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  • Baba Sala not dead, says son

    Baba Sala not dead, says son

    Popular actor, Moses Olaiya, popularly known as “ Baba Sala ’’ is alive, his son confirmed on Wednesday.

    Mr Boisala Adejumo, one of Olaiya’s sons debunked the raging rumour that “Baba Sala’’ died on Tuesday – saying that the veteran actor was alive.

    Adejumo said that although his father was frail as could be expected of anyone of his age, “he is hale and hearty.

    Baba Sala is alive so, please save your condolences. My father is over 80 years old and is frail, due to illnesses associated with old age but he is alive.

    “My father is peacefully enjoying his life in Ijesa and he does not have stroke either.”

    Adejumo advised the public to always desist from quickly reacting to information emanating from the social media, noting that information on the social media could be misleading.

    He advised bloggers to always carry thorough investigations and seek clarifications from relevant authorities before posting information on social media.

    “Most bloggers or online reporters are not seasoned journalists. They just post things to attract inflow of traffic to their sites,” Adejumo said.

     Baba Sala  also rumoured to have died some months ago was  born on May 18, 1936. He is hailed from Ijesha, Osun.

    He is an ace actor and a musician, dramatist and a comedian. He could be described as one of the fathers if not even the grand-father of the modern Nigerian comedians.

    He always sings in a spectacular way in all his movies due to his passion for music.

    Baba Sala started his career as a musician of ‘High life’ in  1964 under a brand name of a band known as ‘Federal Rhythm Dandies’.

    The band tutored and guided King of Juju music, Prince Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye, popularly known as King Sunny Ade (KSA) where he used to play the ‘Lead Guitar’ role.

    NAN

  • Eid-El-Maulud: FG declares Friday public holiday

    Eid-El-Maulud: FG declares Friday public holiday

    The Federal Government has declared Friday as public holiday in commemoration of the Muslims Eid-El-Maulud celebration.

    The Minister of Interior, retired Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, according to a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja.

    The statement was signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Mr Abubakar Magaji.

    Dambazau urged all Muslim faithfuls and Nigerians in general to use the occasion to pray for peace, progress and unity of the nation.

    He further urged all Nigerians to support the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in its efforts at building a virile nation, and wished Nigerians a happy Eid-El-Maulud celebration.

    Read also: Ambode urges Muslims to pray for peace of Nigeria

    Eid-El-Maulud is celebrated every year by Muslims on the 12th day of the Islamic month of Rabi-ul-Awwal as the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

    NAN

  • Court docks dispatch riders for stealing N643,388

    Court docks dispatch riders for stealing N643,388

    Two men, Ebodo Daniel and Oga Joseph, were on Wednesday arraigned in Kubwa Grade 1 Area Court for allegedly swindling their employer of N643, 388.‎

    The defendants were docked on charges of joint act, criminal breach of trust, misappropriation and cheating.

    The prosecutor, Mr John Okpa, told the court that one Adisa Adeola of Lokogoma, Abuja, reported the matter at the Kubwa Police Station on Nov. 25, 2017.

    He said the complainant employed the defendants as dispatch riders with Konga.com to deliver parcels to customers and remit money to the company’s account.

    Okpa, however, said that Daniel dishonestly diverted the sum of N469, 708, to his personal use, while Joseph did the same with N173, 680.

    He said told the court that the offences contravened the provision of Sections 79, 311, 308 and 322 of the Penal Code.

    The defendants pleaded not guilty.

    ‎The defence counsel, Mr Anenin Enabosi, made a bail application for the defendants, assuring the court that reliable sureties would be provided if the bail was granted.‎

    ‎‎The judge, Mr Mohammed Marafa, granted Daniel bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties, who he ordered, must reside within the court’s jurisdiction.

    Joseph got bail in the sum of N200, 000 with one surety in like sum, and the judge explained that Joseph’s bail condition was less because Daniel allegedly diverted more money.

    ‎He added that the sureties must produce means of livelihood and identification and adjourned the case until Jan. 18.

    NAN

  • Court remands three persons over possession of cannabis sativa

    Court remands three persons over possession of cannabis sativa

    An Osun Magistrates’ Court in Ile-Ife on Wednesday remanded Maria Oladunjoye, Taoreed Olajiire and Blessing Ebuka in prison over alleged possession of  cannabis sativa popularly known as Indian hemp.

    Oladunjoye, 48, Olajide, 38 and Ebuka, 20, are facing two-count charge of conspiracy and unlawful possession of Indian hemp, to which they pleaded not guilty.

    The Magistrate, Olalekan Ijiyode, ordered that the defendants be remanded at Ilesa prison, pending hearing on their bail application.

    He asked the Defence Counsel, Ben Adirieje, to make written application for the bail and adjourned the case until Dec. 18 for mention.

    Earlier, the Prosecutor, Sunday Osanyintuyi, had told the court that the defendants committed the offence on Nov. 23 at Seventh Day Adventist Hospital Area in Ile-Ife.

    Osanyintuyi said the three conspired to commit felony and unlawfully had lndian hemp with them.

    He added that the defendants were caught with a bus-full of the substance suspected to be Indian hemp, which was unlawfully obtained.

    According to him, the offence contravenes sections 430 and 516 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Osun, 2002.

    NAN

  • Reps hold public hearing on Bill to empower NSCDC manage CCTV

    Reps hold public hearing on Bill to empower NSCDC manage CCTV

    The House of Representatives on Wednesday commenced public hearing on a Bill to empower Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps ( NSCDC ) to control Close Circuit Televisions (CCTV) in the country.

    The Bill seeks to amend the NSCDC Act 2003 to provide guidance for the enforcement of security measures through the requirement for installation and management of CCTVs.

    It is to ensure the security of lives and property in the country.

    Making his submission before members of the House Committee on Interior, in Abuja, Deputy Comptroller-General, NSCDC, Andekin Musa, commended the initiative to amend the existing Act.

    According to him, the extant law is devoid of any provision catering for installation and management of CCTV in the country.

    “The public overriding interest of actively securing public and private places identified as high risk has become expedient in the face of criminal activities carried out on innocent citizens.

    “The amendment is broad enough to cater for related matters on the installation, use and management of the CCTV,’’ Musa said.

    He added that the amendment would also provide for the expansion of the functions of NSCDC and its affiliation with local and international organisations in combating crime.

    Chairman of the committee, Rep. Adams Jagaba, said that the amendment of the bill was apt in view of the security challenges confronting the country.

    Jagaba said that the amendment would also strengthen synergy between NSCDC and other security agencies, particularly in sharing critical information needed in the fight against insecurity.

    NAN

  • India fines Nestle $96,500 over ‘substandard’ Maggi noodles

    India fines Nestle $96,500 over ‘substandard’ Maggi noodles

    Authorities in northern India have fined Swiss food giant Nestle 96,500 dollars, after food inspectors found contamination in samples of its popular Maggi noodles, two years after the controversy first surfaced.

    Uttar Pradesh state’s Shahjahanpur district fined the Swiss firm 4.5 million rupees and its distributors 1.7 million rupees, taking the total penalty to 6.2 million rupees (96,500 dollars).

    “Food quality tests on Maggi samples found the product to be substandard.

    “The ash content, which include heavy metals, found in the samples were above permissible limits for human consumption,” district food quality chief DP Singh told dpa by phone.

    The samples were collected during raids on various distributors in 2015.

    The fine was only imposed two years later after authorities had heard detailed representations from Nestle and its distributors, Singh said.

    A spokesman for Nestle India asserted that Maggi noodles were “100 per cent safe” for consumption.

    Nestle said it appeared to be a case of “application of incorrect standards” and it would appeal against the order.

    Maggi noodles was banned in June 2015 for six months after India’s food regulator said the product was “unsafe and hazardous” levels of lead.

    Production began after the ban was relaxed later that year.

    Singh said while the 2015 ban was because of high levels of lead, the penalty was because of elevated levels of ash content.

    The yellow-and-red packages of Maggi noodles are a popular snack in India and can be found in shops in the furthest reaches of the country.

    NAN

  • NCC seizes 28 containers of pirated works – Official

    NCC seizes 28 containers of pirated works – Official

    The Nigerian Copyright Commission ( NCC ), says 28 shipping containers comprising pirated books and audio-visual works were confiscated from 2011 to the first quarter of 2017.

    Mr. Afam Ezekude, the Director General of the NCC, said this during the signing of signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NCC and the Nigeria Customs Service ( NCS ), on collaborative anti-piracy operations at the nation’s ports and borders, on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Mr Hameed Ali, Comptroller General of NCS signed on behalf of the service.

    Ezekude who lauded the NSC’s role in the seizure, said that the NCS remained its crucial ally in the commission’s anti-piracy drive.

    “This MoU is a step in the right direction as it has formally set in motion synergised efforts between us in our fight against piracy.

    “Movements of pirated works at border points through the air, sea and land, will henceforth be checked effectively.

    “This development has further reiterated our zero-tolerance stand against any means through which pirated works enter the Nigeria market,” he said.

    In his remark, the CG of NCS, Hameed Ali, said that since the organisations were involved in enforcement of government policies, there was need for them to work closely for effective delivery on their mandates.

    He therefore urged NCC to provide relevant expertise training on copyrights to officers of the NCS for them to be more effective in their hunt for pirated creative work at ports and borders.

    “We have realized that we need each other to work more effectively, and this MoU will help in achieving that goal.

    “However, there is need for relevant training for our officers so that they can identify pirated products from the original ones at the ports”, he said.

    The MoU which is for three years is subject to renewal thereafter.

    According to the chief executives, the MoU is to formalise and strengthen the inter-agency collaboration between the two organisations, and to explore further ways to collectively curb importation of pirated works into the country.

    NAN

  • FUNAAB VC supports calls for economic diversification via agriculture

    FUNAAB VC supports calls for economic diversification via agriculture

    Prof. Felix Salako, the Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta ( FUNAAB ), has voiced support for the growing calls for the diversification of the nation’s economy through agriculture.

    Salako expressed the support in a statement signed by Dr Linda Onwuka, Head of Directorate of Public Relations of the university, which was given on Wednesday in Lagos.

    The statement said that Salako spoke at the opening of the facilitation and communication skills training programme for agricultural extension agents on the university campus.

    It said the vice-chancellor described agriculture as a sustainable tool for national development and urged trainees, who were receiving training under the Agricultural Development Programmes ( ADPs ) of states, to be change catalysts.

    “The young people I see here today are the new generation of extension officers; they will be catalysts in efforts to push the nation forward, using agriculture as an alternative to crude oil export.

    “It is dawning on everybody that we are running into trouble with oil. What may even make oil more useless is the fact that people are already thinking of alternative sources of energy, even for running cars.

    “So, this training could not have come at a better time than now,” the statement quoted Salako as saying.

    It said that the vice-chancellor expressed the readiness of the university to collaborate with other bodies to strengthen the skills of agricultural workers, particularly extension services agents.

    “We are ready to strengthen the skills of extension agents, using participatory and adult-learning methodology, to enhance timely and sustained supply of cassava root by small and medium scale farmers.

    “We are confident that the completion of the course will make the participants better and help in building their capacity to facilitate effective facilitation and communication with farmers.

    “As extension officers, you need to step up your roles in contributing to the development of our nation. You need to develop good relationship with farmers and subsequently use these skills to connect yourself.

    “One thing that has come to the fore these days is that farmers do not trust agriculturists anymore. You must be ready to convince the farmer to even listen to you.

    “So, you need a lot of efforts to be able to convince farmers about innovations,’’ Salako was quoted as saying.

    The statement said that Salako stressed that the training was apt, while the approach to engage both extension agents of the state ADPs and procurement executives of cassava-processing factories would definitely achieve the desired results.

    Also, Prof. Lateef Sanni, the Country Manager of Cassava: Adding Value for Africa II (CAVA II), said in the statement that the inconsistency in the supply of raw materials was a major and critical factor affecting the survival of large scale industries.

    Sanni, who is also the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development) Designate of FUNAAB, reportedly said that sourcing cassava raw materials required a lot of effort.

    “We are aware that you have different locations where you source for raw materials but at present, there are some issues we have itemised in the last two years.

    “The major problem is that the farmers themselves have informed us that some of the extension officers or procurement officers are delaying their payments.

    “This is attitudinal and that’s why we decided to bring in a consultant that will interact with you on facilitation, communication and sustainable engagements,’’ the statement quoted Sanni as saying.

    NAN

  • Army rescues 212 captives, capture one Boko Haram commander

    Army rescues 212 captives, capture one Boko Haram commander

    The Army on Tuesday rescued another 212 persons held hostage by the terrorists after they cleared remnants of insurgents from some villages in the northern fringes of the Sambisa forest.

    They also captured one Boko Haram commander, “Ameer” of Chawa, Amman Judee and neutralised four terrorists, according to a statement by Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman, the Director of Army Public Relations on Tuesday.

    Usman said the captured terrorists leader was undergoing interrogation, while the rescued persons were being documented and underaged children among them administered oral polio vaccines.

    Earlier in the week, troops rescued 30 persons held hostage by the terrorists during clearance operations in eight villages at Bama Local Government Area of Borno.

    NAN

  • U.S. threatens action against S. Sudan if it does not end violence

    U.S. threatens action against S. Sudan if it does not end violence

    The U.S. threatened to take further action against the South Sudan government if it does not end violence and allow United Nation ( UN ) peacekeepers to do their job.

    A month after U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley visited South Sudan and met with President Salva Kiir in the capital Juba, she told the Security Council: “Words are no longer sufficient.”

    “The U.S. is prepared to pursue additional measures against the government – or any party, for that matter – if they do not act to end the violence and ease the suffering in South Sudan,” said Haley, who was the most senior member of President Donald Trump’s administration to visit South Sudan.

    The Trump administration imposed sanctions in September on two senior South Sudanese officials and the former army chief for their role in the civil war and attacks against civilians.

    However, any U.S. push for the UN Security Council to take further action against South Sudan is likely to be resisted by veto power Russia.

    The council sanctioned several senior South Sudanese officials on both sides of the conflict in 2015, but a U.S. bid to impose an arms embargo in December 2016 failed.

    “It is counterproductive to impose targeted sanctions, counterproductive to impose an arms embargo, such measures will not help to break this deadlock and will only further exacerbate the crisis,” Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador Petr Iliichev.

    South Sudan spiraled into civil war in late 2013, two years after gaining independence from Sudan, and a third of the 12 million population has fled their homes.

    The conflict was sparked by a feud between Kiir, a Dinka, and his former deputy Riek Machar, a Nuer, who is being held in South Africa.

    A fragile peace deal in South Sudan broke down last year and East African bloc IGAD has been trying to revive it.

    “We view as unjust the ongoing attempts to place all blame for the persistent unabated violence on Juba alone, it has done its role, now the opposition must reciprocate,” Iliichev said.

    UN sanctions monitors reported earlier this month that inspite of the catastrophic conditions across South Sudan, armed forces, groups and militias, particularly those affiliated with Kiir and Vice President Taban Gai, continued to “actively impede both humanitarian and peacekeeping operations.”

    Reuters/NAN