing into a nearby bush.

    The sector commander blamed the accident on over-spending but assured that full investigation would be carried out in due course.

    He said that the corpses of the victims were taken to the morgue at the General Hospital, Okene, while the injured were taken to TAO Hospital and God’s Mercy Hospital in Okene as well as the Federal Medical Centre in Lokoja.

    NAN

  • Pastor admits defrauding Titi Atiku of N918m

    Pastor admits defrauding Titi Atiku of N918m

    A confessional statement tendered before an Ikeja High Court on Tuesday exposed how Pastor Nsikakabasi Akpan-Jacobs voluntarily confessed defrauding Mrs Titi Atiku, the wife of former Vice-President Abubakar Atiku of N918 million.

    Mr Dickson Graymond, a retired detective with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ) insisted on the voluntariness of Akpan-Jacob’s alleged confessional statement while giving evidence during a trial.

    While being led in evidence by Mr Babatunde Sonoiki, the EFCC prosecuting counsel, Graymond said: “There are so many things that he confided in me that he refused to put into writing.

    “He admitted to me that Florence Doregos was Titi Atiku but he refused to put that into writing.

    “He confided in me that he wanted to contest in the Akwa-Ibom elections and that as soon as he begs Her Excellency, the matter will be over.

    “All what he told me were not forced, I did not even force him to write all what he confided in me in his confessional statement.

    “All what he said in his statement was of his own free will.”

    During his cross-examination by Mr Amos Ibe, Akpan-Jacob’s defence counsel, the retired detective denied illegally detaining the pastor in EFCC’s custody for three weeks and denying him access to legal representation.

    “The first defendant (Akpan-Jacobs) was served with bail conditions by the EFCC but he could not provide sureties and we could not grant him bail on self-recognisance because of the gravity of the case against him.

    “He did not spend three weeks with us but six days and he was given the opportunity to produce a lawyer but he refused, saying he will write his statement on his own.

    “Dapo and Chima (EFCC operatives) did not force him to write any undertaking,” he told the court.

    Graymond also denied bringing Akpan-Jacobs to the Abuja office of the EFCC on the influence of Titi Atiku.

    Earlier during the proceedings, Ibe had objected to the tendering of statements Akpan-Jacobs had made at the EFCC offices dated Feb. 6, 12, and 13, 2009, March 4 and 5, 2009 and April 2, 2009 on the grounds that they were not given voluntarily.

    Following Ibe’s objection, Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye, in her ruling, ordered that a trial-within-trial should commence.

    The EFCC had slammed Akpan-Jacobs; Abdulmalik Ibrahim, a lawyer; and Dana Motors Ltd with a 14-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing and fraudulent conversion of property worth N918 million belonging to THA Shipping Maritime Services Ltd.

    THA Shipping Maritime Services Ltd, a company created in 2000, is owned by Titi Atiku, Akpan-Jacobs and Fred Holmes, her German business partner.

    Mrs Atiku was allegedly the majority shareholder with 49 per cent shares, while Messrs. Holmes and Akpan-Jacobs each had 25 per cent shares.

    Akpan-Jacobs, who also doubled as the company’s Managing Director and Secretary, was alleged to have gone to the Corporate Affairs Commission ( CAC ) to alter the shareholding in his favour and forged the company’s board resolutions.

    Under the new shareholding arrangement, he allegedly allotted 51 per cent shares to himself and 24.5 percent shares each to Mrs Atiku and Mr Holmes.

    According to the EFCC, welding a fraudulent shareholding power, Akpan-Jacobs also sold a property belonging to the company to Dana Motors Nigeria Ltd for N918 million.

    The property is located at Plot C63 A, Amuwo-Odofin Commercial Layout along Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Lagos.

    Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye adjourned the case until Oct. 25 for the continuation of trial-within-trial.

    NAN