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Tag: Popular Nigeria News

  • Immigration deports four Ghanaians

    The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has carried out a deportation Order as authorised by the Minister of Interior in respect of four (4) Ghanaian Nationals for violating various provisions of the Immigration Act and Regulations.

    This is in line with the powers vested on the Minister of Interior in Section 45(1) and (2) of the Immigration Act 2015.

    According to a statement on Friday in Abuja by the NIS spokesman, Sunday James: “The Order which was issued in the interest of the Public affects three males and a female.

    Read Also: Ogun produced highest tonnes of solid minerals in 2018 – NBS

    “They are:

    i. Florence Donkur (F)

    ii. Simon Gyan (M)

    iii. Yeboah Collins (M)

    iv. Alhaji Isa (M)

    “They were deported to their country of origin via Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja today 22nd March, 2019 by 0900 hrs.

    “The Comptroller General of Immigration, Muhammad Babandede, uses this medium to reaffirm the commitment of the Service to enforce relevant laws whenever the need arises while encouraging regular migrants in the country to be law abiding.“

  • Ogun produced highest tonnes of solid minerals in 2018 – NBS

    The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has disclosed Ogun produced the highest tonnes of solid minerals in the country in 2018.

    The NBS disclosed this in its State Disaggregated Mining and Quarrying Data for 2018 posted on its website.

    The bureau said the state produced 16.49 million tonnes of solid minerals, representing 30 per cent of the total tonnes of solid minerals produced in the year under review.

    It said Kogi and Cross River states followed closely with 15.13 million and 3.49 million tonnes of solid minerals respectively representing about 27 per cent and six per cent of the total tonnes of the minerals produced.

    Bayelsa and Borno States produced the least tonnes of solid minerals with zero and 8,403.30 tonnes of minerals produced.

    The report, however, said a total of 55.85 million tonnes of solid minerals was produced in the country in the year under review.

    According to the report, limestone was the most produced solid minerals in 2018 with 27.19 million tones, representing about 49 per cent of the total tonnes of minerals produced.

    It said granite and laterite followed closely with 9.62 million and 5.07 million tonnes respectively representing 17 per cent and nine per cent of the total tonnes of minerals produced in 2018.

    The report said garnet and ruby were the least produced solid minerals in 2018.

    Data for the report was supplied administratively by the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control and verified and validated by NBS. (NAN)

  • Patience Jonathan’s $5.7m, N2.4b forfeiture case adjourned

    The Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday ordered parties file affidavits on what transpired at the appellate courts in a forfeiture case initiated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against ex-First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan.

    Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, on April 26, 2017, ordered the temporary forfeiture of $5.7million and N2, 421,953,522.78 allegedly belonging to Mrs. Jonathan.

    She made the order based on an ex-parte application by EFCC.

    The N2.4billion was found in an Ecobank Nigeria Ltd account numbered 2022000760 in the name of La Wari Furniture and Baths Ltd, the commission said.

    Following the temporary forfeiture, Mrs. Jonathan, through her lawyer Chief Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN) and Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), appealed.

    The Court of Appeal, last January 12, upheld the temporary forfeiture.

    Dissatisfied, Mrs. Jonathan appealed to the Supreme Court.

    The Supreme Court, on March 15, affirmed the Court of Appeal judgment, directing the appellant to return to before Justice Olatoregun to show cause why the money should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

    The Supreme Court also rejected her prayer to strike down the provisions of Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, which EFCC relied on in filing the application.

    On Thursday, Adedipe informed Justice Olatoregun about developments at the Supreme Court.

    The judge then directed parties to file the affidavits.

    EFCC said it found the $5.7million in an account numbered 2110001712 with Skye Bank Plc in Mrs. Jonathan’s name.

    In an affidavit in support of the ex-parte originating summons, an EFCC operative, Musbahu Yahaha Abubakar, said Mrs. Jonathan opened the Skye Bank account on February 7, 2013.

    “Upon the opening of the account, several huge cash deposits in dollars were made to the account.

    “One Dudafa Waripamo Owei who was the Senior Special Assistant to the former President was one of the frequent depositors in the account.

    “Another frequent cash depositor of funds reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities into the account is one Festus Iyoha, a steward at the State House, Abuja,” the deponent said.

    The EFCC investigator said Iyoha also made deposits with fictitious names.

    Abubakar said between February 8, 2013 and January 30, 2015, the sum of $6,791,599.64 suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities was deposited into the account in cash.

    He said Mrs Jonathan had dissipated part of the funds, leaving a balance of $5,731,173.55.

    “If this fund is not forfeited in the interim, the operator of the account, Mrs. Dame Patience Jonathan, will fully dissipate it,” the investigator said.

    On the N2.4billion, the operative said the commission also traced the money to the Ecobank account following suspicions that it was proceeds of crime.

    He said the “purported” signatory to the account was one Ada Ifegbu, with a telephone number belonging to one Esther Oba.

    The EFCC operative said the N2.4billion “were substantially the naira equivalent of the United States Dollars given to one Chima Nwafor John of Ecobank Nigeria Ltd by one Esther Oba at the Aso Rock Villa.”

    He said it was John who contracted bureau de change operators to convert the money to naira and deposit it to La Wari Furniture and Baths Ltd’s account.

    Justice Olatoregun adjourned until May 8.

  • ‘Those prodding Atiku to go to court after his money’

    Niger State Governor, Sani Bello, on Thursday said that those pressurising the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar to challenge outcome of the February 23rd Presidential election in court could be doing so to get money from him.

    He made the remark while speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Buhari at the State House.

    According to him, he was at the Presidential Villa to congratulate Buhari on his victory at the poll.

    He said that with his victory in Niger State, people of the state should be assured his administration was committed to providing dividends of democracy to them and to complete ongoing projects.

    The new projects to be embarked upon, he said, will be of benefit to the general public.

    On the Atiku’s claim that he won the election, governor Bello said: “It is not unusual, when you lose elections, you go to court for so many reasons.

    “It could be that you think you won or it could be that someone is telling you that you have won or it could be that someone is telling you some miracles can happen.

    “It could also be that someone wants to get money off you. So there is no reason why after free and fair elections had been conducted and it is clear in the eyes of the world one still believes that there are shoddy dealings.

    “Anyone who feels dissatisfied is free to approach a court of law. It is a free world. Everyone is entitled to his opinion. But honestly, from what I saw in Niger, this election has been the fairest election we have conducted so far.”

    Despite the declaration of election inconclusive in some states by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the governor said that the elections were the fairest election so far conducted in the country.

    He said: “I think INEC did extremely well, the security agencies did very well as well. It is not unusual when you hold elections in a country like Nigeria where you have so many units to have issues with one or two units.

    “If you look at the number of polling units, compare to the ones that have issues, probably, it’s less two or five percent. But generally, the elections went well.”

  • Shehu Sani gets Tribunal’s nod to inspect election materials

    National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Kaduna has granted Senator Shehu Sani’s request to inspect the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s collation result sheets for Kaduna Central Senatorial zone.

    The Nation recalled that, the sitting Senator Shehu Sani who contested the February 23 Senate election under the platform of People’s Redemption Party (PRP), lost to Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The Senator and his party thereafter rejected the result and resolved to challenge it in the court.

    The tribunal Chairman, Justice A. H Suleiman granted Senator Sani’s request contained in an ex parte motion he filed alongside PRP.

    In their petition No. EPT/KD/SN/M/02/19, the applications asked INEC, to make results sheets and incident forms available to them for inspection.

    Ruling of an ex-parte motion, Justice Suleiman said: “An order is hereby made compelling the 3rd Respondent (INEC) to allow the petitioners/applicants or their agents or assigns access to inspect documents (Form EC8A, Eze INEC incident forms) and result sheets of all polling units in the seven Local government Areas that make up Kaduna Central Senatorial district.”

    “An order is hereby also made on the 3rd Respondent to make available to the petitioners/Applicants certified True Copy of all the documents,” he ruled.

  • Hoodlums invade public primary school in Delta

    Managers and teachers at Aileru Primary School, a public basic school in Warri, Delta state, have raised the alarm over the invasion of the institution by urchins, influencing the behaviours of the pupils.

    Raising the alarm when The Nation visited the depreciated school on Thursday, the Head Teacher of the institution, Mrs. Patience Mene, said she and the teachers carry out their daily duties in panic because of the environment the school is now surrounding by.

    Mrs. Mene, who said she had worked in the school in the 90s as a teacher, said the once bubbling institution with hundreds of pupils back then is now reduced to a school with less than 165 pupils, with blocks of classes under locks for lack of patronage.

    According to her, the school’s facilities have come effectively under the control of hoodlums, who take it over, hanging around it even during school hours, moving around, smoking Indian Head and taking other illicit substances to the full glare of both teachers and students.

    She explained further that most of the classrooms, especially those still in use, have been vandalised by these illegal occupants as most of the fittings like ceiling boards, fans and other had been stolen, leaving most of them bare and ugly-looking.

    She, however, noted that the pupils, in their innocence, sometimes copy some of the habits they see with the hoodlums, like practising how to smoke, adding “sometimes we will just be in the class and some wrapped substances will just be falling on our heads, sometimes faeces will be falling from the ceilings.

    “We are not safe in this school. When we come in the morning, we see them (hoodlums) around smoking Indian Hemp. It is not a very good thing because the children of ours copy from them. When they are even in the class, they imitate how the hoodlums smoke.

    “We try to tell them that they should not copy from them that it can make them go mad. It is not a good thing so they should stop it. They should always emulate good things”, she said.

    She explained that the problem of the school facility started from lack of a protective wall around it, which both made it to be accessible to the criminal elements, as well as make the entire place open to flooding.

    “There is no gate. The school is not fenced. We also have problem of signboard. There is no signboard. We need signboard to be fixed at strategic positions so that people will know that there is a school here. People don’t know that there is a school here because it is a hidden place”, she explained.

    Read Also: Hoodlums invade MKO Abiola’s property

    Mene, who explained that the school which used to host close to 1000 pupils during her time as a teacher there in the 1990s, now has about 160 total population of pupils, adding that the population had been depleted especially because of the effect of flooding on it.

    She, however, appealed to the Delta state government to assist the school by making its environment conducive for teaching and learning.

    Also speaking on the state of things in the school, the Assistant Head Teacher of the school, Lady Caroline Ezeachi, corroborated the Head Teacher, begging for assistance from the state government.

    When The Nation went round the school compound, it was observed that the hoodlums did not only vandalize and steal fittings from the facility, they also defecate in the classrooms.

    It was also observed that one of the classroom blocks’ roofing had been blown off with residents around the school dumping refuse indiscriminately there.

  • Fayemi hands over abandoned Ado-Iyin road to contractor

    Ekit State Government has formally handed over the new Ado- Iyin road construction project to China Civil Engineering Corporation Nigeria Ltd to commence work on the road, which was originally awarded in 1978 but was abandoned.

    While handing the project over to the contractor Governor Kayode Fayemi said he is incurably committed to fulfilling all his electioneering promises in all sectors, especially in the area of infrastructure which is a catalyst for development.

    The brief ceremony signified the commencement of work on the road project billed for completion within 24 months.

    Fayemi, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, said the 7.25km road project is the first phase of the construction work which will stop at the State’s boundry with Osun State.

    He noted the dualisation project will be completed within 24 months.

    He said the first phase of the project is the construction of the road from Ado to Iyin, the second phase from Iyin to Aramoko while the third phase would be from Aramoko to Itawure.

    The governor expressed worry the old Ado – Iyin road had become a death trap for motorists because of its unsafe, winding and undulating alignments which had caused series of fatal accidents.

    He stressed that his government cannot fold arms and watch citizens’ lives and properties lost to the road.

    “As a government, we understand and appreciate the importance of good road network to our economic development. Good road network will not only ease the stress of commuters but will also enhance the marketability of our farm produce which is the mainstay of most of our people.

    “Ekiti people should take it that our government would fulfill all our promises to the people, and infrastructure development is just a part of it.

    “All we need is that the people should cooperate with us. We will try our best to serve our people.

    “The workers will continue to receive their salaries as and when due. The governor knows the people’s problem. Some weeks ago, some vehicles fell inside Akonasan ditch.

    “When this road is completed, it will bring an end to such unfortunate incidents,” he said.

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on Road/Transport and Infrastructure Hon. Sunday Adunmo, said proper illumination will be accommodated in the N8.9billion road so that commuters can travel any time without fears of the unknown.

    Adunmo disclosed that the Fayemi-led government will soon commence construction of some ring roads to reduce traffic in the State capital. He listed such roads to include Iworoko-Eyio-Igede road and Ago Aduloju (Ado Ekiti) – Afao road among others.

    The Southwest Regional Manager of company handling the project Sewell Zhao, said the company has commenced the recruitment of workers for the project; stating that the company will accommodate local content by employing at least 500 Ekiti people for the construction work.

    Zhao assured that the company will deliver quality job as the company has brought new equipment that will make the projected to be delivered in time for immediate usage.

  • 2019 election materials safe, open for inspection, says INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Akwa Ibom State Thursday said all materials used for the general elections were safe and ready for inspection by any party who followed laid down procedure for inspection.

    The state INEC gave the assurance while refuting allegations by some persons who claimed the commission colluded with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Essien Udium Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State to rig election by destroying ballot papers thumb printed in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Reacting to an advertorial titled “Political Jobbers on the prowl,” published in this newspaper on March 16, spokesman for INEC in Akwa Ibom Don Etukudo described the allegation as deliberate falsehood, misinformation and the attempt to malign the commission and the person of the Resident Electoral Commissioner.

    Etukudo said INEC’s bus was involved in an accident in which the driver and three others became unconscious while on reverse logistics duty, adding that it was a directive from the commission’s headquarters in order to safeguard electoral materials.

    He said: “While the commission does not intend to join issues with anyone or group of persons on the conduct of the just concluded elections as it believes that the nation’s electoral laws have adequately provided due process for complaints, it is however pertinent to address the deliberate falsehood, misinformation and the attempt to malign the commission and the person of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), as contained in the said advertorial.

    Read Also: INEC to conduct Bauchi supplementary polls in 15 LGAs – REC

    “The commission refers here to the claim in paragraph 6 of the advert to the effect that its truck which was involved in an accident at Abak on March 12, 2019, was conveying “ballot papers earlier voted in favour of the APC and that they “were being transported to a location near INEC office in Uyo for destruction and subsequent replacement with ballot papers fraudulently thumb printed…”

    “This is not true. It is a clear mischief and a lame attempt to hoodwink the reading public and blackmail the commission for insisting on upholding the integrity of the electoral process in Akwa Ibom State.

    “On March 12, at about 4pm, the commission’s vehicle which was undertaking reverse logistics from INEC office Eastern Obolo, to the state office got involved in an accident at Oku Abak, a few meters away from the Abak Police Station.

    The accident was duly incidented in the Abak Police Station.

    “The driver of the vehicle and the other three occupants became unconscious owing to the accident and could not have responded to questions as alleged by the advertorial. The claim that “the driver of the truck on interrogation confessed that was the sixth trip that day shuttling to different PDP stalwart houses…” is therefore unfounded, spurious and mischievous.

    “Reverse logistics from LGA offices to state offices was a national directive from the commission’s headquarters to all RECs. It was not peculiar to Akwa lbom State. The exercise is ongoing nationwide. This fact is verifiable.

    “In the light of the failed attempts in some LGAs to disrupt elections in Akwa Ibom State by bombing and setting INEC offices and vehicles ablaze (as in Ibesikpo, Obot Akara and Mkpat Enin LGAs, for instance) before, during and after the elections, the directive of the National Headquarters is amply justified.

    “In implementing this directive, the commission in Akwa lbom State was careful to rigorously follow the laid down procedure. It duly informed the Commissioner of Police in the state who is also the Chairman of the Inter Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), a body made up of all security agencies in the state. It was therefore no secret that the commission was retrieving materials used for the elections from the field for safe custody in the state headquarters.

    “The commission hereby assures the public that materials used for the 2019 General Elections are safe and open for inspection by any party on application or as may be directed by an appropriate authority,” he said.

  • A’Ibom APC seeks relocation of election tribunals to Abuja

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom has asked the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice to relocate all election tribunals from the state to Abuja.

    In a letter by the State chairman of the party, Obong Ini Okopido to the AGF, the APC said the move became necessary in view of plots by the Resident Electoral Commission (REC), Mr. Mike Igini, the state government and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to perpetrate electoral fraud.

    Okopido specifically alleged Igini, the state government and the PDP are planning to destroy electoral materials needed to substantiate the election petition of the APC.

    ”We observe with deep regrets that since Mr. Mike Igini superintended over the worst general elections ever conducted in Akwa Ibom State, that was fraught with manifest irregularities and wide spread electoral infractions, the REC is now unveiling a grand scheme to thwart and create a chaotic environment to pave way for the pervasion of justice.

    ”We have been reliably informed that the REC is now intimidating electoral officers who participated in the just concluded general elections in the State, particularly, Collation Officers, Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs), Presiding Officers (POs) and Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs), handing over their phone numbers to hired assassins and PDP killer squad to forcefully coerce them to concoct and fabricate false reports of violence, ballot paper snatching, all in a bid to justify the clandestine activities of Mr. Mike Igini days after the purported declaration of results, seeing that unit results will expressly show that candidates of the All Progressives Congress clearly won the elections by the votes directly delivered at the polling units across the state.

    “This latest action by the leadership of INEC in Akwa Ibom State has vindicated our stand expressed in various fora before the general elections that Mr. Mike Igini is a biased umpire, heavily compromised by the Akwa Ibom State Government to truncate the smooth conduct of free and fair elections.

    “We therefore reiterate in unambiguous terms, that INEC under Mr. Mike Igini cannot guarantee credibility and the ethos of fair play as demonstrated with this plot hatched to frustrate the electoral process.”

    The Akwa Ibom State APC said the immediate relocation of the elections tribunal to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja would forestall breakdown of law and order.

    The party also reiterated the call for the immediate redeployment of Mr. Mike Igini to pave way for a level-playing field for all parties that partook in the elections.

    It also called on security agencies to provide adequate security to all ad-hoc staffs of INEC in the state and properly investigate and bring to book, thugs allegedly paid by the PDP to intimidate or coerce non-yielding election officials.

    Reacting to the allegation that he was destroying ballot papers, the Igini said: ”On the allegation that the commission is destroying ballot papers needed to substantiate election petition at the tribunal I challenge anyone to come forth with proof to show where and when such thing happened”.

    The REC said it was ridiculous for anyone to link him with electoral fraud, adding he was just an unbiased umpire in the elections and did not play any role in determining who Akwa Ibom voters choose.

    ”Mike Igini was not in any of the 298 polling units of Akwa Ibom state where elections took place.

    “I was not in any of the local government collation centres where the results were collated and announced.

    ”The people of Akwa Ibom openly expressed their will on whom to govern them through the ballot paper and that was what happened during the elections the people have spoken. My job was only to supervise the elections,” he said.

  • We’re ready for supplementary election in Kano, says INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kano said they are set to organize supplementary governorship election in 28 affected Local Government Areas in the state.

    Addressing newsmen at the Kano INEC headquarters, the Resident Electrical Commissioner (REC) in charge of the state, Prof.Riskuwa Shehu Arabi, said the election will take place in 75 registration areas, involving 207 polling units and 279 voting points.

    According to him, 128, 324 eligible voters will participate in the crucial Kano governorship supplementary election.

    He added that INEC will deploy 207 card readers for the election, adding that enough manpower has also been mobilized, with three RECs from Zamfara, Kebbi and Ogun states to assist so as to have a successful election.

    He said deployment of sensitize and non-sensitive materials to all the affected Local Government Areas will commence by 10 a:m Friday, adding that adequate security arrangements have been made.

    Read Also: INEC to conduct Bauchi supplementary polls in 15 LGAs – REC

    He further stated that sorting and batching of the materials will commence immediately they arrive at their respective Local Government Areas.

    According to him, “we are working to make sure that we don’t have any distraction. We have held a series of meetings with stakeholders to review our strategies.

    “We have also held meeting with leaders of both political parties, and we have made them to understand that the election is not a war.

    “They have also promised to talk to their supporters to conduct themselves in peaceful manner. Securities agencies have assured us of adequate security.

    “I am sure the Commissioner of Police has been talking to different groups of people, particularly, the youths. I am very confident we will have a peaceful election on Saturday.”