The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian news

  • NECO withholds Niger students’ results

    Students in public secondary schools in Niger state are currently unable to access their NECO May/June SSCE results as the examination body has withheld the results of the students due to debts owed by the government.

    The NECO May/June SSCE results were released on the 27th of August 2019.

    Students or public secondary schools that reached out to The Nation bemoaned their inability to access their results in order to attend post-utme screenings of the universities of their choice.

    The Niger state government has admitted that they are owning the examination body N470 million adding that they have paid N150 million.

    The Permanent Secretary of the Niger State Ministry of Education, Abubakar Aliyu who spoke to The Nation admitted that they are owning the examination body but appealed for consideration to enable the students to access their results especially those due for port utme screenings.

    “The state government has been paying NECO and WAEC for its students from the previous government and the arrangement has always been that when the government has funds, we pay installmentally.

    “NECO is owned N400 million this year and the government has commenced the payment. Last week Friday, we remitted N150 million to them and we are still negotiating with them to release the result but they have not. Hopefully, they may release it today (Monday).”

    Aliyu declared that the government does not have enough money to give to NECO at once assuring that they will pay whenever there are available funds.

    Read Also: NECO releases May/June 2019 exam results

    “For us, as a government, we do not have money to release at once but as a responsive government, we have a clear picture of what we want to do. Once we get money, we will make release them. Within the availability of resources, we have given what we have and we will continue to give them what we have until we clear the accumulated debts.”

    The Permanent Secretary, however, stated that if the result is not released before the end of Monday, they will look for ways of sourcing for money to pay the debts adding that one of the Directors in the Ministry is still in a meeting with NECO as at the time of interviewing him.

    The Information Officer, Mallam Azeez Sani could not be reached to state the stand of NECO as to why the examination body has not released the results of the students in the state.

  • ‘10,000 Nigerian girls forced into prostitution in Burkina Faso’

    The Nigerian Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Ramatu Ahmed says no fewer than 10,000 Nigerian girls are forced into prostitution in Burkina Faso.

    Ahmed disclosed this in an Interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) in Ouagadougou on Monday

    She said the victims of sex-trade were mainly underage girls kept in appalling conditions in Ouagadougou and in mining camps across the West African country.

    Ahmed who had been in Burkina Faso since August 2017, said that over 200 Nigerian girls had been voluntarily repatriated this year.

    According to the Ambassador, many of the girls who were promised jobs in the country and Europe by the human traffickers are not willing to return home.

    “The spate of human trafficking here in Burkina Faso is a big concern to the embassy because at present, we have nothing less than 10,00 Nigerian girls who have been trafficked into Burkina Faso as commercial sex workers and most of these girls are underage, most left school and are roaming about doing commercial sex work in Burkina Faso.

    “This apart from been a dent to our country, it is also a sort of concern as far as their health is concerned, This is very serious to us and most of the girls who wants to go back as a result this voluntary repatriation do it because they were tricked, they did not know the condition there are going to found themselves here.

    “For every Nigerian girl that escapes and wants to go back, there are more than 10 in the bush that are willing to carry on.

    Read Also: Ogun tops list of South African returnees

    She said the Embassy is partnering with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) office in Ouagadougou to assist in the voluntary repatriation of some of the victims of human trafficking.

    “200 girls have been repatriated to Nigeria by the embassy, this is apart from the ones that run to the churches, some to other Civil society Organisations(CSOs) and the International Organisations on Migration (IOM).

    In fact, the IOM is complaining to the embassy that most its money meant for West Africa is used to repatriate Nigerian girls back home and they are complaining that with time, they would not be able to cope with the number.

    “So if the embassy alone has repatriated 200 girls, you can imagine how many girls the IOM has repatriated and the reason they are complaining.

    Ahmed also appealed to Nigerian parents and guardians to monitor their children and wards more closely and not to be swayed by promises of greener pastures abroad.

    “I am pleading with Nigerian parents that they should know what their children are doing, most of the girls said that their parents don’t know what they are here and some will tell us that their parents know and some will say that they were sent by either their father, mother, Uncle.

    “This is a problem that emanates from the family, for the girls, I wish to tell them that anybody they see that comes to tell them that he is taking then to somewhere, either employed as hairdressers or work in the shop, these are human traffickers.

    Anybody that will tell them not work in Nigeria but to move outside is simply a human trafficker and they should be wary of such persons. she said

    It will be recalled that the U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIR) 2019, Burkina Faso is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking.

    NAN reports that the Director-General of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons (NAPTIP), Julie Okah Donlie while briefing the ECOWAS Parliament on the spate of trafficking in West Africa in December 2018 said that 500 girls were trafficked from Nigeria on daily basis.

    She added that a whopping 20,000 Nigerians girls were also discovered in Mali.

     

    NAN

  • Gunmen kidnap rescuers of Bayelsa accident victims in Rivers

    Gunmen at the weekend abducted four travelers, who rushed to an accident scene in Elele, Rivers State, to rescue the victims.

    It was learnt that victims of the accident were persons from Bayelsa State, who were returning from a traditional wedding in Mbaise, Imo State.

    They were reportedly traveling on a Toyota Sienna car when the vehicle crashed into another in a head on collision.

    A popular Ijaw youth and social media activist Prince Elayo Ekete and the driver of the Sienna car were said to have died on the spot.

    Other travelers from Bayelsa, who witnessed the accident were said to have rushed to the scene to rescue the victims, when kidnappers seized them and took them away.

    But another source said the kidnapped victims were abducted after they had successfully rushed other victims of the accident to a hospital.

    A source, who witnessed the incidents said the youth community in Bayelsa was thrown into mourning and wondered why the kidnappers worsened the situation in the state.

    The source, who spoke in confidence said: “The wedding was attended by most social media activists from Bayelsa across political party lines. Ekete and seven others were returning from the occasion and they got to Elele when their vehicle had a head-on collision.

    “Ekete and the driver died on the spot. But five others were rushed to a hospital in the area. But four of the rescuers were abducted by kidnappers.

    Read Also; Police arraign fake herbalist for allegedly cheating housewife of N13m

    “The kidnappers went to the accident scene, recovered personal effects of some of the victims and called one of the rescuers asking him to come to a particular place to collect them. When they got there, the gunmen seized them”.

    One of the injured victims of the accident, Dina Adiva, confirmed that some persons, who came to rescue them were kidnapped by unknown gunmen and prayed for their freedom.

    Adiva, who was said to be recuperating in an unknown hospital said: “I also pray for those that were kidnapped while trying to make arrangements to moves us from Madonna University, Elele to Yenagoa, that they come out unhurt.

    “This is a trying time for me and I know it will pass. I appreciate all your love and support, I’m yet to seat upright and walk, it will take me some time. Ebinebo Stample and others too are recuperating well”.

    In honour of Ekete, the social media activists in Bayelsa decided to suspend posting of all political materials on social media for 24 hours.

     

  • Buhari, South Africa special envoys meet in Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met behind closed doors with the special envoy from President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa.

    The three envoys arrived the forecourt of the Presidential Villa, Abuja around 2.13pm in company with Acting South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Bobby Monroe.

    The envoys are in Abuja over the increasing xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other Africans living in South Africa.

    Apart from many Nigerians losing their lives in the country due the attacks, the first batch of 189 Nigerians returned to Nigeria from South Africa last week Wednesday.

    Read Also: Zikist-Buharist movement greets Buhari

    Many more Nigerians are being expected back to the country on Tuesday.

    Due to the continued attacks, many Nigerians have been expecting the Nigerian government to take far reaching decisions over the matter.

    But to ward off diplomatic row over the matter, Ramaphosa had dispatched three special envoys to Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Senegal, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, to deliver messages of pan-African unity and solidarity.

    The envoys are expected to deliver messages on the violence that erupted in some parts of South Africa resulting in attacks on foreign nationals and destruction of properties.

    They are in Abuja to reassure President Buhari and Nigerians that South Africa is committed to the ideals of pan-African unity and solidarity.

    At the meeting, they are also expected to reaffirm South Africa’s commitment to the rule of law.

    They will also brief Buhari on the steps that the South African government is taking to bring a stop to the attacks as well as to hold the perpetrators to account.

    Xenophobia attacks in South Africa have been on the rise as foreigners were accused of taking up employment that should have been for locals.

    As a result of the attacks on Nigerians, President Buhari had a fortnight ago also sent a special envoy led by the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Abubakar Rufai, to Ramaphosa.

    Rufia had submitted his report to President Buhari on his return to Nigeria.

    The meeting of the South African special envoy with President Buhari was still in progress at the time of filing this report.

  • Alleged Misconduct: Kogi SSG testifies against deputy governor

    The Secretary to the (Kogi) State Government (SSG), Mrs. Folashade Ayoade-Arike, on Monday, entered the witness box to testify at the panel hearing investigating allegations of gross misconduct against the deputy governor of the state, Elder Simon Achuba.

    Others that testified at the panel sitting at the state High Court, Lokoja, included the Acting Director (Treasury), Office of the Accountant General, Mr. Elijah Ebinemi, who presented before the panel, evidence of alleged salaries/allowances payment, to the embattled deputy governor.

    The certified true copies of said payment was said to have covered between 2016 and 2017.

    Also testifying was Saliu Hassan Itopa, Cashier, Office of the Deputy Governor.

    The Chief Judge (CJ) of Kogi State, Justice Nasir Ajanah had on August 23, constituted a seven-man panel to investigate allegations of gross misconduct raised by the state House of Assembly against the Deputy Governor.

    Members of the panel are: Mr. John Baiyeshea (SAN) (Chairman), Hajia Bilikisu Abdulmalik Basher, Mr. William A. Aliwo, Canon Z. A. Asun, Alhaji Isa Adeboye, Mr. Muhammed A. Aikoye and Mr. Ada Shaibu. Mr. Bamidele Aina, while the Deputy Court Registrar (DCR), Special Duties at the High Court will serve as secretary to the panel.

    The SSG under cross examination by lead counsel to Achuba, Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), among others, alleged that the state deputy governor last attended the weekly state executive council meeting, in August 2018.

    She said that she was incompetent to issue query to the deputy governor, the latter being her boss.

    She stated that while it is not under the schedule of the Office of the SSG to pay the salary of the deputy governor, all workers of the state, including the deputy governor and his aides, have however been paid “up-to-date”.

    She said that her office is responsible for the payment of salary to political office holders.

    Under cross examination by Mr. Anthony Adeniyi, lead counsel to state government, Itopa, the cashier in the office of the deputy governor, explained that allowances and other monies, including impress are paid direct into the bank accounts of those concerned.

  • Appeal Court dismisses petition against Ondo PDP Senator

    The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, the Ondo state capital on Monday dismissed the petition of the United People’s Congress Party (UPCP) filed to nullify the victory of Senator Nicholas Tofowomo, representing the Senatorial District of Ondo South at the Senate.

    The UPCP filed an appeal having dissatisfied with the judgment of the Federal High Court in Akure, on July 5, 2019, which dismissed the application filed by the Candidate of Action Alliance (AA), Mr. Olatunji Felder.

    Felder prayed the court to nullify the victory of the Senator over the conduct of supplementary election of March 9, 2019 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC ) in Ondo South, on the ground that the electoral umpire did not write officially to inform necessary parties before embarking on the said rerun election.

    In a unanimous judgement delivered by the trio of Justices M.A Danjuma, R.M Abdullahi and P.A Mahmood, the Court of Appeal, dismissed the petition of the UPCP for lack of merit.

    Read Also: Ondo CP orders probe into alleged stabbing at Akure Night club

    The court also awarded the sum of N300,000 cost against UPCP.

    Two lawyers,A.A Ojopagogo and A .Kuku who were defence counsels to Tofowomo and INEC respectively, described the judgment as victory for democracy.

    Tofowomo had polled 79,036 to defeat his closest rival, the incumbent Senator, Yele Omogunwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 51,993, while Felder of the AA came third.

    The poll was however declared inconclusive because the victory margin was less than the total votes cancelled in 56 polling units of four councils estimated at 28,300 votes.which necessitated the supplementary election by INEC.

    After the supplementary election, INEC Returning Officer for the district, Prof. Kayode Onifade, declared Tofowomo winner with 81,892 votes against Omogunwa’s 55,610 and Felder with 27,150 votes.

  • UPDATED: Seun Onigbinde resigns amid social media backlash

    Following a public outcry over his appointment as a Technical Adviser to the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Co-founder of BudgIT, Oluseun Onigbinde on Monday announced his resignation.

    Onigbinde had prior to the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari tweeted that whoever plans to vote for Buhari in 2019 don’t love Nigeria.

    He wrote: “I will say this for the last time, if you plan to vote for Buhari or you encourage him for another term, you really don’t love Nigeria. You are either a closet ethnic jingoist or someone who worships mediocrity.”

    His acceptance to work under the same administration he tongue-lashed backfired as many on social media blasted and described him as a man without “integrity.”

    Onigbinde made his resignation announcement on his Medium Page, a link he shared on his official Twitter handle.

    He said the recent media reports about his appointment have created a complex narrative, which I believe would engender an atmosphere of mistrust, as I planned to proceed.

    “Upon further reflections on the furore that has been generated by my new role as the Technical Adviser to the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, I humbly resign the appointment.

    “I am very grateful to the Minister, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, for believing in my expertise and I also thank everyone who sent his or her congratulations to me in the short period. I have also been humbled by the faith and belief that numerous persons have expressed in me,” he wrote.

    Read Also: Mixed feelings as Budgit’s Onigbinde becomes Technical Adviser in Budget Ministry

    Onigbinde said his sincere interest is to see a Nigeria that grows and optimises resources for the benefits of all Nigerians, adding: “My loyalty to the good cause of our nation, Nigeria compelled me to accept the call to provide technical skills and this experience has more than strengthened it.

    “I also want to wish the Nigerian Government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, well. I will always be of help to the federal government in my capacity as the Director of BudgIT, a critical fiscal transparency group, as I have been to several agencies. I would also work to ensure that BudgIT continues to build civic awareness on the right of every Nigerian to know how public resources are managed. Thank you all.”

     

     

  • Makinde vs Adelabu: Security heightens as PDP, APC supporters besiege court

    The premises of the Iyaganku Magistrates’ Court, Ibadan, the seat of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, was jam- packed with heavy security personnel manning all the two major gates leading into the venue of the tribunal.

    Many lawyers in their flowing gowns and wings have seated in the Tribunal room as at 9am awaiting the three man tribunal to take their seats. As at 11am, the full session has begun, with the commencement of the reading of the judgment.

    Security agents were seen at every entrance to the premises, subjecting everybody wishing to enter the venue of the tribunal to thorough screening.

    Both uniformed and plain clothe security agents were spread all over the area, keeping watch, while security patrol vans were used as shield , preventing people from entering the court premises with vehicles.

    At times, the policemen would chase the surging crowd of supporters distance away from the major gates leading into the premises , while the supporters would shout, in abuse against the security men .

    The atmosphere had remained tensed, both outside and inside the courtroom, as the people anxiously awaited the outcome of the judgment.

    Also, in the tribunal room, were heads of scores of supporters of Governor Seyi Makinde of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), the respondent, and Oloye Adebayo Adelabu of the All Progressive Congress (APC), the petitioner.

    The crowd of supporters outside the tribunal, was overwhelming, with all the roads around the court complex almost rendered impassable to road users.

    The tribunal had fixed today for the judgment after adopting the written addresses of the parties to the petition.

    The electoral umpire, INEC which conducted the March 9 governorship election, had declared Engr Seyi Makinde of the PDP as winner, having scored 515,621 votes to defeat Adebayo Adelabu of the APC, who polled 357,982 votes.

    After studying the election results, and having been dissatisfied with the conduct of the poll, Adelabu filed a petition before the tribunal, alleging irregularities in the conduct of the election.

    In the petition, Adelabu listed INEC as the first respondent, while Makinde and the PDP are second and third respondents.

  • Ondo CP orders probe into alleged stabbing at Akure Night club

    Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Undie Adie has ordered a full-scale investigation into the alleged stabbing of nine persons by a policeman, Taiwo Orisadare at a night club in Akure.

    A statement by the command’s spokesman, Femi Joseph, a Superintendent of Police(SP), said the investigation became imperative because of the distortion of facts

    The command urged members of the public to disregard social media report on the matter, saying the story is a blatant concocted to deceive the reading public.

    The statement reads, “The attention of the Ondo State Police Command has been drawn to a story trending on the social media, captioned “Police sergeant stabs self, eight others with broken bottle in Ondo”.

    ” To set the record straight, there was a social gathering Organised by a friend to One of our policemen, Sergeant Taiwo Orishalade at a popular eatery in Akure to Celebrate the birthday of his girlfriend.

    “The police officer who was not on official duty and also not in uniform sat with some other invited guests at the party. At a point, some boys who apparently identified the Police Officer even though he was in Mufti, approached him to buy drinks for them.

    “The Policeman humbly told them that he was just invited by a friend to the party and besides, he did not have enough money on him to accede to their request.

    “The boys who were apparently drunk and appeared like miscreants, insisted that the officer must buy them drinks or leave the scene, or in the alternative be ready to be killed just like they did to his colleague inspector sometime ago.

    ” The officer pleaded with them to take things calmly, but in a twinkle of an eye, one of the boys slapped him why the other one took a bottle smashed it and stabbed the Sergeant with it. Naturally, he had to fight back which resulted into injuries to the three of them.

    ” The three persons involved in the incident with the policeman were taken to the hospital, treated and discharged.

    Joseph said that preliminary investigation revealed that only three people were involved in the incident as against nine reported.

    He said all efforts to invite the two boys involved to come and give statement to the Police have not yielded any positive result as they have bluntly refused to make themselves available at the Police station.

  • Adamawa director in trouble for alleged certificate forgery

    The Director of Administration in Adamawa State Health Management Board (ASHMB), Halilu Abba, has been taken before the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) allegedly for forging a Master’s degree certificate.

    Halilu is alleged to have tendered the document, issued by the Adamawa State University, Mubi, in 2013 to gain promotion into the office of Director of Administration in the Board, following which the ICPC, after a complaint to it, made its investigation and found that the degree was not validly issued to him.

    Investigations showed that he had actually been a student in the university but did not complete the Master’s programme.

    A document on the case indicates that he had instead sent a letter, on June 17, 2019, to the institution requesting to complete the programme.

    The matter was blown open by whistleblowers who, in a letter dated May 28, 2019, alerted the ICPC, which in turn wrote to the university on June 11, 2019, to verify the truth.

    The management of the university, in a letter signed by its registrar, Yahya J Bobboi, said the candidate who was of the Department of Public Administration of the Postgraduate School of the university, had MPA 7091 (Research Methodology) as outstanding carryover as of July, 2019.

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    “The statement of result issued on 4th September, 2013 was issued without the candidate completing the MPA programme,” the university said.

    The ICPC has evidently responded to the reply from the university by demanding the immediate prosecution of Halilu.

    And the ‘concerned citizens’ who blew the whistle against the embattled officer are said to have told Governor Ahmadu Fintiri through the Head of Service to act appropriately, especially against a history of forgeries in government circles, including a celebrated case, just before the exit of the last administration, of a secondary school leaver who, using someone else’s medical qualification, practiced for years as a doctor under the state government.

    Halilu Abba could not be reached for comment, as he repeatedly shifted requests for interview.