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Tag: Nigerian news

  • Court adjourns Sule Lamido ’s trial until Nov. 15

    Court adjourns Sule Lamido ’s trial until Nov. 15

    Justice Babatunde Quadri of Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday adjourned trial of former Governor of Jigawa, Sule Lamido, until Nov. 15.

    Lamido is being prosecuted alongside his two sons, Aminu and Mustapha, and two others by  Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ) on 27-count charge bordering on abuse of office and money laundering.

    At the resumed hearing, counsel to the defendants, Kanu Agabi (SAN), informed the court of his appearance in the matter for the first time.

    Agabi said “I am coming here for the first time in this case and I am pleading with the court to give me time to familiarise with the case.

    “I know this is a court of justice and the court is interested in speedy trial but I am pleading for time to get to know about the case.”

    The senior advocate took over from Joe Agi (SAN), who was the defendants counsel.

    The prosecuting counsel, Chile Okoroma, who did not oppose the defence counsel’s plea, told the court that he had assembled his witnesses and they were ready to go on with the trial.

    He said he would not oppose the defendants’ right to adequate defence representation in the interest of justice.

    Consequently, Justice Quadri adjourned the matter until Nov. 15 and Nov. 16 for continuation of trial.

    It would be recalled that Justice Babatunde Quadri had on July 7 dismissed an application by the former governor requesting that the trial be returned to former trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola.

    Justice Ibrahim Auta, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, assigned the case to Justice Quadri when Justice Ademola went on suspension following corruption charge against him and his wife.

    But following judgment exonerating Ademola and wife, Agi requested that the Chief Judge
    return the case to him.

    NAN

  • Customs seize N30m contraband in Sokoto, Kebbi

    Customs seize N30m contraband in Sokoto, Kebbi

    The Federal Operation Unit ( FOU ) Zone `B’ of Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has seized second hand clothes, rice, cooking oil and vehicles worth N30 million in the last six months at borders across Sokoto and Kebbi states.

    The Federal Controller, Mr Usman Dakingari, told newsmen in Sokoto on Wednesday that the items were seized from April and the unit had strategies to address smuggling in all axis, including porous borders.

    Dakingari said smuggling of banned items remained customs challenge in the 11 states under the zone and urged border communities to assist customs with useful information as smuggling deprived Nigeria of economic progress.

    “The Federal Government intensifies efforts on reviving cotton, rice and soya beans cultivation to enhance indigenous textiles, rice and cooking oil processing factories.

    “The efforts will provide employment and general income to government to execute needed projects, but smuggling activities cripple the system’’ Dakingari said.

    He said that such smuggled products constituted health hazard, stressing that customs officers and men were being motivated to ensure that they lived up to expectation.

    The controller expressed the unit’s commitment to its primary duty of anti-smuggling in all forms.

    NAN

  • Bindow offers to broker peace between Fulani and farmers

    Bindow offers to broker peace between Fulani and farmers

    Adamawa governor Mohammadu Bindow has offered to broker peace between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in Plateau toward halting midnight attacks on rural communities in Miango.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that rural communities in Bassa Local Government of Plateau have come under heavy attacks that claimed several lives in the last three weeks.

    Among villages hit were Ncha, Taegbe and Ndizewron where 26, six and 29 persons were confirmed killed

    Bindow, who visited his Plateau counterpart, Simon Lalong, to commiserate with him over the attacks, described the violence as “unacceptable”, and pledged to work with the governor to end the bloodshed.

    “As a governor of a state that hosts the leader of the Fulani world wide, the Lamido of Adamawa, I am in a good position to intercede, if it is established that Fulani people are involved in the hostilities,” he said.

    Bindow said he was particularly saddened by the violence because he grew up in Plateau and was an ex-student of Government Secondary School, Miango where the attacks were being carried out.

    “I will lead my brother, the Governor of Plateau, to the Lamido, for discussions. I will plead with the Lamido to visit the area to speak with the people, if need be.

    “I don’t know where the Plateau problem came from, but we will join hands with you and do our best to ensure that the problem becomes a thing of the past,” he said.

    He condoled Lalong over the death of his younger brother, Wummen, who he described as “very hardworking”, and prayed God to grant the deceased eternal rest.

    In his response, Lalong appreciated Bindow for the show of affection, saying that the visit had strengthened the relationship between the two states.

    He regretted that violence was returning to Plateau after two years of uninterrupted peace.

    “For 15 years, violence was our lot, but that was replaced by two years of stability before the recent incidences,” he said.

    He said that government was already leveraging on the prevailing peace to bring development to the people before the devil interrupted.

    Lalong, however, said that the people of Plateau were determined to sustain the peace, and urged the residents to promptly report any suspicious persons or movement to the law enforcement agencies.

    NAN

  • UNICEF urges FG to increase funding of education sector

    UNICEF urges FG to increase funding of education sector

    Mr Eki George, UNICEF’s communication For Development Specialist in Kaduna State, has urged the Federal Government ( FG ) to increase funding of the education sector to solve the nation’s technological challenges.

    George made the made the call at the opening of a five-day National Social and Behavioural Change Communication ( SBCC ) Strategy, for Infant and Young Child Feeding ( IYCF ), 2016 to 2020 domestication workshop in Kacha, Kaduna state.

    According to him, any nation that fails to properly fund its education sector will not develop.

    “Education remains a crucial tool for technological advancement towards national socio-economic development.

    “Nigeria desires to develop technologically, but sadly the country is not making the needed investment in educating its population to be creative, inventive and innovative.

    “Today, many graduates in the country are not employable, because the educational institutions have not been able to properly educate the youths with requisite skills needed to move the country forward,” he said.

    George decried the seeming neglect of education at the basic, which he said was the fulcrum upon which the secondary and tertiary education relied upon to grow.

    He further noted that it was unfortunate that many primary school teachers in the country are deficient in academic qualification, saying there is need for training and re-training of teachers.

    “Poor service delivery at the basic level where students are poorly prepared at primary and secondary school levels for tertiary education is the root cause of challenges in our education system.

    “Now we have a situation where our children struggle to pass WAEC, struggle to graduate and struggle to get employedand even when they get a job, they are ill equipped for lack of requisite skills. “This is because the country has not given the needed attention to education at the basic level, which was responsible for weak foundation for tertiary education.

    “If Nigerian universities cannot adequately prepare their students to effectively address contemporary problems, how can they prepare them for challenges of the future?

    “We need a bottom-up approach; from the basic to the tertiary institutions to be able to address the rot in our education system.

    “The answer remains adequate funding so that we can give the best to our citizens,” he said.

    The workshop was organised by the National Orientation Agency ( NOA ) in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund ( UNICEF ).

    Earlier, UNICEF’s focal Person in Kaduna, Malam Lawal Haruna, explained that the objective of the workshop was to create a medium for relevant stakeholders on nutrition to appraise the national IYCF SBCC document.

    Haruna, added that the workshop would enable the stakeholders to set achievable goals as well as design effective strategy for IYCF SBCC, based on the peculiarities in the state for domestication.

    NAN

  • Herdsmen, farmers sign peace pact in Niger

    Herdsmen, farmers sign peace pact in Niger

    Herdsmen and farmers in Mashegu Local government Area of Niger have signed a peace agreement to stop clashes among them.

    Alhaji Abdullahi Babayo, Director-General of Nomadic Affairs Agency in the state, disclosed this in a statement issued in Minna on Wednesday.

    Babayo said the aim of the meeting was to reconcile communities that were affected by farmers/herdsmen crisis in the area.

    He said that the meeting was attended by Alhaji Bala Sai’du, Chairman, Mashegu Local Government, Alhaji Ardo Adamu, Chairman, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association in Niger, Fulani Herdsmen, Farmers, District Heads and community leaders from the area.

    According to him, the meeting was to promote peace among farmers and herdsmen and to appeal to them to desist from grazing on farmlands to avoid clashes with farmers.

    The director-general advised both parties to abide by the agreement and continue to respect the cultures of one another, tradition and means of livelihood.

    He urged them to be law abiding and live in peace irrespective of ethnic, religious and political affiliations.

    “Farmers and herdsmen should adopt alternative dispute resolution mechanism whenever there is a disagreement in order to avert the negative effects of crisis,’’ he said.

    Babayo also urged them to report any suspicious persons to the appropriate authority.

    He said this would enable the authority to interrogate the persons to know their mission in the state.

    He also advised both farmers and herdsmen against blocking cattle routes and destroying farmlands so as to sustain the peace in the area and guarantee food security.

    NAN

  • Man in court for seducing married woman

    Man in court for seducing married woman

    The Police on Wednesday arraigned one Ibrahim Bawa in a Minna Magistrates’ Court for allegedly seducing a married woman.

    Bawa is standing trial on a count charge of seducing a married woman, punishable under Section 389 of the Penal Code .

    The Prosecutor, Insp. Ahmed Saidu, told the court that one Alhaji Tanimu Salihu of Paikoro reported the case at the police station on Aug. 26.

    He alleged that Bawa was in the habit of inviting the complainant’s wife to his house at night on the pretext of giving her charms that would make her husband love her more.

    When the charge was read to the defendant, he pleaded not guilty.

    The Magistrate, Mr Mohammed Gabi, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N100, 000 and a surety in like sum.
    Gabi adjourned the case until Nov. 6 for further mention.

    NAN

  • Shell opens fast-charging service for electric vehicles

    Shell opens fast-charging service for electric vehicles

    Oil major Royal Dutch Shell has launched a fast-charging service for electric vehicles at three Shell service stations near London and in northern England, the company said on Wednesday.

    The service, which charges most electric vehicle batteries from zero to 80 per cent within half an hour, is the oil major’s first foray into fast-charging electric vehicles.

    The service is set to grow with consumers’ demand for cleaner cars.

    Shell will expand the service further in Britain, the Netherlands and Philippines.

    The launch comes a week after Shell announced the acquisition of NewMotion, one of Europe’s largest electric- vehicle charging networks.

    “Shell believes electric vehicles will form a material part of the transport network going forward,” Jane Lindsay-Green, Shell UK Future Fuels Manager, told reporters.

    Shell projects that a quarter of the world’s car fleet would be electric by 2040, although there are currently fewer than 100,000 electric vehicles on the roads.

    Morgan Stanley estimates that one million to three million public charging points may be needed in Western Europe by 2030 to meet rising demand.

    Oil companies are increasingly aware of the threat to parts of their downstream business from electric transport.

    Shell rival BP said in August it was in talks with electric vehicle makers about partnering to offer charging stations at its retail sites.

    Customers using Shell Recharge pay 49 pence per kilowatt-hour (kWh) after the end of a promotional 25 pence-per-kWh offer until the end of June 2018.

    They pay using a mobile payment app that is subscription-free. The service will be available at 10 British locations by the end of the year.

    Shell already offers electric-vehicle charging through a partner scheme in Norway, and earlier this year, opened a hydrogen refuelling station in Britain.

    “This is a new space for Shell. We need to be exploring different opportunities.

    “We are starting small and are going to learn quickly. Then we are going to move in 2018 based on what our customers want.

    NAN

  • NCPC introduces award in CRK to school pupils

    NCPC introduces award in CRK to school pupils

    The Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission ( NCPC ) has introduced awards in CRK for the junior secondary 3 and senior secondary 2 classes of Loyola Jesuit College, Gidan Mangoro, Karu-Karshi Road, Abuja.

    Mr John Akume, Special Assistant to NCPC Boss, Rev. Tor Uja Executive Secretary of NCPC, explained that the award would be based on merit.

    Akume noted that the award would create a desire in the students to go for Christian Pilgrimage next year and beyond.

    He thanked the management of the schools for providing the platform for the Commission to sensitise the students on Christian Pilgrimage.

    “We want you to know about Christian pilgrimage so that you can go to Israel, Greece and Rome.

    “We intend to give the award to the best deserving students in those classes in Christian Religious Knowledge ( CRK ),’’ Akume said.

    Earlier, Mrs Victoria Ojogbane, Legal Adviser, NCPC told the students that there was a new paradigm shift in the way pilgrimage was being run.

    Ojogbane enjoined the students to develop interest in embarking on pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

    She said that this could be possible if they were able to convince their parents of their desire to go on pilgrimage rather than going on holidays to Europe and America.

    In his remark, Mr. Sunny Udeh, Head of Mobilisation Department, NCPC, explained why pilgrimage was important to every Christian.

    Udeh further expatiated that pilgrimage would enable them to observe what was in Israel in terms of spiritual Biblical endowments.

    According to him, observation is key to advancement.

    “It will also help you to confirm that the stories in the Bible are true, not a figment of imagination”.

    He admonished them to have a desire to go to Israel.

    He further explained that pilgrimage would afford the students the opportunity to meet with other children from other nations and exchange ideas spiritually, economically, technologically and otherwise.

    Mr Udeh hinted that the Commission would work out the modalities with parents of the students and the school authority to come out with a template for the pilgrimage programme next year.

    He stressed that the Commission would continuously carry out its sensitisation drive to the schools.

    The NCPC’s sensitisation team included the Head of Media, Mr Celestine Toruka and the Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Office, Mrs. Evelyn Farry Okuobeya.

    NAN

  • Reps task FG on extreme poverty eradication

    Reps task FG on extreme poverty eradication

    The House of Representatives on Tuesday called for effective implementation of programmes aimed at tackling extreme poverty in the country.

    The call was sequel to a unanimous adoption of an Urgent Motion of National Importance move by Rep. Muhammed Wudil (Kano-APC) at plenary.

    Moving the motion earlier, Wudil said UN General Assembly passed a resolution which adopted Oct. 17 as International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

    He said the 25th anniversary of the resolution was a wake-up call for governments across the world to rise up to the challenges of providing basic necessities of life.

    “Efforts of the Federal Government to eradicate poverty in Nigeria through the 2017 budgetary provision for the Special Intervention Fund to cater for unemployed youths, women empowerment and job creation has not impacted positively on the country,’’ he said.

    According to him, UN report on Nigeria’s Common Country Analysis (CCA) published in 2016 described the country as one of the poorest.

    The lawmaker said the report showed that over 80 million Nigerians or 64 per cent of the country’s population lived below 1.9 dollars a day.

    In his contribution, Rep. Mohammed Monguno (Borno-APC) said the North-East was the least developed zone in the country and that poverty was endemic in the zone.

    He said the only way to eradicate poverty in the zone was by conscious investment in agriculture for job and wealth creation.

    Also, Rep. Hulayat Omidiran (Osun-APC) said the South-West was equally feeling the pains of hardship.

    Omidiran said that the poverty in the land was unusual as the people now begged for food without shame, a situation hitherto, was unheard off in the zone.

    She said lawmakers representing the zone were also feeling the pinch of extreme poverty in the area.

    She therefore urged the Executive to ensure that the various poverty alleviation programmes got to the right beneficiaries.

    Also speaking, Rep. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (Abia-PDP) said that in dealing with poverty, there was need to address the basic issues of infrastructure.

    She said government must fix the roads, hospitals, schools and other social amenities needed to raise the standard of living.

    Onyejeocha said that in a situation where government could not increase salary, cost of schools and hospitals could be subsidised to address extreme poverty.

    She said the house must insist on 100 per cent budget implementation, adding that 30 per cent implementation was not acceptable.

    In his contribution, Rep. Wale Raji (Lagos-APC) said a situation where less than 10 per cent of the nation’s populations control over 90 per cent of national resources was unacceptable.

    He said there was need to take a critical look at the managers of the economy with a view to ensure optimum performance.

    Raji called for upward review of minimum wage as a means to address extreme poverty in the country.

    The house urged government to promote the establishment of small and medium enterprises and to ensure the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ).

    NAN

  • Magu calls for bottom-up anti-corruption initiatives

    Magu calls for bottom-up anti-corruption initiatives

    Mr Ibrahim Magu, acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ), has called for anti-corruption initiatives at the grassroots level.

    Magu made the call on Tuesday while receiving an honorary award of excellence from a delegation of the National Association of Polytechnic Students ( NAPS ) which visited him in Abuja.

    He said in a statement by EFCC Spokesman, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, that there was need for education to be in the vanguard of teaching and awareness-creation on anti-corruption as a proactive measure to tackling the monster.

    The call came amid suggestions by anti-corruption campaigners that state and local governments are aloof in the ongoing anti-graft war.

    Mr Peter Adeyemi, Deputy President of Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC ), emphasised this point at an anti-corruption dialogue in Abuja in March.

    Adeyemi had said there was no evidence to show that the state and local governments were in support of the Federal Government’s war against graft.
    “If we are seriously fighting corruption as a nation, we must ensure that all strata of government keys in,” he said.

    “The invitation to curb corruption in Nigeria is open to everyone.

    “It is my desire for the Nigerian youth and indeed, everyone to partner with EFCC in this fight against corruption.

    “The celebration of corruption must stop as corruption is evil. We must join forces to combat this societal ill,” Magu said.

    The leader of the delegation, Jamilu Hassan of the Federal Polytechnic Bida, Niger State, said the award was in recognition of Magu’s outstanding contribution to the war against corruption.

    NAN