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  • Six division, Nigerian Army holds sanitation in Port Harcourt

    Six division, Nigerian Army holds sanitation in Port Harcourt

    The 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, on Tuesday conducted a sanitation exercise at Mile 3 Park, as part of Operation Crocodile Smile II in the Niger Delta.

    The  Army is conducting educational, medical and sanitation outreaches in areas where ‘Exercise Crocodile Smile II’ operation is going on.

    Col. Aminu Iliyasu, Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 6 Division, Port Harcourt, said that the clean-up  was a humanitarian exercise of the Army within its Areas of Responsibility ( AOR ).

    Iliyasu said the Army had always been involved in humanitarian activities as its contribution to the society as well as to build confidence among the populace.

    Mr Glory Nnokam, Deputy Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers ( NURTW ), Npkolu-Oroworukwo Motor Park, Mile 3, Port Harcourt, commended the Army’s gesture.

    “We are very surprised that they are here to clean the park for us, this is quite commendable.

    “You can see that people are not running because sanitation is good, and we are happy,” he said.

    Nnokam said that it was wrong for people to perceive the Nigerian Army as a wicked institution, adding that if the Army personnel were inhuman, they would not clean up the park.

    Chief Godwin Emenike, First Trustee, NURTW, Mile 3 Park, said that he was happy with what officers and men of the 6 Division had done.

    “You can see me, I’m sweating because when they came and said they were for sanitation, I started mobilising wheel barrows, shovels and brooms for them to work with.

    “They are really cleaning the place very well, I am very happy and wish they will do this again in the future,” Emenike said.

    He said that only criminals would run away when they saw the Army.

    “When they came, I went to them and asked why were they in the park and they said they wanted to clean our environment.

    “You can see the women helping them too, the Army is here for good,” he said.

    NAN

  • AEDC loses N500m to vandalism

    AEDC loses N500m to vandalism

    The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, said Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) lost over N500 million to activities of vandals in Abuja, Nasarawa, Kogi and Niger from January to date.

    Idris made this known while inaugurating the Anti-Electricity Vandalism Response Squad (AEVRS) on Tuesday in Abuja.

    He said that 233 cases of vandalism were recorded in the area during the period.

    He, however, said that over the years, the police did a lot to prevent vandals from destroying electricity installations across the country.

    “With the worsening state of the situation, it has become expedient to urgently develop an improved strategy to better protect the nation`s critical electricity infrastructure,” the police boss said.

    He added that the creation of AEVRS became necessary because the traditional methods deployed were not enough to adequately guarantee their safety.

    He explained that the unit was specifically dedicated to the protection of electrical installations among others.

    Idris said that to ensure that no part of the country was left out of the strategy, commissioners of police in all the states had been directed to liaise with electricity distribution companies in their states.

    He said that policemen deployed to the unit would undergo specialised training to update their skills.

    “In addition, the unit is subject to routine monitoring and evaluation to ensure they remain focused,“ he said.

    Earlier, the Managing Director of AEDC, Mr Ernest Mupwaya, had said that the company recorded 89 cases of vandalism in 2016, adding that the figure doubled in 2017.

    “Between January and September, 233 cases of vandalism have been reported within our franchise area,” he added.

    He also said that the company spent N195 million to replace vandalised items during the period.

    Mupwaya said that the implication of the “unfortunate situation is that money which ought to be used for acquiring new assets will be channelled to replacing vandalised equipment’’.

    He restated the company`s preparedness to ensure that all bottlenecks impeding supply of electricity to customers were removed.

    The Chairman, Board of Directors, AEDC, Mr Shehu Malami, said that the rising cases of vandalism of power equipment was a major threat to efficient electricity generation and distribution in the country.

    He said that the company was committed to work with all stakeholders to improve power supply to customers within its franchise areas.

    “I am also using this opportunity to call on members of the public to join hands with us in this partnership with the police to tackle this menace,“ he said.

    NAN

  • Kwara Assembly passes 2017 revised Appropriation Bill of N166bn

    Kwara Assembly passes 2017 revised Appropriation Bill of N166bn

    The Kwara House of Assembly on Tuesday passed a revised 2017 Appropriation Bill of N166.1 billion.

    The passage of the bill was in response to the request of Gov. AbdulFatah Ahmed in his message to the House early in October.

    The revised state Appropriation Bill was passed after the House had approved all the classes on the bill during the committee of whole, which lasted less than one hour.

    According to the bill, the revised capital expenditure expenditure is now N80.9 billion, while the recurrent expenditure is N77.6 billion.

    After the Clerk of the House, Alhaji Mohammed Katsina had read the bill for the third time, the Deputy Speaker, Mr Mathew Okedare, who presided over the plenary, directed him to produce a clean copy of the bill for the governor’s assent.

     The House had earlier approved over N160 billion as 2017 Kwara budget.

    In another development, the house called on the state’s Commissioner of Police, Lawan Ado, to critically look into complains about his officers and men over allegations of harassment.

    The house made the call after considering a matter of urgent public importance raised by Masud Bakare (APC, Omupo constituency).

    Bakare had alleged sexual harassment of a female along pipeline road in Ilorin by some Special Anti Robbery Squad ( SARS ) Officers under the command.

    NAN

  • Buhari felicitates with `Baba Ijebu’ at 82

    Buhari felicitates with `Baba Ijebu’ at 82

    President Muhammadu Buhari has felicitated with Ogun businessman Chief Kesington Adebutu as the philanthropist clocks 82 on Oct. 24.

    The President in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Tuesday, lauded Adebutu’s contributions to the growth of the economy.

    Buhari also lauded Adebutu for providing jobs to thousands of Nigerians, especially the youth.

    He praised the business acumen, hard work and determination that enabled Adebutu to rise from a humble beginning to sit atop a business empire currently.

    Buhari affirmed that Adebutu’s philanthropic programmes under the auspices of the Kesington Adebukunola Adebutu Foundation had made life more meaningful for less-privileged Nigerians.

    He described as “worthy of emulation” the donations made by Adebutu, especially to educational and religious organisations by the octogenarian, popularly called “Baba Ijebu”.

    According to Buhari, such contributions have endeared Adebutu to Nigerians from all parts of the country.

    The president prayed that God would grant Adebutu good health and longer life, to continue rendering selfless services to his fatherland and humanity.

    Adebutu is a recipient of several chieftaincy titles and honorary doctorate degrees from various institutions across the country.

    NAN

  • Niger warns against security threat

    Niger warns against security threat

    Niger Government on Tuesday, warned that it would take “swift and decisive enforcement’’ action against any form of security threat in the state.

    Mr Al-Amin Bmitosahi, Chief of Staff, Niger Government House, gave the warning in an interview in Minna on Tuesday.

    He said that the state government had taken proactive security measures to guarantee peaceful co-existence among the residents.

    “We have provided all that is required by our security personnel to deal decisively with any form of security threat,” he said

    Bmitosahi said traditional rulers and other stakeholders had been mobilised to report any suspected movement or bad elements in their locations to the nearest security agency for prompt action.

    ‘’We are not taking things for granted; government will continue to support and motivate security personnel deployed to flush out all the miscreants among us.’’

    He said that the state government would do everything possible to enable residents carry out their legitimate business.

    “We will pursue vigorously all bad elements in our midst for peace, progress and political stability in our state.”

    Bmitosahi said the state government had also directed the 25 local government chairmen to continue to support security agencies in their respective areas for optimal performance.

    He appealed to members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers ( NURTW ) to compliment effort of the state government by furnishing it with intelligence information about movement of dubious characters.

    “Members of the union should always alert security agencies on any person or group of passengers with questionable character.”

    Bmitosahi also called on residents to continue to support the policies and programmes of the present administration in the state, in its efforts to implement people-oriented policies and programmes.

    NAN

  • Ambode, Udom, Fayose seek more support for women

    Ambode, Udom, Fayose seek more support for women

    Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Tuesday called for deliberate and articulate policies to support female entrepreneurs in the country.

    Ambode made the call at the 17th National Women’s Conference organised by the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials ( COWLSO ) with theme “She creates, She Transforms: Creativity and Skill Acquisition.”

    He spoke as the first female mechanic in Nigeria, Mrs Sandra Aguebor, was presented with the inspirational woman of the year award at the conference.

    “With the female population in our country today, it is clear that our women have the capacity to positively affect the Nigerian economy and are already doing so.

    “Supporting women businesses should no longer be seen as a social support or empowerment, but as a necessary step to revive and improve the economy,” Ambode said.

    He said that so far, N2.1 billion had been disbursed to 6,613 women under the state’s Employment Trust Fund (ETF), which represented 42 per cent of the total loans disbursed.

    According to him, the target is to ensure that at least 60 per cent of the loans are given to women.

    He restated the commitment of his government to the course of women, encouraging more women to approach the ETF and take advantage of other initiatives to support their businesses.

    Also, Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom commended the committee for keeping the vision envisioned for over 17 years.

    Emmanuel condemned racial, tribal and gender inequality, saying that the country needed to open more doors for women.

    He encouraged women not to look at the limiting lines drawn by history or politics, but rather live their lives creating and transforming.

    In a goodwill message, Gov. Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State said that efforts must be made to constantly develop women.

    “A life without women will be full of crisis, it will be hopeless,” Fayose said.

    He advised men to stop seeing women as second fiddle.

    The Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa and Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo were also present at the event.

    NAN

  • UCH doctors solicit stakeholders to avert another strike

    UCH doctors solicit stakeholders to avert another strike

    Resident doctors in University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, on Tuesday urged stakeholders to compel the tertiary hospital management to pay their salary shortfalls as directed by the Federal Government.

    Dr Segun Olaopa, the President, Association of Resident Doctors (NARD),said that the association would continue further dialogue with the management on non-payment of the salary shortfalls.

    “We are weary of going on strike after the 10 days notice of strike issued to management lapsed on the Monday, Oct. 23.

    “We implore management to do the needful in order to avert another strike.

    “At the Congress held on the evening the notice lapsed. It was agreed that we should engage management in further dialogue till October salaries are paid to avoid loss of patients’ lives and to prove to the public that we are willing to show more restraint.

    “It has become imperative to draw the attention of the press and the public to the brewing issues in UCH. These issues if not addressed, may impact negatively on the existing industrial harmony at the hospital.

    “These issues include: non-payment of our September salary, 28 per cent shortfall in August salary, 2016 shortfalls of 11 months till date and work overload due to management’s refusal to employ new residents.

    “Presently, the number of residents stands at 525; this has reduced to 454, as some of them have completed their residency. By this October, 40 among us will also finish the residency.

    “The implication of this is that the remaining few residents are given work overload and this should not be; management should employ more residents to make the workload easy and to achieve maximum productivity.

    “Resident doctors’ accommodations need to be rehabilitated. The conditions of those flats are nothing to write home about.

    “The hospital has witnessed major burglary attacks recently and we are more concerned about the security of resident doctors’ quarters.

    “Further investigation by our association to press home our demand on security of our members and families, revealed that management still owes them salaries,” he said.

    The association on Friday, Oct. 13 gave the hospital management another 10-days strike notice to protest unpaid salaries.

    The 10-days strike notice expired on Monday Oct. 23.

    Part of the outcome of the dialogue, which led to the suspension of the strike, was that government would release money to pay the doctors’ backlog of salaries.

    The NARD claimed that the Federal Government had released the funds to clear the backlog salary arrears but UCH management was yet to pay these arrears.

    NAN

  • Court remands four ritual suspects

    Court remands four ritual suspects

    An Ota Magistrates’ Court in Ogun, on Tuesday ordered the remand of four men accused of ritual killing, in prison.

    The accused, Jeremiah Ademola, 32; Samuel Babatunde,77; Obaniyi Michael, 32 and Haruna Afolabi, 44, whose addresses are unknown are facing a three-count charge of unlawful possession of human parts, conspiracy and murder.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mrs B.B. Adebowale, ordered that the accused should be remanded in prison pending legal advice from the state’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on the matter.

    Adebowale adjourned the case until Oct. 25.

    Earlier, the Police Prosecutor, Cpl. Abdulkareem Mustapha, had told the court that the accused, with others still at large, conspired among themselves to kill two children for ritual.

    He said that the accused, after killing the children, buried parts of their bodies in a church in Ota.

    Mustapha told the court that the offences were committed on Aug. 13, 2017 at about 9.30 p.m. at Egan Road, Iyana-Iyesi, Ota.

    He said that the offences contravened Sections 210(f), 324 and 516(1) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ogun, 2006.

    NAN

  • Mugabe would have rejected WHO role, says spokesman

    Mugabe would have rejected WHO role, says spokesman

    Robert Mugabe would have rejected the role of WHO goodwill envoy had he been formally asked, his spokesman said on Tuesday, days after state media cheered the Zimbabwean president’s appointment.

    WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus named Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador on Wednesday at a conference in Uruguay that both men were attending.

    The appointment was rescinded on Sunday following a backlash from Western donors, rights groups and opposition parties.

    On Friday, the state-owned Herald celebrated the largely ceremonial appointment as a ‘New feather in President’s cap’, adding that Mugabe, 93, had accepted the role.

    His spokesman told the same newspaper on Tuesday that Zimbabwe’s sole leader since independence from Britain in 1980 had only heard about the appointment via the media.

    “Had anything been put to the President … (he) would have found such a request to be an awkward one,” Charamba was quoted as saying.

    “The WHO cannot take back what it never gave in the first place, and as far as he is concerned, all this hullabaloo over a non-appointment is in fact a non-event.”

    Charamba did not respond to calls seeking further comment.

    Mugabe’s critics were outraged by Tedros’ announcement, saying he was rewarding a man whose government had presided over the collapse of Zimbabwe’s health system.

    Charamba said the fact that Zimbabwe was a producer and exporter of tobacco, mostly to China, would have meant Mugabe campaigning against a crop that underpins the economy.

    Tobacco is Zimbabwe’s single largest foreign currency earner, bringing in an average $800 million annually in the last four years, according to official data.

    “To be seen to be playing goodwill ambassador in respect of an agency which has a well-defined stance on tobacco growing and tobacco selling, that would have been a contradiction,” Charamba said

    NAN

  • Police sanction 20 personnel for corruption

    Police sanction 20 personnel for corruption

    The Nigeria Police Force, says it has sanctioned 20 personnel involved in corruption between Jan. 2016 and Jun. 2017 in four states.

    A report obtained from the Public Complaints Rapid Response Unit indicated that those sanctioned served in Enugu, Abuja, Ogun and Lagos commands.

    It indicated that 10 policemen were dismissed during the period, one given severe reprimand, one demoted, and eight given other forms of punishment.

    The report showed that 4, 342 complaints were received by the unit during the period under review, out of which 3,602 were amicably resolved and 318 pending.

    It added that 422 complaints received by the unit were discovered to be false.

    Read also: Police to conduct autopsy on Kogi’s Soje

    According to the report, the 106 distress calls received by the unit during the period under review were not part of the complaints captured in the report.

    The unit was established in November 2015 to receive and resolve cases of professional misconduct brought against police personnel.

    NAN