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Tag: Nigeria News

  • Govt reunites victims of Kaduna Rigasa ‘Islamic Centre’ with families

    As Kaduna State Government on Sunday commenced reuniting the over 300 rescued inmates of the embattled Rigasa ‘Islamic Centre’ with their families, the legal team of the centre has defended its activities.

    The state government had on Saturday taken custody of the over 300 rescued inmates of the centre from the Kaduna State Police Command.

    As at Suday, the Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, Hajia Hafsat Baba, said 140 of the over 300 victims have already been re-united with their families.

    She said the victims, including 77 children and 113 adults were taken to a secured facility for proper profiling before uniting them with their families.

    Read Also: Kaduna Islamic School has no operational license – Police

    Baba said: “Initially, after they were rescued, they were brought to Ranchers Bees Stadium where they stayed overnight and given food by the state government.

    “On Friday, they were relocated to the Hajj Camp. And that was when we did the head count to find out and separate the children from the adults. We were able to get 190 on ground.

    “Seventy-seven of them are children, the youngest being the age of six. There are some that are seven, eight, nine and 10. We also have adults as old as 30 and even up to 50. We have 113 adults as at Friday.

    “On that same Friday, there were about 15 children that were really sick. We had to take them to the hospital. About three of the adults were on admission where they are being taken care of.”

    She, however, commended officials of the Nigeria Police, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and media practitioners for the various roles they played in the exercise.

    The Legal Adviser, of the supposed Rehabilitation Centre, Sani Katu said, the Kaduna State government and the police have not done well by raiding the centre.

    The lawyer said the development was a big loss to Kaduna State government, Nigeria and neighboring African nations.

    According to him, the centre which started in year 2000 and duly registered with the state, has been a molder of society and should be commended instead.

    He said they will cooperate with security personnel on investigation, but the legal team will also give the centre every cover to prove that it intentions are pure.

  • Enugu gets 82 new Special Marshals

    The Enugu command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has inaugurated 82 Special Marshals as part of the initiatives to boost the performance of the corps in the state.

    Speaking at the inauguration and kitting of the special marshals, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi urged them to be disciplined and educate motorists on the benefits of obeying traffic rules and regulations.

    Ugwuanyi, represented by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Chief Uwakwe Azikiwe, also urged them to discharge their voluntary assignment with dignity and human face.

    He said, “I must congratulate you for passing the rigours of the training and bringing yourself out to serve your community and humanity.

    “Involving people in government programmes helps to drive the ideals and mandates of such programmes closer and buyable by the people and I hope you will sell all the positive attributes FRSC stands for to our people”.

    The Sector Commander, Mr Ogbonnaya Kalu, charged them to strengthen FRSC activities at every level they found themselves.

    Read Also: Man robs ex-employer

    Kalu hoped that FRSC activities would become more visible on the roads and primary and secondary schools in the state through the activities of the new special marshals.

    “You must discharge your duties with human face, humility, courteousness and fairness to all. “As special marshals, insurance covers you as you discharge this national duty,” he said.

    Also, the state Coordinator of Special Marshals, Chief Lawrence Ologun, said that the group comprised specialists and intellectuals, who came forward to spend their time, money and commitment to help and serve humanity.

    “Their participation in our patrols and traffic controls for the past two weeks proved that they are all ready and able to discharge their duty perfectly and in accordance with FRSC corporate goals, rules and objectives.

    Mr Crowther Amaechi, who spoke on behalf of the new special marshals, gave assurance that they would carry out their duty with a sense of responsibility and discipline.

    “We are committed to serve humanity and the state by contributing to ensure the safety of all and uplift the work and mandate of FRSC anywhere we are,” Amaechi said.

  • Onitsha set for Ofala festival

    The Onitsha Kingdom in Southeast Nigeria is agog with excitement as the commercial town awaits the Obi of Onitsha, His Majesty, Nnaemeka Achebe, to flag off the activities of 2019 edition of the annual Ofala festival.

    Globacom is the major corporate sponsor of the event, and has been doing so for the past eight years, a phenomenon that has helped to upscale the festival to a world class tourism event.

    The  main  Ofala features a  display  of royal dances, tributes, parades and music running  over two days commencing on  October 11 till 12. However, the activities of the festival has now been increased to include other events, to make it 10 days of unstoppable fun and entertainment for both visitors and residents.

    A joint statement by the Ofala Steering Committee and Globacom, explained that the 2019 Ofala events will now include the Onitsha City Marathon, organised by the Onitsha Business School. The 21-kilometre road race has been  approved by both the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

    Read Also: Ooni of Ife goes into seclusion as Olojo festival commences

    This takes place on Saturday, October 5 and  renowned international marathoners, particularly from countries with road racing records like Kenya, Ethiopia, Ugandan and  Diaspora Nigerian elite athletes, have registered for the event.

    The marathon will be followed by the Oreze Arts  VII, a group art exhibition promoted by His Majesty’s Chimedie Museum Trust Foundation and supported by the National Gallery of Art. The works of  250 artists  from various parts of the world are planned to be on display  at the show, which will run from October 9 to  October 13.  Frank Ugiomoh, Professor of Art History and Theory, Department of Fine Art and Design, University of Port Harcourt, will be the special guest of honour at the opening ceremony of the art exhibition.  A panel discussion  on the ‘Role of Art in Community Enlightenment, Cohesion and Development’ will form part of the exhibition.

    Panel lists include Tayo Adenaike, Obiora Anidi, and Nneka Odoh. Others are art collector Hakeem Adedeji, and art curator Iheanyi Onwuegbucha.

    About 2000 persons are expected to participate in the Ofala Youth Carnival, which is scheduled for Thursday, October10. Now in its seventh year, the carnival holds under the auspices of the Onitsha Ado Youth Council and showcases the rich cultural heritage of Onitsha.

    The activities will be rounded off with a Royal Banquet, organised by Globacom in honour of the Obi of Onitsha. The banquet will be held at the Dolly Hills Hotel, Onitsha, on Monday, October 14.

  • ‘It’s premature for Presidency to intervene in Sowore’s case’

    The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, has said that it is too early for the presidency to weigh in on the prosecution of detained publisher of Sahara Reporter, Omoyele Sowore, by the Department of State Services.

    He spoke during a political programme tagged: Politics Today, aired on Channels television.

    The presidential spokesman said that Sowore’s prosecution was still unravelling within the realms of the security and judiciary.

    He said: “It is an issue that is unraveling and I think it is still in the realm of security and judiciary. The DSS have a spokesman in Peter Afunanya. If you ask him this question, I m sure he will be able to respond.

    Read Also: Sowore: Public affairs analyst cautions judiciary against trivializing national interest

    Adesina said he had not been briefed by president Muhammadu Buhari on the stand of the presidency.

    He said: “As we are now, I think it is premature for the Presidency to weigh into this matter; but when the Presidency speaks, it should be the final position on this.

    “The president had been away. He came into the country yesterday. I have not been briefed. If he says this is our position on this matter then I can speak on it.

    “Because I have not been briefed I won’t be able to say much but I am sure as a media house if you try to speak with the spokesman of the DSS he may oblige.”

    The presidential spokesman added that only the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, was in the best person to respond to some of the questions posed to him by the anchor.

  • Security operatives quiz Onumah

    Security operatives on Sunday released a rights’ activist, Dr. Chido Onumah, the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL).

    In a statement, the centre claimed that Onumah, who authored the book titled: “We are all Biafrans”, was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on his return from a trip abroad.

    Onumah has just completed his PhD programme.

    But, there were fears that Onumah was picked up by operatives following inscriptions on his T-shirt, suspected to have reflected the title of his book.

    Read Also: BREAKING: DSS releases Chido Onumah

    The statement by AFRICIMIL, which was signed by Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, said it was alarmed over the arrest of its coordinator (Onumah).

    The stayement said: “Onumah was picked up at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on his return from a trip abroad.

    “AFRICMIL condemns in strong terms the unjustifiable arrest of Onumah and demands his immediate and unconditional release.

    “Waylaying law-abiding citizens should not be turned into the preoccupation of an entire security outfit.

    “The arrest of Mr. Onumah, coming at the heels of harassment of other critical voices, smacks of grotesque days of the Nigerian history that Onumah and his comrades fought steely against.”

  • Man robs ex-employer

    Police have arrested one Ebuka Everest for robbing his former employer Mrs Theresa Nnamdi, in the Mowe area of Ogun State.

    Ebuka allegedly forced her to transfer N40,000 into his account in a pre – dawn attack that also left the woman with a deep gash on her arm when he stabbed her.

    The suspect who invaded the victim’s residence on Association Estate, Mowe, last Saturday around 4.30am, inflicted various degrees of injury on  his ex-employer before carting away some of her belongings.

    The state police public relations officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who made this known in a release, stated that the arrest of the suspect followed a distress call that robbers had invaded the home of Mrs Theresa Nnamdi and held her and other occupants hostage.

    Abimbola, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), stated further that the Divisional Police Officer, Mowe division, Marvis Jayeola, a Superintendent of Police mobilized anti-robbery team to the scene, cordoned off the house and subsequently arrested Ebuka Everest.

    He explained that the suspect had stabbed the woman on her right hand before tying her legs with rope and covered her mouth with cloth which he tore from her bedsheet.

    Read Also: Seven held for ‘kidnapping’ in Adamawa

    “The suspect who worked in the fish farm of his victim before he was sacked due to his shady character first went to the fish farm where he stabbed the farm manager severally before coming to attack the woman in her house, and forced her to transfer the sum of N40,000 to his account.

    “He equally ransacked the woman’s room and made away with her laptop, the sum of N5,000 cash, phones and other valuable before he was arrested by the police with the help of members of the public.

    “The suspect claimed to have worked with the victim for four months and was living with the family throughout that period. He claimed his problem started when he was duped of his four months’ salary by an online scammer who promised to help him travel abroad but ended up collecting his four months salary and blocked him online.

    “In order to recoup the loss, he went to the farm, stole some items, but was caught by the manager who reported him to their boss and got sacked immediately.”

    According to the Police Spokesman, the suspect in annoyance over his sack,   first went to attack the farm manager before coming for the madam.

    Abimbola listed knife, broken bottle,  rope used to tie the victim legs, phones, laptop among others as items he stole in the house.

  • Buhari decries continued loss of public funds through illicit financial flows

    President Muhammadu Buhari has described as regrettable the continued loss of public funds through illicit financial flows, saying it remained an impediment to development and effort by developing countries to scale up resource mobilisation.

    The occasion was a high-level dialogue on “Financing for development” with the theme: “Putting resources to work for more equal, sustainable societies, including combating illicit financial flows” at the 74th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York at the weekend.

    The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, delivered the President’s speech on the occasion. The President returned to Abuja last Saturday.

    The President said that multilateral efforts at resolving the problems of illicit financial flows should be comprehensive and holistic with the active engagement of the origin and recipient countries.

    He added: “In this connection, my administration has demonstrated the required political will to ensure the independence of all anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria and reviewed enabling anti-graft laws.”

    Read Also: We’ve enjoyed huge patronage from Buhari administration – Innoson

    The President encouraged member states to join “our efforts to strengthen the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and support the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiatives of the United Nations and the World Bank.”

    President Buhari also said that, “Nigeria recognises the importance of Diaspora Remittance, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Official Development Assistance (ODA) in providing further channels to fund development projects.

    He stressed: “As a result, we call on our development partners to live up to their commitment to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/Gross National Income (GNI) and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries.”

    President Buhari said the meeting provided for him a veritable platform to highlight some of the policies and achievements of his administration in the last couple of years.

    According to him, “We have mobilised significant domestic resources to finance critical projects aimed at addressing inequality, ensuring social inclusion and sustainable development.”

    He declared that four years after member states committed to the adoption of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), “the question on how to finance such an ambitious agenda remains.”

    The President said: “We believe that achieving the objectives of the 2030 Agenda is a task for all nations; however, it should be recognised that many Developing and Least Developed Countries are in dire need of financial assistance far and above what they can mobilise within national boundaries.”

    He added: “As part of my Administration’s effort to implement the SDGs by the year 2030, we have identified and implemented several policies to diversify the revenue base.

    “The Single Treasury Account (TSA), Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS), Executive Orders on the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) and Ease of Doing Business have all been introduced. The objective is to ensure efficiency in resource mobilisation and avoid over-reliance on revenue from crude oil.”

    The President said Nigeria had substantially scaled up its efforts to mobilise domestic resources for development purposes, adding that “we have broadened the formal sector of the economy and carried out major reforms in tax administration, ushering in a progressive, modernised tax policy and efficient tax collection system.

    “Our effort in this regard could be enhanced by strengthening international tax cooperation to minimise incidences of tax avoidance and tax transfer.”

    The President noted that Nigeria “is actively involved in the work of the United Nations Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters,” pointing out that “We, therefore, support the call for the upgrading of this committee to an intergovernmental body that will represent the interest of all members and mainstream its work into the broader development effort of the United Nations.”

    President Buhari added: “My Government is investing heavily in the social sector through the introduction of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) to achieve Sustainable and Inclusive Development.

    “Through this programme, we have empowered youths; created jobs; increased enrollment of pupils in public schools; supported the vulnerable groups; provided Nigerians living below the poverty line with means of subsistence; and extended material and financial support to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    “The funding for this flagship programme is provided annually from the treasury with requisite budgetary appropriation.”

    Explaining that debt instruments were also important tools for financing investment critical to achieving sustainable development for many countries, President Buhari said that Nigeria was, however, mindful of the principles of responsible sovereign lending and borrowing and, therefore, would continue to ensure that funds raised would be utilised for critical national development.

  • Bakare blames ‘uninformed’ for video on presidential ambition

    Latter Rain Church Senior Pastor Tunde Bakare broke his silence on a trending video of him claiming to be God-ordained successor to President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The cleric said he was only expressing his aspiration to lead the country which was within his rights as provided by the Constitution.

    Clarifying the “misconceptions” surrounding the video on his aspiration to become the 16th president, the lawyer-turned cleric said that the video was about one year and seven months old and was merely an expression of his aspiration.

    He said what God showed him was his personal business and that he had a right to aspire to the highest office.

    “It is the true expression of my political ambition. Whatever God has shown me is my private ambition,” he said.

    Read Also: Nobody must disgrace Osinbajo out of office – Bakare

    Pastor Bakare, who will be holding a state of the nation broadcast on October 6, reiterated that it was necessary to clear the air, adding that an actionable roadmap to the stability, security and success of the country might be found therein.

    “Contrary to the misconceptions and misinformation, the trending video about the 16th presidency was an excerpt from a message titled: “Be Grateful for Your Blessings (Part 3),” which I preached in this auditorium on Sunday, February 18, 2018.

    “A year and seven months after the statements were made and erroneously associated with recent developments relating to the Office of the Vice President, suggests that it was done by the uninformed.

    “It might have also been a deliberately designed attempt to misinform the public by linking unrelated issues, in order to create divisions where there are none, thereby, heating up the polity unnecessarily,” he said.

    The cleric said that it was not in his character to respond to every whim and caprice of any issue in the cyberspace, but it had become necessary to set the record straight on the misconceptions.

    Responding to a question from The Nation on what political platform he would launch his presidential aspiration, Pastor Bakare said he would not count his chicken before they were hatched.

    ”When I get to the bridge, I will cross it”, he added.

    He explained that he was not desperate and was not a member of any political party.

    Bakare contested with President Buhari in 2011 as presidential running mate on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

  • Private sector gets N15tr from banks

    The banking sector allocated N15.13 trillion as total value of credit to the private sector in the second quarter (Q2) of 2019, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

    The NBS figures, contained on its “Selected Banking Sector Data: Sectorial Breakdown of Credit, ePayment Channels and Staff Strength (Q2 2019) was released on its website on Sunday in Abuja.

    It said of the amount, the oil and gas and manufacturing sectors got credit allocation of N3.33 trillion and N2.32 trillion, recording the highest credit allocation.

    The report said a total volume of 711,299,990 transactions valued at N40.48 trillion were recorded in the quarter as data on Electronic Payment Channels in the Nigeria Banking Sector revealed.

    Read Also: Govt, private sector charged on social investment

    “The Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) Instant Payments (NIP) transactions dominated the volume of transactions recorded,“ it said.

    The report said 271,344,549 volume of NIP transactions valued at N25.18 trillion were recorded in the second quarter.

    It further said that the total number of banks’ staff as at the second quarter of 2019, decreased by 0.62 per cent quarter-on-quarter from 105,017 in quarter one to 104,364.

    The NBS said that the data was supplied administratively by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and was verified and validated by the agency.

  • Between Boko and Political Haram- Borno Conundrum

    The situation in North-East Nigeria calls for concern from all well-meaning Nigerians. This is given the wanton of destruction that has occasioned the war against Boko Haram terrorism since 2009. In some quarters it has been speculated that there is more to the activities of Boko Haram in North-East Nigeria than meets the eye.
    The reasons might not be far-fetched. Some people are behind their nefarious activities, and there is also another grouping that benefits from the crisis to smile to the bank. These are called the political haram members, and those behind the Borno Conundrum.
    That the Boko Haram crisis continues to fester is suspicious because all that is required to be done by the relevant authorities have been done. The morale of the military has been boosted. The operational capacity of the fighting troops has been upgraded, and yet we are still somewhat battling with remnants of the terrorist group, mainly operating from the fringes of the Lake Chad Basin Region.
    It must be noted that the Boko Haram terrorists are not spirts and invincible. They live within us and gather as much information that they can get. They also have sympathizers almost everywhere that gives them financial, moral, and logistics support. These sympathizers are in government offices and religious organizations. They are holding top government positions of authorities, and they are also in the organized private sector with access to vast amounts of monies at their disposal. Interestingly, as sad as this might sound, the media is also culpable.
    They give nocturnal support to the Boko Haram fighters. And during the day, they hold press conferences to condemn their activities. So much so that they organize conferences speaking against the activities of Boko Haram. This is the unfortunate situation we have found ourselves as a country in the fight against terrorism.
    The case of Borno state provides that clear example of how the political haram members have aided the Boko Haram terrorist in their pursuit of evil against Nigeria. This is indeed a shame on how and why such is happening in the annals of our country. Most times, I wonder how we descended to the unenviable height. I also wonder how some people can sell their conscience so easily for a plate of porridge-like they are going to live forever.
    I stand to be corrected; what they have failed to remember is the fact that our decisions in life somehow come around to haunt us. For them to think that they would get away with the evil been perpetuated is a mistake because the blood of the innocent would serve justice in the appropriate time.
    Some reading this piece might be wondering what it is I am driving at. The answer is simple. There are some underlying factors responsible for the Boko Haram terrorist activities, and those behind it knows that should the war come to an end, it means the butter on their bread would cease, and as such, everything must be done to ensure that all efforts of the Nigerian government fail.
    In my opinion, this is made possible as a result of the quantum of monies at their disposal, which was ill-gotten. I think this is where the relevant authorities in Nigeria failed to address all the while; instead, they concentrated on Boko Haram members and not realizing that the bigger problem is the activities of the political haram members.
    I recall some time ago in the life of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, in 2012 precisely, the former president stated that Boko Haram members had infiltrated his government. And as usual, he was abused and mocked. Little did we know that he was referring to the political haram members in high places.
    The former president stated that he believed Boko Haram had sympathizers in government, national assembly, and even security agencies. Did we believe him? Now fast forward to 2019 and with a government in place that has demonstrated a strong political will by giving tremendous support to the Armed Forces in all areas necessary, and yet we are still confronted with the same debacle.
    This is the stark reality on the ground as it stands, and my heart goes out to all that have in one way or the other fallen victims to these political haram members. In the words of former President Goodluck Jonathan, “some continue to dip their hands and eat with you, and you won’t even know the person who will point a gun at you or plant a bomb behind your house,”
    I can’t but agree with former President Goodluck Jonathan, hence this piece. This is one reality we must come to terms with especially in Borno state. The Borno conundrum aptly fits into the political haram narrative.  It is indeed a sad tale that a state once known as the home of peace is now a shadow of itself. And to think that these individuals have no qualms with what they are doing makes it all ironic. But guess what? In the fullness of time they shall be exposed in their numbers.
    Ochonu wrote this piece from Bauchi.