The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian Newspapers

  • Ajimobi to Makinde: ask civil servants about missing govt property

    FORMER Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has urged Governor Seyi Makinde to beam his searchlight on the activities of civil servants and those working in government instead of accusing his ex-officials of carting away government’s property after the expiration of their tenure.

    Ajimobi’s advice followed the accusations and counter-accusations between his administration and the state government on recovered government vehicles.

    The former governor said the admonition became imperative after alleged moves to tarnish his image and that of his former aides on alleged missing property, especially vehicles.

    The former governor spoke on Sunday while addressing reporters in his Oluyole, Ibadan residence after observing the Eid-el-Kabir prayer at the Ansar-Ur-Deen prayer ground, Liberty Area, Oke Ado.

    The two-term governor, who recounted that he did not meet anything in terms of home appliances, furniture up to kitchen utensils at the Government House upon his election in 2011, said he tried to avoid a repetition of the same because he worked till the last day of his tenure in office on May 28, 2019.

    He added that the lesson he learnt, which necessitated the move, was that government workers took advantage of ex-Governor Christopher Alao-Akala’s leaving the Government House few days before the legitimate expiration of his term as governor to loot and plunder the official government’s residence.

    However, he said as it is being done all over the world, even in corporate organisation where people are allowed to leave positions they occupied with their official vehicles, he also allowed his predecessors in office to leave with their official vehicles.

    Ajimobi added that his administration took the decision to advise people to pay for such vehicles before leaving with them.

    He was flanked by his wife, Florence, the APC governorship candidate in the 2019 election, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, APC state secretary Mr. Mojeed Olaoya, the embattled chairmen under the aegis of Association of Local Governments of Nigerian (ALGON), who were led by their chairman, Mr. Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, his former media adviser, Mr. Bolaji Tunji, among other aides, party chieftains and members.

    Read Also: Makinde hails Ajimobi’s education policy

    He said: “Again, if we are talking vehicles, I think papers have been written. When you are in government, there are policies to be taken. There are decisions taken. We took the decisions that anybody using vehicles at that time should pay and take it away. And that was what we did. Go to every state, Federal Government and all other state, there is nowhere in the world that people will work and not take away their vehicles when they are leaving.

    “So, let them go and check many of those people in government, the civil servants. When I moved into the Government House, Agodi, I didn’t see any furniture; they took the whole curtains, furniture, chairs, tables, televisions, home appliances up till the last table spoon. Ask Governor Seyi Makinde if they took anything from the Government House, when he got there, up to spoons and knives. I left them there. But you know why? It was because I worked up till the last day in office.”

     

     

  • Man allegedly rapes girl, 10

    A 28-year-old man, simply identified as Juwon, has allegedly raped a 10-year-old girl.

    The incident allegedly occurred at Alafia, Itele, Ota, Ogun State.

    The victim was said to live with her grandmother.

    It was gathered that on the day of the incident, she (grandmother) implored the suspect to hand over the keys to their room to her granddaughter when it was time for lunch.

    Unknown to the grandmother, the man had an ulterior motive. He allegedly took the girl to his room and raped her.

    Read Also: Man rapes daughter to confirm her virginity

    The Nation learnt that the grandmother, upon arrival, discovered bloodstains on the victim’s dress and inquired what had happened. The girl told her that the suspect defiled her when she was not around.

    The visibly-shaken girl, who was said to have had bruises in her private parts, alleged: “Brother Juwon took me to his room and removed my panties. He then penetrated me. When my grandmother returned, she noticed my blood-stained dress and I told her what happened.”

    When questioned why he raped the minor, the suspect did not respond.

    The grandmother said Juwon should be made to face the wrath of the law.

    The matter was later reported to the Ogun State Community Social Orientation and Safety Corps.

    The Commander, Ejigun Unit, Mr. Talabi Ojo, said the suspect was apprehended and taken to their headquarters in Ota before moving him to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Obada, in Abeokuta.

  • Bindow: together we can build Adamawa, Nigeria of our pride

    FORMER Adamawa State Governor Mohammed Jibrilla Bindow has urged residents of the state and other parts of the country to believe in togetherness to build a prosperous state and country.

    Bindow, in his Eid-el-Kabir message by his Senior Special (SSA) Assistant on Media and Publicity, Martins Dickson, urged Adamawa residents and other Nigerians of various religions and tribes to unite and build a state and nation they can be proud of.

    He said: “It is time for us to unite and focus on building a state and country that our children will be proud of, a place where we can proudly call home and not be ashamed to invite others to live and invest in.”

    Read Also: I’ll pay N30, 000 minimum wage before leaving office – Bindow

    The former governor enjoined Muslims to pray for unity, sustained peace and Allah’s intervention in the security challenges facing the state and the nation.

    He said the sacrifice, which culminate in Eid-el-Kabir celebration, provides an opportunity for Muslims to sacrificially pray for a united Adamawa State and Nigeria.

    Bindow said: “The teachings and lessons of Eid-el-Kabir encourage us to make sacrifices and we must tolerate one another, sustain peaceful coexistence and promote togetherness to build a state and country that everyone of us desires.”

     

  • Families cry out over alleged attack by land grabbers, murderers

    The Ominiha and Shosoyan families of Ibeshe in Ikorodu, Lagos State, have appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu to rescue them from hoodlums.

    They alleged that the hoodlums were led by a suspected notorious land grabber, Kamurudeen Lamina, alias Sir K.

    The families accused policemen at Zone II headquarters, Onikan, Lagos and the Monitoring Unit, Ikorodu of aiding Lamina, a suspected serial murderer alleged to have unleashed terror on Ikorodu, Ogijo and other Lagos-Ogun border communities since 2005.

    They appealed to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun to rescue them by ensuring that land grabbers hiding at the border towns and unleashing mayhem on residents are dislodged.

    Read Also: ‘We live in perpetual fear of land grabbers’

    The families, who spoke through their lawyer, Adefolaju Oloko, said their outcry followed Lamina’s alleged forceful and illegal encroachment on their 138.70 acres of land at the instance of a family that has no claim to the land.

    They said their worries were not unconnected to killings and maiming of innocent people for over a decade by land grabbers, which has forced many victims to desert their homes.

    Lamina, however, denied the allegations.

    He said he was neither a murderer nor a land grabber as being alleged.

    Said he: “I am not a land-grabber, but a property developer, car dealer and hotelier. I am not into land grabbing. People meet me always to help them develop their land. The problem is that people are jealous of my progress. They want to kill me and take over the properties I am managing.”

  • El-Rufai, Sani congratulate Muslims

    KADUNA State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and the senator representing Kaduna Central, Uba Sani, have felicitated with the Muslim community on this year’s Eid-el-Kabir.

    They urged Muslims to reflect on the meaning of the festival of sacrifice and make positive sacrifices to lift Nigeria out its woes.

    In a message by the Commissioner for Internal Security, Samuel Aruwan, the governor noted that in troubled times, there are poignant lessons from having absolute faith in Almighty Allah, which the festival commemorates.

    He urged the Muslims Ummah to celebrate the festival with modesty.

    El-Rufai called for renewed commitment to exemplary conduct, goodwill and peaceful relations with other members of humanity.

    In his Sallah message, Sani said: “We are a resilient people and must see our current challenges as opportunities to rebuild and strengthen our country. We must renew our faith in One Nigeria. We have come a long way as a people and must not allow agents of destabilisation to put a knife in what holds us together.

    “I assure my constituents, the good people of Kaduna Central Senatorial District, of my total commitment to their welfare and development. I will continue to give full support to our dynamic and resourceful governor, His Excellency, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, as he strives to make Kaduna State second to none in Nigeria. We are committed to changing all the negative development indices and turning the state to a model in human-centred development.

    Read Also: Maritime efforts paying off, says El-Rufai

    “I urge our people to continue to give their full support to President Muhammadu Buhari. He has shown leadership. He is totally devoted to the task of lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty and frontally tackling the challenge of insecurity. He is a leader we must trust.

    “I call on Nigerians to remember in prayers the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, especially its focused, patriotic and dynamic President, Senator Ahmad Lawan. He is poised to give new meaning to Legislature-Executive partnership to fast-track Nigeria’s growth and development. The Senate, and indeed the National Assembly, needs the understanding and support of Nigerians to put in place pro-people and pro-poor policies and legislations that would lift millions of our people out of poverty.

    “I see a silver lining in our current challenges. If we keep faith and make the necessary sacrifices, our nation will bounce back and take its rightful place in the comity of developed nations.”

     

  • Ganduje, Sanusi urge peace, unity among Nigerians

    Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, on Sunday urged Nigerians to continue to promote peaceful co-existence, religious tolerance and national unity.

    They said these, among other virtues, would ensure unity, progress and socio-economic development of the nation.

    Ganduje, who spoke after the eid prayers, reminded Muslims of the need to give alms to the less privileged.

    The governor urged them to imbibe the lessons of Eid-el-Kabir in their everyday life.

    He felicitated with the Muslim Ummah and enjoined Muslims to emulate the teachings of Prophet Mohammed (SAW) and the faith Prophet Ibrahim had in Allah, which culminated in the slaughtering of rams among Muslims across the world.

    He prayed Emir Sanusi, top government officials, state and National Assembly lawmakers, businessmen and women, politicians, security chiefs and high-ranking Islamic clerics.

    Read Also: Ganduje releases 200 inmates at Sallah

    Emir Sanusi advised parents to inculcate the fear of Allah in their children so that they can become assets to their families and society in the future.

    The eminent monarch stated this when he addressed his subjects after leading the eid prayer at the Kofar Mata Central praying ground in Kano.

    He urged parents to train their children well by giving priority to their education.

    Emir Sanusi also admonished Muslims to always have the fear of Allah by fulfilling their promises, as done by Prophet Ibrahim.

    The first-class monarch urged Nigerians to continue to live in peace with one another to foster peace, love and unity in the country.

     

  • Prepaid meter: IE sensitises customers on registration process

    Ikeja Electric (IE) Plc has begun the rollout of meters under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme to unmetered customers, the Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Folake Soetann, has said.

    She spoke at the weekend in Lagos at the Customers Engagement Forum to sensitise customers in Shomolu Business Unit on the registration process, survey, payment and installation of meters.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that lkeja Electric, alongside one of its MAPs partners, Mojec Metering Asset Company, held an engagement forum to sensitise customers in Shomolu Business Unit.

    The MAP scheme is in line with the Federal Government’s commitment to bridge the metering gap.

    It entails empowerment of third party companies identified Meter Asset Providers, by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), to procure and install meters for electricity consumers under the scheme.

    She said in the first phase, which culminated at the end of July, metering was restricted to only customers in Ikorodu, Abule-Egba and Shomolu business units.

    Soetan noted that from the beginning of August the exercise has been extended to customers in Ikeja, Akowonjo and Oshodi business units.

    She reiterated the company’s commitment to leverage the opportunity provided by the MAP scheme to close the metering gap across its network and remove estimated billing.

    “The scheme will ensure accelerated meter deployment to unmetered customers, totally eliminating every form of controversy regarding the accuracy of electricity bills.

    Read Also: How to get prepaid meters, by Ikeja Electric

    “We have taken actions in terms of planning and manpower deployment for adequate metering,” the IE boss said.

    In order to ensure a seamless registration for meter under MAP scheme, she advised the unmetered customers to register through IE website map.ikejaelectric.com, using their Ikeja Electric’s account number on the bill to update their KYC (Know Your Customer) details after which a survey will be carried out to determine the type of meter suitable for their premises.

    Soetan said the company had set up a debt resolution panel in its six business units to address disputed outstanding bills and ensure reconciliation.

    She said customers must always pay into the designated bank account provided on the online MAP Portal and always quote their Application Reference Number (ARN) when making any payment.

    Soetan advised new customers to visit the nearest Ikeja Electric office for account creation and set up to enable them start their registration for meter.

    “As part of the registration process, customers will be required to provide a valid email address and telephone number, as they will be contacted through the information provided,” the Ikeja Electric boss said.

    She urged customers to ensure they provide accurate data during the registration process.

    She directed tenants who share the same service cable to separate their service wires by engaging the service of Licensed Electrical Contractor Association of Nigeria (LECAN).

    The Chief Executive Officer of MOJEC Meter Asset Company, Ms Chantelle Abdul, said the company had adequate meters in stock for the MAP scheme.

    According to her, the single phase meter costs N38, 850, while the three-phase meter costs N70,350, both inclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT).

    She said processes have been put in place, including bank loans for customers who could not afford to pay for the meter.

  • Believe in us as we fix Kwara, says AbdulRazaq

    KWARA State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has urged residents of the state to have faith in his administration’s ability to fix the state.

    “We, therefore, call on all Kwarans to stay on course with us as we get down to the task of fixing our state. This definitely requires all of us to make sacrifice.

    “It might also require us to adopt a new paradigm and forgo momentary gains for the larger interest of our state, especially the generations yet unborn,” he said.

    AbdulRazaq felicitated with the Muslim community on the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, advising the faithful to reflect on the lessons of the season.

    Read Also: Kwara governor hits the ground running

    “The message of this season is that of sacrifice, selflessness and total submission to the will of God, as exemplified by not just Prophet Ibrahim, the father of all Abrahamaic faiths, but also Prophet Muhammad (SAW). As faithful, it is not enough to offer animals in sacrifice. We are in fact required to translate these qualities to our day-to-day living,” the governor said in a Sallah message by his spokesman Rafiu Ajakaye.

    The governor prayed to God to grant everyone a blessed eid.

     

  • Command arraigns cleric for alleged N180,000 visa fraud

    The police have arraigned a clergyman, Akin Ajagbe, at an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court for allegedly cheating a housewife of N180,000 for a United Kingdom (UK) visa.

    Ajagbe is charged with obtaining money under false pretences and stealing.

    Prosecuting Sergeant Ishola Samuel said Ajagbe, 52, who lives at 31, Church Street, Oke-odo, Agege, Lagos, with one person at large, committed the offence on August 10, 2017.

    He alleged that Ajagbe fraudulently obtained N180,000 from the complainant, Mrs. Biliki Adesope, to procure a UK visa for her.

    Read Also: Police arraign two for ‘fighting over N5,000’

    The prosecutor alleged that after Ajagbe collected the money, he “disappeared”.

    The offence, he said, contravened sections 287 and 314 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

    Magistrate A. I. Abina admitted the defendant to N300,000 bail with one surety in the like sum.

    Abina ordered that the surety must be employed and show evidences of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.

    The case was adjourned till August 28.

  • Police arrest suspected robbery, car theft kingpins

    The police have arrested a suspected robbery kingpin allegedly terrorising bank customers at Egbe and Ikotun areas of Lagos.

    A ring leader of a car snatching syndicate, identified as Francis Abubakar, has also been nabbed by the detectives attached to Satellite Town Division.

    A statement yesterday by spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the suspected robbery kingpin was arrested last Friday shortly after his gang allegedly attacked customers outside Access Bank, near the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) junction at Ejigbo.

    He said: “Patrol teams sent from Ejigbo Police Station to reinforce the mobile policemen on duty at the bank engaged the robbers in a gun battle. The robbers were overpowered and they fled on their motorcycles. They were chased to Egbe where their ring leader was arrested with bullet wounds, while others escaped.

    Read Also: Police arrest man who defiled, impregnated 10-year-old girl in Benue

    “One Brownie pistol with a live ammunition was recovered from the suspect. The sum of N250,000 earlier snatched from a female victim was recovered and handed over to her.

    “The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) has taken over the investigation and efforts are on to nab other fleeing members of the gang.”

    The police said the suspected car snatcher was arrested around 11:10pm on Friday when his gang attempted to snatch a Peugeot 307 saloon car from the owner at Mosalachi, on the Badagry Expressway.

    “Francis Abubakar, the ring leader of the gang, was arrested. A locally-made shotgun was recovered from the suspect. The Peugeot 307 saloon car was recovered and handed over to the owner. SARS has taken over the case with a view to apprehending other members of the gang. Investigation is ongoing. The suspects will be arraigned.”