The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria News

  • Court remands men over car theft

    Court remands men over car theft

    Two men – Sunday Ibrahim and Abdulwahab Usman, were on Tuesday arraigned in a Minna Magistrates’ Court, over alleged attempt to steal a car.

    The defendants, however, denied the 3-count charge of criminal conspiracy, attempt to commit an offence and mischief levelled against them.

    Magistrate Fati Auna ordered that the defendants be remanded in prison custody and adjourned the case until Oct.16 for further mention.

    The Prosecutor, Insp. Emmanuel Danladi, had told the court that one Ogbodo Afam of Tunga Minna, reported the matter at the police station on Sept. 30.
    Danladi quoted the complainant as alleging that on the same date at about 5:35p.m, the accused persons damaged his car in the process of attempting to steal it from where he parked it at Maitumbi area.

    He said the offences contravened Sections 97, 95 and 327 of the Penal Code.

    The prosecutor thereafter prayed the court for an adjournment as investigation into the matter was still ongoing.

  • Liberia set to elect new president

    Liberia set to elect new president

    Voters in the West African nation of Liberia are set to elect a new head of state, as President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf prepares to step down after 12 years in power, an official poll has said on Tuesday.

    Report says Tuesday’s polls are expected to mark the first time in 73 years that a democratically elected president is peacefully handing over power to a successor chosen by the people.

    Twenty candidates are in the race for president, with 72-year-old Johnson Sirleaf, a Nobel Peace Prize-winner often dubbed the “Iron Lady,” retiring after two six-year terms in office.

    The official report said that there are only three contenders who analysts believe have a real chance of winning.

    They are Vice President Joseph Boakai of the ruling Unity Party ( UP ), former international football star George Weah, who leads the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change ( CDC ) and Charles Brumskine, the head of the Liberty Party ( LP ).

    Boosting the economy, creating jobs and fighting corruption are high on the agenda of all candidates’ campaigns.

    The last peaceful transfer of power between two democratically elected presidents took place in Liberia in 1944 when former President Edwin Barclay handed over to William Tubman.

    Liberia remains one of the poorest countries in the world and continues to struggle with the aftermath of the 2013-15 Ebola crisis, which killed over 4,000 people nationwide.

    As well as a brutal 14-year civil war that ended in 2003 after having claimed over 250,000 lives and displaced about a million people.

    The roughly 2.2 million registered voters in the country of 4.1 million are also set to elect 73 members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

    NAN

  • Court charges 2 men, companies with N3.3bn oil fraud

    Court charges 2 men, companies with N3.3bn oil fraud

    Two men, Ogbor Eliotand, Godwin Okoronkwo were on Monday arraigned Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo of a Federal High Court in Lagos charged with N3.3 billion oil fraud.

    Also charged alongside the men are two companies  Danium Energy Services Ltd and Petrosol Energy Ltd.

    They are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ) on a 10- count charge bordering on fraud.

    The accused, however, denied the charges.

    Justice Oguntoyinbo remanded them in the custody of the EFCC until Oct. 11 when their bail applications will be heard.

    According to the prosecution, the accused conspired to defraud a financial house to the tune of N3.3 billion.

    The EFCC said Eliot and Danium Energy Services Ltd had on Jan. 30 or thereabouts conspired to induce the new generation bank to deliver to Danium Energy Services Ltd a sum of N3.3 billion.

    The funds were said to be paid on the pretext that Total Nigeria Plc contracted the energy firm to supply 15,000 metric tonnes of Automotive Gas Oil (diesel).

    It was also alleged that Eliot and the energy firm on Feb. 3 induced the financial institution to deliver to Danium Energy Services N3.3 billion for the supply.

    Besides, the anti-graft agency alleged that the duo on or before Feb. 9 also conspired to commit fraud to the tune of N2.8 billion by making similar false representation.

    The offences contravened the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences 2004.

    NAN

  • Monkey pox: Enugu urges residents to avoid contact with animals

    Monkey pox: Enugu urges residents to avoid contact with animals

    The Enugu State Ministry of Health has urged residents of the state to be wary of touching or coming in contact with wild animals, for self protection against Monkey-pox virus.

    The ministry’s Director of Public Health Services, Dr Okechukwu Ossai, gave the advice when he spoke on Tuesday, on measures taken by the ministry to prevent the disease in the state.

    Ossai said the ministry had begun sensitisation in local radio and television stations about the disease, its signs and symptoms.

    He said that the ministry had also gone ahead to orientate its disease surveillance officers in all the local governments and border areas on the disease.

    The orientation, he said include the physical manifestations and signs of the disease.

    “At the grassroots, we have alerted our health focal persons to monitor the environment and ensure that no one incubates any strange disease in his or her house,’’ he said.

    The director said that personal, family and environmental hygiene especially hand washing, was key and necessary for all residents of the state to observe, to avoid any form of virus or contagious disease.

    He said monkey-pox could be contacted through touching the body or body fluid of wild animals, adding that apart from monkeys, antelopes and wild rats could also harbour the virus.

    “I will also urge hunters, butchers and those that prepare bush meat from these animals for consumption to be wary.

    “However, if the meat from these animals mentioned are cooked very well beyond boiling point, the meat is safe as the virus is destroyed via proper boiling.’’

    Health experts explain that Monkey-pox, a virus found in monkeys and other wild animals is, however, rare in humans, adding that  it belongs to the same family of Chicken-pox and Small-pox.

    NAN

  • Ex- Thailand PM denies insulting monarchy

    Ex- Thailand PM denies insulting monarchy

    Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has denied insulting the monarchy, following media reports that the authorities were seeking to charge him with lese-majesty.

    “I have no intention to offend the institution at all,’’ Thaksin tweeted on Monday in Bankok.

    “I do not know the individual in question, I will seek legal actions against anyone who involved me in their defamation against the monarchy,’’ he said.

    It is unclear which individual or incident Thaksin is referring to, but he was accused of defaming the monarchy by mentioning the country’s regent in a 2015 interview with a South Korean media outlet.

    Thailand’s strict lese-majesty law prohibits criticism, defamation, threats and insults made against the king, queen, heir apparent or regent.
    Perpetrators face up to 15 years in prison per offence, if found guilty.

    Speaking at a news conference upon beginning his new post as Attorney-General on Friday, Khemchai Chutiwong said his predecessor had decided that there was enough evidence to charge Thaksin.

    The authorities had not charged Thaksin because his presence is required, but Khemchai said it was now up to police to locate him to proceed with the charge and extradition request.

    In 2008,  Shinawatra was sentenced to two years in prison over land corruption.
    He fled Thailand shortly before the verdict and never returned.

    Thaksin is known to live in self-imposed exile in Dubai and London.

    His daughters’ social media posts indicated he was in London in September before moving back to Dubai last week.

    Thailand does not have an extradition treaty with the United Arab Emirates.

    NAN

  • NAF refurbishes disused fire trucks

    NAF refurbishes disused fire trucks

    The Nigerian Air Force ( NAF ) says it has made substantial progress in its efforts at refurbishing the disused fire trucks in its bases all over the country.

    The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

    Adesanya explained that 17 out of the 24 fire trucks earmarked for refurbishment had been successfully repaired and handed over to the respective units.

    “The latest set of two refurbished fire trucks was handed over to 107 Air Maritime Group, Benin, on Oct. 5.

    “Most of the fire trucks being refurbished had been parked for over 20 years as ‘beyond economic repairs.

    “The refurbishment is being undertaken by a local firm utilising Nigerian Engineers and mostly locally sourced materials and spares.

    “With the refurbishment of the fire trucks, NAF is now able to more independently provide fire cover for aircraft operations at its bases, thereby enhancing operational safety,” he said.

    The director said as part of NAF’s corporate social responsibility, the service was now better positioned to provide complementary services with regards to fire fighting in the host communities.

    He explained further that the local firm had on Oct. 7 commenced the refurbishment of another set of two fire trucks at 041 Communications Depot, NAF Base, Shasha in Lagos State.

    “The leadership of NAF being mindful of the enormous cost of procuring new fire trucks and the scarce resources in the country, decided to explore the option of locally refurbishing the fire trucks,” Adesanya said.

    NAN

  • Digital trackable identity essential for curbing crimes – NCC

    Digital trackable identity essential for curbing crimes – NCC

    Mr Tony Ojobo, the Public Affairs Director of the Nigerian Communications Commission ( NCC ), has said that online trackable identity was essential to curb crimes in the country.

    Speaking at the Public Relations Directors’ Summit, organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations ( NIPR ) on Monday in Lagos, Ojobo said that digital trackable identity would help to boost online businesses.

    He described trackable identity as the ability to identify an individual through some natural physiological features, as may be shown by photographs or marks and such other characteristics.

    According to him, ‘today, it is being more associated with the ability to identify a particular person in cyberspace, or in electronic devices which offers digital identification.

    “The scope of trackable identity is being widened within the digital world to include tracking objects with application of tags that could be linked to a mobile phone or other devices.

    “Advancements in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have given a new definition and application to trackable identity.

    ”Therefore, trackable identity, in this context, could be called, digital identity,” he said.

    Ojobo said that identity had become a commodity, as people created data bases of identities to enable them target specific segments or define characteristics of such markets.

    He said that while traditional identification rely on passwords, PINs, smart cards, and the like, biometric identification using finger prints and iris scans were generally more reliable and secure.

    According to him, biometric identity is also more reliable in linking individuals to event and action, therefore preferred by security institutions in fighting crimes.

    He said that with that in mind, NCC initiated the registration of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Cards in Nigeria in 2011, and was officially completed on June 30, 2013.

    “The major reason why the scheme was initiated was the result of the frequent use of phone services in committing crimes and the difficulty it posed to security agencies in solving such crimes.

    “It was full biometric registration, with fingerprints and digital photographs of the registrants taken at the point of registration.

    “It became the most reliable data base of Nigerian citizens given the number of subscribers in the network, which was more than 113 million then.

    “It is evident that the level of ICT development will invariably determine how secure the environment would be for business

    “Nigeria’s Internet subscription as at July 2017 is about 91.6 million, an indication that substantial number of trackable identities on the internet in Nigeria would be found on the mobile platforms,” Ojobo said.

    He said that Nigeria’s level of telecommunication growth had potentials to facilitate trackable identity and in turn contribute to ease of doing business.

    The director said that online shopping malls, online banking, online ticketing and reservations, online hotel bookings, which demanded secure trackable identity platforms were thriving in Nigeria.

    According to the NCC spokesman, telecommunication and ICT are indispensable to trackable identity and Nigeria’s advancements in these directions has created a good leverage for ease of doing business.

    NAN

  • Kaduna to employ 25,000 teachers

    Kaduna to employ 25,000 teachers

    Gov. Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State  says the state will employ 25,000 primary school teachers as parts of efforts to restore dignity and quality to its education sector.

    The governor, who stated this when he received a World Bank delegation in his office in Kaduna on Monday said this would also entrench equity in the distribution of teachers across the state.

    He explained that recruiting teachers had became necessary due to the acute shortage of qualified primary school teachers in the state.

    The governor stated that his administration would disengage about 20,000 unqualified primary school teachers to restore confidence in public schools.

    According to him: “we tested our 33,000 primary school teachers, we gave them primary four exams and required they must get at least 75 per cent but am sad to announce that 66 per cent of them failed to get the requirements.

    “The hiring of teachers in the past was politicized and we intend to change that by bringing in young and qualified primary school teachers to restore the dignity of education in the state,” the governor said.

    He stressed that teachers would be redeployed across the state to balance the issue of teacher-pupil ratio.

    “We have a challenge with the teacher-pupil ratio in the urban schools; there is concentration of teachers that are not needed.

    ‘’In some LGAs, it’s a teacher pupil ratio of 1-9 while in some places it’s 1-100,” he said.

    El-Rufai said that in a bid to improve the education sector, the school Directors decided to enrol their children in public schools starting from this academic session.

    Speaking earlier, the World Bank representative, Dr Kunle Adekola, expressed appreciation to the state for investing in education and for the  priority given to the girl child.

    “This state has demonstrated and supported us to achieve our goals,” he said.

    Adekola said the Bank would invest N30 million in Rigasa Primary School, which has a population of about 22,000 pupils, as part of its support for the state.

    The Education Intervention Fund by the World Bank and other collaborative development partners, is rendering support to about 13 Northern states and a state from each of the other four geopolitical zones of the country.

    NAN

  • VC urges old students to support FUT, Minna

    VC urges old students to support FUT, Minna

    Prof. Musbau Akanji, Vice-Chancellor ( VC ), Federal University of Technology, Minna, has urged old students of the school to support its quest toward becoming a leading technology institute in the world.

    Akanbi, in a speech at the maiden Alumni Reunion programme held at the university on Monday, said that it was the turn of the students to give back to the school that trained them.

    A statement by Mrs. Lydia Legbo, the institution’s Public Relations Officer, quoted Akanbi as challenging the old students to strive toward making the institution a model university that others would seek to emulate.

    Akanbi, who praised the old students for being good ambassadors that had made the institution proud, said that they were the pride of its founding fathers.

    “The university is happy with the numerous commendations received from employers and government agencies on the performance of its alumni.

    “The institution is very proud of your achievements; you are the real owners of the university and should initiate measures toward making it a centre of excellence,” he said.

    He disclosed that the university was doing well based on the latest webo-metric and 4ICU rankings.

    “I am pleased to inform you that FUT, Minna is now number five in 4ICU ranking in Nigeria, and 45 in Africa, out of more than 4,323 universities ranked by international organizations,” he said.

    He said that the institution had also been ranked the best among specialised universities in Nigeria.

    Akanbi informed the alumni that the university had re-engineered its transcript delivery process from three
    months to one week, adding that graduates could get their certificates on the day of
    convocation.

    Speaking earlier, the Chairman, National Caretaker Committee of FUT, Minna Alumni, Dr. Mohammed Jiya, thanked his colleagues for the deep interest in the school, saying that the Reunion programme was geared at re-connecting graduates.

    “The idea is to build a robust alumni association that every graduate of the university will be proud of,” he said.

    The event witnessed the presentation of awards to former Vice-Chancellors( VC ) and alumni that had distinguished themselves in their chosen fields.

    NAN

  • Money, the root of all evil?

    Money, the root of all evil?

    It is said, the love of money is the root of all evil. Don’t get it twisted, having value for money is different from having love for money, even the bible confirms that.

    I am not saying that money is bad, money can be a good thing but who’s really in control?

    It is a bare fact, that humanity is mostly driven by money (Materialism). Their desire to acquire becomes the whole goal of their lives.

    This drive to always want more is based on the misconceptions that having more will make me happier, more important and command more respect but all three ideas are untrue.

    Possessions only provide temporary happiness because wealth can be lost instantly through a variety of uncontrollable factors.

    Money means different things to different people but the ideas are the same – which is to spend and invest.

    Money is a means of exchange that we as a society all agree on. That is why Louisa May Alcott stated that, “Money is the root of all evil, and yet it is such a useful root that we as a Society cannot get on without it.”

    We must understand that money is something that is not real but created first in the mind, and comes to realisation through hard work, determination and focus.

    You make money by thinking big and having creative ideas; not by cutting corners or dubious ways and that is why life is called a “challenge”.

    Money, the root of all evil, has shaped our world into a corrupt Nation, a people without a conscience and a society of desperation. Many people believe that, “Money is the root of injustice?”.

    No, money is not the root of injustice. The root of injustice comes out of the wickedness of man and his love for money.

    It is our egocentric and immoral ways that have perverted and uprooted the basic principles for which the idea of money had been originally devised for.

    I now understand why my pastor Rev. Iniama Emmanuel said that, your self-worth and net-worth are not the same, your value is not determined by your valuables.

    Many people have said a lot about money, the poor says money is the way of life in a sense that, money makes the impossible possible. The rich say, money answers all things. Philosophers say, money is injustice while the bible says, lack of money generate evil to the heart of men.

    I conclude by saying – money is one of the cankerworms that has eaten deep into the minds and caprices of humanity.

    What then is Money to you?