The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria News

  • FIBA was good exposure for Nigerian players – NBBF

    FIBA was good exposure for Nigerian players – NBBF

    A member of the Nigeria Basketball Federation ( NBBF ), Retd. Col. Sam Ahmedu, on Monday said Nigeria’s participation in the FIBA Africa 3×3 Championship was a good exposure for the players.

    Ahmedu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that in spite of losing in the final matches to Mali, Nigeria still had a good outing.

    NAN reports that Mali defeated Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigers and Junior D’Tigress 22-17 points and 9-7 points respectively in the final matches of the competition on Sunday.

    “Even with the losses in the final matches, it was not a bad outing for Nigeria”.

    “We knew it would be tough and that the hosts would leave no stone unturned to win the competition, which was being organised in honour of one of their people there”.

    “We should also not forget that Nigeria’s under-18 boys beat them in the Preliminary Round. Overall, it was a good exposure for our young boys and girls, and this portends a good future for their development,” he said.

    According to the NBBF official website, both teams did the country proud during the competition.

    During the tournament, the male team remained unbeaten in their opening round matches, even when they met Mali in the preliminary encounter.

    Nigeria’s under-18 boys defeated Togo 21-8 in their first game, while Republic of Benin suffered a 13-20 loss to Nigeria in their second Group A match.

    Junior D’Tigers defeated Mali 18-13 in their final group game, and went on to beat Benin 21-11 points in the semi-finals.

    Similarly, the Junior D’Tigress defeated Togo 12-8 in their first match, and lost 14-16 against Mali.

    NAN recalls that the competition, named “Tournoi International Salamatou Maiga U-18 Championship’’, was held in Mali from Saturday to Sunday.

    Seven teams, made up of four male and three female teams, participated and they were from Nigeria, Togo, Mali and Republic of Benin.

  • Nigeria increasingly lose bread winners to road accidents – FRSC

    Nigeria increasingly lose bread winners to road accidents – FRSC

    Nigerian families are increasingly losing bread winners to road accidents, according to a monthly Road Traffic Crash (RTC) Report’ released by the Federal Road Safety Corps ( FRSC ).

    The July edition of the report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said “Seventy per cent of deaths recorded in road traffic crashes in the month of July were male adults, indicating that Nigeria is losing more bread winners to road traffic crashes.’’

    Statistics presented in the report show that the country lost a total of 423 persons to road accidents in July, out of which 295 (or 70 per cent) were male adults.

    This represents an average of nine male adult deaths daily across the country in July.

    The adult male death rate is three times more than that of the 91 female (or 26 per cent) of the total fatality figure in the month under review.

    The remaining 37 deceased victims comprised 15 male children, representing 4 per cent of the total, and 22 female children, representing 5 per cent.

    However, the male adult fatality rate in July is lower than those recorded in May and June, which stood at 76 and 80 per cent respectively.

    In May, the FRSC recorded a total of 502 deaths nationwide, comprising 380 male adults, 87 female adults (17 per cent), 24 male children (5 per cent) and 11 female children or 2 per cent.

    Out of the 301 deaths recorded by the agency in June, male adults accounted for 80 per cent with 241 fatalities, and female adults 48 or 16 per cent.

    The FRSC called for more commitment from all stakeholders to stem the trend.

  • British police arrest suspected underground tube attacker

    British police arrest suspected underground tube attacker

    Police on Monday arrested a 20-year-old man suspected of involvement in the Sept. 15 terrorist attack on an underground train in south-west London.

    The man was detained in Cardiff, the Welsh capital, and taken to a police station in London, the Metropolitan Police said.

    He was the seventh suspect arrested following the attack, in which about 30 people were injured when a home-made bomb partially detonated on an underground train at London’s Parsons Green station.

    The suspect, Ahmed Hassan, 18, was charged on Friday with attempted murder and causing an explosion, while three suspects were released without charge.
    A bucket packed with nails and the explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP) partially detonated on a busy train during the morning rush hour. Many of the victims suffered burns.
    The attack was claimed by the Islamic State extremist group, but police cautioned that such claims were “routine… whether or not they’ve had any previous engagement with the individuals involved.”

  • Man docked for stealing fowl

    Man docked for stealing fowl

    A 32-year-old man, Gbenga Daramola was on Monday arraigned in an Osogbo Magistrates’ Court in Osun over an alleged theft of a fowl, some baby clothes and other items.

    Daramola is facing a four-count charge bothering on burglary and theft.

    The prosecutor, Sgt. Olayiwola Rasaki, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Sept. 9 at about 5:30 p.m. at Balogun Biro, Oke Baale area of Osogbo.

    Rasaki alleged that the accused broke into the apartment of one Saka Mojira and stole a fowl, some baby clothes, two crates of Coca Cola and one Huawie mobile phone.

    He said that the stolen items were worth about N40,000.

    The accused however pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him.

    The defence counsel, Mr Okobe Najite, prayed the court to grant his client bail in the most liberal terms.

    The Magistrate, Mrs Fatimoh Sodamade, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100,000 and one surety in like sum.

    Sodamade said the surety must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and show evidence of tax payment to the Osun Government.

    She also ruled that the accused should also produce two passport photographs attached to an affidavit of means of livelihood.

    The case was adjourned till Oct. 26 for mention.

  • Oil gains as producers say market is rebalancing

    Oil gains as producers say market is rebalancing

    Oil prices kept most of their gains from the previous session as major producers meeting in Vienna said the market was well on its way towards rebalancing.

    The WTI crude front month discount to the same month of Brent futures hit 6.28 dollars, the widest since August 2015, as U.S.crude was pressured by hurricane damage to U.S. refineries.

    Brent therefore rises to 63.19 dollars as report media hide price with ambiguous  coverage.Add 56.91 plus 91 dollars.

    Brent crude futures was up 0.05 per cent at 56.88 dollars a barrel, not far from a 6-1/2-month high of 56.91dollars set on Friday.

    The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries ( OPEC ), Russia and several other producers have cut production by about 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) since the start of 2017, helping lift oil prices by high numbers n the past three months.

    Kuwaiti Oil Minister Essam al- Marzouq, who chaired Friday’s meeting of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee, said output curbs were helping cut global crude inventories to their five-year average, OPEC’s stated target.

    The dollar index was up 0.2 per cent against a basket of currencies.

    The euro slipped after Germany’s election showed surging support for a far-right party that left Chancellor Angela Merkel scrambling to form a governing coalition.

    Russia’s energy minister said no decision on extending output curbs beyond the end of March was expected before January, although other ministers suggested such a decision could be taken before the end of this year.

    Iran expects to maintain overall  crude and condensate exports at around 2.6 million bpd for the rest of 2017, a senior official in the nation’s state oil company said.

    Meanwhile, the UAE’s energy minister said its compliance to supply cuts was 100 per cent.

    Nigeria is pumping below its agreed output cap, its oil minister said.

    “Oil is relatively underpriced compared with other markets, but any steep rise would be offset by rising shale oil production,” said Tomomichi Akuta, senior economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting in Tokyo.

    Markets were also eyeing developments in North Korea. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Sunday said President Donald Trump wants to avoid nuclear war with North Korea and “will do everything we can” to avoid conflict.

  • LCCI to engage Fashola on power sector

    LCCI to engage Fashola on power sector

    The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is set to hold a dialogue targeted at proffering solutions to challenges in the nation’s power sector.

    According to a statement issued by the chamber on Monday, the dialogue is to hold on Thursday in Lagos.

    The statement was issued by the Director-General of LCCI, Mr Muda Yusuf.

    It said that the dialogue was part of the chamber’s public sector engagement programmes for the growth of the nation’s economy.

    “The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, will attend this dialogue session as the special guest of honour.

    “It will be a platform for the minister to intimate Nigerians about ongoing projects and efforts of government at solving the energy/power debacle.

    “The forum will enable stakeholders to deliberate on key aspects of the privatisation of the power sector, the role of  distribution companies, generation companies, government and all categories of consumers in achieving a successful reform in the sector,” it said said.

    It added that some experts in the sector would be present at the dialogue to engage the minister.

  • 5,286 pilgrims from Kaduna return home

    5,286 pilgrims from Kaduna return home

    The Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Board has said that a total of 5,286  pilgrims have so far been transported back home in 10 flights since the end of the hajj.

    The Public Relations Officer of the board, Malam Yunusa Abdullahi, stated this in an interview with the  News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.

    Abdullahi said that a Med-view flight carrying the 12th batch with 449 pilgrims on board, landed at the State International Airport early on Monday morning.

    “Med-view Airline is allotted 2,776 pilgrims from the state to be transported back home,’’ he said.

    He said Max – Airline had already completed the transportation of the  3,937 pilgrims allotted to it back home.

    Abdullahi added that only 1,427 pilgrims were still in Saudi Arabia out of the 6,713 pilgrims that performed hajj from Kaduna State this year.

    The airlifting of Kaduna pilgrims back home is expected to end this week.

  • Police arrest IDPs over protest in Maiduguri

    Police arrest IDPs over protest in Maiduguri

    The Borno State Police Command have arested many IDPs in connection with the yesterday botched protest to return back to their ancestral home after more than three years of exile from Boko Haram crisis.

    The Nation reports that some displaced people from Bama in the early hours of Sunday staged a protest at the welcome to Maiduguri, Bama/Maiduguri high way  close to unversity of Maiduguri gate II to push foward their resolve to return to Bama where they have been displaced by the Boko Haram crisis for more than three years.

    The protest which was coordinated by Bama Initiative for Human Development, led by their  their  Chairman, Alhaji muhammad Hassan, said they are not satisfied with the snail process of returning them home hence the need for them to embark on the journey to go back “even if it means by trekking to Bama” .

    He noted that  70 per cent of the reconstruction and rehabilitation projects hadģ been completed in the area, saying that they were tired of living as displaced persons. “We are in Maiduguri for more than three years without meaningful means of livelihoods. The condition of our people is pathetic. The elongation in the process of returning displaced persons to their homes is moving at a snail pace and exposed them to unbearable conditions. “We could no longer send our children to school; many have died of hunger and starvation. Most of us live in host communities and no one is supporting us,” Hassan stated.

    Mr Damian Chukwu, the Police Commissioner in the state, said that the group had not notified the command over their planned return to Bama. He advised the IDPs to dialogue with the state government and other stakeholders over their demand so that adequate preparations would be made. “The police have a duty to protect you and we will not allow you to gather people and expose them to danger in the name of home return.

    “Also, there is massive reconstruction and rehabilitation works going on in the town, executed by the Federal and State Government under the Bama Initiative. We will not allow you to go because of your safety, you better go back and wait for the time when government will permit your return to the town,” he said.

    Our correspondent gathered that despite the effort of the police Commissioner and his advice to the protesters,  some of them refused to listen to the plea and rather turned riotous  giving the police no option but to arrest them.

    A police source confirm to our correspondent in Maiduguri that a good number of the protesters including the leadership are in police custody and they would be prosecuted. “I cannot believe that despite the subtle approach and caution by the CP to these people, some of them went riotous and we were left with no choice but to arrest them. It is the duty of the police to protect lives and property at the same time maintain law and order,” the source informed.

    Meanwhile, there is a papable apprehension in the air for a possible of more protest from IDPs within Maiduguri metropolis as the news of the arrest continues to spread among the camps.

    In the spirit of reconciliation, Borno State Government called on the protesting IDPs to be patient and give his government more time to actualize their return.

    Gov. Kashim Shettima who spoke through his  Special Adviser on  Communication and Strategy said government is nothe in any way holding back the return of IDPs as they are rather economic burden to the state.

    “It is to the government’s advantage if IDPs return home because their return will lessen economic burden of supporting them as displaced persons.

    “The greatest wish of the governor is the safe and dignified return of all IDPs to their communities. Much as he wants the IDPs to return, he is also concerned about their safety.

    “Gov. Shettima is consistently committed to the ongoing rebuilding of private homes, police stations, hospitals, schools, water facilities, markets, council secretariats and other essential services in communities across 15 local government areas of the state,’’ Gusau  said.

    Gusau further  explained that government had constructed 20,000 housing units in Bama and provided modern health facilities, schools and police stations in the area. He added that the Federal Government was currently training a special Anti-Terrorism Squad and Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) to be deployed to the town under the Bama Initiative.

    According to him,   the special squad and the agro-rangers, specifically trained to secure farmers in their farmlands would replace the military.

    “We have to ensure that there is full return of civil security before IDPs can return. “The governor encourages safe and dignified return only after putting the right things in place,” Gusau said.

    He disclosed that the state government had re-built houses and re-settled displaced persons in parts of Kaga, Konduga and Gwoza Local Government Areas of the state. Newsmen report that thousands of persons were forced to flee their homes when the Boko Haram insurgents sacked Bama town in 2014. Hundreds of people were killed, maimed or abducted while the entire structures in the town were razed by the insurgents.

  • Rivers people believe in Nigeria’s unity – Wike

    Rivers people believe in Nigeria’s unity – Wike

    Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, says Rivers people believe in Nigerian unity.

    He said that because of that they may not be part of any secession agenda.

    The Governor made this known at the 57th Independence Church Service, which held at Saint Mark’s Anglican Church in Port Harcourt.

    “God has blessed this country, we are not part of those who want to secede, Rivers State will never be part of that,” the Governor stressed.

    The governor, however, advised the Federal Government ( FG ) to ensure good governance to end the increasing agitation for self determination among ethnic groups in Nigeria.

    “In as much as you continue to have bad governance, people will continue to agitate across the country, we give God the glory that we are still one, despite the agitations and challenges,’’ he added.

    He called for justice and equity for all citizens.

    He also advised Nigerians to always speak out against injustice.

    Gov. Wike noted that politicians sometimes behaved irrationally because of their thinking that they could always manipulate election results to suit their purpose.

    The Governor called for enhanced security and a purposeful justice system for all federating units.

    He stated that such gesture will give all Nigerians a sense of belonging and reduce the palpable tension across the country.

    Wike reiterated the call for an investigation into the activities of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Rivers.

    In his sermon, the Anglican Bishop of Evo Diocese, Rt. Rev Innocent Ordu, noted that Nigeria had developed despite the challenges facing it.

    The Bishop called on Nigerians to respect the constitution of the country and constituted authorities.

    He also charged them to work for the development of the country.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Independence Church Service attracted top government functionaries, security agencies and traditional rulers

  • TINAPA woos local businesses

    TINAPA woos local businesses

    The Management of TINAPA Business Resort Calabar says it is encouraging local businesses to own shops and business outlets to boost activities in the resort.

    Mr Ayiba Ayiba, Managing Director of the Resort, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Calabar that this was part of measures to resuscitate business activities in the resort.

    “We are doing everything humanly possible to ensure that TINAPA works. We are trying to explore our local markets.

    “We are trying to encourage our local traders to come and rent our shops and do business with us.”

    He disclosed that there were 54 shops in the complex and not more than 10 were currently occupied.

    According to him, facilities at the TINAPA Water Point were also being resuscitated to make them functional, adding that a borehole had been put in place.

    He blamed the lack of activities at the point to poor water and epileptic power supply.

    “We have sunk a borehole and water tanks are being installed as alternative water supply to the pool. This will take care of regular water supply to the pool and keep the toilets clean.

    “Also, we are making efforts to provide alternative power source to ensure regular power supply to the pool, as this is one of the biggest challenges facing the resort.

    “So I am assuring tourists that by the first week of October our pool will be functioning normally,” Ayiba said.

    He also dismissed online reports which alleged that the Monorail linking TINAPA with Calabar International Conference Centre (C ICC ) had been paralysed due to stealing of its armoured cable by hoodlums.

    According to him, the monorail was in perfect condition, but was not functioning because there were no passengers to be transported.

    “The monorail is in perfect condition; nothing has happened to it but presently there is no patronage.

    “Whenever we have passengers we call the engineers to put necessary things in place for its use.

    “So the rumours making the rounds is baseless and untrue,” he added.

    Ayiba stressed the need for the state government to re-constitute the TINAPA board to facilitate the current investment drive going on in the resort.