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Tag: Nigerian Newspapers

  • Sanwo-Olu urges FG to open up Badagry for commerce,business, tourism

    Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Thursday said the reason the State Government has been appealing to the Federal Government to open up Badagry was to boost commerce, businesses and tourism potentials of the axis.

    Sanwo-Olu disclosed this when the Chairman, Nigerian Diaspora Commission, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, led members of the organizing committee for the annual ‘Door of Return’ to pay the governor a courtesy visit at the State House, Marina.

    He stressed that ‘Badagry’ has become a brand that has been recognized globally over the years as a tourism destination in Nigeria.

    Sanwo-Olu said:  “The potentials in the tourism sector are enormous and that is why we have included it as part of our agenda to take Lagos to enviable heights.

    “That is why we have continued to tell the Federal Government that we need to open that corridor for commerce, business and tourism”.

    While justifying Badagry as a brand, the governor argued: “No matter how people take tourism to another location, if you have historic presence somewhere, no matter how they take it away, they will still come back to the historic base”.

    He assured that the state government would provide both operational and logistic supports for the event scheduled for October to assist Africans in Diaspora reunite with their ancestral home, adding that the traffic and other infrastructures aimed to be completed in Badagry would be fast tracked.

    “I can assure you that I will get my people to work immediately because the time is less than two months to the event. I can assure you that all the logistics required would be provided”.

    Sanwo-Olu, however, said that his administration would work with Diaspora Commission and residents of the community “to further boost the potentials that could be gotten from the community.”

    Read Also: Sanwo-Olu urged to intervene in LASU crisis

    Earlier, Dabiri-Erewa hinted that this year’s event was designed to mark the 400th year since slave trade started and ended in Africa.

    She noted that aside boosting the tourism of the state, the event would afford participants the opportunity to reunite with their ancestral root, saying, at the inception of the programme three years ago, we had about 25 returnees from Brazil, Jamaica and others.

    The chairman said: “The guests have the opportunity to walk through the door of no return where their ancestors were shipped out of the continent. They will also have the opportunity to have experience of how their fore fathers were taken out of the continent then. They will have the opportunity to see the different artifacts.

    “From the point of no return which was the practice over 400 years ago, we open the door of return to the continent of their ancestors. And Lagos serves as the door that has helped them to return to their ancestral root.

    “There is a spiritual and emotional connection attached to the exercise; many that have passed through the process often com

     

  • Ondo okays selection of new Olowo

    The Ondo State Executive Council has approved the selection and final ratification of Prince Gbadegesin Ogunoye as the new Olowo of Owo, in Owo Local Government Area of the state.

    Briefing reporters after the state executive meeting, which lasted for over seven hours, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo, said the state government appreciates the Owo Local Government and the Senior Omolowos for the peaceful process and procedures leading to the emergence of the new monarch.

    Ojogo said: “One of the key issues that was discussed at council is the issue of the Olowo of Owo. You will recall that the Olowo stool is a grade A stool and recognized by government  under the Chiefs law of 1984.

    “The stool became vacant after the demise of Oba Victor Folagbade Olateru Olagbegi, and as expected,  the selection process commenced and it followed due process and today, the climax of the process was brought to the council by the commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs

    “It is  with gratitude to God and profound thanks to the Local Government and the Senior Omolowos that Council today, gave approval for the selection and final ratification of Prince Ogunoye Ajibade as the new Olowo of Owo kingdom.

    “The thrust of the process is that Prince Ogunoye is now the Olowo-elect as graciously approved by the State Executive Council. You will recall that Olowo stool is among the prominent ones we have, not only in Ondo State, but in the entire South West

    “I have the approval of the governor to thank the senior Omolowos for the selection and final ratification of the Olowo elect. This is the final process for the selection and appointment of the new Olowo. There are no legal encumbrances since the ministry of justice has also cleared it.”

    The government spokesperson also disclosed that the state government has effected the upgrading of Chief Beniah Adeola Idiogbe from Oloja of Aboto to the position of Alaboto of Aboto in Ilaje local government area of the state.

    Read Also: Olowo-elect for coronation August 23

    He said the request for the upgrade had been approved by the State Executive Council twelve years ago, adding that the present government came in and decided to effect the upgrade.

    The information commissioner said: “Another issue that council looked at was the traditional stool of Alaboto of Aboto. This is not a new process. The process had been approved almost 12 years ago (2007). An existing Oloja of Aboto has been upgraded to the stool of Alaboto of Aboto.

    “In other words, Council has approved the elevation of Chief Beniah Adeola Idiogbe from the position of Oloja of Aboto to Alaboto of Aboto.

    “It’s not a new one. One or two administrative encumbrances had delayed the pronouncement. We met in on ground and Government felt justice must be served. It’s not a fresh process. Council gave approval since 2007, but it wasn’t effected.”

     

  • Atiku, PDP insist Buhari not qualified to contest 2019 election

    The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the last presidential election and his party have insisted that they proved their claim the President Muhammadu Buhari was not qualified to contest the election.

    They also insisted that the results of the election were transmitted electronically to a central server allegedly owned by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Atiku and the PDP, who are petitioners before Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) said they were able to establish allegation of malpractices and non-compliance with Electoral Act in the 11 focal states in which they contest the outcome of the last presidential election.

    They argued that INEC’s failure to call witnesses amounted to its admission of all the allegations raised in the petition and those contained in the evidence provided by their witnesses.

    Their position is contained in a 43-page final written address which they submitted before the court as their final argument in the case.

    The petitioners, in the written address, raised five issues for determinations and urged the court to uphold their petition.  The issues raised include: Whether the 2nd respondent  (Buhari) was at the time of the election not qualified to contest the election; whether the 2nd respondent submitted to the 1st respondent (INEC) affidavit containing false information of a fundamental nature in aid of his qualification for the said election and whether from the pleadings and evidence led it was established that the 2nd respondent was duly elected by majority of lawful votes cast at the election.

    Others are: Whether the presidential election conducted by the 1st respondent on 23rd February 2019 was invalid by reason of corrupt practices and whether the presidential election conducted by the 1st respondent on 23″ February 2019 was invalid by reason of non-compliance with the Electoral Act. 2010 (as amended) and the Electoral Guidelines 2019 and manuals issued for the conduct of elections.

    Read Also: PDP BOT Chairman supports RUGA

    As it relates to Buhari’s qualification, the petitioners argued that they have proved their case and claimed that the President’s non-attachment of his certificate to the Form CF001 he submitted to INEC implied that he did not possess it.

    “The summary of the Petitioners’ case on the pleadings in respect of the non-qualification of the 2nd respondent is in paragraphs 388 to 405 of the Petition. The case is that the 2nd respondent did not possess the certificates relating to the qualifications, which he claimed in his Form CF001.

    “The 2nd respondent had listed his educational credentials in proof of his qualification to contest the election in the said form, which he then submitted to the 1st respondent. The qualifications claimed by the 2nd respondent were (a) First School Leaving Certificate; (b) West African School Certificate (WASC); and (c) Officer Cadet (whatever that means). None of the alleged certificates was attached to Exhibit P1.

    “The Petitioners submit that the 2nd respondent was not qualified to contest the presidential election because the 2nd respondent failed to satisfy the mandatory requirements of Section 131 (d) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999

    On INEC’s failure to call witnesses, the petitioners argued that while the electoral body pleaded, in kits reply to the petition, that it found the 2ndrespondent‘s educational qualification acceptable, at trial, “the 1st respondent abandoned its pleadings and did not call any of the witnesses it had listed, or any other.

    “Nobody testified to the alleged acceptability of the 2nd respondent’s qualification. Where no evidence is led in support of a party‘s pleadings, the pleadings are deemed abandoned.

    “The burden therefore remained squarely on the 2nd respondent to prove his qualification under Sections 318(1) (a) and (b) since limbs (c) and (d), which are anchored on evidence of acceptability to the 1st respondent, were abandoned at the trial.”

    As it relates to their claim of the existence of a server, the petitioners said: “In an undoubted failed effort to deny the fact of e-collation and e-transmission of results, the respondents made contradictory and inconsistent claims in their unconvincing efforts to deny the existence of INEC Server[s] or Central Server.

    “If they had appreciated what a sever is, they should not have wasted valuable time denying what is obvious or making inconsistent claims.”

  • Lifting cash-less banking with multi-currency card

    Cashless banking was introduced with fanfare seven years ago and has remained impactful to the financial inclusion and efficiency target of banks and other financial institutions. The scheme has provided opportunity for banks to be more creative on their product offerings as seen in FirstBank introduction of the Visa Multi Currency Card, that allows customers link their cards to their naira, dollar, Euro and British Pounds Sterling accounts. The card was designed to meet the cash-less transactional needs of customers anywhere in the world, writes COLLINS NWEZE.

     

    THE introduction of the cash-less banking was one of the biggest news that hit the sector in January 2012. The objective, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says, is to change the cash-driven economy and reduce the rising cost of banking.

    The policy was also designed to promote financial intermediation, financial inclusion, minimise revenue leakages, eliminate robbery and encourage e-payment in any currency around the world.

    The policy was initiated against the backdrop of cash dominance in the payments system, a development which encouraged the circulation of huge sums of money outside the banking system and imposed huge currency management cost on the economy.

    The policy was meant to ensure price stability through effective monetary policy; sound financial system and efficient payments system. It was a critical part of the payment system modernisation, designed to promote the use of Automated Teller Machines, Point of Sale (PoS) terminals, web payment, online transfers and even mobile money in banking transactions instead of relying on cash.

    Seven years after the scheme was unveiled, banks are taking advantage of the opportunities it created to innovate and give value to customers. FirstBank of Nigeria Limited, has introduced the Visa Multi Currency Card, an All-in One-Card and first of its kind to be offered by any financial institution in Nigeria. This card can be linked to four currencies: Naira, United States dollar, Euro and British Pounds Sterling accounts.

    With the Visa Multi-Currency card, FirstBank customers – within and outside Nigeria – can now enjoy the luxury of having their local and foreign denominated accounts in any currency, linked to a single debit card. The Visa Multi-Currency Card is designed to ease the daily cashless transactional needs of customers regardless of where they are across the world.

    Amongst the many benefits of the Visa Multi-Currency card are Point of Sale and Online purchases, access to and use of ATMs worldwide. There is no cash collateral requirement prior to its issuance.

    Speaking on the product, Group Executive, e-Business & Retail Product at FirstBank, Chuma Ezirim, said the lender takes pride in pioneering the Visa Multi Currency Card in the country, as we remain committed to providing products and services that are designed to ensure the banking convenience of our customers regardless of their location.

    “This card is designed to make traveling fun for our customers and ensure they have a seamless transaction experience during their vacation, tourism and other business-related trips around the globe.

    “Traveling abroad for summer, walk into any FirstBank branch today for your Visa Multi Currency Card,” he said.

    According to the bank, the card can be used  to make purchases online, pay bills and access cash at ATMs worldwide. “ It is secured by Chip & Personal Identification Number technology with a lifespan of three years, requires no cash collateral before issuance, global acceptance on ATM, PoS and web as well as additional protection for web-based transactions with “Verified by Visa(VbV),” the lender said

    It has a limit of N150,000 for local ATM, and $1,000 on international transactions; on PoS, current account limit on local transactions is N2.5 million, and N500,000 on savings account while international transaction limit is $2,500. On web transactions, it has a limit of N1 million on local transactions and $6,250 on international transactions.

    On FirstBank Visa Gold card, customers enjoy higher daily spending limit on ATM ($1,000) , POS ($10,000) and WEB ($5,000) anywhere in the World with your Visagold card. Access to international emergency services with your Visagold card i.e. Emergency Card Replacement & Emergency Cash Advance in situations where your card gets lost or damaged,” the bank said.

    Also, on the FirstBank Naira Master Card, customers enjoy increased limits for international transactions. “Customers can spend $5000 monthly with their FirstBank Naira Master Card on all channels, with a daily ATM cash withdrawal limit of $300. The customers should change their PIN before travelling out of the country to avoid transaction failures / invalid card and must  not swipe their cards on any terminal, rather, should insert card and use their PIN. In the UK, customer can tap with their Naira MasterCard contactless cards to make payments for their transport fares among other benefits.

    “Customers can activate or deactivate their cards for all types of transaction, using the Card-in-Control Service on Firstmobile or the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) option. See steps below.

    These products have enabled the bank to issue  10 million cards to customers across the country. The bank is now among two other African banks to achieve the milestone.

    Other banks are also making card payment a priority. For instance,  Access Bank has migrated its entire network of ATMs to CR2’s ATM driving and card switching solution. The project also includes the migration of the lender’s card management system, according to a company press release.

    As part of the deal, CR2, which is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, will be responsible for the largest ATM network in the entire West African country, which includes more than 3,000 ATMs.

    The move follows the lenders deployment of CR2’s BankWorld, a digital banking platform. The software, which enables banks to tailor their branding and messages to customers via the ATM, is fully certified for Verve Card issuing and acquiring. Verve is an ATM debit and payment card used exclusively in the Nigeria.

    Additionally, the platform supports all local requirements for the Nigerian payment systems and services market,

    CR2 is one of only two switch vendors running an ATM network for banks in Nigeria, according to the bank.

    United Bank for Africa Plc says it has issued over three million Near Field Communication technology-enabled contactless cards to its teeming customers.

    “UBA has revolutionised the payments landscape in Nigeria in 2015, with the introduction of contactless payment cards which enable customers pay with ease by leveraging the NFC technology,” it said in a statement.

    The NFC technology allows wireless communication between devices that are a few centimetres apart. The NFC payment Card uses microchips/antenna to transmit data via shortwave radio frequencies.

    Usually, when one NFC-enabled device is close enough to another NFC device, a connection can be established and data shared between them. The card communicates data to the reader to initiate and complete the transaction using the NFC technology.

    “In addition to the contactless cards,  the bank has issued well over 10 million debit and prepaid cards, serving both customers and non-bank customers in its countries of operation,” it added.

    UBA’s Group Head, Cards, Yinka Adedeji, was quoted as saying: “We are delighted to reaching this milestone. Our customers have found out that with our contactless cards, they make payments for everyday essentials and other things that money can buy the contactless way, and these cards can be used across all the channels where you use your regular card – ATM, PoS and Web.”

    Also, about two years ago when the bank in December 2015 and May 2016, FirstBank was the first financial institution in the country to achieve sustained alternative channels transaction volumes of 100 million transactions in December 2015 and May 2016.

    According to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, First Bank of Nigeria Limited,  Adesola Adeduntan said: “Delivering to this feat at this time, is a testament to the bank’s drive in delivering to its brand promise – putting customers first and continuously improving our business to serve them better. One of the ways by which we were able to sustain this winning edge is the use of our Instant issuance/Instant activation technology, which we pioneered about 10 years ago.”

    “We have also consistently maintained the highest active Card ratio in the industry. This feat also implies that our customers are becoming more technology savvy and we would continue to encourage this attitude with our commitment to world class service delivery. Therefore, we must work to ensure optimal performance and availability of all our channels such as ATM, FirstMobile etc. to guard against customer dissatisfaction.”

    In addition, FirstBank recently bagged a hat trick of awards, which are clear signs that the giant strides taken by the pan-African leading bank-brand towards fostering its banking technologies are well aligned to the fast paced technological advancement in modern day banking.

    First Bank of Nigeria Limited has also won three awards in the Interswitch Connect Sales Dinner & Awards Night held this year in Lagos.

    The event, which had Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, Chairman, FirstBank of Nigeria Limited as keynote speaker, was convened to recognise excellent partners and institutions that are front liners at bolstering cashless transactions and payments in Nigeria, while promoting financial inclusion, thus bridging the gap between the banked and unbanked in the nook and cranny of the country.

    The awards won by FirstBank at the event are; Most improved Mobile Application, Highest Transacting Bank (across interswitch’s solution) and Highest Number of Verve Transacting Cards (Unique Cards) for respectively having the highest total volume of transactions to the tune of 95.1 million transactions across three services (Airtime, Bill payment and transfers), its outstanding performance in revenue generation (as regards having highest transactions across Interswitch’s solutions) and being the Bank with the highest and outstanding performance in the issuance of unique Verve cards. FirstBank has issued a total of 7million unique Verve cards.

    Receiving the awards on behalf of FirstBank, Mrs. Folasade Femi Lawal, the Bank’s Head, Card Business said “We are pleased to be recognised for these awards, especially as they add to the spice of an eventfulness 2019, the year of our 125th anniversary.

    The awards are indeed a reflection of the trust by Nigerians on our digital channels as we leave no stone unturned at reinventing ourselves, products and services with a view to remain steadfast at being a frontrunner at promoting digitisation of the industry bearing in mind that we are that very institution that have since 1894 witnessed the various facets and growth that defines banking in the country. We commend Interswitch for their giant strides at being a gateway to promote a cashless Nigeria.

    Only recently, FirstBank was recognised for its high transactional volume and leading role at promoting cashless transactions and financial inclusion in the country by winning two awards – Cashless Driver: Highest Volume in Bill Payments and Cashless Driver: Highest Transaction Volume in Real-Time Payments –  at the CBN Electronic Payments Incentive Scheme (EPIS) Efficiency Awards.

     

  • Ekiti Govt. shut down four hospitals over alleged quackery

    Ekiti State Government on Thursday shut down four hospitals in the state over alleged non-compliance with ethics of medical practice.

    The affected hospitals were Adedamola, Omole hospitals and other two hospitals in Ado Ekiti, the state capital. Ilawe Ekiti were accused of being run by uncertified medical doctors.

    Ekiti State Commissioner for Health, Dr Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, lamented how patients could be treated under unhygienic health facilities.

    Yahaya-Kolade said the exercise would be carried on a continuous basis with the aim of  stamping out quackery in the state.

    This, she, said would prevent residents of the state from avoidable deaths and unnecessary health issues.

    The Commissioner represented by the Director, Hospital Services and Training, Dr Rufus Adetoye, spoke during the unscheduled visit of the Medical Anti-quackery Committee set up by the Ekiti State Government to some hospitals in Ado Ekiti and Ilawe Ekiti.

    She disclosed that the Dr Kayode Fayemi administration had zero-tolerance for quackery in medical practice, saying the state government set up the committee to stamp out quackery in the state and to eradicate quackery in our dear state and the way innocent people are being killed must stop.

    Yahaya-Kolade said: “Unqualified doctors were met at some hospitals visited and this warranted sealing up the facilities.”

    “We are using this medium to enlighten the public that you are endangering your life if you visit or patronize any of the sealed hospitals which are not manned by qualified doctors. You should rather visit government hospitals for quality health care,” she added.

     

     

  • BREAKING: El-Zakzaky on his way back to Nigeria – IMN

    The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) has confirmed that, its leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky is on his way back to Nigeria from India.

    IMN in a statement on Thursday evening said, Sheikh Zakzaky has announced his return home following attempts by Nigerian and Indian security to impose medical treatment on him.

    The statement signed by its spokesman, Ibrahim Musa read that, “Following lack of breakthrough in the impasse that ensued in the treatment in New Delhi of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, it is now confirmed that the Sheikh is on his way back to Abuja, Nigeria. The impasse was sequel to refusal of the Sheikh to succumb to imposition of Medical treatment by the Nigerian security forces in collaboration with their Indian colleagues.

    “In a video message sent through his office, the Sheikh said it was decided that they will be taken to the airport to be flown back to Nigeria. He left Delhi by 17:00 hrs Nigerian time. He prayed that may that be the best option in the circumstances.

    “The Nigerian government’s interference and scuttling of the whole process rather than supervision as ordered by the court is the direct cause of the impasse. The government never wanted the medical leave in the first place, and did whatever to stop it by all means possible.

    “The Islamic Movement is completely not happy with the latest development, and we strongly believe any peace loving person in Nigeria feels the same. The government left no one in doubt that it never wanted the Sheikh to go for the medical treatment in the first place.

    “They opposed the application in court. When the order went against them, they indicated their desire to appeal against it. When that wasn’t going to stop the journey, they attempted to prevent it via introduction of stringent conditions that were not put in place by the court.

    Read Also: FG urges Nigerians to disregard El-Zakzaky claims

    “Having failed to stop using all these methods, they exploited the clear direction to “supervise” and went ahead to obstruct the medical treatment in New Delhi, India. Why would the Sheikh trust a government that killed thousands of his supporters including his sons, shot him and his wife and further exposed them to heavy metal poisoning?

    “As we await his arrival, we pray to almighty Allah to continue to protect him from the enemies of peace, who were behind the Zaria genocide of December, 2015 and the subsequent extreme persecution and torture he is being subjected to.” he said.

  • Nigerian football still growing – Kanu

    Ex-International, Kanu Nwankwo, says Nigerian football is still growing and would improve.

    He told newsmen in Ibadan on Thursday during a courtesy call on Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State that there was room for improvement.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nwankwo was in Ibadan to solicit support for 200 patients awaiting surgical operations through the Kanu Heart Foundation.

    “Nigerian football is not bad, but can do better. I believe football is growing in terms of the league.

    ” There used to be times when people don’t go to the stadium to watch games.

    “There is still room to improve in every angle. For me, what I did was to go back to the grassroots which is the most important,” he said.

    He said  the Super Eagles did well in the just concluded African Cup of Nations(AFCON) in Egypt, noting that the team was the youngest in the tournament.

    The ex-international said the sky was the limit for the Super Eagles, adding that  they could  do better at the World Cup.

    Nwankwo said  he had set up Kanu International Football Academy(KIFA) with 20 centres across the country all aimed at identifying talents and nurturing them to stardom.

    Read Also: Nigeria can win AFCON, says Kanu

    “I remember when I started, people do come and watch us. From that time, they knew I am going to be who I am today. I thank God for that.

    “We have new ones who are growing up on the street and are yet to be identified. What we are doing is to touch everyone wherever they are in the country,” he said.

    The ex-international said that KIFA was aimed at creating the platform and opportunities for young and upcoming talents in the country.

    He expressed confidence that the successes of identified talents would benefit the society and other young ones who would learn from them.

    Nwankwo said he was in Ibadan to solicit support for 200 patients awaiting surgical operation through his foundation, adding that he could not do it alone.

    He said his heart foundation had since establishment sponsored 561 surgical operations.

    “We have 200 on the waiting list and Kanu alone cannot do it. That is why I have been moving from one governor to the other to solicit support.

    “I pray they respond  by coming to our aid. We are also planning to build our hospital in Nigeria because we are tired of taking them out of the country every time. It is all about sacrifice,” he said

    NAN

     

  • Another Lady strangled in a hotel in Rivers

    A yet to be identified female corpse has been discovered in a hotel room in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital.

    The source said the body of the young woman, suspected to be a sex worker was abandoned in the room with a white piece of cloth tied round her neck. The incident reportedly happened on Tuesday, August 13.

    Although the source claimed that the Police I’m the state had apparently recovered the corpse, arrested several persons in connection with the murder and shut down the hotel.

    But when contacted, the spokesman of the state Police and, Nnamdi Omoni, A deputy Superintendent of police (DSP), could not confirm it immediately, but promised to get back to the Reporter.

    Read Also: Inside the world of female cab drivers

    This is the second time in two weeks that a body of a Lady is found in a hotel room in Port Harcourt.

    Such incident happened in DiobuLine (a k. a. D-Line) axis of the state two weeks ago, the lifelss body of a Lady from Abia state was found in the hotel in the morning, after she had checked into the room with a man the night before.

    She was also found dead with her tongue gushed out and a piece of cloth tied round her neck, suggesting that she was equally strangled to death, by the yet to be identified killer.

     

     

     

  • Strengthen education, demonetize politics, NIM urges FG

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    President of the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) Professor Olukunle Iyanda, has urged the federal government to strengthen education of her citizens and de-monetization of politics as a way of strengthening democracy in Nigeria.

    Iyanda, speaking in Lagos at a press briefing on Wednesday, said that people voting for those with a good track-record during elections, and demonetizing politics, to make it less financially attractive will encourage good people to go into governance.

    The erudite scholar also spoke on the issue of national unity, asserting that “our problem may be that we have not adopted a structure suitable for Nigerian characteristics. Our characteristics include the fact that we are large in terms of size and number, and we are heterogeneous.

    “We need to adopt a structure in which all the constituent units can adopt their peculiarities without compromising their national interest. It is the lack of these that causes disharmony and conflict in the country.”

    Iyanda further urged the federal government  to address the infrastructure deficit, security issues and political inconsistencies suffered by the country.

    Read Also: NIM demands release of Sowore, to go ahead with planned protests

    According to him, it is possible to lift people out of poverty “but we need to adopt the right policies, focus more on people than on politicians and be less partisan.

    “If you want to lift people out of poverty, do not give them money, but empower them with jobs. The only way to create jobs is to be productive and you cannot be productive without electricity and good roads,” Iyanda said.

    On the issue of food security, Iyanda wondered whether Nigerian would ever attain development if she keeps importing food from other countries.

    For him “no grain of rice or tomatoes should be imported into Nigeria. We can produce rice, as well as tomatoes, and even export then to other countries.

    “We should encourage agriculture in this country. If we do, we will not import from outside.”

    The President and Chairman of Council, NIM, told journalists that the institute, as part of its contribution to nation building, would hold national management conference with the theme: “Managing the Challenges of Democracy”.

    He said the conference, which is scheduled to hold from 15th to 17th September, in Abuja, hopes to proffer various solutions to improving Nigeria’s democracy and making it impact more on citizen’s welfare.

    He said that at the end of the conference, the institute would send a position paper to the government to help in tackling the challenges of governance.

  • Conductor charged with beating up policeman

    A bus conductor, Quadri Mustapha, who allegedly punched a policeman in the mouth, was yesterday brought by the police before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court.

    Mustapha, 25, of Jakande area, Isolo, Lagos, was arraigned on a two-count charge of breach of the peace and assault before Magistrate F. O. Hughes.

    Prosecuting Sergeant Ishola Samuel alleged that Mustapha committed the offence at about 4pm on July 17, at Oshodi bus stop, on the Oworonsoki Expressway.

    The court heard that the defendant assaulted Mr. Olumide Sonoiki, a constable, who was on lawful duty.

    Read Also: Businessman arraigned for allegedly receiving stolen property

    Mustapha, who was allegedly obstructing traffic by dropping-off passengers on the highway, punched and injured Sonoiki when he challenged and ordered him to move his vehicle.

    Mustapha pleaded not guilty.

    Magistrate Hughes granted him N100,000 bail with one surety in the like sum, among other terms.

    The case continues on September 9.