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Tag: Nigerian news

  • Teacher ‘rapes’, ‘impregnates’ 12-year-old pupil

    A 37-year-old teacher at Gurel Primary School, Namtari, a community in Yola South Local Government Area of Adamawa State, has allegedly raped his 12-year-old pupil.

    Our correspondent gathered that the girl has been confirmed pregnant by a referral centre where she was admitted for care.

    Read Also: Suspected hoodlums rape 16-yr-old girl to death

    Bashir Tahir, a member of the Adamawa Hope Centre located at the state Specialist Hospital in Yola, where the girl was rushed to, confirmed yesterday that the girl had been impregnated, following the alleged rape by her class teacher, Nathan Yusuf.

    “She has received support and undergone medical tests. So far she is free from sexually transmitted diseases. But she will start receiving anti-natal care next week at the Hope Centre,” Bashir said.

    The Adamawa State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), headed by Abdullahi Nuruddeen, which apprehended the teacher, said he would be prosecuted after investigation.

  • ‘How hoodlums robbed motorists, commuters’

    Miscreants on Tuesday night robbed motorists and passengers on the Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lagos, dispossessing them of their phones and money.

    The criminals, who took advantage of the traffic jam caused by the anti-xenophobic protests at the Circle Mall, smashed vehicles’ windscreens, assaulted and robbed victims.

    The Nation learnt that they started robbing people around 8pm from Salem bus stop at Lekki and moved towards Jakande Estate.

    The robbers, witnesses said, capitalised on the traffic that stretched from Law School bus stop to Victoria Garden City (VGC), Ajah, caused by bonfires ignited by youths, who had stormed Shoprite in an attempt to torch it.

    Read Also: Robbers attack The Nation driver near soldiers’ checkpoint

    Other factors such as a burning Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), belonging to a Lebanese and the commotion that followed the attack on the mall were said to have contributed to the gridlock that night.

    A commuter, whose phone was snatched by the hoodlums, said it took the intervention of the Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) at Lekki, Idris Balogun and Secretary of the motorcyclists’ union, Muritala Abdul-Kareem, to restore sanity.

    He said: “They attacked my bus and took our phones and money. They were just moving from one vehicle to the other. Fortunately, someone who knew those union leaders contacted them and they sent their members to the scene.

    “Three of the robbers were apprehended and handed over to the police. They retrieved the stolen items from the three of them and asked us to come to their office to identify our belongings.”

    Our reporter gathered that the police were still trailing others who fled, in order to recover the items they stole.

  • Fake varsity worker ‘defrauds’ USA Internal Revenue office of $770,000

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday arraigned Idris Akande at an Ikeja Special Offences Court, Lagos, for allegedly defrauding the United States Internal Revenue Service of USD 770,000.00.

    Akande is facing a three- count charge of conspiracy and fraud brought against him by the EFCC before Justice Owolabi Dabiri.

    EFCC prosecutor M. K. Hussain told the court that Akande and Gbadebo Adebiyi, still at large, committed the offence sometime between 2013 and 2018 within the Lagos judicial jurisdiction.

    Hussain said Akande fraudulently obtained $ 770,000.00 from the United States Internal Revenue Service by falsely misrepresenting himself to be an official of Bradley University, Illinois, USA.

    He alleged that the defendant demanded tax refunds to be paid into Green Dot accounts fraudulently created by him.

    Read Also: Four men ‘defrauds’ Jumia Int’l of N14.9m

    The defendant was said to have also used his personal identification information to illegally access the university’s data base, which representations he knew to be false.

    Akande was accused of retaining in his control, the aggregate sum of $40,000, being proceeds of criminal conduct perpetrated against the United States Internal Revenue Service as at the time of his arrest.

    Responding to the charge, defence counsel Mr. A. Anaka prayed the court to remand the defendant in the EFCC custody and asked for a short adjournment to prepare his bail application and defence.

    He argued that the defendant is a first time offender and has not been in prison before.

    EFCC counsel Hussain told the court that he is under a strict caution not to allow the defendant to be remanded in EFCC custody and prayed for a trial date.

    Justice Dabiri, after taking submissions of the parties, remanded the defendant in EFCC custody and adjourned the case till September 16 for hearing of bail application.

  • Ponnle hands over to Oladapo

    Former Registrar/CEO of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM) Ajibola Ponnle, has handed over to Dr. Olayiwola Oladapo as Acting Registrar of the institute.

    Ponnle is now the Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions.

    Read Also: NDDC gets acting MD, calls on Niger Deltans to work together

    Oladapo, who was the institute’s Director, Strategy, Advocacy and Stakeholder Relations, comes with high recommendation, having over 20 years of professional experience spanning the public and private sectors.

    He is a Strategy, Human and Organisational Development, Policy Management Professional, Transformational thought leader and international speaker who holds a Master’s degree in Research and Public Policy (MRPP) from the University of Lagos.

  • Diri competent to succeed Dickson, says PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State has described Senator Douye Diri as the only candidate with the capacity and competence to succeed Governor Seriake Dickson.

    The party, while congratulating Diri on his victory, described him as a committed public official with years of exemplary service to the development of Bayelsa, Ijaw nation and the country.

    A statement by the party’s secretary, Godspower Keku, said the party was happy with Diri as its flagbearer, noting that Bayelsa needed a leader with vast experience in public service.

    He explained that Diri had been a commissioner, a principal executive secretary to the governor, a member of the House of Representatives, and sitting senator.

    Read Also: Battle for running mate begins in Bayelsa PDP

    Keku praised the other 20 aspirants for their maturity and respect for the party’s interest.

    He urged the aspirants to support Diri, stressing that the primaries could only produce one candidate.

    The secretary, however,  described APC’s candidate David Lyon as a pipeline security surveillance contractor.

    He said Lyon lacked the requisite credentials, experience and pedigree to become Bayelsa governor.

    A governorship aspirant, Joshua Macaiver, has resigned his membership of the party.

    Macaiver, an ex-militant leader from Southern Ijaw council, sent his letter to chairmen of Olodiama wards and Constituency 4. He got seven of the 1,244 votes.

    Although the ex-militant leader cited personal reasons for withdrawing his PDP membership, sources said Macaiver took the action to support his kinsman and APC candidate Lyon.

    The source said Macaiver had picked the membership card of APC and would soon be unveiled as a member.

    Macaiver’s letter reads: “I, Great Joshua Macaiver, a card-carrying member and … aspirant in the… primaries in Bayelsa, wish to express my intention to withdraw from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    “The reason for this withdrawal …is strictly personal. I am grateful to the party for giving me a platform to be a very active member in its development at the ward level and state in general.”

  • ‘APC primaries mockery of democracy’

    A governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Preye Aganaba, has rejected the primaries,  describing it as a mockery of the democratic process.

    Aganaba, who also referred to the primaries as a political hoax and lacking any semblance of credibility, alleged that the results were written in a hotel in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    He said: “The process leading to the direct primaries was rife with irregularities and has set a bad precedent for a party that prides itself as a progressive, and which should lead by example.

    “Preye Aganaba did not partake in the September 4 governorship primary because there was no election. The degrading votes allotted to him are a complete fabrication, and designed to ridicule him and his supporters.”

    The aspirant recalled that during a stakeholders’ meeting with the Returning Officer and Chairman of the election committee, Mai-Mala Buni, Yobe State governor, few issues were raised by the aspirants to ensure a credible process.

    Read Also: PDP will retain power in Bayelsa, Diri assures

    He said the stakeholders agreed that names of Returning officers should be published at ward levels; result sheets be made available in the local governments, and that tags should be provided for the eight council agents and 105 ward agents.

    Aganaba said although the committee chairman and secretary accepted the demands, they failed to honour them at the election.

    “The Returning Officer, Mai-Mala Buni was not present during the primary election, having travelled back to Abuja same night after the meeting, never to return. In the morning, the secretary disappeared and his phones switched off, thus thwarting any effort by the aspirants to address these discrepancies.

    “The above actions clearly cast a huge doubt on the neutrality of members of the election committee and its commitment towards conducting a credible election …

    “One wonders how a Returning officer and chairman of a governorship primary election committee can endorse a process he never witnessed, and since when can a Collation officer substitute the powers of the chairman  of a governorship primaries committee and declare a winner?

    “It is shocking and impossible to believe the election results can be announced from a hotel without evidence of elections having held; a simple process which is validated by the presence of results sheets signed by ward Returning officers as well as agents to the aspirants.

    ‘’This desperation is inimical to the doctrines of APC. The party is being inexorably drawn towards an absolutism system, where complete power is held by one man who has no qualms to claiming rights over virtually everything.

    “This political fraud perpetrated in the name of direct primaries is a vindication of my assertion at the September 3 stakeholders meeting, about the path the party is being driven by some politicians.”

    Aganaba urged the National Working Committee (NWC) to reject the primaries, which he described as a political scam that has the propensity of tainting the party’s image.

  • NECA: regulators stifling OPS growth

    The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has accused regulatory bodies of constituting a clog in the wheel of progress of the Organised Private Sector (OPS).

    The association, during a visit to  Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja,  lamented that the regulators were working at cross purposes.

    The association warned that except the vision behind the Ease of Doing Business was allowed to work, they might be forced to go to court to seek redress, because of the non-accessibility of some of the chief executives of some regulatory bodies, who put spanners in the work.

    NECA Director-General Timothy Olawale said the meeting focused on NECA’s concerns on issues of competitiveness of business and sustainability in Nigeria.

    “There are several of them, but key among them, are the issue of regulatory bodies that are working at cross purpose.

    “The Ease of doing Business that is being championed by the Office of the Vice President and Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC). What we are saying is that we may not have access to Office of the Vice President every now and then to escalate issues for his attention.

    “While also we do not want to be running to the court to seek relief because of the issue of non-accessibility of some of the chief executives of some regulatory bodies, we want a situation where there is a clearing desk in the Office of the Vice President, where we can escalate these issues and they can be resolved amicably, in the interest of national development and national economy.

    “As a matter of fact, many businesses have been made, but what we are saying is that it is not all regulatory bodies of government that are on the same page with government on the desirables,’’ he said.

    He added that there were instances where some of the regulatory bodies shut businesses without recourse to dialogue and instances where there were infractions or interventions from the agencies of government outside their enabling Act.

    Olawale maintained that the rule of law must be respected.

    “Even when you have cases in court and there are restraining orders, we have instances where some of the regulatory bodies go against such orders and still go ahead to disrupt businesses.

    “The Vice President has said it is something that is doable. The setting up of a clearing desk where these issues can be escalated because he is very desirous of working closely with the private sector and all these issues are issues that can be taken on board,” Olawale said.

    On minimum wage, he urged the government and labour unions to adopt the principle of give and take as it was very important. He said there was need to arrive at a win-win situation.

    He warned that if the negotiation dragged on for too long, it may lead to workers going on strike, an action which he warned that the economy cannot afford.

    He said: “The economy cannot afford another round of strike. Right now, the economy is fragile, even oils is having problem and anything that will destabilise the economy will take us back to recession.”

  • Edo Assembly crisis will be resolved, says Deputy Speaker

    Former Edo State Water Resources and Energy Commissioner and Deputy Speaker of House of Assembly Yekini Idaiye spoke with Correspondent OSAGIE OTABOR on effortS to reconcile the aggrieved lawmakers.

    How is the House of Assembly coping with the crisis?

    By His grace, we are doing fine with the support of Governor Obaseki. Everything has been moving well.

    What should your constituency expect from you?

    I am wearing a very big shoe. I took over from the former Speaker. I know God will see me through. In the past, nothing has been happening in Akoko-Edo especially my constituency 1. I have 11 communities without roads. There are no major road projects in my constituency.

    There is Somorika, Imogan, Ugboshielg and many like that. I have been talking and appealing to Obaseki. He is giving me hope that something will be done. I can assure my constituents that something good is coming our way.

    What does the crisis portends for the APC in Edo?

    The tongue and teeth quarrel, but it is the ability to manage it that speaks volumes. There is no crisis in Edo State APC. What is happening is a family affair. At the appropriate time, we will settle and things will move on. If you are talking about our brothers (members-elect) that are not here, we will settle.

    There is no opposition party here. We are all APC members. You see what happened during the sallah celebration when Obaseki paid a surprise visit to Oshiomhole. There is no crisis in Edo. It is about one family and something positive will come out of it. Edo State is APC and APC is Edo.

    There are rumours that some of you planned defection, if Obaseki was not given second term ticket.

    I am not aware of any planned defection. There is strength in unity. I am a party man. The kind of leaders we have will come together at the appropriate time. This is a house jointly built by all the leaders, led by Oshiomhole. I know Oshiomhole will not allow the house he suffered to build collapse and by His Grace, it will not collapse.

    Obaseki will soon be marking three years in office. Do you think he has done enough?

    In terms of human development, he has done well. In infrastructural development, he has done well. Look at the Civil Service, reforms in the primary schools, the judiciary and tertiary institutions. In Ekpoma, the state university, there has been uninterrupted academic calendar. Across all sectors, the governor has done well. Obaseki has been paying salaries and attending to needs of workers. He has performed above expectations.

    Some party members said they are not supporting him because he is giving contract to outsiders and not patronising them…

    I condemn such statement. The people making such statements have not been doing well. Before becoming a politician, you must have a second address. You should have something doing. Those saying Obaseki is not taking care of them have no other things doing. The ones they were given before, what did they do with it? Were they able to set up businesses? They squandered what they made before. That is why some of us looked down on the so called leaders because they are not economically viable. When they had the opportunity, they misused it. I have worked in the bank for many years before joining politics.

    Most politicians engage in misplaced priorities. Many of those complaining now are old politicians. In those days when they were making money from all sources, they did not utilise the money well. Many of them had made money from previous administrations. They did not invest, but were building big mansions they can no longer maintain. I am advising them to have a second address. Can Obaseki share money to all Edo people? I feel sad when I hear that somebody has not been patronising politicians. If Obaseki is sharing money will he be able to pay salaries? Will he be able to do infrastructure? Politicians do not need to do what they cannot sustain economically when they are in power.

    What steps are you taking to boost tourism potentials of Somorika and other places in your constituency?

    Somorika is a tourist centre. If you get there, you will be amazed. We are talking to our people abroad. The reason we cannot talk about tourism sector in Somorika is because there is on access road to the place. You can only get there with motorcycle orva big car. Any small car would be finished before getting to Somorika. With the promise of Obaseki, I know the road problem will be a thing of the past in the area.

    If there is no access road, how do the people get quality heath care?

    We have a functioning health centre with nurses and others. We have water and electricity. The major problem is the road and that is why the place is not developing.

    The PDP has said it would stage a come back to power in the state.

    PDP is a dead party in Edo. They can never come back to power in Edo again. Is it because they were able to make serious in road during the presidential election? It is a dead party. I do not see the PDP coming to power in Edo again.

    Will it not happen, if there was sabotage on the part of APC members?

    With what is happening now, the Edo APC will come together as one. By the time we come together, we will be more stronger. In the next election, you will see how many votes we will bring out.

    Are you talking to other members-elect yet to be inaugurated?

    We are talking. We are not quarrelling. The only challenge is political differences which will not translate to enmity. There can be more aspirant but I know with the grass root support, there is not going to be problem about the Obaseki’s second term.

    The National Chairman and others suffered to build this party and I don’t think anybody will allow the house to be destroyed. Oshiomhole is from Edo North and the leader of the party in Edo. He is like a father to me. I have nothing against him. He is our father. Our loyalty is for him. There is no division among the lawmakers over Oshiomhole. Our loyalty is to him. The most important is to win next year’s election.

  • Enugu hospital gets latest MRI machine

    Amidst deteriorating health conditions of Nigerians, the Federal Government has been called upon to make the national health insurance scheme accessible to all Nigerians without hindrances.

    Inaugurating a world-class Signa Explorer 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) diagnostic machine, the Chief Medical Director of Memfys Hospital, Enugu, Prof. Sam Ohaegbulam, said his plea had become necessary as the poverty situation in the country had made it difficult for most Nigerians to pay for their medical treatment.

    Ohaegbulam stated that the hospital which also marked its 17th anniversary, invested on the 16 channels model, the highest grade in the country which global experts had confirmed would be capable of performing the advanced protocols they needed for accurate diagnosis.

    According to the renowned neurosurgeon, “this 1.5T MRI will now help us to introduce sequences and protocols that were hitherto impossible, resulting in improved image quality, faster scanning and yet more patient comfort, it will tremendously expand the scope of service with even the capability for whole body screening for cancer without exposing the patient to radiation”.

    While re-affirming the commitment of the management to the growth of tertiary education in the country, the medical director noted that the new machine would also facilitate the training, research and advanced medical care, adding that without any external financial support, Memfys hospital had contributed wholly or partially to the training of 25 of the 80 neurosurgeons in Nigeria, a feat only exceeded by the University College Hospital, (UCH), Ibadan.

    Ohaegbulam expressed joy with the progress recorded by the hospital so far, stressing that as the only private institution in West Africa that has full accreditation for Neurosurgical training by both the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, NPMCN and the West Africa College of Surgeons (WACS), “the sky would only be our starting point”. The medical surgeon also praised the GE Healthcare led by Mr. Kelechi Ekeledo for persevering and delivering the machine on time despite several challenges.

    He further disclosed that as part of its social responsibility and to give back to society, the hospital under its SHEPPAD project, holds free medical consultations every last Thursday of the month, adding that participants of the medical outreach benefit from discounted head CT scans if required.

    Apart from offering neurosurgery residency training for medical doctors from different parts of the country, Memfys hospital provides services in Neurosurgery, Neurology, Paediatrics and Radiology.

    The chairman of the occasion, Prof. Shekarau Abubakar Aku, said the acquisition of the Signa Explorer MRI model by Memfys Hospital, Enugu, was a big boost to healthcare in the country and commended the founder, Prof. Sam Ohaegbulam, for the great feat despite the bad economic climate.

    Aku who is the chairman, governing board, Nigeria National Merit Award, Abuja, described the 17th anniversary of Memfys hospital as a celebration of excellence.

    Also speaking, the chairman, Nigeria Medical Association, Enugu State, Dr. Ike Okwesili, explained that the new 1.5T MRI machine would facilitate healthcare delivery in the country, stressing that with the facilities available, Memfys Hospital had now emerged as the leading centre for radiology and medical imaging in Nigeria.

    The historic event was attended by the cream of the medical profession and the clergy, prominent among them were the CMD National Orthopaedic Hospital Enugu, Dr. Cajethan Nwadinigwe; CMD Mother of Christ Specialist hospital Enugu, Rev. Sister Dr. Ezechukwu Pascalina; Dr. Mike Ezenyirioha of Julius Memorial Hospital Enugu; Prof. Moses Mgbo of Hansa clinic; and CMD Enugu State University of Science and Technology Teaching Hospital Parklane, Prof H. Onah, among others.

  • Kits for 100 pupils in Delta community 

    Indigent parents and pupils in Onicha Ugbo, a Delta State community on Saturday received school kits and other education materials which were donated by a non-profit group Anioma Youth Network for Development (AYND).

    The group, which was founded by Odita Sunday, a journalist, has, since 2017, embarked on Back-to-School projects where items such as school bags, books, uniforms and other stationery are provided to indigent and orphaned children to boost their drive for education.

    Funded by savings from the Odita’s monthly income and goodwill from some of his trusted friends, he, at this year’s event held at Amed Hotel Event Centre, Onicha Ugbo said the project was dear to his heart because it was a dream he nursed since he was a child.

    According to him, one does not have to be a millionaire to lend a hand of care to the needy, adding that giving to the less privileged people must be done with a determined heart.

    “A total of 112 pupils of primary and secondary schools that are within the bracket of the less privileged people bracket benefited from the AYND back-to-school initiative in 2017. They received school bags, mathematical sets, note books, literature in English books and other learning materials.

    “Last year, 111 beneficiaries similarly received school materials as the new academic session was about to begin. Two widows also received N25,000.

    “This time around, no fewer than 100 students and pupils from Onicha Ugbo, Issele-Uku, Ubulu-Uku, Obior, Asaba, Igbodo communities shared in the school materials made available.

    “The programme was strategically planned to take place at a time when primary and secondary schools in the country would be resuming for a new academic session. It is a period parents are usually under pressure to pay school fees and buy all the necessary materials for their children and wards.

    “It is our little way of demonstrating our passion and commitment to humanity. I am not driven by any political intentions or monetary gains but rather by the passion to be my brother’s and sister’s keeper through this onerous task of trying to lend a helping hand to our less privileged ones,” he said.

    Speaking at the event, the monarch of Onicha Ugbo His Royal Majesty (HRM) Agbogidi Victor Chukwumalieze recalled how difficult it was for less privileged children of his generation to access western education due to poverty and lack of help.

    He explained that less privileged children in contemporary times were luckier than his generation as kind-hearted people such as the AYND founder were ready to render some helping hands which was not the case in his days.

    He advised the children to leverage on the opportunity offered them and shun vices that were ravaging the country.