The Nation Newspaper

Tag: The Nation newspaper

  • BREAKING: Tribunal judgement: Atiku files Appeal at Supreme Court

    Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the February 23 election, Atiku Abubakar has formally filed an appeal against the judgement of the presidential election petitions tribunal at the Supreme Court.

    The appellants want the apex court to hold that the tribunal erred in its decision to dismiss its petition against the election of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Atiku and his party filed the appeal on five grounds.

    They alleged that the panel of the presidential election tribunal erred in law “when they relied on “overall interest of justice” to hold that the second Respondent’s (President Muhammadu Buhari) exhibits R1 to R26, P85, and P86 were properly admitted in evidence.”

    They also alleged amongst other reasons that the tribunal erred in law “when they held thus: “My firm view is that Section 76 of the Electoral Act is clearly inapplicable to the issues under consideration.

    “The form referred to are the form to be used in the conduct of the election as FORM CF001 had been taken care of in Section 31 of the Electoral Act and the said FORM CF001 is tied to the steps laid down in the said Section 31 of the Electoral Act.

    “More importantly, the law is firmly settled that a candidate is not required by the Constitution or the Electoral Act to attach his certificates to FORM CF001 before the candidate can be considered or adjudged to have the requisite educational qualifications to contest the election.”

    They also alleged that the tribunal erred in law when they held thus: “There was/is no pleadings in the Petition to the effect that 2nd Respondents failure to attach his certificates to Form CF001 amounts to lack of educational qualification to contest the election.

    Read Also: Atiku on tribunal’s judgment ‘I won’t give up until there is justice’

    “In other words, the issue of failure to attach certificates which have been flogged throughout the length and breadth of the Petitioners Address (es) in Reply to 1st, 2nd and 3rd Respondents final written address is not the case of the Petitioner in the pleadings. No issue was joined on nonproduction of certificates or failure to attach them as an infraction of section 131, 137 and 138 of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended.

    “All submission about the failure to produce certificates or attach same to CF001 is hereby discountenanced. Even if it can be said that the submissions made are in tandem with the Petitioners Pleadings on issues 1 and 2 the fact remains that none of the facts pleaded were proved or established as required by law.”

    Details shortly…

  • Doctor performs abortion on the wrong woman

    A doctor performed an abortion on the wrong woman in South Korea after mixing up two patients.

    The victim, from Vietnam, visited a hospital in the Gangseo district, Seoul, where doctors confirmed she was six weeks pregnant on August 7, the Korean Times reports.

    She was told she needed a nutritional injection but a nurse reportedly injected her with an anaesthetic instead.

    The nurse also allegedly had the wrong patient’s chart which was for another woman who needed an abortion because of a missed miscarriage where the foetus had died but had not miscarried yet.

    A doctor is believed to have then performed the surgery on the wrong woman without checking her patient chart.

    The patient was unaware she had been given an abortion until she noticed some bleeding and another doctor confirmed it.

    The Gangseo Police Station announced it was investigating the incident on Monday.

    Read Also: Two medical doctors in trouble over death of pregnant woman

    A doctor and a nurse were detained at a hospital in western Seoul on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in injury, according to the Korean Times.

    The case will soon be sent to the prosecutor’s office, a police spokesperson reportedly told CNN.

    “The doctor and nurse have acknowledged their fault,” police said.

    Abortion is illegal in South Korea, apart from in certain cases, such as rape or incest, or when the foetus could be life-threatening for the mother.

    Women who terminate a pregnancy can face fines of up to two million South Korean won (£1,340) or one year in prison, while medical professionals can face prison terms of up to two years.

    (www.newsnow.co.uk)

  • I never raped anyone, my accuser is a liar, serial fraudster, says lawmaker

    A federal lawmaker, Uju Kingsley Chima, who was accused of raping a woman, Nkeiruka Cynthia Kamalu, in 2015 has denied the allegation.

    Mr Chima, the House of Representatives member for Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta and Oru West Federal Constituency of Imo State, said Kamalu was a liar and serial fraudster out to extort money from him.

    He told The Nation that Kamalu was also trying to divert attention from her two N40 million fraud cases at a high and magistrate’s court in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

    “It is a pure case of fraud, someone who has been defrauding for years. Pure case of fraud! She even defrauded my friend to the tune of over N10 million. (There is) evidence, complete evidence!”, Chima said.

    Kamalu had claimed that she lost her pregnancy for Chima’s baby, but that at his instance, she adopted a baby which would be theirs. The baby subsequently died.

    Read Also: ‘Lawmaker raped me, promised to give me N20m if my husband divorced me’

    But the lawmaker denied that Kamalu was ever pregnant for him. He insisted that she lied that she had a baby for him in Canada through In vitro fertilization (IVF) and demanded that he send her $45,000.

    Chima said: “Now, you are a man, let me ask you a question: somebody that said you raped her in 2015, and in 2018, the same person came and said she had birth (sic) for you: Is it possible?

    “The same person that said you raped her in 2015 came back in 2018 and said you asked her to go and adopt a child for you: is it possible?

    “This girl came up on 12th of December that she was pregnant. I said ‘did I impregnate you?’ She said ‘No’, that she did IVF. I said ‘I have never had anything, I have never had intercourse, how could you now come up to say I impregnated you? How? Is it by air?’ She said she did IVF. Because she knew I was running an election the next month, that was in February. She wanted to extort money from me through that means.”

    In court documents seen by The Nation, Kamalu said her adopted baby died of ill-health in Lagos on April 30, 2019.

    She attached a purported Lagos State Government issued death certificate.

    But the lawmaker described her action as fraudulent.

    He said: “When I couldn’t hold it, I personally went and reported to the police: ‘Look at what is transpiring.’ The police, on its own, went into investigation, discovered, not even me, discovered, I didn’t know that she bought a child in Enugu and the child died in Lagos.”

    “So, you can see the level of fraud that she has been perpetrating. All her statements are evidenced, even in the courts she stood in the dock and was saying all of these things. That was in Owerri. The magistrate was so angry and remanded her. They released her this month or last month only for her to tell a story that I raped her.

    “This lady has been doing this. Trying to use that way to extort money from me and when I realised her mischievous attitude, the matter was reported to the police and the police went into investigation. It was the police that even discovered that this lady even bought a child in Enugu, trying to use the child to cover up the pregnancy she said she lost, because she said she was pregnant, when she was not.

    “She wasn’t pregnant, she claimed I should pay her, is it $45,000? That she had the child in Canada, twins. She was using a Canadian line to call. She even forged a visa, a Canadian visa, that she was in Canada already, that I should send money to her in Canada.

    “Where will I get $45,000 to send to her? I quickly ran to the police, but before then I had already reported her to the SSS (State Security Service) for fraud, but because I was running an election, they said I should play along so that I can have tangible things against her, which happened.”

    He also debunked her claim that he promised her N20 million or promised to buy her a house.

    Chima said; “I can confidently tell you that this girl is a serial fraudster and serial liar. I do not in any way have any agreement of buying any house for this girl. I do not in any way have an agreement of giving her N20 million every six months. If she has any evidence that I made an agreement to give her a house, she should show where the agreement was written.

    “The police in Owerri are investigating her and what she is trying to do is to divert attention, that’s what she is trying to do. Her matter is in court, the child trafficking case is in court in Owerri. One is in Magistrates’ Court Owerri, one is in High Court Owerri.

    “So, running down to Lagos to go and file a fundamental rights suit. It’s ridiculous and, mind you, I’m a politician and my political opponents too are at work.”

  • INEC, EiE, others to screen political film, ‘4th Republic’ in universities

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Enough is Enough Nigeria (EiE) have partnered with the producers of political thriller, ‘4th Republic’ to screen the movie in communities and universities across Nigeria.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the movie features Nollywood heavyweights Kate Henshaw, Eyinna Nwigwe, Bimbo Manuel, Linda Ejiofor, Yakubu Mohammed and Sani Mu’azu.

    The screening partnership also includes the Junior Chambers International (JCI) and National Orientation Agency (NOA).

    Produced by Griot Studios Ltd and Amateur Heads Productions, ‘4th Republic’ follows Kate Henshaw’s character (Mabel King) as she races to become Nigeria’s first female governor but is caught up around a heavily marred election.

    Directed by Ishaya Bako, said that the objective of the film was to raise awareness and stir conversation on the Nigerian political and electoral terrain.

    It explores the dynamics of politics in Nigeria, the necessity of a better political class, the presence or lack of women in politics and the importance of a fair and incorruptible judiciary.

    NAN reports that the film was screened in Bayelsa state on Tuesday as a follow up to the Lokoja screening on Sept. 16 with political stakeholders present.

    Both screenings were organized ahead of the Nov. 16 gubernatorial elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states.

    Speaking at a screening of the film, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, Director of Voter Education at INEC said, “We believe that voter education should be done through as many media as possible.

    “This is art, and Nollywood is one of the frontiers that we think can reach millions of Nigerians”

    Also, Mrs Ruth Ogun, Director of Public Enlightenment and Mass Mobilisation at NOA added that the film will help citizens know that election violence has no gain.

    Read Also: PDP urges INEC to warn Bello, APC against violence

    She said, “The movie describes to us, vividly the issues that arises during elections. With this film, it is shown that there is no gain going the violent way.

    “This is a very good tool and platform in getting the message across. For us, it is a partnership for positive development.”

    Director of the film, Bako said, “I think it is interesting that the film has gotten such strong and positive responses in each of the screenings we have had.

    “I am grateful that all the hard work from the cast and crew is paying off in this way with such support and collaboration.

    “From our fantastic funders, the MacArthur Foundation and OSIWA to a progressive indigenous IT firm, Softcom and their visionary CEO Yomi Adedeji and now government agencies and civil society actors.

    “These planned screenings show the power of film to bring people together and also stir conversation about some of the more important issues that affect us in society today.”

    NAN reports that the partnership with the producers, INEC, JCI and EiE Nigeria will see the film shown in about 18 universities, across the six geo-political zones in the country.

  • World leaders set to speak at UN, with Trump in focus

    World leaders will begin the annual days of speeches at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, with U.S. President Donald Trump’s address expected to draw much of the focus.

    Trump is speaking amid worsening tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

    While the U.S. president has not ruled out meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rowhani, who will address the assembly on Wednesday, the chance of that happening seems unlikely.

    Tensions have been rising between the two nations ever since Trump pulled Washington out of a 2015 deal between Tehran and world powers, in spite of no sign then of violations by Iran.

    The agreement aimed at preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

    Trump has since been imposing tough sanctions on Iran, seeking to cripple the country’s economy and force the country to change its foreign policy.

    There have been concerns in recent months that the countries could go to war, most recently after an attack on a Saudi Arabian oil field, which is largely being blamed on Tehran.

    Read Also: Trump names Robert O’Brien as new national security adviser

    Iran rejects responsibility. Trump says he is showing restraint, for now, and is not launching strikes.

    Also addressing the UN on Tuesday will be Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, among others.

    The General Debate section comes a day after the UN held a major summit on climate change.

    Trump will hold a series of bilateral meetings during the day, including with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Iraqi President Barham Salih.

  • Eights newborns die in fire at Algerian hospital

    Eight newborns died in a huge fire that broke out at the maternity unit of an Algerian hospital on Tuesday, the civil defence authority said.

    The fire broke out in the early hours of Tuesday at the hospital in Oued Souf, an area 700 kilometres South-East of the capital Algiers, according to the authority.

    Read Also: Two medical doctors in trouble over death of pregnant woman

    The babies died of burns or smoke inhalation, it said, adding that 11 other infants and 65 people, including 37 women, were rescued.

    In 2018, a huge fire ripped through the same hospital, causing damage to large parts of it.

  • BBNaija: Seyi becomes Head of House again

    Seyi Awolowo has become the Head of house in the ongoing BBNaija season four.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this Seyi’s third Head of House win since the show started on June 30.

    He clinched the title after winning the fiercely contested challenge on Monday, securing a spot in the final week.

    The Challenge which was in two rounds, saw all the Housemates vying for the coveted position of HoH, but only one person could clinch it.

    The first round of the challenge involved the Housemates walking continuously across the Arena from the starting line to the finish line and back again until they heard the buzzer to stop.

    This exercise lasted for seven minutes before the buzzer went off. In the end, Elozonam, Seyi, Cindy Tacha and Omashola qualified for the next round.

    Read Also; BBNaija: Fake nominations put Cindy, Diane, Frodd and Mercy up for eviction

    The Housemates had a minute to complete the next challenge. They had to count the chin-chin into a bucket and write out the total number of the Chin-Chin in the bucket.

    NAN reports that the Housemate with the number closest to the total was awarded the title Head of House.

    Seyi said the total of the Chin-Chin in the bucket was 4,750 while the actual number was 3090 making him the one with the closest correct estimate

    Apart from immunity, Seyi was given 250 Bet9ja coins, bonus coins for his Team and the Head of House Bedroom privileges which he refused to share with anyone.

  • Two medical doctors in trouble over death of pregnant woman

    Two doctors with Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, have appeared before the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria Tribunal, to answer charges of gross professional negligence.

    The doctors, Iyiola Adewale and Adigba Onodjohwoyovwe, are accused of gross professional negligence which led to the death of a patient in their care.

    The prosecuting counsel, Mr Nasiru Aliyu, told the tribunal on Monday in Asaba that the defendants while on duty on March 7, 2017, negligently handled one of their patients, a pregnant woman, Mrs Rita Uchebuego, now late.

    According to the prosecutor, they allegedly failed to attend to her as appropriate for the management of her condition.

    Aliyu said the offence is punishable under section 16 of the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act.

    Read Also: Seven dismissed soldiers held for robbery

    However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    Chairman of the tribunal, Prof. Abba Hassan, adjourned the case till Sept. 24, for address.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the tribunal was established for trial of offences under the medical and dental practitioners act.

    This is the tribunal’s third session in 2019, and had already convicted some doctors during its second session for professional misconduct.

  • Tecno offers varsity scholarship to students

    Africa’s preferred smartphone brand Tecno, has offered scholarships to university students in Nigeria.

    The technology firm extended the gesture to the students during the ACADAFEST, a concert put together by ScholarX and iManage, organisations, celebrities and members of the public to sponsor 20 deserving students through university.

    Tecno Nigeria, PR and Strategic Partnership Manager Jesse Oguntimehin, who spoke on the gesture, said  Tecno is sponsoring three of the 20 students for the duration of their university education to the tune of N400,000 each per student.

    Read Also: Tecno Mobile sponsors BMW AutoFest

    “At Tecno, we have carried out various social activities such as our Give the Nigerian Child A Future initiative- where we visited selected schools around the country to empower bright students, awarding them scholarships for their academic excellence. We also provided pupils within these schools educational materials to ease their learning journey. There was also the annual Light Up Your Dream competition where we rewarded two young Nigerian Entrepreneurs with N1million each to grow their businesses,” he said.

    He said this year, in line with its determination to impact positively on its consumers, Tecno  decided to collaborate with the oraganisers for the maiden edition of the ACADAFEST where it awarded three Nigerian students scholarships reiterating the commitment to the development of the Nigerian society.

  • Calabar seaport: Reps summon Customs, NIMASA, Navy, others’ chiefs

    The ad-hoc committee set up by the House of Representative to determine why Eastern Ports are not put to maximal use has invited the heads of some key security agencies operating in Calabar seaport to appear before it in Abuja on Wednesday, September 26.

    The Committee chairman, Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub gave the order during the sitting of the ad-hoc committee at the conference room of Calabar Seaport, Nigeria Port Authority, Calabar at the weekend.

    He directed the clerk of the committee to immediately invite the Comptroller-General of Customs, Immigration, NIMASA, the Chief of Naval Staff and the Inspector General of Police to appear before the committee following questionable operations of illegal jetties within the Calabar port channel area, an act adjudged to be a huge economic sabotage to the country.

    Read Also: ‘Olokola Deep Seaport ‘ll earn $9b annually, create 1m jobs’

    The committee who was received in NPA Calabar by the Port Manager of Calabar Seaport Mrs. Marie Asien, in a meeting with stakeholders, frowned at the reports of the free operations of illegal jetties within the port area and further directed that “within one month, the security agencies responsible should ensure that no illegal jetty will be seen or reported as operating in Calabar Port area. We want to have the reports after one month in writing, address to the House of Representatives.

    “This committee came out on this national assignment. It is an ad-hoc committee formed by the House of Representative to investigate and find out why our Eastern Ports are not being used maximally. We stated from Lagos port to Warri port to Port Hart court Port, Onne Port and today we are in Calabar port.”

    He commended Calabar Port Manager for being frank in her briefing. “She has reduced most of our work. Most of the ports we visited, we had to struggle before they will open up to tell us certain essential things,” he said.

    However, the committee advised that NPA should increase the 10per cent rebate given to ships coming to Calabar port and ensure that the rebate is for all ships coming to the port, without any categorisation.

    “If the rebate can also be increased, that will be good. Our target is to see that Calabar Port is fully functional,” he said.

    The committee was also briefed about the myriads of problems hampering operations and functionality of Calabar seaport.