The Nation Newspaper

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  • IG to officers: be on the offensive

    ACTING Inspector-General Mohammed Adamu yesterday charged officers and men deployed in Zamfara and Sokoto states to be offensive and take the battle to bandits.

    The two Northwest states are experiencing challenges of armed banditry and other associated crimes.

    IG Adamu, in the company of the Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) in charge of Operations, Abdulmajid Ali, gave the charge when they visited both states.

    A statement by the Force spokesman, Frank Mba, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), said the visit was to enable the IG conduct an on-the-spot evaluation of operational and deployment strategies currently in place in both states and also to afford him ample opportunity to have a “one-on-one” interaction with officers and men on the ground.

    Besides, he added that the visit serveed as morale booster and to galvanize local support for the Police and other security forces currently engaged in Operation Puff Adder.

    Addressing the officers and men of both commands, the IGP charged them to be on the offensive and take the battle to the bandits’ camp and ensure total reclamation and domination of all the public spaces occupied by them and bring them to justice.

    In a town hall meeting in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, the IG commiserated with the community members particularly those who lost their loved ones or incurred one loss or another as a result of the activities of the bandits.

    He, however, called on the people to support the security agencies with human intelligence and any relevant information that could aid the success of the operation.

    In attendance were top government officials, including  Secretary to Zamfara State Government Prof. Abdullahi Muhammad, Chief of Staff to Governor Abdulaziz Yari,  Abdullahi Abulkarim, taditional rulers, local government chairmen, farmers association, Mityetti Allah, religious leaders amongst others.

    On their part, the stakeholders commended the Federal Government for banning mining activities in their domain.

    Read also: Banditry: Over 3,000 killed, 500 villages affected in Zamfara – Yari

    They equally requested for increased deployment of policemen to their communities, even as they urged that the members of the Civilian Joint Task Force be allowed to join the Police in tackling the menace of armed bandits in their communities.

    Speaking for the governor, Prof. Muhammad said that 3,262 people have been killed, 8,900 persons displaced and more than 18,000 hectares of farmland remained uncultivated owing to bandits’ activities in the state.

    Yari revealed that huge resources that could be channeled towards providing basic social amenities was expended in the area of intervention and assisting areas and victims of bandit attack in various communities.

    The governor further disclosed that there were only ammunition department and 30 soldiers and 2000 policemen on ground in Zamfara State in 2013 but his government facilitated the establishment of the 223 Battalion, the 1 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, the GOC Division and the Quick Response 607 Unit, adding that his government further rented 20 flats for the 223 Battalion and also rented houses for the Quick Response Unit.

    According to him, his administration gulped about N10 billion.

    Yari said 570 Hilux were also purchased and distributed to security personnel in addition to paying allowances for security personnel that cost about N5 billion aside from recruiting 8,500 vigilance group members.

    Each vigilance group member gets monthly allowance of N15, 000 and provided them all with uniform for easy identification.

    The Commissioner for Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs, Bello Dan Kande commended the government for the banning mining in the state.

    He said that mining has raised a lot of concern on how expatriates indulging in mining in Zamfara State were not being abducted by the bandits, who target indigenes as victims.

    Also yesterday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) tasked the President on the rising insecurity, particularly killings, kidnapping, banditry and acts of terrorism across the land.

    Lamenting the frightening dimension in a statement by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party bemoaned the situation in the North and urged the government to rise to the challenges.

  • Mobile mechanic service to the rescue

    As the roads become busier and vehicle maintenance costlier, taking a car for service can be painful. A Lagos-based auto startup has launched a mechanic app to help people connect with mobile mechanics, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    AT the time Nenis Auto Care Chief Executive Mrs Oduwa Agboneni opened  her mechanic shop in Yaba, Lagos, she had noticed that most people in the area found it difficult to get  mechanics quickly.

    Consequently, she built a team of mechanics to  serve clients. But there were times they were inundated with calls by those in distress, especially outside Yaba.

    She knew she had to invest in a solution that would make car servicing easy.

    The result is a mechanics app, which connects car mechanics with owners.

    She invested in management staff, personal computers, a business telephone line, and internet connection, trained her team to get the system working.

    Linked to a website, the app receives service requests from vehicle owners. These are attended to by a certified mechanic after a service quote has been sent to and accepted by the owner. It gives many mechanics the chance to make extra money outside their working hours.  The solution, according to her, will make it more convenient for consumers to find a mechanic and schedule service online and have the mechanic come to them.The customer chooses from its services and receives a mechanic’s response.

    If the customer decides to go ahead with the repair, he can choose when the mechanic should come.

    Mrs. Agboneni started with a group of young women.

    She is training 60 girls in basic auto maintenance for  three months. The target is about 500 girls.  Thereafter,they will be listed on the app. They are expected to go to customers’ houses or places of business to perform repairs and maintenance while the customers continue with their daily routines.

    She said there was no waiting at a repair shop for customers. Independent mechanics were free to advertise mobile services.

    She has a partner in  Keystone Bank Limited,  which through its Employees Voluntary Scheme (EVS), has been  partnering Nenis Autocare in training women to boost gender balancing in auto-mechanics.

    The bank’s Chief Information Officer, Mr. Edafe Omojughre, said the bank, through the deal is nurturing gender balance by encouraging women entrepreneurship.

    He said the bank, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), is focusing on women empowerment by tackling the challenges of financing because, all over the world, women are more committed and trustworthy in terms of managing finance.

    According to him, because women do not easily squander money given to them, the bank recognised the need to partner them to boost their economic capabilities with very relaxed collateral.

    A member, Advisory Board  Nenis Auto Foundation and Managing Director Cooper House Hospitality, Dr. Omopeju Afanu, said  the foundation hopes  to  train ladies to take up self employment  in the automobile industry.

    She said Keystone Bank is partnering the foundation through CSR to support the Girls Auto Squad (GAS), a brain-child of the Founder of Neni Autocare, to empower young girls in the same jobs dominated by men.

    Former president, Nigeria Society of Mechanical Engineers (NIMECH), Tunde Zedomi, has also ledn his support to the idea of gender balancing.

    According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari has signed a legal instrument that will make the girls’ jobs to be recognised.

  • Stakeholder identifies infrastructure as effective tool for tourism growth

    Frontline Nigerian tourism practitioner Alex Ejiogu has identified infrastructure as key to having an effective tourism operation in the country. According to him,  Nigeria’s infrastructure is not in good working condition, which can constitute impediment on the way of tourism growth.

    Ejiogu stated that a regular electricity supply, constant water supply would help to improve tourism in the country, citing countries such as Gambia, South Africa, United States and United Kingdom, among others with good infrastructure.

    “These structures make it easy for tourists and visitors to constantly troop into the countries.”

    Ejiogu, who is Chief Executive Officer, AGE Facility Management, spoke in a chat with The Nation. He said that his company can support tourism as its selling point is knowledge of good facilities and how to make it happen.

    “AGE will encourage tourism. AGE will know that all tourists want a very comfortable environment while they’re on holiday,” he added.

    He urged government to invest in proper infrastructure, in such a way that the amusement spots in Nigeria become more sellable to the visitors.

    “We believe that awareness is the key because our people need to be educated through seminars, formal and informal communication through their community chief, and local leaders on how to tolerate visitors. Some of these visitors if they are tourists they would improve the commerce of the area and that is part of the education they need to have. And traditionally in Nigeria there are some villages that have not seen foreigners before and they will get scared if they start seeing different people coming to their areas,” he said.

    According to Ejiogu, it’s also important to advise foreigners to be people friendly because some areas are not used to receiving large numbers of visitors. On kidnapping and security issues, he noted that it is very important that people are aware of the difference between a friendly stranger and a hostile stranger. ”Security is very important to Nigeria and people must feel secured to tolerate visitors,” he said.

    Ejiogu expects Nigeria to look more closely into key things that attract tourists, reiterating that the nation needs to have a very strong security policy for both international and local. ”Nigeria is not benefiting much from tourism because we have not opened the borders to tourists because of insecurity.

    “I know Nigerians generally do not go on holiday but when we create this tourism concept people will start seeing why they can move from one neighbourhood to another,” he said.

  • Teenager arraigned for allegedly damaging ATM

    A 19-year-old, Yusuf Fatai, who allegedly damaged an Automated Teller Machine (ATM), yesterday appeared at an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.

    The police charged Fatai with malicious damage, to which he pleaded not guilty.

    Prosecuting Inspector Oladele Adebayo said the defendant committed the offence on March 31, at 3pm, at the United Bank for Africa Plc  (UBA), Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) branch,  Idi-Araba.

    He alleged that the defendant maliciously damaged the ATM valued at N389,000,  property of UBA Plc.

     

     

     

  • Kwara monarch, UNILORIN VC attribute violence to inequality

    Kwara State first class monarch Olomu of Omu-Aran in Irepodun Local

    Government Area Oba Abdulraheem Adeoti and Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem yesterday attributed the country’s growing violence to injustice, inequality and poverty.

    They spoke in Ilorin, the state capital, at the 2nd distinguished personality lecture organised by the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, UNILORIN.

    The lecture was entitled: “International trends in peace action and peace research: South-North.”

    Oba Adeoti said: “Disorderliness, rancour and acrimony are borne out of disparity between the rich and the poor in Nigeria. The Boko Haram insurgency might not be unconnected with differences in living. While

    some are living in affluence most people are living in abject poverty.

    “For us in Nigeria, it is high time we addressed how to bridge the gap between the poor and the rich. Nigeria was colonised by the British, but we practice American system of government. I can say that Nigeria muddle both the presidential and parliamentary systems of government.

    “It is, therefore, behooves this centre to look into our local problems and solve them locally so that peace can be sustained and maintained in Nigeria in particular and Africa in general.

    Read also: FG blames monarchs for Northwest violence

    “Peace can be maintained by addressing the Nigeria’s political system.  We are talking of peace, but over 91 political parties were registered in the last elections. We shall continually look forward to how the academia and this centre can restore peace to Nigeria. Without peace nothing can be accomplished. Without peace, there will be no development. Even living together will be very difficult without peace.”

    Prof. Abdulkareem, who was represented at the event by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Management Services, Prof. Fatai Sule, said the root of the pervasive conflicts in Africa can only be uprooted, if culture of African values that are built on justice, fairness and equity are imbibed.

    Abdulkareem called on Africans to retrace their steps and adopt African traditional values to eliminate structural tensions that would give birth to indigenous framework for building peace in Africa.

    The VC hailed the centre for coming up with laudable peace building programmes that are capable of restoring peace and order.

    The director of the centre, Prof Noah Yusuf, said the event was in two folds, personality lecture and public book presentation.

     

  • Oyetola to SSG, CoS: Osun people need efficient service delivery

    OSUN State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola has urged appointees of his government to be efficient in service delivery.

    He also urged them to “hit the ground running, show leadership by example and give direction,” because the people are in a hurry to experience efficient service delivery.

    He gave the advice yesterday while inaugurating Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Mr. Wole Oyebamiji, Chief of Staff Dr. Charles Diji Akinola and Deputy Chief of Staff Mr. Abdullah Adeyenju Binuyo.

    Oyetola said the appointees “must be creative, proactive and come up with contemporary ideas and innovations that will speedily lead to efficient governance in the 21st-century knowledge- and technology-driven world”.

    At the inauguration held at the State Executive Council Lounge were Deputy Governor Benedict Alabi; President, Customary Court of Appeal, Mrs. Gloria Oladoke; Representative of House of Assembly Speaker, Folorunso Bamisayemi; Head of Service Dr. Festus Oyebade Olowogboyega, Commissioner of Police Mrs. Abiodun Ige, members of the state’s steering committee and political leaders.

    The governor explained that “Offices of the Secretary to the State Government; the Chief of State to the Governor and Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor are very important to the government and to the Governor’s Office as they constitute the brain box and the engine room of my administration”.

    “Your decision must be guided by the fear of God, fairness and justice. You must roll up your sleeves so that we can take our dear state to the next level.

    “You have been considered for your respective positions on merit. But you must note that the skills and competencies that qualify you for these jobs will need to be constantly improved upon to ensure adequate service delivery,” he said.

    Oyetola enumerated some of the achievements of his administration in the last four and a half months saying his government had “demonstrated beyond a doubt that, in the face of limited resources, appreciable and equitable service delivery is possible”.

    Read alsO: Oyetola promises to make mining benefit host communities

    He said the tremendous impact and impressions made by his government on the people of the state within the short time of the inception of office, has further fired the people’s expectations despite the state’s dwindling financial resources.

    According to him, Osun State had taken off on a high tempo as the government is massively rehabilitating township and rural roads across the state to further improve on infrastructure.

    “We are working assiduously to ensure quality and affordable education for our children so that they can compete with their peers anywhere in the world.

    “We are also poised to turn the other sectors around to deliver prosperity to our people. We are adopting a holistic approach to boosting the economy of the state.

    “We are planning an Economic Summit very soon, to produce a workable template and compass for sustainable economic development. We are also putting measures in place to increase the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) base of the state.

    “We are working hard to establish light manufacturing industries as well as liberalising the mining sector”, he added.

    Speaking on behalf of the appointees, Oyebamiji hailed the governor for the confidence reposed in them to serve the state.

     

  • Ohanaeze calls on South Africans stop mindless killing of Nigerians

    Ohanaeze Ndigbo Chuks Ibegbu has called on the people of South Africa to stop the mindless killing of Nigerians in their country.

    The group expressed alarm at the rate Nigerians in that land are being felled by Xenophobics and wondered why South Africans have easily forgotten the role Nigerians played in their Independence.

    The deputy publicity secretary, Chuks Ibegbu in a statement said besside, several South African citizens and companies are doing their business unmolested in Nigeria.

    Ibegbu called on South African government to do something urgently about it .

    He also called on Nigerian government to engage its South African counterpart on this very serious matter. “No single South African has lost his or her life in Nigeria.”

    He called on elders of South African to teach their youths history of their country and the role of Nigeria in their independence struggle.

    He appealed to Nigeiran government to make life worthy of living here so that our men and women would not be dying like chicken in foreign lands.

    The Ohanaeze spokesman lambasted politicians for stealing our commonwealth and our legislators for alloting huge salaries to themselves without doing any commensurate work thus arrogating to themselves monies that would be used to develop our  country and make life better for our people.

    Ibegbu called for the  abrogation of security votes to political office holders and immunity clause covering them.

    Finally Ibegbu appealed to youths of South Africa to see all Africans as their brothers while calling on Nigerians and other Africans that commit crime in the country to stop it.

     

     

  • Mo Abudu is first African to win Medaille D’honneur award

    Nigerian TV Producer, and Media Entrepreneur, Mo Abudu, has made Nigeria proud as the first African to win the Medaille D’honneur award at the at Marché International des Programmes de Télévision (MIPTV).

    MIPTV, which takes place annually in Cannes, France is one of the most important trade shows for TV and media. This year’s edition runs from Monday, April 8 to Thursday, April 11, 2019.

    Mo, as she is fondly called, shared images of her receiving the award via Instagram.

    Captioning one of the picture in which she was with three other people, Mo, who has produced movies such as Fifty, Wedding Party 1&2, and others, wrote: “Most important of all, I had to Give God all the glory. Only HE makes all these incredible things possible in my life. Sharing the stage with 3 other incredible people honoured with this award tonight – US writer, showrunner and producer, Ilene Chaiken, chairperson of the Banijay Group in France, Stéphane Courbit, and UK managing director of Sky Vision, Jane Millichip.

    “Camille Bidermann, Executive Director of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, presented me with my award last night. Thank you so much Camille for your words of inspiration. Much love.

    “A major part of my acceptance speech was dedicated to the creative business leaders in the room and the need for a partnership between our respective continents, so that our stories can be told with authenticity and produced to the best international standards. If these stories are told from both our perspectives there is a captive audience on both sides of the Atlantic waiting to be entertained as never before and with creative business leaders adding significantly to their bottom line.”

    The MIPTV Médailles d’Honneur are awarded to those who have made a significant contribution to the world of television and the development of the international TV community through their talent and leadership.

    Mo, one of Africa’s top producers and multiple award winner, launched EbonyLife TV in 2013 and has since then produced over 1,000 hours of original programming each year.

  • Government should make primary health accessible – Tonto Dikeh

    Nollywood actress Tonto Dikeh has said government should make primary health accessible to every citizen.

    She said this on World Health Day which held on Sunday, April 7, 2019, with the theme ‘universal health coverage.’

    “This year, the World Health Day focuses on “universal health coverage” meaning that all people have access to the quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship. We believe this is possible and it starts with strong primary health care,” she said.

    Read also: Tonto Dikeh celebrates 4m Instagram followers

    “Primary health care is a whole-of-society approach to health and well-being centered on the needs and preferences of individuals, families and communities. To make health for all a reality, governments need to invest in quality, accessible primary health care. Health workers need to care and advocate for patients and educate them on how to get and stay healthy. Individuals and communities need to be empowered to take care of their own health individually such as exercising, washing of hands, healthy feeding, self-examination of breasts in females for lumps, brushing of teeth at least once a day, keeping a clean environment to prevent diseases, regular check-up etc.

    “Health is a human right. Together, we can make health for all a reality.”

  • Court remands suspected killer of police corporal

    A Senior Magistrates’ Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has ordered the remand in prison custody of 23-year-old Ndifreke Jonah, for alleged murder of a police corporal, and armed robbery.

    Ndifreke and others at large allegedly shot dead Cpl. Godknows Iworima at an hotel, before snatching N4,000 from another victim.

    A court document obtained by our reporters showed that the incident occurred on March 7, 2018 at Varlin Hotel, Rumueke Mgbuoba, Port Harcourt.

    Iworima was reportedly shot on the left side of his chest by Ndifreke’s gang, who were armed with guns, including a locally made revolver pistol. He died from the gunshot wound.

    Read also: Court orders service of processes on Magu over detention of lawyer, ex-Senator

    The accused was also alleged to have dispossessed Obinna Irondi of N4,000.

    The suspect was charged with a three-count charge of murder and armed robbery, but the charges were not read to him; hence he did not take any plea.

    Magistrate Sunday Abel said the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter and ordered that Ndifreke’s case file be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.

    He said the accused should be remanded in prison custody, and adjourned the case till May 2.