The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian news

  • Suspected kidnapper of lawmaker feared killed

    A suspected kidnapper believed to have taken part in the abduction of the lawmaker representing Zaria City Constituency in the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Abdullahi Ibrahim Dabo, has been feared killed.

    The Nation gathered that the suspect was feared killed during a gun duel with the police on a routine patrol of the Kaduna-Zaria expressway on Sunday.

    Although police spokesman Yakubu Sabo is yet to react to the development, a security source said the suspect alongside four other gang members were engaged in a gun battle with the police while trying to block the highway.

    Read Also: Police confirm abduction of Sokoto lawmaker

    A source said: “About five suspected kidnappers were involved in the blocking of the road before their encounter with the police.

    “One of them was killed in the process, while the other four escaped into the bush.”

    He said a locally-made rifle was recovered from the suspects.

    The Nation learnt that the kidnappers were the hoodlums who abducted the Kaduna State House Assembly member last Friday.

  • Court remands farmer for alleged banditry

    A Magistrates’ in Makurdi, Benue State, at the weekend ordered that a 27-year -old farmer, Nsonga Akujov, charged with alleged banditry and illegal possession of firearms, be remanded in prison pending legal advice.

    Magistrate  Ajuma Igama did not take Akujov’s plea for want of jurisdiction.

    Igama ordered the police to send the case file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.

    She adjourned the case till September 26 for further mention.

    Read Also: Court remands two friends in prison for beating up night crawlers

    Prosecuting Sergeant Ato Godwin told the court that the suspect was arrested by troops of  the “Operation MESA “deployed in Ukum Local Government on July 31.

    Ato said the team raided the town, following activities of bandits, kidnappers and robbers who were terrorising citizens.

    He alleged that the suspect was arrested with an AK 47 rifle with reg No. 53016723, 56 rounds of 7.6mm live ammunition and three live cartridges.

    During further investigation by the police, he said, the suspect confessed to being a militia.

    He said investigation into the matter was still ongoing and prayed for another date for mention.

    The offence, he said, contravened Section 6(b) and 3(1) of the robbery and firearms special provision Act 2004; Section 4(2) of the abduction, hostage taking, kidnapping, secret cult and similar activities, prohibition Laws of Benue 2017.

     

  • Three nabbed for allegedly raping minors

    Three men have been nabbed by the police in Lagos for allegedly raping underage girls.

    The suspects, Isaac Ubogu, 50, Taiwo Sheuases, 34 and Fatai Nafiu, 28, were arrested by the policemen attached to Ajao Estate and Bariga divisions.

    Ubogo was said to have allegedly defiled a three-year-old girl last Friday morning at 31, Awoniyi Elemo Street, Ajao Estate.

    Read Also: Two in police custody for raping minors in Delta

    It was gathered that the victim’s parents reported to the Family Support Unit (FSU) of the division after the man was allegedly caught-in-the act.

    The girl, it was learnt, was taken to hospital where it was established that she had been violated.

    Similarly, Sheuases, allegedly raped a teenager at Bariga market square last Tuesday night, while Nafiu was said to have taken advantage of a 15-year-old girl around 8pm last Saturday.

    Police spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent, said the suspects would be charged to court.

  • Police release 123 Jigawa indigenes after profiling

    The 123 indigenes of Jigawa State arrested last Friday in a truck in Agege with 48 motorcycles by the state Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences (Task Force), were on Saturday released by the Lagos State Police Command.

    They were handed over to the police for profiling after arrest, but spokesman Bala Ikhana said after profiling of the men, nothing incriminating was found on them and they were released.

    Read Also: Makinde sets up task force against environmental hazard

    He said the suspicion and subsequent interception of the truck arose from the manner they came in, in large number packed in a truck, adding that most of them were living in Lagos and went to celebrate the Eid-el-Kabir in their towns and villages.

    A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, said the interception was a proactive step to protect the state against external attack.

    The task force, headed by Mr. Olayinka Egbeyemi, a Chief Superintendent of Police, had said the men were arrested following a tip-off by the public, who raised security concern about the manner in which the occupants of the truck conducted themselves.

  • Commissioner seeks 21st century compliant workforce

    Lagos State Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions Mrs. Ajibola Ponnle has said the vision of the government for a 21st century economy can only be achieved with a dedicated 21st century compliant workforce.

    Ponnle, who spoke at the weekend at her maiden meeting with agencies, departments and units in the ministry comprising Office of Establishments and Training, Civil Service Pensions Office, Lagos State Pensions Commission and Public Service Staff Development Centre, Magodo, said it was imperative for the agencies and workers to be prepared to complement the vision of the government in its quest to achieve a greater Lagos.

    Ponnle added: “The mandate of the ministry must be collectively pursued.”

    Read Also: Lagos Govt., NGO partner on free surgery to mark Sanwo-Olu’s 100 days in office

    She urged officials of the ministry and agencies to shun unhealthy rivalry, stressing that the ministry can only be adjudged to be successful when the agencies under its supervision excel.

    The commissioner said plans were being made to organise a retreat for the officials of the agencies, to synergise, strategise and devise methods of meeting the needs of the citizens and also to surmount the challenges that lie ahead.

    She craved the support of the workers in the areas of sense of duty, collective ownership, dedication to duty and sense of purpose.

    “Let me assure you that the commitment of the present administration under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to human capital development, career management, institutional policy reforms, pension matters and maintenance of harmonious industrial climate cannot be underestimated,” Ponnle said.

  • Airtel Africa crosses 100m subscribers’ mark

    Airtel Africa, a leading telecoms services provider with operations in 14 countries across Africa, said it has crossed the 100 million customers mark across its operations. Airtel Africa is the second largest mobile operator in Africa by number of active subscribers.

    Commenting on this milestone achievement, Raghunath Mandava, Airtel Africa’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “I am delighted to report that Airtel Africa has crossed the 100 million subscriber mark. This achievement is testament to the hard work of our employees and a clear reflection that customers value our network, service offerings and customer experience. The positive momentum we have seen in customer acquisition, further underpins our medium-term aspirations for revenue and profit growth. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the teams that have worked hard to get us here.”

    Airtel Africa’s footprint is characterized by low but increasing mobile connectivity, with a unique user penetration at 43 per cent, highlighting the potential for growth across its footprint.

    The company believes in enhancing connectivity and digitizing the countries in which it operates and has invested to expand its network footprint and number of 4G sites to enhance network capabilities and support its future business growth.

    A combination of an under-penetrated telecom market, a young addressable population and rising smartphone affordability, along with low data penetration and an underbanked population, will drive the growth opportunities for the data and mobile money segments moving forward.

  • First Ghana-Assembled Toyota vehicle out 2020

    The President and Chief Executive Officer of Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Ichiro Kashitani, has promised to outdoor the company’s first vehicle to be assembled in Ghana by August 2020.

    Kashitani, who expressed gratitude to the Ghana Government for the tremendous help and support towards the realisation of the project, said: “we consider the project of the assembly plant a marriage. It lasts for life and it is a long-term project.”

    He made this known when President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo witnessed the signing in Tokyo, Japan, of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Ghana and the TTC for the establishment of a Toyota and Suzuki Assembly Plant in Ghana.

    The Chief Operations Officer of the company in charge of the Africa division of Toyota Tsusho, Mr. Imai Toshimitsu, who was also at the meeting, said the decision to set up an assembly plant in Ghana had been necessitated by the favourable economic climate prevailing in the country.

    “We are willing to participate in the automotive industry in Ghana. I am very happy that we have reached the consensus and principal agreement to start the Toyota and Suzuki assembly plants. We are planning to kick-off the project immediately and hopefully, we will have the first car made in Ghana this time (August) next year. Thank you very much for your support,” he added.

    Toshimitsu stated that details of the work to be undertaken in Ghana, including the volumes and models of the vehicles to be produced, were contained in the MoU.

    “The products to be assembled in Ghana include the Toyota Hilux pickup, which is already popular in Ghana. Since it will be locally produced, I hope it will be more popular. We are also planning to introduce small passenger cars, with two Suzuki brands,” the Toyota COO explained.

    The decision to assemble Suzuki vehicles in Ghana, according to Toshimitsu, follows the acquisition  of a 4.9 per cent stake in Suzuki by Toyota Tsusho, thus making Toyota a “principal shareholder” in Suzuki.

    “So, Suzuki products will be assembled and sold in Ghana. The cars which will be produced in Ghana are our core models for Africa and Ghana customers,” he stressed.

    On his part, President Akufo-Addo stated that the signing of the MoU with Toyota Tsusho falls in line with the vision of making Ghana an automotive hub for West Africa and the larger African market.

    With the coming into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the President noted that “Ghana is the base to reach this larger African market”.

    He continued, “We are attaching a great deal of importance to the initiative and development. We want to assure you that, whatever it is we can do on the side of the Ghana Government to provide you with the necessary support and assurance that the investment you are going to make in our country will be worth your while, you can count on us to do that.”

    It will be recalled that, in March this year, officials from Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Suzuki Motor Corporation and CFAO announced a joint venture arrangement to assemble and distribute vehicles in Ghana.

  • AXA Mansard posts N22b shareholders funds in half year

    AXA Mansard Insurance plc, a member of the AXA Group has announced its unaudited financial results for the period ended June 30, 2019.

    The company’s  Group Shareholders’ Funds stood at N22.49 billion, up eight per cent from N20.90 billion as at December 2018.

    The company also recorded Gross Written Premium of N29.36 billon in the period under review, up 25 per cent from N23.54 billion in June 2018.

    It posted a net premium income of N12.08 billion, up 26 per cent from N9.56 billion in June 2018 while its Investment and Other Income stood at N2.84 billion, down 13 per cent from N3.28 billion in June 2018.

    The Operating Expenses which stood at N3.52 billion, remain flat from N3.52 billion in June 2018.

    Meanwhile, profit before tax of N1.57 billion, down 16 per cent from N1.87 billion recorded in June 2018.

    Total Assets grew by 14 per cent to N81.24 bilion from N73.77 billion as at December 2018, Insurance Liabilities up 32 per cent to N29.65 billion from N22.54 billion as at December 2018.

    Commenting on the results, the Chief Financial Officer, Mrs. Ngozi Ola-Israel  said : “At the end of the half year, we grew top line (gross written premium) by 25 per cent and underwriting profits by nine per cent with no growth in operating expenses compared to last year. This positive performance is an indication that our efforts to continually grow the business profitably are on track. However, our profit after tax dipped by eight percent  driven by one off loss on the sale of part of our investment property”.

    Commenting on AXA Mansard’s financials at the end of June 2019, the Chief Executive Officer, AXA Mansard Insurance, Mr. Kunle Ahmed said ‘’prompt claims payment remains critical to the actualisation of insurance companies’ promise to return clients to their pre-loss financial position. The group closed with gross claims payment of N6.8 billion to various clients, attesting to our well tested commitment to meeting our obligations to our customers’’.

    Commenting further on the results, Mr. Ahmed said: “The group closed with shareholders’ fund of N22.5 billion, representing a growth of eight percent from our position as at the end of 2018. Specifically, for our insurance business, we closed half year with shareholders’ fund of N18.2 billion.

  • Bayelsa poll: Is Alaibe the answer?

    Can Timi alaibe get the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship ticket in Bayelsa State?

    Brilliant energetic and smart, he is a banker, public servant, businessman and politician.

    He is a strong character steeped in intelligence, foresight and an uncommon determination to ensure that Nigeria is made greater, using the vast resources exploited from the Niger Delta region—his geo-political zone—as the catalyst. His ideas about how to turn the Niger Delta, nay Bayelsa State around, are both radical and deep both in content and context. His politics is about inventiveness, creativity and an uncommon commitment to deliver the necessary good for the people.

    This was what then President Olusegun Obasanjo and the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua saw before appointing him into the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC); where he rose to become the managing director; and later, Special Adviser to Yar’Adua on Niger Delta Affairs.

    After dismantling the stronghold of militancy in the Niger Delta, ‘Timi sees no reason anybody should engage in violence in a bid to secure political power.

    Timi’s political profile has experienced a consistent rise over the years. Ifie Ozaka testifies. “I got on his political train in 2002 as a young man. Over these years, I’ve seen him as a focused politician with his mind fully set on governing his home State of Bayelsa with a clear intent to provide the much needed political leadership that will make the state the envy of others and the investment destination in Nigeria. People often wonder whether he can really turn his vision to reality. For me, because he has done it before at the NDDC and the Presidential Amnesty, it means he can do it again. He turned the once volatile Niger Delta region into a place of peace that has allowed the Nigerian Government to continue the exploration and exploitation of oil.”

    Timi is the frontline runner in the governorship race. He is already being branded as the choice of the political stakeholders. From the beer and pepper-soup joints to the high profile business enclaves, the general belief is that he ranks top on the list of the aspirants. As a man peaked on development and vision, Timi has been successful in his private business pursuits. His network and net-worth are remarkably re-assuring. Timi is outside the Restoraton Team of Governor Seriake Dickson. This is a challenge to his ambition.

    Politically, he has an unquestionable combat experience that can crush any opposition. The biggest mistake delegates can make is to elect a weak candidate.

    That may be the end of PDP in Bayelsa. Supporters said Timi has what it takes to manage the affairs of Bayelsa. He has the management experience and the public service experience. He has the goodwill of the people. His vision and mission is to develop intellectual militants in place of violent militants. Will they give him a chance?

  • NNPC, FIRST recruits five for FPSO training

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its joint venture (JV) partner, FIRST E&P, have recruited five indigenes of Bayelsa State as trainees for its Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit, which is expected to start operations soon.

    It said the recruitment is part of its commitment to enhance economic livelihood through skill acquisition in host communities in the state.

    The FPSO was leased by the JV from Yinson for deployment on the Anyala and Madu fields within Oil Mining Leases 83 & 85, offshore Nigeria. Yinson will also be responsible for providing the operations and maintenance of the FPSO.

    The five indigenes were recruited through the Corporate Social Performance initiative of FIRST E&P, which represents about 42 per cent of the persons recruited as trainees in the first batch of the programme.

    The trainees will be taken to Singapore, where they will be exposed over the next few months to both classroom teaching and practical shipyard work and FPSO systems training.

    They will in the process earn several international certificates in the Oil & Gas and Maritime industry. The training will be carried out in partnership with Keppel Shipyard in Singapore, which has over a 100 years’ experience.