The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian news

  • WE ARE (4)

    (Choreo-poem in Three Voices)

    (Pause)

    ALL VOICES: We are people of the past

    Beyond the past

    We are the rainbow

    Which define the sky

    (Pause)

    1st  Voice:

    The Zambezi tomtoms the Mississippi

    In a twilight of purple whispers

    2nd Voice:

    The Kilimanjaro towers over

    A trail of migrant dreams

    3rd Voice:

    The Atlantic so red

    In the bitter banter of sugar-cane groves

    1st Voice:

    The moon is a broken candle

    At the altar of predatory prelates

    2nd Voice:

    The sun knows the colour of fettered flairs

    The naked inhumanity of cotton kingdoms

    3rd  Voice:

    There is a yawning jjaaazzz in tired chains

    And ears which smell the soul in manacled moments

    (Continued next week)

  • Fire guts WHO vaccination storage facility

    World Health Organisation (WHO) vaccination storage facility at the Ayegbaju Market in Osogbo, was on Saturday razed by fire, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    According to a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) official, Ajinase Alade, attached to the facility, the fire started from a working power generator close to the WHO storage facility.

    “The fire started at about 12:13p.m from one of the power generator that was on to power the building where vaccines were stored.

    ” We quickly move to remove the cars packed close to the fire and mobilised to put out the fire.

    “But unfortunately, my motorcycle packed closed to the storage facility was, however, burnt by the fire while helping to remove the cars,” he said.

    Mrs Adeosun Adebola, the Osun WHO Immunisation Officer and State Cold Vaccine Coordinator told NAN that the cold vaccine storage office was not affected by the fire but the dry vaccine outlet was razed by fire.

    She said a 60KVA generator, one 12KVA generator and two 18 KVA generators were also affected.

    Adebola also said two photocopier machines and two motorcycles were also destroyed by the fire.

    “I61,795 pieces of 0.05ml needles and syringe , 633,871 pieces of 0.5ml needles and syringe, 10,575 pieces of 5ml needles and syringe, 3,976 pieces of 2ml needles and syringe were destroyed by the fire.

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    ” 8,654 pieces of immunisation safety boxes were also destroyed by the fire,” she said.

    Adebola told NAN the officials of the state government and WHO officials had been to the incident site to assess the level of damage done by the fire.

    A maintenance official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they applied self effort to put out the fire from affecting and spreading to other buildings and stores within the market.

    He said the state fire service were contacted when the fire started but they had to quickly fetched water from the storex water tank around, some other people also helped to put out the fire before the fire service came.

    “But unfortunately the storage facility was completely razed, ” he said.

    Men of the state fire service could, however, be seen going through the remains of the fire to ensure the fire was completely put out.

  • Insecurity: 27 bandits renounce banditry in Niger

    Twenty-Seven bandits have renounced kidnapping and banditry and have been granted amnesty in Niger state.

    The Niger state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello presented the bandits during the second General Abdulsalam Abubakar foundation annual peace lecture in Minna.

    He said that they have signed a peace pact with the bandits who are from kontokoro in Magama local government area.

    “Here I present to you, these men, whatever name you want to call them, we have engaged in dialogue with them, they have mentioned their grievances and we have tried our best to meet some of them.

    “To this end, we have signed a peace pact with them and we are ready to enforce our side of the fact. They are also ready to respect their part of the pact.”

    The Governor then said that dialogue is ongoing with bandits in Erena, Rafi and Kontagora local governments to ensure peace in the state.

    He stressed on the need to use dialogue as a way to promote peace in the nation stating that military solution is not the best way of resolving crisis.

    “Military solution is not always the best way of resolving crisis. Dialogue provides for a win-win situation. We need to use dialogue more as a way to promote peace in the nation and there is no need for military solution.”

    Read Also: Air Force neutralises several terrorists in Borno

    The Governor emphasized the need for eminent Nigerians to lead the way out of the insecurity crisis bedevilling the nation lamenting that no region is safe in Nigeria today.

    “We cannot continue this way. No region in the country is safe today, these violent conflicts have destructive effects on the very fabrics that hold our nation together and must be dealt with utmost sincerity.

    “The experience so far shows that finding lasting solution to the violent conflict situation rests squarely in our soldiers. There is too little for members of the international community to do towards helping us.

    “I like to use this lecture to make appeals to the eminent persons in different parts of he country to come up with suggestions on how best we can reduce tensions around the country. Nobody would do it for us better than ourselves.”

  • Five wedding guests die, several injured In Ekiti accident

    No fewer than five people have lost their lives in an accident along Ado-Akure Road Ekiti State on Saturday.

    Several others were reported to have sustained various degrees of injuries.

    The accident, which involved an 18-seater white Toyota hummer bus with registration number Ekiti LG 05 MUE, occured around 5pm.

    The bus belonging to Ekiti State Market Women, which was reportedly conveying some guests from a wedding reception was said to have suffered brake failure.

    While three of the occupants were said to have died on the spot, two among the injured persons rushed to Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti for medical attention died owing to the severity of the injuries sustained.

    Read Also: Five die in Lagos-Ibadan Expressway accident

    Multiple sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity with The Nation, said the driver of the bus which was on high speed lost control following which the vehicle somersaulted several times.

    According to the sources, three occupants of the bus died on the spot while others sustained injuries.

    They said: “The injured occupants of the vehicle have been taken to hospital for medical attention while the remains of the three dead persons have also been evacuated to the morgue.

    A source at the EKSUTH alleged that “two of the injured occupants rushed for medical attention had died.

    The Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti State Command, Caleb Ikechukwu, who confirmed the accident, said: “It was a lone fatal accident. Three persons were confirmed dead while others sustained various degrees of injuries”.

    According to Ikechukwu, it was alleged by some eyes witnesses that the driver was driving on a high speed, so he lost control of the vehicle and it somersaulted for a number of times”.

    The police spokesperson confirmed that the injured person had been moved to hospital for treatment and the dead to the morgue.

  • Bayelsa PDP convenes stakeholders’ meeting

    The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has scheduled an expanded meeting of the State Caucus of the party and the Elders Advisory Council for 4pm on Sunday.

    Read Also: No division in Bayelsa PDP, says Diri

    The state party Chairman, Cleopas Moses, said the meeting would discuss the issue of the preparedness of the party for the election, strategies, approval of the campaign council and team and other topical issues.

    “The meeting will also receive a brief from the party’s candidate, Senator Douye Diri, on the issue of running mate,” he said.

  • Oshoala scores brace in Barcelona rout

    Asisat Oshoala ended her three-match goal drought in the Spanish Primera Iberdrola this season with a brace in Barcelona’s 6-1 comeback thrashing of Atletico Madrid.

    Saturday’s encounter was the fourth for the three-time African Women’s Footballer of the Year in all competitions this season after her stunning pre-season form, netting eight goals in five games.

    After being denied by the woodwork this season, the Nigeria international scored in both halves to ensure Lluis Cortes’ ladies bounced back from a 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano in style.

    Read Also: ASISAT OSHOALA: I want to change world of girl-child

    The 24-year-old broke her Primera Iberdrola duck this term with a calm finish as she scored the hosts’ fourth goal of the game on the brink of half time.

    Two minutes after the restart, the Super Falcons star grabbed her second of the match to make it 5-1 for Barcelona before being replaced by Claudia Pina in the 73rd minute.

    Her brace means she has now scored 21 goals in 19 matches in all competitions for Barcelona since she teamed up with the Spanish giants in January.

    The win helped Barcelona return to the summit of the log with seven points from three matches and they host Juventus in the Champions League Round of 32 reserve fixture on Wednesday.

  • CAN lauds El-Rufai’s decision to save 110-year-old Church from demolition

    The Kaduna State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has commended Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s government’s decision to safe the 110-year-old St. George Anglican Church, Zaria from demolition.

    The CAN Chairman in the State, Rev. Joseph Hayab made the commendation on Saturday following Friday’s clarification by the Director-General of the Kaduna State Urban Planning Development Agency (KASUPDA), Ismail Dikko that the Church won’t be touched because of its historical value.

    The Nation learnt that KASUPDA had served the 110-year-old St. George Anglican Church, Sabon Gari, Zaria, the seven-day quit notice which it claimed was a directive from governor Nasir El-Rufai.

    Following Thursday’s alarm raised by the CAN, the KASUPDA’s boss reversed the eviction order on the Church.

    “The Church will remain base on its historical value…while the market source for expansion elsewhere,” the DG had said.

    The CAN Chairman commended the state government for listening to the yearnings of the people by reversing its earlier decision to halt any demolition plan on the church.

    Hayab noted that democracy could thrive only when government harken to the cry of the people it governs.

    The CAN leader said, “We commend the government for this act. What we are saying is that govt should remain a listening government. Democracy thrives when government listens to the people but when government don’t listen to people, people think negatively about every action it takes.

    “What we are doing is simply to remind government that we are not at war with them. We are just raising alarm; we are just another added eyes for them to see and know what is happening to people.

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    “So, if they do good, we will clap for them but if they don’t, we will tell them that something is wrong and that people are crying.”

    The chairman, however, pleaded that the DG’s reversed order be documented for future references.

    He said, “but we want to quickly draw their attention to three things – that our cry about the quit notice and the clarification or response on it shows that the DG knows about it and therefore not made. It was a true quit notice.

    “We want them to document the response by the DG so that their officials when they come in future, we will show them the document by them. So that it won’t just be a mere paper statement. If they do that, we will appreciate them.

    “The last one which we feel strongly about is when they said we don’t have valid document; we are saying probably, they have not checked their records well. But we have already instructed the Church that by Monday or Tuesday, they should go with their valid documents to reconcile so that in the future, we will not be saying someone is wrong when in the real sense, he is right.”

  • We’ll retake Adamawa in 2023, APC vows

    Stakeholders of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State have taken stock of how the party lost the state in the 2019 election due to disunity and resolved to put the past behind them and take back the state in 2023.

    The stakeholders came out of a reconciliatory meeting in Yola on Friday night saying they had learnt their lessons and would henceforth work together for the success of the party at all levels.

    A former member of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, and Hajia Aisha Buhari’s brother, Ahmed Halilu (Mudi) had been bitterly against Sen Mohammed Jibrilla (Bindow) after Bindow as the state governor at the time, won the APC governorship primary which Ribadu and Mudi discredited.

    The two rejected Bindow’s candidacy up to the general election and were believed to have worked against Bindow at the election, a development believed to have contributed greatly to the failure of Bindow and of course the APC at the election.

    Ribadu who attended the Adamawa State APC Steering Committee/State Exco/Stakeholders Reconciliatory Meeting of Friday night, stressed that the intra-party conflict which cost the party the chance of retaining the state at the 2019 governorship election would never occur again.

    “Never again will we let that happen,” he said during a review remark at the end of the meeting.

    The meeting was the first in what may be a series of similar meetings following the constitution of a 39-member Central Steering Committee of the APC to reconcile misgivings and reposition the party for future success.

    Ribadu said, “We are here saying enough is enough. We will work together, we will never allow anything to come between us that will affect our fortunes and the fortunes of our party.

    “APC is a progressive party, our opponents are conservatives. It was so unfortunate that we were not guided in the past as a result of which our political enemies benefitted.”

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    Urging a demonstration of the new resolve in the council-level elections scheduled for the state in November, Ribadu said, “It will never happen again in Adamawa. We have an election coming, the local government election. We intend to do it properly and fairly and we will not allow anybody to cheat us again.

    “We have all assembled here, all the leaders of the party from the local government to state levels. We have all resolved to work together for the victory of our party.”

    Earlier in his remark, chairman of the APC Steering Committee and one time Minister of Defence and Internal Affairs respectively, Abdurrahman Adamu, said that disturbed by the lingering precarious relationship among members of the party, elders took the gauntlet to restore sanity and orderliness after the party waded through misunderstanding for a long time.

    Also speaking, Adamawa State APC chairman, Ibrahim Bilal said with the resolve of the elders of the party to address grievances within the party, APC in Adamawa has become well organised, strengthened and ready to take the state by storm.

    The Chairman Sub-Committee on Reconciliation, Dahiru Bobbo, said his committee was delegated to reconcile aggrieved members and put the party on the threshold of prosperity.

  • VIDEO: Fans of BBNaija housemates clash in Lagos

    Fans of Big Brother Naija housemates clashed on Saturday in Lagos.

    The fans were campaigning for their favourite candidates at the National Stadium, Surulere Lagos.

  • Man who robs prostitutes nabbed in Edo

    A 30-year old man, Godstime Ogechi, who specialised in robbing prostitutes in Ugbiyoko, Egor local government area, has been arrested by men of the Edo State Police Command.

    Ogechi is a one-man gang that uses a rod-like gun to rob call girls under the pretence of paying them to spend the night with him.

    When he takes them to a dark street, he would bring out the rod and the girls thinking that it is a gun would give him their phones and money including the one he paid them.

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    Luck ran out of him when one of his victim ran away when they got to a dark street at Ugbiyoko area and when Ogechi went back to collect the money he paid her for the night, some girls recognised him which led to his arrest.

    Speaking to newsmen when he was paraded at the police headquarters, Ogechi said he has lost count of the number of girls he has robbed.

    According to him, “I don’t have any gang. I operate along Ekenwan road. I pick street girls at night and rob them. I will chat with them and tell them I want to take them for daybreak. When we get to a dark corner, I will bring out this thing like a gun and threaten them.

    “They will give me their phones. I cannot remember the number of girls I have robbed. I was caught when one of the girls ran away after I have paid her. I went back to the spot I picked her from and demanded for my money. She raised alarm.”