The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria newspaper

  • Buhari, 14 others bag community merit awards

    Oba Yakubu Buhari, the Olomu of Omupo in Kwara and 14 other distinguished indigenes of the community, were on Saturday honoured with meritorious awards by the community.

    Each of the awardees were presented with a certificate at a ceremony to mark the 9th coronation anniversary of Oba Buhari, who ascended the throne on June 12, 2010, as the paramount ruler of Omupo community.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the monarch was recently promoted and presented with a staff of office as a second class traditional ruler by the last administration in the state.

    The award ceremony also witnessed the turning of the sod for the construction of the ultra-modern Omupo Township Hall performed by the monarch and assisted by some community leaders.

    Dr Monisoye Afolabi, President, Omupo Desecendant Union (ODU) said the awardees were honoured for thier achievements in their various life endeavours as well as contribution to the growth, progress and development of the community.

    According to Afolabi, the awards were instituted to recognise personal sacrifice, dilligence, merit, service to humanity as well as immense contribution to community development.

    “No personal achievements or community services by every sons and daughters of this community will go unrecognised and unrewarded.

    “It is our hope and belief that such recognition will spur the awardees to do more and at the same time serve as a yardstick for others to follow and contribute their quotas.

    “Our traditional ruler is being honoured today for his recent elevation to a second class status, so also others who have gained deserving promotions as doctors, administrators, academia, police officers and so on,” he said.

    Afolabi appealed to the state government to reconsider the community’s request for elevation as a Local Council Development Area among other requests toward boosting the development of the community.

    Buhari, in his remarks, restated his commitment toward ensuring that the desired socio-economic development envisioned for the community was achieved during his reign.

    He called on the people of the community, both indigenes and non-indigenes, to be part of the community’s development drive and urged them to continue to imbibe unity, tolerance and peaceful co-existence.

    Buhari congratulated the awardees for the feats and encouraged them to be more committed and dedicated to community service.

    Prof. Silvia Malomo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, University of Ilorin, in her response on behalf of the awardees, described the gesture as a morale booster, saying it was highly appreciated.

    Messrs. Tayo Awodiji and Abdulganiyu Salahudeen, members-elect of the Kwara State House of Assembly representing Irepodun and Omupo constituencies respectively, in their goodwill messages, promised to ensure quality representation and good governance.

    Other awardees included Hon. Wasiu Adewale, Dr (Mrs) Abiola Adimula, Alhaji Tajudeen Adigun, Prof. Mikail Buhari, Engr. William Omoyiola and Dr Steve Olarinoye.

    Others are: Hon Jibril Emilagba, Archbishop Israel Afolabi, DCP Funsho Olarinoye, DCP Emmanuel Adegbola, Prof Sule Hassan and Dr Ayodeji Olarinoye.

  • Why we handed over Goje’s N25bn criminal case, by EFCC

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said that the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation has constitutional power to take over any criminal case at any stage of investigation.

    Mr Tony Orilade, spokesman of the commission made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

    Orilade was reacting to the takeover of the case of alleged N25 billion fraud filed against former Gombe State Governor, Sen. Danjuma Goje by the commission.

    According to Orilade, by virtue of the existing law, the office of the attorney- general of the federation has the power to take over any criminal case at any stage.

    “And that is exactly what has happened”.

    The OAGF had on Friday taken over the case of alleged N25 billion fraud filed against Sen. Goje (APC-Gombe Central).

    Goje was until Thursday last week, a contender for the post of the President of the Senate.

    He withdrew from the race after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari and immediately endorsed his rival Ahmad Lawan (APC-Yobe).

    Section 174 (1a) of the 1999 Constitution States that the Attorney-General of the Federation shall have the power “To institute and undertake criminal proceedings against any person before any court of law in Nigeria, other than a court-martial, in respect of any offence created by or under any Act of the National Assembly.”

    While subsection (1b) says “to takeover and continue any such proceedings that may have been instituted by any other authority or person”.

    NAN reports that for almost eight years, the EFCC had been prosecuting the former governor until Friday, June 7.

    The case, which was before Justice Babatunde Quadiri of Jos Federal High Court II, had even gone to the Jos Court of Appeal over the remaining two count charges out of 21 filed against him by EFCC.

    Read Also: Why Attorney-General took over Goje’s N25bn fraud case from EFCC

    The Appellate Court is yet to fix a date for the hearing of the appeal.

    When the case came up for an emergency hearing before Justice Quadiri, the EFCC Counsel, Mr Wahab Shittu, told Court that the agency was withdrawing from the case and handing it over the office of the Attorney-General for continuation.

    “My Lord, this case was earlier adjourned for June 20 for continuation of hearing, but then we are here today on the latest development on the matter.

    “We as EFCC counsels are withdrawing from the matter and handing it over to the office of the Attorney-General for continuation with the prosecution.

    “As you can see, in Court is a State Counsel from the AG’F’s office to formally take over this case from us,” Shittu declared.

    Responding, Mr Paul Erokoro (SAN), did not object to the EFCC withdrawal and handing over of the case to the Attorney-General.

    “My Lord we are not objecting to the anti-graft withdrawal and handing over the prosecution to the AG’s office, “ Erokoro said.

    Mr Pius Asika, Counsel from the office of the attorney general, however, announced his appearance for the case.

    Asika then applied for an adjournment to enable him prepare for the case proper “having come into the matter.

  • Ugwuanyi brought me out of political oblivion, says Nnamani

    Ahead of the inauguration of the National Assembly on Tuesday, former Enugu State Governor, and Senator-Elect for Enugu East, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, Sunday restated his resolve to serve faithfully for the advancement of the Nigerian project that would engender peace, unity and development of the country.

    Senator Nnamani said in a statement on Sunday that he will do everything possible within the ambit of the law to work for the emancipation of the ordinary Nigerians.

    He assured that in the 9th Senate, “I will focus on poverty alleviation, employment opportunities, fair and equitable distribution of national resources as well as promoting the manufacturing sector of the economy”.

    On the home front, the former Governor expressed appreciation to Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who he said, facilitated his election into the Senate.

    Nnamani said, “I am grateful to my governor for the opportunity to rejig my political career.

    “I owe him a lot of gratitude for the opportunity to serve my fatherland. I restate my respect and loyalty to him as my political leader.”

    Read Also: Igbo leaders make further call on Ndigbo to get ready for self-defence

    Senator Nnamani, however, distanced himself from any political godfather’s role just as he underscored the fact that “Governor Ugwuanyi is the political leader in practice and head of the Ebeano political family in Enugu State “.

    He lauded Governor Ugwuanyi for the developmental strides in the state and urged him not to rest on his oars.

    The Enugu East Senator enjoined politicians and citizens alike to rally round Governor Ugwuanyi in his commitment to bring all round development to Enugu State.

    Senator Nnamani also paid glowing tribute to Enugu political leaders including Chief Jim Nwobodo, former Senate President Ken Nnamani, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, Senator Fidelis Okoro, Dr. Okwy Nwodo, Ohanaeze President, John Nwodo, former Chief of Naval staff, Alison Madueke and former Military Administrator J.N.J. Aneke among others for their roles in promoting political harmony the state.

  • 14.2m Nigerians took drugs in 2018 – NDLEA

    No fewer than 14.2 million Nigerians consumed illicit drugs in 2018, the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has disclosed.

    Chairman of the agency, Col. Mohammad Abdallah (rtd) told reporters in Ilorin, at the sideline of sent forth ceremony organised for the retiring commander of Kwara state command, Ona Ogilegwe.

    Represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Oloruntoba, Abdallah said “everybody is alarmed at the with which abuse drugs these days.”

    Making reference to United Nations statistics, NDLEA boss said: “The recent United Nations drugs survey put it that 14.2 million Nigerians consumed illicit drugs in 2018. This is higher than the global statistics. Globally, it is estimated that only five million people have taken drugs last year. Ironically and frighteningly, it means 14.2 percent of Nigerians took drugs last year.

    “What it means is that every Okada rider that you see working from 6am to 10pm is on something. The cultists, the kidnappers that pitch tent in the bush are on drugs.

    What it means also is that if government fights drugs, it has fought 50 percent of criminality in Nigeria.”

    He urged government to provide the equipment, fund and personnel for the war against drug abuse to be successful in Nigeria

    “What we are asking government to do is to give us the materials, men and money- the three Ms. And of course equipment.

    “It is better to soak the presence of NDLEA men in all the corners of the country. What I am saying that the presence of NDLEA cannot be felt in every nook and cranny of Nigeria because we are short of men.

    “Adequate equipment is where the world is gravitating. Equipment can solve a lot of problems without physically being there. I was opportune to see in China.

    Read Also: Marine Customs hands over seized drugs to NDLEA

    “If you are at the police headquarters in China you will see all that is happening in the cities of Bejin one after the other. Even if government cannot do that for us, it should give us the minimum to police the borders, airports and seaports. Because these are where the drugs go in and out,” he added.

    On the role of the society, he said “members of the society can assist the agency by providing us with useful information and then you don’t judge us by what you are seeing.

    “You need to appreciate what we are doing with the little that is available.”

  • Get ready for self-defence-Igbo leaders

    Concerned Pan-Igbo organisations have restated the call on Ndigbo to be ready for self-defence in the face of unprovoked attacks by herdsmen.

    This was the consensus at the end of an  emergency consultative caucus meeting in Enugu at the weekend. .

    The call was sequel to a similar advice by apex Igbo organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo last week.

    Convened by Professor Uzodimma Nwala led Alaigbo Development Forum (ADF), the groups after exhaustive discussions came out with the following decisions:

    “That there is obvious agenda of a bloody Islamization and jihad to conquer, occupy, take over and enslave Alaigbo and elsewhere in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “That Ndigbo should do everything in their power to defend themselves, their wives, children and their ancestral land.

    Read Also: Ohanaeze: Ndigbo should be ready for self-defence

    “To set up a joint Committee of pan-Igbo organisations and to prepare Memorandum to alert Ndigbo in Nigeria and in the Diaspora on the peace, development and security of Alaigbo.

    “Calls on all Stakeholders in Alaigbo including the Governments and Traditional Institutions in Alaigbo to pursue a common agenda in the interest of the survival of Ndigbo.

    “Call on Umuigbo world-wide to liaise with the patriotic pan-Igbo organizations to ensure that all needed resources in Alaigbo support all the patriotic forces engaged in the struggle for Igbo emancipation and security.

    “That Ndigbo should seek possible working relationship with other nationalities to ensure collective defence of their territories from the jihadists.

    “To continue to promote the Akuruo-Ulo movement through the agency of the Town Unions and the various Traders organizations of Ndigbo.

    “To engage in constant consultations and collaborative efforts to promote the peace, security and development of Alaigbo.

    The communique was signed by Pof Uzodinma Nwala of ADF; Chief Emeka Diwe, President Association of South East Town Unions; Professor Elochukwu Amucheazi, Secretary, Igbo Leaders of Thought; Innocent Amadi of Bilie Human Rights Initiative; Hon Abia Onyike, chairman ADF publicity bureau; Prof. Math Aniekwu, secretary, ADF; Mrs Fidelis Chukwu, President Igbo Women Assembly; Prince Tony Nwakaeze, Ogbako Igbo Traders of Nigeria; Isaac Onyia, ASETU Enugu state and Comrade Uchenna Madu representing Coalition of Pro-Biafra Organizations.”

  • Oando: SEC debunks allegations of lack of due process in investigation

    The Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, has debunked all allegations insinuating lack of due and statutory processes in the investigation of Oando Plc.

    The Commission emphasized that it abided by the fundamental principle of fair hearing in the entire phases of the investigation.

    According to a statement duly signed by the Head of Corporate Communications of the Commission, Mrs. Efe Ebelo, “The attention of the SEC has been drawn to various reports questioning the regulatory authority of the SEC, and insinuating lack of due process in the investigations of Oando Plc.

    “To put the records straight, the SEC hereby states as follows: Fair hearing is a paramount and fundamental principle, which the Commission as a law abiding agency adheres to in all its investigative processes.

    “In the course of the investigations, communications e.g. letters and phone calls were exchanged and meetings held between the Commission and Oando Plc, requesting for its comments and explanations on issues relating to the investigations. The findings of the Commission was communicated to the Group Chief Executive Officer of Oando Plc by a letter dated July 10, 2017.

    Read Also: SEC intimidation: Two Oando directors quit

    “The Commission subsequently engaged Deloitte & Touche to conduct a Forensic Audit of the activities of Oando Plc.

    “In the course of conducting the audit, Deloitte & Touche held regular sessions with members of the Board and senior management of Oando Plc, and afforded them the opportunity to provide explanations on issues relating to the investigation.

    “The Commission confirms that Oando Plc was given sufficient opportunity of being heard and accorded several opportunities to rebut the issues revealed by the investigation.”

    The SEC explained that the responses given by Oando Plc, were however considered unsatisfactory; prompting, the decision by the Commission to penalize the company and some of the individuals related to it for violations of securities laws.

    The statement further added: “The actions of the Commission were properly effected pursuant to the provisions of the Investments & Securities Act (ISA) 2007 and the SEC Rules and Regulations made pursuant to the ISA 2007.

    “These facts have been properly articulated in the court process filed at the Federal High Court by the Commission in response to the suit instituted by the Group Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Group Chief Executive officer of Oando Plc.

    “As the Apex Regulator of the Nigerian capital market, the Commission has a mandate to protect investors.”

    “The Commission’s recent action on Oando Plc aligns with the above cardinal mandate, as the directive for the removal of persons from the board of Oando Plc and the appointment of an interim management team to temporarily steer the affairs of the company is to protect investors and preserve stakeholder value.

    “Failure or refusal of the Commission to act in the face of the serious issues thrown up by the investigations or to reverse its directives, would undermine the Federal Government’s agenda to build strong institutions and promote the transparency and integrity of the Nigerian capital market, especially given that, these are preconditions for attracting foreign investors to the Nigerian capital market,” the statement said.

  • 7 reasons you should keep your marriage private

    An adage state: “Relationships last longer when nobody knows nothing about it”.

     Relationship is sometimes a reserved place where two people could find solace, trust and support, driven by a commitment to honour, love, and respect.

     Marriages require a few essential elements to maintain. At the top of the list is privacy.

    Getting married is one thing, sustaining the marriage is another. In times past, people were very quick to allow others meddle into issues affecting their families, especially when it involves one of the spouses.

    While this, in some cases, has its benefits, one of which includes seeing things from another party’s perspective. However, there are a lot of times when extra people were brought into family affairs, and things don’t go in the best direction.

       Given that not everyone actually is happy that you are happy and they are looking for opportunity to spoil the happiness.

    Therefore, these are seven reasons you should keep your marriage private.

    Read Also: Six tips to identify fake interviews

    1.      You Open Yourself To Negative Opinions:

    Most times when we vent and go about expressing our anger and displeasure about our spouse, we often talk mostly about the partner’s faults and not ours. Also, most times we usually relay these complaints to people close to us, probably our friends or a family member we are close to.

    It is likely for that family member of yours to take you side and God help you the person you reported your spouse to dislikes your spouse. This will be the perfect opportunity to “badmouth” your spouse. Hence, you are usually more open to negative opinions when you go outside of your marriage to resolve issues.

    2. You can filter pictures, not your relationship:

    The evolution of social media has only increased our lust for recognition and makes it easier to get. However, becoming intoxicated by the attention of others is dangerous for your relationship. The issue arises when a couple is more in love with the glamour of having a social media relationship than an actual bond.

    Keeping your relationship private keeps your motivations pure. You want to make sure that every day you decide to move forward in your relationship you are doing so because you couldn’t imagine a life without your partner, not because you are addicted to the false approval of social media viewers. That’s the relationship goals.

    3. It gives the chance for your ex to be in your business:

     The only worse than a third party being in your marriage is allowing your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend it could jeopardize the marriage, if the marriage doesn’t have a strong bond. Hell bent and determined to poke holes in your new love affair. Disclosing too much to your ex can leave the relationship vulnerable. “Be wise”.

    4.  Everyone won’t be happy for you:

    There are some people so distraught with their own lives and will go out of their way to ruin other people’s happiness. The bitter truth is, not everyone wants to see you move forward, and certainly not happy. Sad, yes but true.

    This is why you should be careful about expressing your complaints to third parties. The less people know about your personal life, the less they have to speak on.

    5. It can displease your spouse:

    Most of our spouse’s doesn’t like the idea of allowing third party in the marriage so any time you share problems with others, it can displease the spouse and even become embarrassing.

     It can damage their image in front of others and while you and your spouse have moved on about the issue, the third party may not and it can affect their relationship with your partner.

    6.   You tend to put too much pressure on your relationship:

    This is particularly true when you are a “social media couple”. Every little thing you do, you are quick to post online or any trip you go before we know it, it’s on the gram. This has a way of putting a lot of pressure on your relationship.

    Relationships are already hard work without feeling the need to impress other people. Give your relationship and your partner a stress free environment to learn, make mistakes, and evolve without feeling weighed down by the need to uphold a false image created by social media.

    7.    Why should you not keep your marriage private?

    Honestly, keeping your marriage a private affair saves you a whole lot of headache and even make the marriage peaceful and blissful so why should you not? Fine you may not keep it a secret but really, you should keep your marriage, your home private!

  • Colleagues strangle FRSC officer to death

    An official of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) was on Thursday night allegedly strangled to death by two of his colleagues in Onitsha, Anambra state.

    The deceased, identified as Emeka Ojei, a Senior Road Marshal Assistant, was reportedly killed for attempting to expose certain corrupt practices against one of his assailants in the office.

    The Nation gathered that the deceased was armed with damaging corruption allegation he intended to report at the Corps headquarters in Benin before he was killed.

    A staff of the road safety commission, who spoke to The Nation in confidence, said the prime suspect had fruitlessly appealed to the deceased not to go ahead with his plans.

    He said the deceased officer was struggling with his handset when the other colleague joined and held him on the neck until he gave up.

    Read Also: FCT records highest road crashes in March – FRSC

    He said: “Emeka is one of the officers privileged to be working on a report on a corruption case to be sent to the headquarters in Benin.

    “As he was about going to deliver the report, his oga(boss) called him back, insisting he shouldn’t go. But he refused.

    “His oga (boss) dragged him with his phone while another officer joined him. He was struggling with them over the phone when they strangled him to death.”

    The Nation further learnt that the case had been lodged at the Police Area Command, while the Unit Commander of FRSC and his accomplice had been arrested.

    The FRSC Public Relations Officer in the state, Pascal Anigbo, confirmed the incident.

    “The incident happened around 7pm in the office. I don’t have the full details of the incident now,” he said.

    Contacted, the Commissioner of Police, Mustapha Dandaura, said he was just coming back from a trip and was yet to be briefed on the matter.

    “I’ll get back to you as soon as I get the details from the Area commander,” he said.

  • Legit work-from-home websites/companies

    You don’t need to resume to an office to make a living. There are websites you can explore opportunities beyond your geographical region and make money while working from home.

    You only need the following skills to register on the websites:

    •       Digital marketing skill

    •       Content marketing skill

    •       Social media managements/ engagements skill

    •       Graphic designer skill

    •       Writing skill

    •       Transcribing skill

    •       Virtual assistant /customer service agent skill

    These companies will credit your account immediately after completing certain tasks for them with your smart phones or personal computers.

    Your earning grows as you complete these tasks and could also be penalised if there is any form of irregularities committed with your account.

    Your earnings could be withdrawn through PayPal, bitcoins wallets (BlockChain, Coinbase) or through cheques. All these sites are quite legit and will pay when you reach the threshold. All you need to do is pick any of the under listed websites, read through their terms & conditions then register with the one that suites your taste.

    Many of the listed companies are remote jobs (jobs you can execute from home) and also the ones where you might be required to relocate (that is if you’re ready to take new opportunities).

    Note: This is suitable for sit- at- home moms, pregnant women, students, unemployed graduates and freelancers.

    Here is the list of work- at- home websites:

    1. http://www.flexjobs.com

    2. https://weworkremotely.com

    3. https://remote.co/remote-jobs

    4. http://remotive.io

    5. http://www.skipthedrive.com

    6. http://www.virtualvocations.com

    7. https://remoteok.io

    8. http://workingnomads.co

    9.   https://jobspresso.co

    10. http://europeremotely.com

    11. http://jobscribe.com

    12. https://www.wfh.io

    13. https://www.outsourcely.com/remoteworker

    14. http://powertofly.com

    15. http://landingjobs.com

    16. http://www.authenticjobs.com

    17. https://dribbble.com

    18. http://careers.stackoverflow.com

    19. https://jobs.github.com/positions?description=&location=Remote\

    20. https://www.toptal.com/business

    21. https://www.fiverr.com

    22. https://www.upwork.com

    23. http://www.guru.com

    24. https://www.freelancer.com

    25. http://www.freelancermap.com

    26. https://coworks.com

    27. https://gun.io/#hacker

    28. https://www.themuse.com/jobs

    29. http://www.indeed.com

    30. http://www.careerbuilder.com

    31. http://www.idealist.org

    I will recommend the websites below for Nigerians because they accept freelancers from Nigeria as some of those sites listed above might reject applications from Nigerians.

    Checkup the below sites and register, be sure you are always available for service because a client could put up a complaint against you if you don’t deliver after the deadline and you could get blocked by the company. Also make sure you write up a very attractive gig or bio.

    1. http://www.guru.com

    2. http://Fiverr.com

    3. http://UpWork.com)

    4. http://jobscribe.com

    5. http://linkedIn.com

    6. http://transcribeme.com

    7. http://gotranscript.com

    8. http://amazonturk.com

    Goodluck

  • ‘My husband takes care of his mother than our kids’

    A mother of two has taken to social media to lament how her husband takes care of his mother than their children.

    She said:

    I don’t know if i am the one taking this issue so important, I have been married for four years now with two kids, now this is the issue…when i met my husband, we court for two years  before we got married, when we just met, I noticed he doesn’t use to go see his parent, I asked him why, he said his mom’s wahala is too much, I told him his mother would always remain his mom and i took him back home and he reunited with his family.

    Since we got married i now understand why my husband ran away from his mom, my Mother in-law use to consume money like hubby is plucking it on the tree, my hubby use to take care of his mom, dad, and siblings very well that he bought a trailer for his dad for 7million naira, he paid 2m and they said he should be paying d rest instalmentally ,so my FIL flew away with this for good 2yrs wen their agreement is that he should be working with this trailer and be giving this people the money gradually and still feed d home without them disturbing their son for money again.

    Read Also: ‘I love my husband beating me, I enjoy seeing him angry‘

    my mother inlaw works, and she is collecting salary ,but if their cooking gas got finished, they will call hubby to come fill it, he is the one paying their rent, paying two siblings school fee at d university ,now I don’t enjoy my husband’s money, he gives to his mom than me and my kids. i have called him severally abt this thatt where those he expect me to get money from to take care of the kids,d home nd myself,he still gives us money but not compared to how his mom use to collect huge amount from him every week, i sold some of my belongings recently because my husband was so broke and he said after he gets money he will get them back for me. my husband is owing me close to 1m wen i was working, now he is not talking about d money which is not even my own issue but ds tins i sold are important to me cos my wedding ring is part of it, two days ago, my husband sent his mom 200k wen my own things have gone, like i dnt get,i asked him ,he said he has to sort his mom first like i dont get o. This s woman can’t borrow herson 10k wen we had problems, this woman didn’t come to check her son at d cell for good 11days he was at d police custody for a case he doesnt knw anytin abt ,myself and my own family stood up for him ,spent money and my mother in law said she doesnt av any money.

    Please what should I do?

     

    Credit: BOM