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  • Fuel scarcity bites hard in Badagry town of Lagos State

    Fuel scarcity bites hard in Badagry town of Lagos State

    Some filling stations in Badagry town of Lagos State are selling petrol between N180 to N210 per litre, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    NAN correspondent, who went visited many petrol stations in the town, observed that they were under lock and key, however four stations were seen selling fuel on Tuesday.

    The same scenario played out at Seme Border area as most petrol stations were closed and the few were selling as high as N230 per litre.

    As a result of the scarcity, commercial vehicles in Badagry and Seme areas were not available for passengers and the few  available increased their fares by 100 per cent.

    A trip from Badagry to Seme, which usually costs N100, now goes for N200, while Topo to Agbalata Market that usually costs N100 now goes for N200.

    A motorist, Dayo Adekoya, lamented the situation and urged government to find a lasting solution to the problem of fuel  scarcity.

    “This recurrent scarcity should come to an end once and for all, because this situation is bad and worrisome.

    “The government should find a lasting solution to this particular issue because we can’t keep on going this way every time,’’ he said.

    Mr Joseph Ekundayo, a resident said that the current situation had brought hardship to his family.

    “You cannot imagine the suffering we have being going through because of the present situation.

    “There have been constant power failures coupled with no fuel to power our generator and the heat is unbearable.

    “Things must change in this country because we can’t keep on going like this,’’ he said.

    Another resident, Mrs Sarah Hungba, urged the officials of Department of Petroleum Resources to check the activities of filling stations in the area.

    “The officials need to come here and check the practices of fuel stations and seal them because most of them are just taking advantage of the situation,’’ she said.

    A petrol station manager at Ikoga area of Badagry, who pleaded anonymity, told NAN that he bought his fuel for N170 per litre at the depot.

    “I bought the fuel for N170 per litre at the depot, so it is ideal for me to sell at N200 per litre so I can make profit because that’s the essence of business,’’ he said.

    NAN

  • Chinese court sentences two men to life in prison

    Chinese court sentences two men to life in prison

    A Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court on Tuesday sentenced two businessmen Huang Dingfang and Cai Keyi to life in prison for their roles in a 15.6 billion yuan (2.4 billion dollars) pyramid scheme.

    The court said that Huang set up a firm called Longyan E-commerce Co., Ltd. in January 2015 and worked with another firm owned by Cai to swindle 200,000 investors of the 2.4 billion dollars.

    They promised annual returns of more than 250 per cent if investors became members by paying 4,000 yuan each and then bought tea and company shares.

    They set up a third firm to sell shares saying that the firm would go public in the U.S.

    Also Read: Wrongly executed man acquitted by court

    Ding Wenping, chief financial officer of Longyan E-commerce, and Sun Shijia, its president, were sentenced to 12 and 10 years in prison, respectively.

    Seventeen others were given sentences of up to nine years each after being found guilty of illegally absorbing public deposits.

    The court ordered the 21 defendants to return 5.7 billion yuan to more than 170,000 investors.

    (Xinhua/NAN)

  • Driver jailed six months for absconding with friend’s N184,000

    Driver jailed six months for absconding with friend’s N184,000

    A Mararaba Grade 1 Area Court, Aso Pada, on Tuesday sentenced a 40- year- old driver, Lawal Dauda, to six months imprisonment for absconding with his friend’s money.

    The Judge, Yusuf Yaqub, sentenced the convict, who lives in Ungwan Hausawa Karmo, FCT, after he pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of criminal breach of trust and cheating.

    Yaqub, however, gave the convict an option to pay N5,000 fine.

    He ordered that should the convict default, he would get additional one month imprisonment.

    He further ordered the convict to pay N184,000, being the amount owed the complainant.

    Earlier, the police prosecutor, Agabi Auta, had told the court that Sadiq Ginja of Shopping Centre, Mararaba, Nasarawa State, reported the matter at

    the Divisional Police Station, Mararaba, on January 4.

    Auta said that sometime in December 2017, the complainant entrusted Dauda with bags of rice and beans valued at N184,000 to sell for him.

    The prosecutor told the court that the complainant entered into an agreement with the convict that he would sell the grains and remit the money to the complainant.

    “After the accused sold the grains, he did not remit the money to the complainant, rather he absconded to an unknown destination until he was seen and arrested on January 4.

    Agabi said the offence contravened the provisions of Sections 312 and 322 of the Penal.

    NAN

  • Teachers’ strike will not stop education reform – Kaduna Govt.

    Teachers’ strike will not stop education reform – Kaduna Govt.

    Kaduna State Government on Tuesday said the ongoing strike by the Nigerian Union of Teachers ( NUT ) in the state would not stop its education reform.

    In a statement issued in Kaduna by Samuel Aruwan, Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to Gov. Nasiru El-Rufai, the state government said it would not allow unqualified teachers in its schools.

    He said the state government was determined to protect the future of the students as more than two million pupils were enrolled in public primary schools.

    Aruwan commended teachers who reported to work in spite of efforts by the NUT to unlawfully prevent them from working.

    He said the government had begun collation of reports from education administrators on teachers and reiterated that teachers who absented themselves from work would be sanctioned according to the law.

    “Appropriate reminder of the potency of these rules (laws) has been issued in previous government statements.

    “Across the state, the illegality of the NUT’s strike action is being compounded by physical attempts to frustrate those teachers who wish to work.

    “No law permits any worker to tamper with another’s right to work. The attention of the security agencies has been drawn to this dangerous pattern of conduct,” Aruwan said.

    Read also: Court stops El-Rufai from sacking Kaduna teachers

    He said the state government had concluded marking of scripts of 43,000 applicants who applied for teaching positions, disclosing that 25,000 qualified teachers would be employed.

    NAN

  • NAFDAC warns women against Drug abuse

    NAFDAC warns women against Drug abuse

    The National Food and Drugs Administration and Control ( NAFDAC ) has warned women against drug abuse.

    Mrs Roseline Ajayi, the Deputy Director and Kwara State Coordinator of NAFDAC gave the warnings while speaking with newsmen on Tuesday in Ilorin.

    According to her, the abuse of drugs is becoming prevalent among women.

    “I have heard the story that drug abuse is quite prevalent among ladies and I think it is about the environment where they live.”

    “In an environment where alcohol is consumed freely, where you have frustration, joblessness and pressure in the home-front, people tend to take solace in something and they go after doing something that will make them forget about their sorrow,’’ she said.

    The coordinator said that the agency discovered that soft drinks were being laced with drugs such as tramadol and codeine cough syrup before being taken.

    Also Read: Court to NAFDAC: Warn consumers against taking Fanta, Sprite with Vitamin C

    “Because of the stigma that women might face if they come out openly that they take drugs, they do it clandestinely by lacing soft drinks with hard drugs to prevent people from suspecting them,’’ he said.

    Ajayi said the agency had stepped up its awareness campaign against drug abuse and misuse through enlightenment on dangers and consequences of drugs abuse.

    According to her, the agency is ready to partner with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to effectively combat drug-related offences.

    She urged Nigerians to uphold family ties and values, adding that parents should watch and relate well with their children while giving them the needed support.

    Ajayi also spoke on the need for government to step up effort to stem the rate of unemployment so that the rate of drug
    abuse could reduce.

    “When youths are gainfully engaged, they will be busy; their minds will not go into illicit drugs consumption,’’ she said.

    NAN

  • 1 million farmers grow bio-fortified crops in Nigeria

    1 million farmers grow bio-fortified crops in Nigeria

    Dr Paul Ilona, the Country Manager of Harvestplus, an international agriculture organisation, says over one million small holder farmers grow bio-fortified food crops in Nigeria.

    Ilona disclosed this in Ibadan on Tuesday during an interview with newsmen

    He said that no fewer than six million people consumed more nutritious foods from bio-fortified crops in the country through the efforts of Harvestplus to address malnutrition.

    “Our On-farm yield increases from bio-fortified crops estimated at 20 per cent over local varieties, over 8,000 persons are estimated to be employed directly or indirectly by investors in the bio-fortified sector.

    “We trained over 200 extension agents now, and is continuously rolling out trainings on good agricultural practices and quality processing of bio-fortified products.

    “We were able to include bio-fortification into four key policy documents of the Ministries of Agriculture, Health, Budget and National Planning aimed at creating enabling environment for investors.

    “Also, bio-fortification was included in budgets of federal and four state governments; over 20 international and local NGOs are mainstreaming bio-fortification into their livelihood programmes,” he added.

    Ilona said that the inclusion of bio-fortified foods into the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP) of the government was one of its latest achievements.

    According to him, Harvestplus developed and released six varieties of vitamin A cassava in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture ( IITA ) and the National Root Crop Research Institute in Umudike.

    Ilona said that Harvestplus has also developed and released eight varieties of vitamin A maize in partnership with IITA and the Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State.

    Read also: Agriculture mechanisation a must, says expert

    The country manager said that his organisation released two varieties of orange sweet potato, rich in vitamin A, in partnership with the International Potato Centre (CIP).

    He said that Harvestplus  developed over 25 innovative vitamin A cassava and maize based food products, 10 of which were now fully commercialised.

    “Our current advocacy efforts are led by 15 advocates in the academia, 17 traditional rulers, 21 women leaders, 25 policy makers and 26 celebrities,” he said.

    Ilona described bio-fortification as a natural process different from food fortification.

    “Their concepts are similar, but their applications differ. In food fortification you introduce new essential nutrients into foods, but in bio-fortification, the plant produces its nutrient directly and naturally,” he said.

    Harvestplus improves nutrition and public health by developing and promoting bio-fortified food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals.

    It provides global leadership on bio-fortification evidence and technology; the staple crops are naturally bio-fortified and not genetically modified.

    NAN

  • Suspected drug traffickers kill NDLEA officer in Kano

    Suspected drug traffickers kill NDLEA officer in Kano

    The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA ), retired Col. Mustapha Abdullah, says one of its officers in Kano command has been killed by some suspected drug traffickers.

    Abdullah disclosed this on Friday in Kano when he addressed officers and men of the agency.

    He sympathised with them and the family of the victim.

    The chairman said that two other officers attacked by the suspects were receiving treatment.

    He described the attack as an attempt to discourage the agency in its efforts toward ensuring that the country is free from the activities of drug traffickers.

    “The officer that was killed, Mr Tanko Amfani  was in company of his colleagues while coming back from Rano Local Government Area on a mission to arrest some suspected drug traffickers.

    “But unfortunately, they were attacked at the early hours of Thursday,” he said.

    Abdullah said that only someone who is on hard drugs can carry out such attack on the officers.

    “It would not discourage us from discharging our responsibilities.

    “Therefore, I am calling on our officers not to relent in their efforts”, he said.

    According to Abdallah, the agency has in recent times lost three other officers at Okene, in Kogi State

    He commiserated with the families of the four officers who lost their lives in Kogi and Kano while serving the nation.

    Abdallah assured the personnel that the Federal Government was doing everything possible to equip the officers more and also ensure their welfare in order to boost their morale.

    He said that more personnel would soon be recruited by the agency to strengthen its manpower.

    In his remarks, the NDLEA Commander in Kano, Alhaji Hamza Umar said that the riffles used by the attackers were not locally-made but AK 47 guns which are not ordinary.

    He appealed to the general public to continue to give the agency all the necessary support in order to succeed in the fight against drug trafficking.

    NAN

  • Man in court for alleged sodomy

    Man in court for alleged sodomy

    A Grade 1 Area Court in Karu, Abuja, on Friday, granted a N100, 000 bail to an applicant, Mike Ugochukwu, 30, who is facing a case of alleged sodomy.

    The accused is facing trial for allegedly attempting to sexually abuse four male teenagers.

    The defendant, who resides at Kurudu, Abuja, is facing a one-count charge of attempting to commit sodomy, an offence, which contravenes Section 95 of the Penal Code.

    The Presiding Judge, Mr Aliyu Kagarko, admitted the defendant to the bail with a reasonable and reliable surety in like sum.

    He said the surety must reside within the jurisdiction of the court and submit his drivers’ licence or National Identity Card and passport photographs to the court clerk.

    The Prosecutor, Mr Mahmud Ismail’la, had informed the court that the neighbours of the defendant, Mrs Grace Monday and Ezekiel Shiga, reported the matter to Kurudu Police Station on December 29, 2017.

    He also said that the boys, whose ages are below 18 years, had reported the sexual advances made to them by the defendant to their parents.

    Ismail’la said the defendant had made several attempts to abuse the boys by luring any of them at various times and they had been warned against it by their parents in the past.

    The prosecutor said that the defendant had earlier admitted committing the offences during police investigations.

    After listening to the charge, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the matter was adjourned to January 31 for hearing.

    NAN

  • 42 ships laden with petroleum products, food items to arrive Lagos ports

    42 ships laden with petroleum products, food items to arrive Lagos ports

    Forty two ships laden with petroleum products, food items and other goods are expected to arrive Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports in Lagos from January 5 to Jan. 30.

    The Nigerian Ports Authority ( NPA ) stated this in its publication, `Shipping Position’, a copy of which was made available to NAN in Lagos on Friday.

    NPA said that the ships contained buck wheat, frozen fish, bulk gas, bulk fertiliser, aviation fuel, bulk sugar, diesel, petrol and containers laden with goods.

    The document indicated that six ships had arrived the ports, waiting to berth with bulk  fertiliser, containers, aviation fuel and petrol.

  • DPR seals four filling stations in Owo

    DPR seals four filling stations in Owo

    The Department of Petroleum Resources ( DPR ) says it has sealed four filling stations in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State for hoarding fuel and selling above pump price.

    The Controller of DPR in-charge of Ondo and Ekiti,  Mr Adewale Oseni, told newsmen on Friday in Owo that the operation was carried out late Thursday night and Friday morning.

    “We also auctioned the product to motorists before the stations were sealed off.

    “The operators of the stations still have to pay the imposed fine to deter them from selling above the pump price.

    “We hope it will send some lessons to erring marketers,” he said.

    Also Read: DPR, Oyo govt seal 10 filling stations in Ibadan

    Oseni said that the Federal Government would soon bring in more fuel to the state through the major marketers.

    NAN