The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian news

  • BREAKING: Tribunal upholds Emmanuel’s election

    The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State Capital has affirmed the victory of the People’s Democratic Party candidate, Udom Emmanuel as the duly elected governor of the state.

    In a ruling that lasted for more than four hours amid anxiety and tension, the three-man panel headed by Justice A.M Yakubu dismissed the petitions of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Obong Nsima Ekere and his party for lack of merit.

    The petitioners, Ekere and the APC had, on the May 29, 2019 filed a petition challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s declaration of Emmanuel as winner of the March 9 governorship elections

    The Petitioners approached the tribunal with the argument that the election was invalid by reason of non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2015.

    They also alleged that the 1st Respondent, Mr. Udom Emmanuel was not duly elected by majority of lawful votes cast at the election.

    In their Petition, the petitioners prayed for the following reliefs;

    1) That it may be determined and declared that the 1st Respondent, Mr Udom Emmanuel did not secure and could not have secured the majority of lawful votes cast at the elections;

    2) That it may be determined and declared that the election was void and invalid due to non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2015 (sic);

    3) That it may be determined and declared that the election being invalid by reason of non-compliance was null and void;

    4) That it be determined and ordered a fresh election for the office of the Governor in Akwa Ibom state, except in Etim Ekpo and Essien Udim where Elections were held in substantial compliance with the Electoral Act, 2015 (sic).

    Reading the over 590 paged judgement, the Tribunal first noted that the Petitioners  failed to call witnesses in eight (8) local government areas out of the twenty one (21) local government areas where they claimed to have won.

    Consequently, the court discountenanced every documentary evidence “dumped on the court” as regards the petitioners complaints from those Local Governments which included Abak, Eastern Obolo, Ika, Eket, Mbo Mkpat Enin et al. Citing the supreme Court case of Nweke v INEC, the court noted that documentary evidence however daring cannot be thrown on the Tribunal without oral evidence linking the documents to the issues in the case (petition).

    The court in her ruling adopted the two issues formulated by the Petitioners for the Determination of the suit. The issues as adopted were:

    1. i) Whether in the light of issues joined, the March 9 Elections were not held in non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2010;
    2. ii) Whether the non-compliance as established in evidence are not substantial to affect the general outcome of the election and thus justify a cancellation of the entire elections

    The court then proceeded to appraise the evidence of all parties at the Tribunal and in their considered ruling held, inter alia;

    1) That the Petitioners having abandoned their prayers where they claimed ab initio that the first Petitoner, Obong Nsima Ekere was the winner of the elections, all the evidence given in effort to substantiate the said ground is expunged from the considerations of the court in the judgement;

    2) That the Petitioners having abandoned their prayers hinged on the ground that there were corrupt practices in the conduct of the elections, all the evidence given in effort to substantiate the said ground was also expunged from the considerations of the court in the judgement;

    3) The petitioners failed to follow the laid down rules in frontloading and listing all documents they sought to rely on in proof of their Petition “Consequently the efforts and attempt by the petitoners to sandwich-in documents not pleaded nor listed by the petitoners is condemnable.” The court equally noted that the documents were not linked to any parts of the petition and that most of them were mere photocopies of public documents and not the required Certified True Copies of the documents;

    4) That the onus is on the Petitioner who alleges irregularities and non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010 to prove same. That the Petitioner failed woefully in the discharge of such burden;

    5) That the Petitioners could neither prove non-compliance nor substantial non-compliance to lead to a cancellation of the elections. For the Petitioner to have complained of non-compliance and irregularities in elections in 799 polling units and only end up calling 43 was grossly inadequate to satisfy the burden of proving non-compliance and irregularities with the provisions of the Electoral Act which requires a unit by unit prove, by law.

    6) The Petitioners made several allegations of a criminal nature in their petition. The law is that in such cases, the allegation must be proved beyond reasonable doubt. Unfortunately, the Petitioners in this case could not prove anything, the doubts in their allegations still dangling, we resolve those cases in favour of the respondents.

    In the end, the three man panel, unanimously upheld the elections of His Excellency, Mr Udom Emmanuel at the March 9, 2019 elections and dismissed the petition of Obong Nsima Ekere and the All Progressives Congress, APC.

     

  • Wike urged to be humble in governance

    The representative of Rivers East Senatorial District in the 8th Senate, Andrew Uchendu, has urged the Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, to be humble in governance.

    Uchendu, a former member of the House of Representatives, Thursday through the telephone from Abuja, expressed dismay over the way Wike had been conducting himself in office.

    The senator reacted to the remarks earlier made by Rivers governor during the funeral of the mother of a chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Sergeant Awuse, in Emohua Local Government Area of the state.

    He said: “Wike, during the funeral service, was mischievous and unnecessarily arrogant, when on one hand, he claimed to be congratulating President Mohammadu Buhari, on his victory at the tribunal and at the same time, he described the President as a bad man, who, according to him, is not doing well. This is an unnecessary display of arrogance in power.

    “Wike needs to be humble enough to attract the benefits due Rivers State from the Federal Government. Only Rivers State, under Wike, failed to provide land for the housing scheme by the Federal Government. When other states were submitting details of federal roads and projects executed for refund, Wike’s administration failed to submit its.

    Read Also: Fayemi hails Wike as Mr. Project

    “Wike should be respectful of the Federal Government, in order to secure the needed assistance for Rivers State. The time of playing politics is over. Rivers governor should face governance, in the interest of our people. Being arrogant will continue to rob us of the needed federal support.”

    Uchendu also asked Rivers governor to focus on people-oriented and capital-intensive projects and programmes, rather than continually playing politics.

    Wike’s Special Assistant on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaudu, could not be reached as at press time, for reaction on behalf of his boss.

  • Just in:Buhari, Service Chiefs meet in Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday met behind closed doors with Service Chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting is coming almost 24 hours after the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, was directed to proceed on indefinite leave.

    A statement issued from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on Wednesday, said Oyo-Ita’s indefinite leave was to allow conclusion of the investigation being carried out by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

    Read Also: Oba of Benin: Edo will benefit from Buhari’s govt

    The agenda of the meeting is however, unknown to newsmen as at the time of filing the report.

    NAN however, gathered that the president may be briefed by the service chiefs on the nation’s security developments in preparation for the UN General Assembly engagements.

    The President is bid to attend the 74th Session of UN General Assembly in New York on Sept 22.

  • FIFA Ranking: Nigeria drop by one spot, now 34th

    Nigeria have dropped by one spot in the FIFA ranking for September, placing 34th on the ranking table.

    In the ranking table on the world football governing body’s website on Thursday, Nigeria garnered 1, 482 points in the month under review as against 1,481 it had in August.

    However, in spite of the drop by a spot, Nigeria still occupy the third position on the continent behind Senegal and Tunisia who have 1,546 and 1,493 respectively.

    On the global scene, Belgium remain top of the FIFA World Ranking after an action-packed number of weeks in international football.

    In the period under review, 78 friendlies, 74 continental qualifiers and 60 FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ qualifiers took place.

    Although the teams in the top 10 remain unchanged, there has been some movements.

    France (second, up 1) and Brazil (third, down 1) have traded places, while Spain (seventh, up 2) are the top 10’s biggest movers.

    The Cayman Islands (193rd, up 11) and Grenada (160th, up 13) are the joint-biggest climbers by points, reaping the rewards after their successful showing in the CONCACAF Nations League.

    Read Also: FIBA ranking: Nigeria moves to 23rd

    Indeed, Grenada’s 13-place surge means that they are September’s highest climber by ranks.

    Other notable upwardly-mobile nations include Jamaica (47th, up 5), who have broken into the top 50.

    Others are the Republic of Ireland (28th, up 4), Russia (42nd, up 4), Guatemala (133rd, up 11), Suriname (142nd, up 9), Montserrat (187th, up 9) and Djibouti (186th, up 9).

    Djibouti recently overcame Eswatini (150th, down 11) over two legs to advance to the second round of Africa’s World Cup qualifying for just the second time.

    Meanwhile, Kosovo (119th, up 1) have been rewarded for their impressive performances in UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying by reaching their best-ever position in the FIFA ranking.

    The Cook Islands are not ranked in the latest standings due to not playing an international “A” match in the last four years.

    After their next international “A” match, they will be included in the ranking table again with their points total from July 2019, plus/minus the points won or lost in the new match.

  • Photos: Govs, others at NEC meeting

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday presided over the monthly National Economic Council (NEC) at the State House.

     

    Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Akwa Ibom State Governor Emmanuel Udom and Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki during the National Economic Council Meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja
    Anambra State Governor Willy Obiano, Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, Benue State Governor Samuel Urtom and Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi during the National Economic Council Meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja

  • An exclusive village for abandoned old people (1)

    Dr Ayo Ojo, my school father at Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo, reunited on the phone last week, more than 15 years after he left a thriving hospital chain in Lagos to become a royal father in his home town, Ilara Mokin, in Ondo State. He was his old self, buoyant, boyish at well over 70,passionate about whatever he believed in or did, receptive to the opinions of other people, including mine on Alternative Medicine and, like all senior citizens, noticed that the generational shift had overtaken him.

    I will mention Dr Ojo a little more because our first conversation in more than one dacade gave me the idea for this column.

    A younger brother of Chief Ade Ojo (a.k.a Elizade), Dr Ojo ran in Lagos an hospital group of about four branches, including the one in which I took refuge, disguised before the staff as his personal patient, when Gen Sanni Abacha marched on THE GUARDIAN newspaper, of which I then was editor-in-chief/ director of publications. A social critic and activist, even within the Lagos branch of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Ojo knew how far Abacha could go if he missed his prey. He rushed to my residence and evacuated my family to safety. And for the first time in my life in Lagos, I set foot in a place called OWORONSHOKI where he lived and ran an hospital.

    Gen Abacha wanted THE GUARDIAN to be his friend. But the newspaper could not. Key editors and editorial helmsmen were not blood spillers and blood suckers like him.They included Lade Bonuola(managing director), Dr Tunji Dare (editorial page editor and editorial Board Chairman, Dr Eddy Madunagu and Mr Sully Abu, editoral board members. Bonuola and Kusa stayed behind after they all quit, to retrieve The Guardian from underneath the jackboot. What brought The Guardian under the jackboot was a proprietary plant on the cover of a Sunday edition hiding from the Editor- in-chief with no professional justification for a newspaper walking on a  tight rope with a government of hoodlums. Titled: INSIDE ASO ROCK, it attempted to say that discord was tearing apart Abacha’s cabinet. To say the least, this was encouragement for forces which aimed to tear the cabinet apart or to topple the government to smite it. For a ruthless soldier who had been involved in all of Nigeria’s military coups,who knew such stories were invitation to coup makers that the coast was clear,what was he expected to do? Fold his arms? To worsen the case of The Guardian,there appeared a photograph beside the cover story which was equally offensive to Abacha, although, in defence of the editor, it was an unrelated event published only to brighten what would otherwise have been a sea of gray print. It was the photograph of two cocks squaring up or spoiling for a fight. Had this photograph been boxed off the cover story with a thin line, to show it was not a part of it, as was the professional practice, the storm may have been mitigateable. But, alas, it was not. When I saw the publication that Sunday morning, I drafted a query for the editor in self-protection, because the copy was not cleared with me for publication. I would later drive to the editor’s residence to inform him that The Guardian was shut in the night between that Sunday and Monday morning, only to learn that he, too, had heard about it and gone into hiding.

    Dr Ojo and I discussed these events and more, including my exit and Bonuola’s from The Guardian, the emergence of The Comet newspaper in which he invested and became a director. We also discussed the generational shift beneath our feet. In this shift, atomisation of community life had progressed beyond the assault of modernisation on extended family life to break down of the nuclear family. Siblings no longer looked after siblings and children abandon their aging parents to rot or to wither in desolation that old age may bring along with health discomfeitures. That is not to mention how easily today’s society remembers those people who of the old order who handed over the batton to the upcoming generation. Who, for example, among the generation beneath us know about Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the Southwest? What this means is that every new generation defines itself, its language, its ways and means e.t.c and pushes away almost everything about the older generation which, in shock, screams to no avail. The discussion led me to the cases of some abandoned old people I had been privileged to mediate, and to a”trending” post on Whatsapp shared with me by Mr Pat Enilama, one of my classmates at the University of Nigeria(UNN), between 1974 and 1977.

    Case one

    One of the wives of a former Nigerian military Head of State complained that her children who were abroad were no longer initiating telephone conversations with her. When she got tired and annoyed with one sidedness of their relationship, she complained but the children had no answer. Always, they had no time was their response. She gave up on them and continued to live a solitary life.

    Case two

    A prominent figure in Lagos State government a few years ago is prostrate somewhere on Adeniji Jones Avenue in Lagos. His wife left him to live permanently with their children abroad. When he got tired of solitary life, which may be lonely life for anyone who cannot upgrade loneliness to solitude and work miracles in it, he found a young woman from the back street, did her up, married her and even sent her four siblings to the university. When the last of them graduated,the young wife took them and her children, and off to America they went. Mr Hycinth Uzur, former natural sales manager of Nigeria Breweries Limited, who is conversant with the story of this former super permanent secretary, says the gentle man planned to sell his house set on sprawling grounds and gardens and move to an ant hole property which would be warmer and friendlier than a castle.

    Case three

    A former general manager of a well known Nigerian bank is wheel chair ridden. His five children had no time or kind words for him. If they went on  a visit, it was to see their mother.Tired of their 80 something years old father, they bundled him to the village one day, to have full stream access to their mother. They also told him, he said to me, to give out all his property away,that they needed nothing  from him and would not attend his funeral. He always asked me what crime he had committed? His wife had psychiatric issues and told their children he was getting on her nerves. Prior to this time, she spoke to him in parables he could not decode… “When two persons fetch fire wood in the bush all day, it is when they arrive at home in the evening that it would be known who had the bigger stock,” he did not realise then that firewood referred to  their children and evening to old age. I told him to take the advice of his children seriously, that it was possible he maltreated them or other people in a previous earth life, if he did not, or he was wrongly perceived to have offended them and their mother this earth life, or he was paying off a karmaic debt. If he was guiltless, the children and their mother were probably sowing seeds the harvest of which their own children may bring to them.The reality he must face is that his children have shifted from him.

    Case four

    A gentle man close to 80 has refused to accept apologies from his children who live abroad with their mother. She led them to abandon him. Now, they have awakened from slumber to tell their left hands from the right and are pleading for forgiveness. Every year, I join them in their pleas. But their father continues to turn his back on them for following their mother.

    There are more stories than I can tell here. They all led me to think that the time has probably come for Nigerian government to consider expansion of the concept of the old PEOPLES HOME bequeathed to us by the British to an old peoples village of which I will speak later. Meanwhile, a post shared by Mr Enilama, published below, shows us all senior citizens that the ground is shifting beneath our feet,that we probably moved to old age unprepared for it, that we can make some amends if we still can or live in peace with our reality.

    The sky gets dark, slowly

    Below is the post shared by Mr Pat Enilama

    “Mao Dun literary prize winner Zhou Daxin’s latest novel to be published, “The Sky Gets Dark, Slowly”, is a sensitive exploration of old age and the complex, hidden emotional worlds of the elderly in a  rapidly ageing population.

    “In it he writes, “ … Many elderly speak as though they know everything, but of old age they are in fact as ignorant as children. Many elderly are, in fact, completely unprepared for what they are to face when it comes to getting old and the road that lays ahead of them.

    “In the time between a person turning 60 years old, as they begin to age, right until all the lights go out and the sky gets dark, there are some situations to keep in mind, so that you will be prepared for what is to come, and you will not panic.

    • “The people by your side will only continue to grow smaller in number. People in your parents’ and grandparents’ generation have largely all left, whilst many your peers will increasingly find it harder to look after themselves, and the younger generations will all be busy with their own lives. Even your wife or husband may depart earlier than you, or than you would expect, and what might then come are days of emptiness. You will have to learn how to live alone, and to enjoy and embrace solitude.
    • “Society will care less and less for you. No matter how glorious your previous career was or how famous you were, ageing will always transform you into a regular old man and old lady. The spotlight no longer shines on you, and you have to learn to contend with standing quietly in one corner, to admire and appreciate the hubbub and views that come after you, and you must overcome the urge to be envious or grumble.
    • “The road ahead will be rocky and full of precarity. Fractures, cardio-vascular blockages, brain atrophy, cancer… these are all possible guests that could pay you a visit any time, and you would not be able to turn them away. You will have to live with illness and ailments, to view them as friends, even; do not fantasise about stable, quiet days without any trouble in your body. Maintaining a positive mentality and get appropriate, adequate exercise is your duty, and you have to encourage yourself to keep at it consistently.
    • “Prepare for bed-bound life, a return to the infant state. Our mothers brought us into this world on a bed, and after a journey of twists and turns and a life of struggle, we return to our starting point – the bed – and to the state of having to be looked after by others. The only difference being, where we once had our mothers to care for us, when we prepare to leave, we may not have our kin to look after us. Even if we have kin, their care may never come close to that of your mother’s; you will, more likely than not, be cared for by nursing staff who bear zero relation to you, wearing smiles on their faces all while carrying weariness and boredom in their hearts. Lay still and don’t be difficult; remember to be grateful.
    • “There will be many swindlers and scammers along the way. Many of them know that the elderly have lots of savings, and will endlessly be thinking of ways to cheat them of their money: through scam phone calls, text messages, mail, food and product samples, get-rich-quick schemes, products for longevity or enlightenment … basically, all they want is to get all the money. Beware, and be careful, hold your money close to you. A fool and his money are soon parted, so spend your pennies wisely.
    • “Before the sky gets dark, the last stretches of life’s journey will gradually get dimmer and dimmer; naturally, it will be harder to see the path ahead that you are treading towards, and it will be harder to keep going forward. As such, upon turning 60, it would do us all well to see life for what it is, to cherish what we have, to enjoy life whilst we can, and to not take on society’s troubles or your children’s and grandchildren’s affairs on for yourself. Stay humble, don’t act superior on account of your own age and talk down to others – this will hurt yourself as much as it will hurt others. As we get older, all the better should we be able to understand what respect is and what it counts for. In these later days of your lives, you have to understand what it means, to let go of your attachments, to mentally prepare yourself. The way of nature is the way of life; go with its flow, and live with equanimity.

    *******For all of us, a nice read, very beautiful, very true …. !

    “Hardly the day started and …  it is already six o’clock in the evening.

    “Barely arrived on Monday and it’s already  Friday.

    … and the month is almost over.

    … and the year is almost up.

    … and already 50 or 60 or 70 years of our lives have passed.

    … and we realise that we lost our parents, friends.

    and we realise that it is too late to go back …

    “So …  Let’s try  to take full advantage of the time we have left …

    Let’s not stop looking for activities that we like …

    Let’s put color in our greyness …

    Let’s smile at the little things in life that put balm in our hearts.

    “And yet, we must continue to enjoy serenely the time that remains.

    Let’s try to eliminate the “after” …

    I do it after …

    I will say after …

    I will think about it after …

    We leave everything for ‘later’ as if “after” was ours.

    “Because what we do not understand is that:

    after,  the coffee cools …

    after,  priorities change …

    after,  the charm is broken …

    after,  health passes …

    after,  the children grow up …

    after,  the parents get older …

    after,  the promises are forgotten …

    after,  the day becomes the night …

    after,  life ends …

    And all that afters, we find it’s often too late ….

    “So …  leave nothing for ‘later’ …

    Because in always waiting for later, we can lose the best moments,

    the best experiences,

    the best friends,

    the best family …

    The day is today … The moment is now …

    “We are no longer at the age where we can afford to postpone until tomorrow what needs to be done right away.

    “So, let’s see if you’ll have time to read this message and then share it.

    “Or maybe you’ll leave it for … “later” …

    And you will not share it “ever” ….

    Even share with those who are not yet “seniors”.

    GOD bless us all!!!

  • Council imposes curfew over cult clashes

    Following incessant cult clashes in Ekete and Ovwian communities of Udu council area of Delta state, a dusk-to-dawn curfew has been imposed on the flash points by the council chairman, Mr. Jite Brown.

    In a statement signed by the council secretary, Elohor Awinoron, the curfew which took effect from Wednesday, lasts from 9pm to 6am.

    According to the statement, the decision was reached after deliberations with Divisional Police Officers and other security chiefs in the council.

    Read Also: Soldier, NSCDC operatives killed as cultists, troops clash in Rivers

    Suspected rival cult groups have recently turned some areas in the communities to hideouts for their criminal operations.
    Residents have been living in fear due to the killings, robberies and other assaults meted on victims.
    Areas affected by the curfew are Ovwian town, Ekete Inland, Ekete Waterside, Owhase town, Express, Mofor and Orhuwhorun Junctions.

    The council chairman stated that the movement of commercial vehicles, including tricycles and motorbikes, commonly referred to as Keke NAPEP and Okada, are also restricted.

    He said anyone found operating within the time of curfew will be impounded and the owner prosecuted.

    Brown further emphasized that security men have been put on red alert to enforce the curfew, urging people in the respective areas to adhere to the directive.

  • JUST IN: kidnapped mother of AIT staff regains freedom

    The abducted mother of Head of DAAR Communications Centre Jos, Plateau state, Mrs. Dinah Ayua, who was whisked away on Saturday in Zakibiam, Ukum local Government of Benue state, area has been freed.

    The 67-year-old was abducted by gunmen in her Zakibiam residence located behind Ukum local government secretariat on Saturday at about 7pm.

    She was blindfolded and forcefully taken away to unknown location in unmasked vehicle

    The son informed our correspondent on phone that her mother was released on Wednesday night at Jootar village, along Zakibiam – Wukari federal highway, in Benue state.

    He stated that he was contacted within 24 hours by her abductors who initially demanded for N10 million ransom.

    Read Also: Three shot as police, vigilante clash in Onitsha

    Ayua, a popular On Air personality and TV was a House of aspirant for Ukum Assembly constituency during the last elections.

    His constituents have invited him to contest for the chairmanship of Ukum local Government in the November local government poll, which has been zoned to his ward.

    He expressed joy over his mother’s released from the kidnappers but called on the state and federal government to save the people of Sankera geo political bloc from activities of hoodlums.

    Insecurity in Sankera comprising Ukum, Logo and Katsina Ala local Government areas known for mass yam farming, has forced residents to relocate to safer zones.

    Benue Police Command said it was investigating the matter .

  • Adopt multi-level policing to address insecurity in Nigeria, Educationist urges FG

    An educationist, Prof. Oyesoji Aremu, has urged the Federal Government to adopt multi-level policing, also known as state police, to address insecurity in Nigeria.

    Aremu, also the Director, Distance Learning Centre, University of Ibadan, made the plea at a two-day 2nd International Conference on Science, Technology, Engineering and Humanities (ICSTEH).

    It was organised by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP), Yaba College of Technology Chapter, Lagos.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that theme of the conference is: “Technology Applications and Management for Global Security’’.

    Aremu spoke on: “Insecurity and Our Collective Failure: Reappraising Security Architecture for National Stability.’’
    He said insecurity in Nigeria was multi-faceted, adding that the establishment of state police would address the challenge.

    “There is no doubt that ours is a country with daunting security challenges. The insecurity in Nigeria is massive, multifarious and in diverse shades.

    “For over two decades, there has been several calls by stakeholders, especially security experts and public opinions on the need to review the national policing architecture.

    “Given its archaic policing strategies that are at variance with international best practices and current insecurity realities.

    “Nigeria has, for long, deliberately got so many things wrong from independence.

    “One of such crucial things is the floundering nature of unitary police bequeathed to the country which has hindered the nation’s federalism,’’ he said.

    Aremu said many developed countries had adopted multi-level policing to fight crimes and insecurity, urging Nigeria to follow the same vain.

    He said state police was the only way to go in the 21st century to reduce crimes, insecurity, kidnapping, terrorism and other vices confronting the country.

    The educationist said that police in Nigeria were not capable of contending with the gale of terrorism, insurgency and kidnapping in the country.

    “For a long time, the national police, as presently practiced in Nigeria, fractured in many ways, primarily security, and also renders same ineffective given visibility limitations and culture of incompetence, among other things.

     

    Read Also: I’ve solution to end insecurity in Nigeria, says Olumba Olumba

     

    “The federal police is also limited in many ways and not in tandem with the present security challenges and realities of the country.

    “The bad thing is we are in serious security challenge and tension is increasingly building everywhere.

    “One is not even sure of secured places, because the current insecurity discrepancies in our country, places like churches, mosques, higher institutions are no longer secured.

    “The country should begin to address critical policy issues that will culminates in the establishment of multi-level policing.

    “To achieve all these, all hands must be on deck. We are canvassing for the multi-level police.

    “I am an unrepentant advocate of the establishment of a state police,” he said.

    Earlier, Mr Obafemi Omokungbe, Rector of the college, commended the academic union for organising the conference to discuss issues that was relevant and affecting the nation.

    Omokungbe urged participants to come up with recommendations that would help to address insecurity in the country.

    He said insecurity was a mirage that must be quickly tackled.

    Also, Dr Oyeniran Adigun, Chairman, Organising Committee, said that currently, the entire West African region had been facing security challenges and threats, which requires new ways to solve them.

    Adigun said indeed, ensuring sustained peace and security in strategic and essential measures to safeguarding the productive process of stability at the regional level.

    “The 2nd annual academic conference was to explore how technology, entrepreneurship, science, engineering and humanities can be effectively deployed in solving insecurity and economic development of our nation,” he said.

    Earlier, Mr Nureni Yekini, ASUP Chairman, Yabatech chapter, said that the conference was organised in the interest of members of the union and the college community.

    Yekini said all the papers presented in the maiden edition in 2018 were available online, adding that some were used for promotion from one cadre to another.

    He said the conference had gone a long way to promote visibility of the college globally, as search for information on Internet, using any of the keywords of the paper presented at the conference.

    “The keynote of this year conference was chosen by the union, as the national development and unity of the country were being threatened by insecurity of life and property,” he said. (NAN)

  • UPDATED: Court winds-up P&ID, local affiliate

    Upon their conviction on Thursday, a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the winding-up of a controversial engineering firm, Process and Industrial Development Limited and its affiliate in Nigeria, P&ID Nigeria Limited.

    The court also ordered the forfeiture of their assets and properties to the Federal Government.

    Justice Inyang Ekwo, before whose court the firms pleaded guilty to an 11-count charge of fraud and tax evasion, gave the orders after convicting them on Thursday.

    The charge filed on behalf of the Federal Government by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is in respect of the firms’ unlawful conduct in relation to the controversial Gas Supply Project Agreement (GSPA), over which an arbitration tribunal that sat in London awarded damages estimated at about $9.6billion against Nigeria.

    They were, among others, accused of fraudulently claiming to have acquired land from the Cross River State Government in 2010 for the Gas Supply Project Agreement (GSPA).

    The two companies were represented at the arraignment earlier on Thursday by Mohammad Kuchazi, described as Commercial Director, P&ID Ltd, Virgin Island, and Adamu Usman, identified as representative of P&ID Nigeria Limited.

    The two men pleaded guilty to the charge. While Usman, who is a lawyer represented himself, Kuchazi was represented by a lawyer, Dandison Akurunwua.

    Upon the defendants’ guilty pleas, the prosecution, led by Bala Sanga called its sole witness, Usman Babangida, an EFCC investigator, who mounted the witness box, for the review of facts, which the defence team did not object to.

    Also, the defence did not object to the prosecution’s tendering of documents relating to the 2010 GSPA and EFCC’s investigation activities, which the judge admitted in evidence.

    At the conclusion of the prosecution’s presentation, Justice Ekwo proceeded to convict both firms.

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    Akurunwua, while praying the court to be lenient with his client, urged the court to consider “the forthrightness and candour” of P&ID by pleading guilty and not wasting the time of the court in the trial.

    Usman, representing the P&ID Nigeria Limited, both as its personality and lawyer, equally spoke in similar manner.

    Responding, Sanga prayed the court to order the winding-up of the firms in sentencing them.

    In his judgment, Justice Ekwo held that the position of the law, in view of the facts, evidence and the defendant’s guilty plea, the orders for the court to make are for the winding up of the companies and forfeiture of their assets.

    The judge proceeded to order the forfeiture of “the assets and properties” of the two firms to the Nigerian government.