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  • Nollywood producers, distributors advised to shun films that debase societal values

    Industry stakeholders have called on producers and distributors in the Nigerian movie industry to eschew films and video works that erode values that define the African people.

    The stakeholders made the call in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on the sideline of a conference on Film and Video Classification and Censorship in Onitsha, Anambra State.

    The event, with the theme, “The Dynamics of Online Movie and Video Contents”, was organised by the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), from April 16 to 17, for filmmakers, distributors, investors and artiste.

    According to the stakeholders, films that reinforce violence and moral decadence have demeaning  effect on age-long values and acceptable ways of life, which may escalate juvenile delinquency.

    Mr Fidelis Duker, Chief Executive Officer of Nafifo Ventures, Organisers of Abuja International Film Festival (AIFF), said: “Everybody involved in making the film should ask if its contents reflects our culture and values as Africans.

    “We are all supposed to be self regulators to uphold our value system and morals as Nigerians, and not to wait for the NFVCB to compel us before we do the right thing.

    “At the point of conception when the scriptwriter has the idea, he should begin to  imbibe values, and the director should do the same.

    “The language used in a film, act of violence and nudity, send messages out to people, especially children, who may  apply them wrongly.

    “We are Africans and we will remain a people with strong moral values which need to be sustained and transferred to the younger generation,” he said

    Duker, who had earlier made a presentation on “Movie Contents and Classification: Projecting Value Systems through Censorship”, noted that many filmmakers still placed emphasis on profit above impact of their works on society.

    He advised that although the filmmakers are business persons who set out to make profit, there was need for them to be socially responsible, as they shape public opinions.

    He, therefore, urged filmmakers to always submit their contents to NFVCB for rating in other to safeguard the Nigerian child.

    Also, Mr Obiora Chukwumba, a Film Regulatory Consultant, told NAN that marketing and distribution needs to be given important attention if the Nigerian market would be sanitised of unlicensed and unclassified films.

    He called on film distributors to shun sharp practices and breaching of the censorship demands.

    “By the system of physical distribution of films, the distributor is directly in charge of the market, and if he is professional in his conduct, he will adhere to the ethics that guilds it.

    “He is to preserve the product, the market and make sure that there are no leakages.

    “The moment the distributors hold themselves accountable, they will determine what enters the market, and if any film does not carry the authorised classification label, it should not be allowed in the market,” he said.

    NAN reports that the conference was part of stakeholders’ education campaign of the NFVCB across the country, especially in film and video production hubs.

    It is aimed at making practitioners and the consumers to understand the essence of classification and censorship in the evolving Nigerian movie industry.

  • Man docked for theft of two motorcycles

    A 22-year-old man, Lukuman Ibrahim, was on Thursday arraigned before a Badagry Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos State, for allegedly stealing two motorcycles worth  N455,000.

    Ibrahim of no fixed address, is facing a two-count charge of stealing and felony.

    The prosecutor, ASP. Akpan Ikem, told the court that the accused committed the offences on April 14, at about 3 a.m., at Magbon area.

    Read Also: Man jailed for stealing

    Ikem said that the accused conspired with others at large to steal two motorcycles with registration numbers EKY 245QL and SMK 272 BK valued at N455,000.

    “These motorcycles belonged to Mr Sholeye Solomon and Ibrahim Wahab, the complainants.

    “The offences contravened Sections 409 and 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015,” the prosecutor said.

    The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty, while the Chief Magistrate, Patrick Adekomaya, admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

    The case was adjourned until June 6, for further hearing.

    NAN

  • Gombe to establish Hippopotamus colony

    The Gombe State Government says it is working on establishing a Hippopotamus colony at Dadin Kowa to save the animals from attacks and the threats they pose to fishermen.

    Alhaji Sa’ad Hashidu, the state Director of Forestry and Wildlife Management said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Gombe.

    Hashidu said the issue of persistent attacks between the hippos and fishermen in Dadin-Kowa was discussed by the National Council on Environment in 2017 and agreed that a hippo colony be established as a permanent solution.

    The director added that the meeting mandated the National Park Service Board to liaise with the state government to work out the modalities.

    “With regard to the outcome of the council’s decision reached in Abeokuta, Ogun State in 2017, we wrote a memo to the state government requesting for funding to bring the National Park Officials for a feasibility study.

    “ We are expecting that as soon as the fund is made available, we will bring the officials to do the needful so that the specie can be protected too.

    “Also, a consultant from the United Kingdom visited last week for a feasibility study. She held a meeting with the Yamaltu Emirate Council, officials of Dadin-Kowa dam, fishermen and farmers on the issue.

    Read Also: Gombe: Atiku loses in Dankwambo’s polling unit

    “ She is working out modalities too to get international donors to synergise with the state government to establish hippo colony,” he said.

    Hashidu explained that by colony the species would be confined within a particular area in Dadin-Kowa dam, adding that as conservationists, it was their duty to protect the hippos from extinction.

    He stressed that the measure would end the clashes and boost socio-economic activities of the area, as there would be no challenge of hippos grazing or destroying crops or fishing equipment.

    According to him, it will also be a source of revenue to the state government as tourists and researchers will be visiting the hippos colony.

    Hashidu, however, noted that in the interim, forest and game guards had been contacted to help chase back the hippos to the dams whenever they made attempts to graze on farmers’ crops.

    He agreed that the guards have not been active of recent due to paucity of funds, but assured they would  resume soon.

    NAN reports that Malam Sa’adu Adamu, leader of the fishermen in Dadin-Kowa had on March 28, raised an alarm over threats that the animal pose to their lives and business.

    Hippopotamus, referred to in anciest Greek as the ‘river horse’, is a large, mostly herbivorous, semi-aquatic mammal.

    It is the third largest living land mammal after elephants and white rhinos.

    NAN

  • Obaseki awards N6.8bn contract for road dualisation, drainage construction

    To provide needed infrastructure to fast track the development of the Benin River project and accelerate sustainable development in the state, Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki has awarded a N6.8 billion contract for the dualisation of Ekehuan Road and construction of underground drainage system on Uwadiae Street.

    The contract was awarded during a recent Executive Council (EXCO) meeting held before the governor proceeded on his annual leave.

    The project was awarded at a cost of N6,812955739.70. On completion, it will “enhance the state government’s desire to transform Benin into a modern City and serve as a booster to the development of the Benin River Port,” a document on the contract said.

    Read Also: Crack in Edo APC over endorsement of Obaseki

    The Benin River Port is one of the big-ticket projects of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration in the state aimed to drive industrialisation and boost export earnings.

    The port project, which is being developed in partnership with China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC), would serve as a conduit for products to be manufactured at the Benin Industrial and Enterprise Park; Benin Auto Park; Benin Production Centers and other industrial clusters across the state. Preliminary work on the project has been completed by the Chinese Company, even as the Federal Government has approved for a Marine Police Post at the site of the port project. It will also serve as a sister port to the Lekki Deep Sea Port being developed by CHEC.

    Residents in Ekehuan Road and Uwadiae commended the governor for the projects and noted that the projects would reduce traffic logjam and curb flooding.

    The project follows closely behind the award of contracts for the construction of Textile Mill Road; Iyoba, Iyobanosa and Omozogie Streets; Benin-Abraka Road; St. Saviour, Oba-Obazagbon, PZ-Okabere Roads and Ugbor-Amagba Road, which was hailed by Benin City residents.

  • KEDCO spends millions to improve service delivery – MD

    The authorities of Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), revealed that they have acquired modern operational facilities worth millions of Naira to boost the quality and range of power distribution with a view to improving consumers’ satisfaction.

    According to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Company, Dr Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna (Sardaunan Gombe), who disclosed this in a chat with newsmen, the newly acquired equipment would be commissioned for use in the first week of May.

    Gwamna stated that the company’s resolve to reduce complaints while improving the quality of service and ensuring that consumers get value for their money had necessitated such spending.

    He added that the equipment would boost the quality of power distribution and the capacity of KEDCO staff to respond to emergency calls while mitigating electrical faults.

    Read Also: Breaking: Train crushes two to death in Kano

    The KEDCO boss noted that,“in our quest to satisfy our customers and ensure that consumers get value for their money, we have acquired some electrical equipment and other operational vehicles to make service delivery swift and timely.

    “We have acquired 170 transformers comprising 500KVA 11, 500KVA 33, 300KVA 33, 300KVA 11. We also acquired 60 operational vehicles comprising Golf, Hilux, buses and ambulances. Also, hundreds of personal protective equipment, helmet, boots and gloves, reflective jackets, ladders and transformer cables were bought.

    “The transformers will solve the challenge of overloading which has been one of the complaints I had received recently and we have moved in that direction. So the new transformers will be used to jerk up the voltage levels and decrease the risk of electrical installation developing faults.

    “We are on course to see that we address all complaints by consumers as well as guarantee improvement in power distributions across KEDCO States,’’ he said.

    He stressed that all they had bought were as a results of KEDCO’s commitment to minimize complaints to the barest minimum while maximizing all efforts to get consumers happier than the previous years.

    He added that since KEDCO takes its customers as partner in progress, the customer should also play their part to pay their bills timely and completely.

     

  • NIPR commends NNPC for promotion of PR

    The Abuja Chapter of Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has commended the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for effective deployment of Public Relations (PR) tools and professionals in managing its image and reputation.

    Dr Tayo Haastrup, the Chairman of Federal Capital Territory Chapter of the NIPR, made the commendation in Abuja during a visit to the Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, Mr Ndu Ughamadu.

    He said that the NNPC remained a critical promoter of professional PR practice in Nigeria.

    Haastrup also commended the NNPC for appointing a registered and certified member of the NIPR to manage the reputation of the corporation as required by law.

    He said that the NIPR took the menace of quackery in the profession seriously, adding that actions were being taken against those on the wrong side of the law.

    Read Also: NNPC spends $1.2b on Brass LNG project

    He called on defaulter organisations to redeem themselves before the law would catch up with them.

    Haastrup lauded the expertise and professionalism of the Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC for its competence in managing the image and reputation of a critical organisation like the NNPC.

    “As the body regulating the activities of public relations in the country, it is our duty to monitor the activities of our practitioners in the field to offer professional advice or assistance where necessary and commend those who are making the institute proud.

    “We have watched closely since your re-appointment as the spokesman of the NNPC and observed that you are living up to expectations as a certified practitioner and a fellow of the institute.

    “Since your assumption of office, we are proud to state that the reputation of the corporation has consistently moved upwards.

    “Your publications – the NNPC News, NNPC Quarterly Magazine and your weekly television production are very professional in content and packaging.

    “They satisfy readers’ industry information needs in most professional manner. They come with variety, simplicity and appealing designs.” he said.

    Haastrup said that the chapter was re-positioned to continue to add value to practice of PR in the capital territory.

    Responding, Ughamadu, extended the compliments of the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr Maikanti Baru, to the NIPR, saying the NNPC would continue to emphasise professionalism and excellence in its operations.

    He said that his division, in demonstration of its value for professionalism, had ensured that its staff were members of the NIPR and had also extended its advocacy to subsidiaries of the corporation nationwide.

    Ughamadu commended the FCT Chapter Chairman of NIPR for “excellent work and expressed his readiness to further support NIPR for the continuous growth and development of the institute.”

    NAN

  • Senate passes bills rejected by Buhari

    SEVEN of the bills rejected by President Muhammadu Buhari were yesterday reconsidered and passed by the Senate.

    The development came as the upper chamber initiated moves to override of the President on the Fourth Alteration Bill No.28.

    The Senate said the bills were reconsidered and passed in line with legislative procedures.

    President Buhari, in his letter of rejection, raised concerns about the constitutionality of the bills if passed into law.

    The President requested the Senate in the letters to consider the issues raised for their rejection and reconsider the bills.

    Passed are the re-drafted version of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Act 2010 (Amendment) Bill 2019; Petroleum Industry Governance, Bill, 2019 and five others.

    Also passed are: National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Bill; National Research and Innovation Council Bill; Stamp Duties Act (Amendment) Bill; National Agricultural Seed Council Bill and Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund (Amendment) Bill.

    Following the President’s refusal to assent to the afore-listed Bills, the Senate set-up a seven-member technical committee, headed by Senator David Umaru, Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary and Legal Matters, to look into the constitutional and legal implications of withholding of assent to the bills by the President and to make appropriate recommendations on the way forward.

    The committee reviewed six constitutional amendment bills and 11 private member bills.

    In its 34-page report, the committee recommended that the Senate should re-consider and pass again 11 bills, including the five Constitutional Amendment bills; it should override the President’s veto on a Constitutional Amendment Bill, and the Industrial Development (Income Tax Relief) Amendment Bill, 2018; and that the Senate should entirely withdraw four other Bills.

    Senate President Bukola Saraki directed the Senate secretariat to take note of the observations and corrections made by senators and ensure that they were reflected in the bills before transmitting them to the President for assent.

    On Tuesday, the Senate included in its Order Paper, two bills earmarked for override.

    The two bills were not considered at the end of plenary. No explanation was given by Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan, on why they were not considered.

    The two affected bills slated for override, but not considered are: Fourth Alteration Bill No. 28, and the Industrial Development (Income Tax Relief) Amendment Bill.

    The upper chamber relisted the Fourth Alteration Bill No. 28 and the Industrial Development (Income Tax Relief) Amendment Bill yesterday. Both passed second reading.

    The second reading of the bills was the second stage of the override process.

    Read also: Senate, House reconvene next week to consider Budget 2019

    If the bills pass the third reading with the required two-third majority (73 senators) and secure the concurrence of the House of Representatives, the two bills will become a law.

    The Forth Alteration No. 28 Bill is a constitution amendment, which seeks to provide for the time within which the President or Governor shall lay the Appropriation Bill before the National or State Assembly.

    The bill also seeks to encourage early presentation and passage of Appropriation Bills.

    President Buhari declined assent to the bill on the grounds that it did not take cognisance of the provisions of Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

    On the other hand, Industrial Development Amendment Bill, if passed, will enable companies to expand their operations in pioneer industry or product to apply for a new pioneer status.

    President Buhari declined assent to the bill on the grounds that ongoing inter-ministerial consultations would be affected if the bill was signed into law.

  • I got my figures from your server, Atiku tells INEC

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has defended his claim that he got the results of the February 23 presidential election as tendered in his petition from the server of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Atiku was responding to INEC’s reply to the PDP candidate petition to the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT), in which he claimed the poll’s figures he submitted with his petition were authentic.

    rRead also: Buhari challenges Atiku to present his credentials

    The electoral umpire declared incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of the Akll Progressives Congress (INEC) as the winner of the February 23 election, having polled 15,191,847 votes Atiku’s 11,262,978.

    In his 139-page petition before the PEPT, Atiku stated that from the data in INEC’s server, the true, actual and correct results showed that he (Atiku) secured a total of 18,356,732 votes to against Buhari’s 16,741,430 votes.

    The PDP presidential candidate stated that the results were from 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as there was “no report on server” about the election results from Rivers State.

  • 19 suspects, two vessels held as Nigerian, U.S. navies join forces

    The Nigerian Navy (NN) Thursday confirmed the arrest of 19 suspects and two vessels within the Western waters during a joint operation codenamed “Junction Rain”, which it undertook with the United States (U.S.) Navy.

    The vessels were arrested for illegal possession of firearms and suspected crude oil theft by the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) CENTENARY and a Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) boat which were among the nine platforms and two maritime patrol helicopters deployed for the seven-day operation.

    The Nation had reported that Angelopolous Spyridon, 54, (Greek); Kappis Christos, 57, (Greek); Petropoulos Stylianos, 34, (Greek); Zanski Michael-Anderson, 50 (American); were among the foreigners arrested on the boat – SEA ANGELS 3 – where the special forces recovered four Bernelli MI-1 rifles, over 1,000 ammunition and other military gadgets.

    Meanwhile, a discharge document was also recovered aboard the boat having the name, signature and details of Michael-Anderson but with another picture.

    Addressing reporters at the return from the high seas yesterday, the Officer in Tactical Command (OTC) Commodore Dickson Olisemenogor, clarified that nine suspects comprising three Greece nationals, an American and five blacks were arrested aboard SEA ANGELS 3.

    The OTC said the other 10 suspects were arrested on the oil barge that claimed to have come from Ghana but was roaming on the seas in a questionable way.

    According to Commodore Olisemenogor, the vessels, exhibits and suspects, would be handed over to the appropriate agencies for further investigation, prosecution and possible conviction, warning criminals to steer clear of Nigerian waters.

    In the course of the operation, he said the navy interrogated over 100 vessels and boarded 40, noting that most criminally-minded ships and boats fled the nation’s western waters to other far countries like South Africa.

    He said: “There were nine suspects on the first boat arrested. The boat was looking like a naval boat and when we made initial contact, the captain made us believe that he was in our waters for routine patrol waiting for a merchant vessel.

    Read also: Navy arrests 10 suspected pirates

    “He was asked if he was carrying any weapon or other items on board and he denied. We decided to board the vessel for confirmation and discovered that there were five Nigerians, three Greeks and an American. It is not right for the vessel to be having naval colour.

    “They did not tell us where they were coming from and that was why we arrested them. They earlier switched off some of the equipment to make it difficult for you to detect them but unfortunately we have the equipment on board to detect whoever is at sea. No criminal can hide again in our waters.

    “We saw some weapons there. About four MI-1 rifles, over a thousand rounds of ammunition and some other military kits. They will be handed over to the appropriate agencies for action. It is a good thing that other MDAs participated in this operation with us and we worked as a team for the good of Nigeria.

    “What we saw at sea is encouraging. We had other merchant ships calling and congratulating us for keeping the waters safe for their operations.

    “That goes to give credence to this operation. In total we were able to interrogate about 100 ships at sea, we boarded about 40 of them which we suspected may have not given us the accurate information and in the process, two were actually arrested.

    “I can say it was a huge success because apart from keeping our sea lines open for normal commercial shipping to take place, we also used the opportunity to further train our men onboard, especially in seamanship area, communication, even our engineers had the opportunity of understanding our engines better and know how to solve certain problems that could jeopardise our operation at sea.

    “The other areas I know that we have actually done something were in collaboration and interoperability. Now, we can work as a team with all our MDAs. They understand us and so do we. Area of communication and information sharing came to play because most of these information we got that led us into interrogating some vessels and boarding others came from our sister agencies through our Maritime Operation Center (MOCs) which shows synergy is already established and I just hope that we would sustain it.

    “In my assessment, the operation is worth it and should be sustained. I can assure you that through the effort and support of the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, the navy is very ready.

    “You saw the number of ships available for the period of time we went out. We want Nigerians to know that their navy is working and time is up for those criminals at sea. Some of the vessels we were monitoring fled to South Africa and some were even in Gabon.

    “The fact that we have denied them the use of the sea for days goes to show that we can continue and it is no longer business as usual for them. We are using this opportunity to warn all criminals at sea that this operation has not ended, it is still ongoing. Anyone that feels he can come and disturb our waters let him think twice, because it is not going to be easy for him.”

  • Joshua’s opponent Miller fails drug test

    Anthony Joshua’s U.S debut against Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller has been thrown into doubt after Miller tested positive for a banned substance.

    Matchroom Promotions supremo Eddie Hearn took to social media and announced that he had been informed by VADA of the positive test. The test, taken on March 20th from a random urine sample, has come back positive with a substance called GW1516 which is a banned performance-enhancing substance.

    ESPN broke the news, with Miller’s co-promoter Dmitry Salita saying he awaits further information and Miller is still in training for his June 1st fight.

    Miller (23-0-1, 20 KOs) had been reported to earn around $4.5 million for his fight against champion Anthony Joshua, it would appear his chance has been blown with the NYSAC unlikely to sanction the bout at Madison Square Gardens. A negative B sample and supporting evidence would be required for any chance of the fight going ahead.

    If the bout is cancelled, as seems likely, it is unclear who will step in to face Joshua.

    Read also: Video: Anthony Joshua knocks out Povetkin

    According to Eddie Hearn, Joshua will be fighting on June 1st. The obvious choice would have been Dillian Whyte, however, he has turned down an offer to face Joshua at Wembley Stadium in April, unhappy with the terms of the deal so it would appear unlikely he would travel to the U.S to take on Joshua.

    Joshua’s IBF mandatory challenger, Kubrat Pulev, has recently been suspended by the Californian State Athletic Commission after kissing a female reporter after their post-fight interview. His disciplinary is scheduled for May 18th.

    A more likely candidate could be Michael Hunter (16-1, 11 KOs), the former Olympic champion has only lost once against Oleksandr Usyk as a cruiserweight.

    Since moving to heavyweight he has won the vacant WBA International Heavyweight Title by beating Alexander Ustinov by TKO last November. Hunter seems to be interested.