The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerians

  • Who will save Nigerians from internet fraudsters?

    Who will save Nigerians from internet fraudsters?

    SIR: There is no denying the fact that our security agencies have become overwhelmed by the magnitude of criminal activities that daily challenge their competence.

    In fact the impunity of criminals underline the inadequacy or near absence of security intelligence system.

    Ironically 80% of the Police have never used a computer yet they are expected to chase after high tech cyber criminals.

    The internet crime is being carried out by young people in the most brazen manner as they are secure in the knowledge that nobody is coming after them.

    I recall when a group of fraudsters opened a fake Nigerian Customs website, they recruited thousands of Nigerians online and gave them appointment letters after collecting huge amounts from them.

    I recently encountered the Yahoo criminals:

    I was looking for a car to buy and decided to check the internet.

    I found sites like: Tradestable, Car finder and Nigerian Customs market office

    Many of the car advertisers claim to be Customs officers based at the Seme border or in Kebbi.

    They ask you to pay some amount to bring the vehicle for you to see, so that if you like it , you can then pay.

    As soon as you deposit the logistics money in their account the extortion starts.

    The syndicate I encountered are using the following: GT Bank Account NO: 0116270510

    Account NAME (witheld)

    The bank officials can check teller NO: 015651636 of 4/12/2012 paid into the account from their VI branch

     

    • Michael Azara

    Lagos

  • Nigerians urged to emulate Christ

    The lawmaker representing Yewa South/Ipokia Federal Constituency, Mr. Abiodun Akinlade, yesterday urged Nigerians to tolerate the adherents of other faith and pray for peace and stability in the country.

    In a statement, Akinlade, who is the Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Science and Technology, said: “The nation requires peace and stability to develop and attain its full potentials. Nigerians need to be tolerant and love one another, irrespective of religious and ethnic differences.

    “Jesus, the central message of the season, grew up to become a leader with a servant’s heart. He taught us to love God and love our neighbours as ourselves. We need to embrace the spirit of love, unity and oneness as we obey divine and national laws in order to achieve progress and development.

    “Nigeria would overcome its challenges through ceaseless prayers, re-dedication, oneness, sincerity of purpose and selflessness.”

    He prayed for good health and wisdom for the nation’s leaders.

  • Nigerians rue year 2012

    …Say it is not as prosperous as expected

    A cross section of Nigerians said the outgoing 2012 has not been as prosperous as expected, considering the era of a democratic government.

    They told the News Agency of Nigeria in separate interviews that it could have been better “if only our leaders could muster the political will to make it better.

    Mr. Olaitan Adams, a civil servant with the Lagos State Government, said things were just depreciating year by year, “the rich getting richer and poor getting poorer.

    “I have been in the service of Lagos State for six years now, and I don’t have a car and savings, I live in perpetual fear of the unknown.

    “Last year, I was able to take my family on a treat, but this year, even cooking on Christmas day will be a miracle,” he said.

    Adams urged all the tiers of government to put the welfare of their staff at the forefront, noting: “we are the wheel that makes the nation move and should be adequately cared for.”

    Mrs. Ann Keshinro, an entrepreneur, said she is not impressed with the rate of growth in the economy despite the democratic government.

    “The rate of growth of upcoming or small and medium scale businesses is a proportional percentage of the rate of growth of the economy and vice versa.

    “Entrepreneurs in this country are practically magicians because we still have some businesses that survive against all odds in this dwindling economy,” Keshinro said.

    Mr. Titilope Bamgbala, a real estate manager, said the country had the potential to turn its fortunes around within four years with the right leaders.

     

  • 15,000 Nigerians for Christian pilgrimage

    15,000 Nigerians for Christian pilgrimage

    The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), Mr. John-Kennedy Okpara, said on Tuesday that about 15,000 Christians were expected to participate in the 2012 pilgrimage.

    Okpara said this in Tel Aviv, Israel, at a meeting between the Federal Government delegation and the ground handlers of Nigerian pilgrims.

    He said that more than 11,000 pilgrims out of the number had visited Israel so far while more were being expected.

    “This year’s pilgrimage started in October and so far, we have had 36 rotations. As at Tuesday, 11,060 pilgrims have visited Israel and more are being expected.

    “No fewer than 638 pilgrims have also visited Rome and Greece, 16 states have so far participated in this year’s pilgrimage,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Okpara as saying at the meeting.

    Okpara noted that 2012 Christian pilgrimage would end on Decembr 24, following a presidential directive that the pilgrimage should not spill over to the following year.

    According to him, no death has been recorded for the year and there are minimal visa problems.

    The NCPC boss said that a unique feature of 2012 pilgrimage was the space given to aged people who were above 70 which was not the practice previously.

     

  • Nigerians spent billions on treatment abroad – Sambo

    Nigerians spent billions on treatment abroad – Sambo

    Nigerians spent several billions of hard currencies abroad to address medical challenges, Vice President Namadi Sambo has said.

    Sambo said this on Friday at the commissioning of the Kwara State Advanced Medical Diagnostic Centre, Ilorin.

    He said that with the take off of the centre, the number of Nigerians seeking medical attention abroad will reduce drastically.

    His words: “We hope this centre will save the country several billions of hard currencies spent by Nigerians in the pursuit of medical treatment abroad.

    “Having put this centre in place, I am confident that the outflow of Nigerians and national resources frittered to seek such services from other countries of the world will become a thing of the past.

    “Let me add that we are currently rehabilitating and expanding the provision of the needed infrastructure in our hospitals. Maternal and child delivery is being addressed to reduce maternal and child mortality rate, while blood is being procured and distributed to our various hospitals. Conscious efforts are being made to ensure that our health facilities are being upgraded to reach world class standard.

    “Efforts of state governments aimed at complementing federal government in this regards are highly acknowledged and deeply appreciated. While the federal government aligns itself with such initiatives, we are also packaging special incentives to both the state governments and private sector in participating in the healthcare delivery system in accordance with the transformation agenda of the administration.

    “Besides, this centre will promote health tourism in Kwara State and also attract patients and patronage from abroad, particularly the neighbouring West African countries and beyond.

    “In essence the centre is fortified with the state-of-the-art facilities that can compare and compete favourably with its type across the world. In the same vein, the engagement of experts to manage the centre is also a great joy to us for it will further enhance the status of the centre, build people’s confidence in it and attract expected patronage.”

     

  • Oxfam urges Nigerians to revive farming

    Oxfam urges Nigerians to revive farming

     

    The Country Director of Oxfam in Nigeria, Ms Chichi Okoye, has advised Nigerians to ensure the revival of farming practices in the country.

    Speaking at the Oxfam “Go live’’ ceremony Thursday in Abuja, she said Nigeria was fast losing its farming population.

    “If nothing is done about, it the nation will be in a food crisis in the nearest future,’’ Okoye warned.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Oxfam is an international confederation of 17 organisations networking together in more than 90 countries.

    It is a part of a global movement for change, aiming to build a future free from the injustice of poverty.

    Okoye said the organisation works directly with communities to empower them, to ensure that poor people could improve their lives and livelihood and have a say in decisions that affect them.

    She said Oxfam works with people living in poverty, who are striving to exercise their human rights, assert their dignity as full citizens and take control of their lives.

    Okoye said Nigeria as the most populous country in West Africa plays a critical role in shaping the agenda for the region and for Africa more widely.

    She said when the country gets development right, other countries could then learn and follow.

     

  • Bakassi: FG protests maltreatment of Nigerians

    Bakassi: FG protests maltreatment of Nigerians

    The Federal Government on Thursday protested to Cameroon over maltreatment of Nigerians living in Bakassi Peninsula, which was ceded to the Francophone country in August 2008.

    But Cameroon swiftly responded by claiming that it is not harassing Nigerians in the Peninsula.

    The country’s government said its hospitality to the Nigerians in Bakassi Peninsula has led to massive requests from them to obtain Cameroonian nationality.

    The Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) lodged the Federal Government’s protest at the 30th session of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission (CNMC).

    The session was presided over by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for West Africa, Amb. Said Djinnit, who is also the chairman of the Mixed Commission.

    But Adoke insisted that Cameroon should take measures to investigate the maltreatment of Nigerians in Bakassi to address these concerns of the Federal Government.

    He said: “Mr. Chairman, let me reiterate my earlier representation to the 20th meeting of the Follow-Up Committee that the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is concerned about reported cases of maltreatment of its citizens in the Bakassi Peninsula. As I reiterated on that occasion, while Nigeria would continue its international obligations, the government is concerned about this situation and its possible effect on the work of the CNMC.

    “The effect of these allegations and the political pressure they engender cannot be over-emphasized as they impact profoundly on the level of public confidence between the government and its citizens.

    “We therefore, call on the Cameroonian authorities in the spirit of Article 4 of the Green Tree Agreement and other international Human Right Instruments to which our two countries are signatories, to urgently investigate and take measures to address these concerns.

    “This is important as it would provide the enabling political environment for the activities of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission (CNMC) and the Follow-Up Committee, as well as strengthen the hand of government in its resolve to faithfully implement the ICJ judgment.

     

  • ‘15 million Nigerians suffer from asthma’

    ‘15 million Nigerians suffer from asthma’

     

    The National President of Nigerian Thoracic Society, Prof. Greg Erhosa, said no fewer than 15 million Nigerians are suffering from asthma, tuberculosis and other chest-related diseases.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Erhosa announced this while addressing journalists at an annual national conference of the society in Ilorin on Saturday.

    Erhosa, who works with the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, attributed the high number of Nigerians suffering from asthma and other chest diseases to lack of preventive measures.

    According to him, asthma is chronic disease which has claimed lives of several eminent Nigerians and the downtrodden.

    He called for establishment of thoracic health centres in each of the six geo-political zones to address the disease and other chest related ailments.

    Erhosa urged the three tiers of government in the country to set aside fund for the prevention and care of chest-related problem among Nigerians.

    He also canvassed for the recruitment of more experts in chest-related problem who would be in charge of preventive and cure of the diseases.

    According to him, preventing the disease is not as expensive as treating it.

    He said that the society would collaborate with American Thoracic Society and Africa Thoracic Society to eliminate tuberculosis, asthma and other chest-related problems.

    The annual conference was attended by several medical doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other medical personnel from various teaching hospitals in the country.

     

  • Over three million Nigerians live with HIV/AIDS – Minister

    Over three million Nigerians live with HIV/AIDS – Minister

    The Federal Ministry of Health has disclosed that over three million Nigerians are living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, made the disclosure on Friday in Abuja during a press briefing to mark World AIDS Day.

    The theme of this year’s event is – “Resourcing the National Response towards Getting to Zero AIDS Related Deaths.”

    The minister, who was represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. Mansur Kabir, explained that the virus has claimed over 20 million lives globally, with an estimated 33 million people living with it.

    He said: “Globally, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has claimed over 20 million lives, with an estimated 33 million people living with the virus.

    “Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 25 million of these people and Nigeria is home to about 3,130,000 infected with the virus. Presently, Nigeria bears the 2nd highest burden of HIV/AIDS, next to South Africa and third in the whole world after South Africa and India.”

    To achieve this year theme, the minister explained that efforts will be stepped up towards successful passage of the HIV/AIDS and anti-stigma bill and the upscaling of awareness creation strategy.

    “The current national HIV/AIDS prevalence figure of 4.1 per cent conceals regional variations ranging from 1 per cent in Kebbi state to 12 per cent in Benue state. However, all the states are affected. In all, 17 states and the FCT had prevalence rates of over 5 per cent and young adults aged 15-29 years are mostly affected.

    “In order to achieve zero new infections, Nigeria has placed much emphasis on prevention with specific focus on prevention Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT) which is a proven, cost effective intervention with the ability to ensure 100 per cent interruption of vertical transmission of HIV infection from a positive pregnant woman to the unborn child,” Prof. Chukwu stated.

     

  • Nigerians need re-orientation, says Akanbi

    The former Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Justice Mustapha Akanbi, yesterday called for a public re-orientation and education of Nigerians.

    Justice Akanbi recommended the enforcement of anti-graft laws by prosecution and conviction of offenders as panacea to the corruption scourge, which has continued to plague the nation for decades.

    He spoke in Abuja as the Chairman of the National Conference on Sectoral Professional Values: Implications for National Development organised by the Otonti Nduka Foundation for Values Education and the Nigerian Academy of Education.

    He lamented that officials, who are supposed to ensure that anti-corruption agencies persecute and secure the convictions of offenders, usually seek to influence their release.

    His words: “You do not have to steal or take bribes to make it in life. We must catch the thieves, else we are in serious trouble, and government must ensure that these anti-corruption cases are not swept under the carpet.”

    The retired President of the Court of Appeal also called for re-orientation from the notion that only people involved in politics can be rich. He called for a campaign for hard work in all sectors among Nigerians.

    “Unless all of us decide to change the society, the society would never change. We have to work together and inspire confidence in our people, that they can be whatever they want to be without indulging in corrupt practices,” Justice Akanbi said.

    The founder of the Otonti Nduka, Prof. Otonti Nduka, said the nation’s development has been stalled for decades by corruption.

    He said the Foundation was set up to continue to fight for the revitalisation of moral sectors in the society.

    Nduka said his book, Values, Education and National Development, launched at the event, is to review what is wrong with the education sector and proffer solutions for the way forward.