The Nation Newspaper

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  • Independence: Tinubu urges commitment to national purpose

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Sen. Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, urged Nigerians to remain committed to the national purpose to strengthen the country’s institutions.

    Tinubu, in a message issued in Lagos by his Media Officer, Mr Tunde Rahman, on the occasion of the country’s 59th independence anniversary, said that Nigeria had marked great progress in spite of its challenges.

    “Today, we are celebrate the 59th birthday of our beloved nation. We stand today with our feet planted firmly in the present, but with our gaze both on the past and towards our future.

    “Looking back at the last 59 years, we have faced steep challenges, yet, we have marked great progress.

    “What we have overcome in the past gives us the confidence and courage to believe that we can achieve even more as we cast our eyes on the future.

    “As Nigerians, let us recommit our energies to building a better Nigeria and rededicating ourselves to the vision of our nationalists who saw greatness in this country and worked assiduously to advance it.

    “I ask you all to remain committed to our highest national purpose so that we may continue to strengthen our national institutions and our very country,” he said.

    Tinubu described Nigerians as resilient, strong and industrious people, who decided to join hands together with a common purpose of enjoying a democratic, prosperous and just existence.

    “The journey to our greater destiny has begun and I enjoin you all to support one another and President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in this journey.

    “I congratulate all Nigerians on this 59th independence anniversary and urge you all to come along in the march to the next level,” the former Lagos State governor said. (NAN)

  • Sugarcane seller stabs man to death in Onitsha

    A 25-year old man, Hamisu Ibrahim, was on Tuesday, allegedly stabbed to death by a sugarcane seller in Onitsha, Anambra state.

    The deceased, also a sugarcane hawker was reportedly killed during a fight with the suspect, Jubrin Mohammed along Onitsha-Enugu expressway of the commercial city.

    The Nation gathered that the brawl followed a sharp disagreement between the duo, said to hail from the same state.

    An eye witness who gave his name as Obiora, said efforts to separate them were unsuccessful as the suspect suddenly drew a knife which he stabbed the deceased with.

    “He was immediately rushed to the hospital but gave up on the way,” he added.

    When contacted, Police spokesperson, Haruna Mohammed, confirmed the incident, saying the suspect has been arrested.

    He said, “At about 10:am there was a report at Awada Police Station that one Jubrin Mohammed ‘m’ aged 20yrs of Jigawa State and a sugar cane seller allegedly stabbed and killed one Hamisu Ibrahim ‘m’ aged 25yrs, also a sugar cane seller from same state during a fight along Onitsha-Enugu Expressway, Onitsha.

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    “Scene of crime was visited by Police detectives attached to Awada Division and suspect arrested.

    “Victim was taken to the hospital where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor while relatives of the deceased declined autopsy on religious ground.

    “Photograph was taken and corpse released to relatives as requested for burial according to Islamic rites.”

    Mohammed added that the Commissioner of Police, John Abang had ordered for the transfer of the case to the State CID for discreet investigation after which the suspect would be charged.

  • Kidnappers of Adamawa professor demand N10m ransom

    The gunmen who abducted Adamu Zata, a Professor of Soil Science in the Modibbo Adama University of Technology (MAUTECH), have demanded N10 million as a ransom for his release.

    The professor was abducted from his house in Girei, Girei Local Government Area of Adamawa State, at 2 am on Monday by gunmen who killed his brother, Dr Sheda Zata, while taking the professor away.

    A member of the family who spoke Tuesday to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said, “They have demanded N10 million, but we are still trying to reduce it. We don’t have anything close to what they are asking.”

    Read Also: Seven held for ‘kidnapping’ in Adamawa

    The abduction of Professor Adamu Zata on Monday still puzzles many Adamawa residents who remember that he had first been kidnapped a year ago, October 2018.

    Unconfirmed reports had it then that the professor was released only after his family paid N2 million.

    For the abduction on Monday, the killing of his brother added to the sordid history, especially against the possibility that the brother could have avoided death.

    He was said to have been torn between leaving Yola for his rural base on Sunday and staying back till Monday, before he resolved for the latter, only to fail to see the dawn of Monday because the kidnappers cut him down.

  • Be patient over bad roads, Sanwo-Olu appeals 

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has appealed to Lagosians for patience over the bad state of roads in the state saying the continuous rainfall since he was sworn-in about four months ago is slowing down rehabilitation/palliative work on the roads.

    Sanwo-Olu made the appeal while answering questions on the traffic situation and bad roads in the state at ‘The Platform’ put together by The Covenant Place, which took place at Iganmu on Tuesday.

    The event which was a question and answer programme coordinated by Pastor Poju Oyemade has as its theme: ‘Re- designing the Nigerian Economy with new ideas’.

    Sanwo-Olu promised that there would be extensive and massive rehabilitation of roads after the raining seasons, but that all the roads can not be tackled at the same time.

    The governor said it has been raining since he was sworn-in and bitumen does not like rain and so work on the roads is being slowed down because of this.

    He however assured that the government was still working day and night to remedy the state of the bad roads in the state.

    Read Also: Independence: We shall achieve collective aspiration as a nation – Sanwo-Olu

    Apart from bad roads, the governor said water, small landmass and population explosion were responsible for traffic congestion but that his government’s remedy for the traffic problem being experienced on a daily basis was a multi-modal transportation system.

    This he said involves developing the rail, water transportation and bus transit system which the government is already working on.

    “On water transportation, we are encouraging the building of a lot of jetties and we have just acquired 6-7 new passenger boats that can take 60-70 passengers at a time”.

    These, Sanwo-Olu said will be the long term solution to the transportation problem, adding that the government was working on a short, medium and long term solution to issues surrounding transportation.

    On commercial motor-cycle operators, the governor said because he wants to give everybody a chance to be part of the state development plan, the government is trying to harmonize and come up with a regulation system for them.

    “This is designed to know who they are, their activities and how to manage them to ensure that they don’t add to the problem of traffic flow in the state, we don’t want to disenfranchise anybody,” Sanwo-Olu said.

    The governor also disclosed that since his assumption of office it is only in the education sector that he has given a major approval for the recruitment of about 10, 000 teachers into the state public schools, a process that is already on-going.

    Adding that he would also ensure proper and adequate regular training for teachers to increase and enhance their efficiency and capacity.

    According to him, through the fibre initiative of his administration which is already on-going, everybody, especially schools and hospitals will have access to high speed internet services and as a technology enabler, it will manage traffic and other security issues in the state.

    “We are constricted in term of finances, but it is a marathon, we need to continue to run to ensure we meet up and I can assure you that we will meet up and Lagos will continue to be greater”, Sanwo-Olu assured.

  • Why Buhari’s SIPs getting ministry status

    The Presidency on Tuesday gave reasons why President Muhammadu Buhari’s Social Investment Programmes (SIPs) are getting full fledge ministry status.

    The SIPs have been under the office of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo since it started in 2016.

    President Buhari in his October 1st, 2019 Independence Day speech, announced the programmes movement to the Ministry of Humanitarian

    According to a statement by Communications Manager of National Social Investment Office (NSIO), Justice Bibiye, the schemes were moved to the ministry for sustainability.

    He said, “In a strategy aimed at ensuring the continuity and sustainability of the Buhari administration’s Social Investment Programmes, the schemes are being upgraded to a full ministry status with the take-off of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.”

    He said that the Buhari’s SIPs are already gaining global acclaims across the globe.

    He said “Endorsed by the Africa Development Bank (AfDB), World Bank and the World Economic Forum, as testament of its national impact in Africa’s most populous country, the National Social Investment Programmes (N-SIP) truly embodies what it means to go global while making local impact.

    “Regarded as the largest social protection programme in Nigeria’s history, the Social Investment Programmes has four broad programmes, namely: N-Power, Conditional Cash Transfers, National Home-Grown School Feeding and Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programmes, GEEP).

    “At inception, the Office of the Vice President was responsible for overseeing the N-SIP since 2016, while issues of funding, contract awards and procurement had always been undertaken by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning.

    “An inter-ministerial Steering Committee, chaired by the Vice President and composed of several Ministers including from the ministries of Education, Health, Finance, Budget and Planning, Labour and Employment, Women Affairs and others, also had policy oversight on the programme implementation.

    “In his Independence speech earlier today President Muhammadu Buhari stated in order to “institutionalize these impactful programmes, we created the Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development which shall consolidate and build on our achievements to date.”

    “Indeed the Social Investment Programmes have also been recognized by several local and international organizations for empowering Nigerians and meeting the urgent needs of Nigerians in different areas including providing employment, supporting small businesses and poverty alleviation.

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    “Organisations like Action Aid (Nigeria), of Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), and the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) have all commended the NSIP for its nationwide social impact

    “The impact of the SIPs has duly attracted the attention of the rest of the world. Among the global recognition for the impact of its schemes are the Financial Inclusion Award, which was at the 2019 African Bankers’ Awards: where BOI won for the GEEP scheme; the Tutu Leadership Fellowship for 2019, where GEEP CEO, Uzoma Nwagba, named among recipients; the Public Social Entrepreneur award, given by Schwab Foundation, a sister organization of the World Economic Forum, WEF, to Mrs Maryam Uwais, the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments; and recently.”

    He also said that one of the SIP components, GEEP, which is executed through the Bank of Industry (BOI) was recognized as the most impactful Financial Inclusion programme in Africa during the African Bankers’ Awards ceremony which held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea on June 14th, 2019.

    “The award was for BOI’s role in implementing GEEP, which includes the popular TraderMoni scheme. The awards event featured financial institutions and projects from all 54 countries in Africa, as well as the international community;

    “TraderMoni is one of the microcredit schemes under GEEP, where millions of petty traders get N10,000 loans. Upon repayment within 6 months, the beneficiary becomes eligible for a larger amount of N15,000 and all the way to N100,000 if and when the collateral-free loans are repaid. The other microcredit schemes are MarketMoni and FarmerMoni.

    “Also, in April, the impact of the SIPs was recognized by the African Leadership Institute when the GEEP COO, Uzoma Nwagba was named among the recipients for the prestigious Tutu Leadership Fellowship for 2019. According to the AFL, Nwagba’s role in GEEP, which it described as “the world’s largest micro-credit scheme” was critical.

    “GEEP to date has leveraged the power of a technology-driven operation to disburse and manage a portfolio of two million loans to underbanked Nigerians, demonstrating the biggest advancement of financial inclusion via credit in Africa,” the citation read.

    “Similarly, with the N-Power job scheme, which currently engages 500,000 young graduates and 200,000 non-graduates in different key sectors, and the School Feeding Programme, which currently feeds almost 10 million school children in 32 states, the SIPs’ impact is truly felt nationwide.

    “Indeed, millions of Nigerians can testify of the impact of the largest social welfare programme in sub-Saharan Africa. This is because since its implementation in 2016, the N-SIPs have impacted over 12 million direct beneficiaries and over 30 million indirect beneficiaries, comprising family members, employees of beneficiaries, cooks and farmers.” he said

  • ‘Minimum wage non-payment is forced labour’

    The Incorporated Trustees of Laws and Rights Awareness Initiative has asked a National Industrial Court in Abuja to declare the Federal Government’s non-payment of the national minimum wage as forced labour.

    The non-governmental organisation (NGO) argued that the government’s conduct violated the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act which was assented to by the President since April 2019.

    It filed the suit marked NICN/ABJ/292/2019 through its lawyer, Mr Olumide Babalola, on Friday, September 27.
    It is seeking four reliefs:

    “A declaration that the Respondent’s payment of salaries lower than the minimum wage provided under Section 3 of the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2019 constitutes a degrading treatment in violation of eligible workers’ right to dignity of human persons guaranteed by Section 34(1)(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As amended).

    “A declaration that the Respondent’s payment of salaries less than the minimum wage constitutes forced labour in violation of the provision of Section 34(1)(c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As amended).

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    “A declaration that by virtue of section 9(2)(c) of the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2019, the Respondent ought to pay every eligible worker an additional penalty of not less than prevailing Central Bank of Nigeria’s lending rate for every month of default of payment of minimum wage since May 2019.

    “Consequential order(s) that this honourable court may deem fit to grant in the circumstance.”
    In their written address, the Applicant relying on a decision by the Supreme Court of India in Sanit Roy v State of Rajasthan (1983) PLR 328, 1983 SCR (2) 271, argued that payment of salaries less than the minimum wage falls within the meaning of forced labour.

    The matter is yet to be assigned to a judge.

  • Lagos-Ibadan Expressway gridlock: residents turn refugees on Island, Churches

    As the gridlock along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway occasioned by the ongoing reconstruction of the road by Julius Berger Construction Company bites harder, residents working in Lagos now take refuges on the Island, mainland and in churches.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that hundreds of residents living in the adjourning communities along the ever busy expressway but working in Lagos now squat in various places ranging from churches to relatives and friends.

    The residents who spoke to NAN lamented the lackadaisical attitude of the contractor (Julius Berger) handling the road that reputably has 250 vehicles on it every day.

    The 127.6-kilometre-long road inaugurated by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1978 is one of the largest road network in Africa and the busiest inter-state route in Nigeria.

    The only accessible road that leads to the commercial capital of the country is however awarded for reconstruction after years of neglect by the previous governments.

    The reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, according to the commuters is moving at a snail’s speed owing to the years already spent on building it.

    The section being handled by the Julius Berger from Sagamu to Lagos, however, looks the guiltiest of the commuter’s complaints as the company has been accused of unprofessional conduct in handling the reconstruction.

    There are times when accidents involving articulated will cause gridlock for hours on the road because there are no recovery vehicles to pull them away, especially the Ogun State axis of the road.

    There are also times when commuters are forced down from their vehicles to resort to trekking which may take hours, some getting home by 2 a.m. against 5 p.m. when they left their offices.

    The gridlock is compounded by road diversion by the Berger Construction Company to allow reconstruction of the 600 meters stretch of the expressway from Kara Bridge inward Berger.

    The Kara Bridge inward Berger road has become a nightmare since its partial closure on Sept. 2 as motorists and commuters spend hours in the gridlock close to two hours everyday.

    One of the complaints of the commuters is on the absence of recovery vehicles to tow away breakdown vehicles from the road, especially articulated trucks and tankers.

    Mr Abiodun Obadan told NAN that the reason for the regular occurrence of vehicular breakdown was due to the stress on the road, adding that most of the car engines would have worn out before getting to Berger.

    “We are facing a lot of problem on the road. Julius Berger handling the section of Sagamu to Lagos has not been fair to us at all because they are just reconstructing the road in bits.

    “From Mowe where I stays to Berger, there are about three to four diversions which cause traffic, so imagine a car in traffic for four hours daily, what do you expect from that car.

    “Most of the vehicles plying the roads will develop fault as a result of overheating occasioned by the heavy traffic. And if I may ask, what is the wisdom in reconstructing the roads in bits?

    “Another problem is the mismanagement of the road, the road which should have been four lanes has been narrowed to two lanes yet, Berger will not patch the potholes on the narrowed lanes,’’ he said.

    Mr Femi Adelola, one of the residents living in Asese but forced to relocate to his friends place, said he took the decision so as not to lose his job.

    “I am almost on the edge because I already have two queries as a result of coming late to work and this is nothing else than hours spent on getting to Lagos.

    “Before I relocated, I will have to leave my home around 5 a.m., but will not be able to get to work until 9.a.m., because I am working on the Island.

    “The worst part of it is that the long hours spent in the traffic is already taking toll on my health because I barely sleep, the contractor, Berger is the one mismanaging the road.

    “They don’t care about the gridlock on the road at all. Is it proper for Julius Berger’s workers to close from the site as early as 4 a.m, for a road that is as busy as that?

    Mr Soji Martins who now relocated to Gbagada, said the decision to relocate was best for him, adding that he almost lost his life to armed robbers attack on the long bridge.

    “I had to abandon my house and seek for tenants because I cannot cope again. Imagine that I was attacked when coming from work on the long bridge because there was no presence of security personnel.

    “On that fateful day when I was attacked, the robbers had a field day and the worst part of it is that it was around 10 p.m. after we have spent hours on the road,’’ he said.

    A retiree of Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech), Mr Oladotun Owamokele, told NAN that he had to be sleeping in the church to avoid sleeping on the road.

    “I am now a refugee in the church because I cannot stand the rigour of spending hours in the traffic.

    “I don’t understand the reason for leaving broken down vehicles on the narrowed lanes without being attended to. Sometimes, it can take two hours to remove them from the busy road.

    “If Julius Berger cannot afford to buy recovery vehicles, why can’t government a agency such as Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) buy them to easy the traffic?

    “I must also say that Julius Berger as a construction company looks incapable of handling the reconstruction the road using the other contractor handling other side as yardstick,’’ he said.

  • Gunmen attack army general’s house, kill guard

    Malual Ayom Dor, the former deputy military chief for administration, said that his residence at Hai Nyakuron West in Juba was attacked by unknown gunmen on Sunday evening.
    Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday, Lieutenant General Malual Ayom said his security guard, Garang Deng, who was posted outside the residence was killed when unknown assailants opened fire outside the house, adding the attackers also took phones from his nephew.

    “The incident occurred when the security guard and my nephew Ayom Lueth were returning home from my late brother’s house where they normally have dinner,” he said.

    “When the two people were coming home, two armed men in plain clothes emerged from the gate and asked my nephew who was ahead to kneel down, so after they asked my nephew to surrender his wallet and phones, they shot Garang when he appeared,” he added.

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    The security guard was rushed to Juba Military Hospital after being shot but died on Monday while being treated, he said.

    The South Sudanese army general pointed out that he was not present when the incident took place. “I left Juba for Nairobi on Sunday, but I will go back to Juba to attend the funeral,” he said.

    Malual pointed out that the motive of the attack that left his security guard dead remains unclear.

  • Alleged rape: Submit yourself to court, Dakolo tells Fatoyinbo

    Busola Dakolo, wife of Nigeria’s inspirational singer Timi Dakolo has urged the FCT High Court in Abuja to discountenance Preliminary Objection filed against her case by Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo, Founder and Senior Pastor, Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA).

    Busola Dakolo, made the plea while responding to the preliminary objection by Fatoyinbo insisting that she sued the pastor because of the continuous emotional injuries she had suffered as a result of the rape he committed.

    She, therefore, asked that he (Fatoyinbo) should submit himself to court to ensure justice.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mrs Dakolo dragged Fatoyinbo to an FCT High Court for allegedly raping her on different occasions when she was a teenager about 20 years ago.

    Dakolo in her suite claimed that the incident had continued to hunt and traumatize her and as such required justice to be discharged through the law court.

    The court in a writ of summons dated Sept. 6 had ordered the Pastor to appear before it within 14 days of the service or judgment may be given in his absence.

    However, the Pastor through his lawyer Mr Alex Izinyon, SAN, tried to discharge the suite by filing a preliminary objection dated Sept. 20, saying that the case was filed out of time and the court cannot long hear the matter again.

    Read Also: COZA: Fatoyinbo not ready to be helped, says ex-spiritual father

    Responding to Fatoyinbo’s preliminary objection, Busola Dakolo through her Lawyer Mr Pelumi Olajengbesi argued that the action was not statute-barred (filed out of time) and that it is predicated on continuous injury which is an exception to the Statute of Limitation.

    She noted that the argument that her suit was filed out of time was misconceived and an attempt to hoodwink the court from the main issue and evade justice.

    “My cause of action is predicated on a continuing injury which I have continued to suffer over a long period of time,” she said.

    Busola Dakolo urged the court to discountenance Pastor Fatoyinbo’s Preliminary Objection to the case and asked that he submit himself to court to ensure justice.

    She prayed the Court not to allow the defendant run away from justice by hiding under the cloak of statute of limitation, noting that emotional distress is a tort that cannot be quantified by time

  • Poll: EFCC grills INEC accountant, three others over diversion of N84.6m allowances

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested and quizzed four officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for alleged diversion of N84, 696,000 meant for the payment of ad hoc staff engaged for Presidential and Governorship elections.

    The suspects, who were grilled by the Sokoto Zonal Office of the anti –graft agency, are from Zamfara State office of INEC.

    The suspects are the Administrative Secretary, Hassan Sidi Aliyu, the Head of Operations, Hussain Jafar, the State Accountant Abdullahi Yusuf Abubakar and Abdulmumin Usman.

    A statement by the Head of Media and Publicity of EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren said the suspects were grilled for “alleged case of conspiracy, breach of trust and criminal diversion of Ad Hoc staff allowance to the tune of N84, 696,000”

    The statement said: “The petitioner, one Abdullahi Nasiru, who wrote on behalf of all presiding officers that worked for INEC during the 2019 Presidential and Gubernatorial elections in Zamfara State, alleged that the Ad hoc staff were denied payment of their N6,000 movement allowance each for the two elections.

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    “He further alleged that what the INEC officials in Zamfara paid to them was different from what other states paid their Ad hoc staff. The INEC office in Zamfara allegedly paid its staff N9000 while in other states like Sokoto State, the electoral commission paid N12000 each.

    “Investigation by the EFCC revealed that none of the 10,500 presiding officers who participated in the elections were paid their entitlements cumulatively put at N84, 696,000

    “Efforts are being made by the Commission to recover the money criminally diverted by INEC heads of department and Electoral Officers of the 14 local governments in Zamfara State namely; Abdullahi Sambawa (Zurmi LGA); Aliyu Jafaru Goronyo( Maradun LGA); Balarabe Ahmed S Gobir (Gummi LGA); Amadu Ibrahim (Gusau LGA); Mohammed Bashir Musa (Kaura Namoda LGA); Dalhatu Usman Musa (Birnin Magaji LGA); Abdulmumin Usman (Maru LGA); Muhammad Nasir Saidu (Talatu Mafara LGA); Abdullahi A. Ukashatu (Tsafe LGA); Tukur Garba Kaita (Bungudu LGA); Salihu Musa Abdullahi (Bukuyun LGA); Sadiq Abdullahi, Fari (Anka LGA); Lawali Muhammed, Argungu (Bakura LGA); Jafaru Gide, (Shinkafi LGA); Tanimu Muhammad (Shinkafi LGA); Hassan Abdullahi (Shinkafi LGA).

    “The suspects would be arraigned in court as soon as investigation is completed.