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  • It’s a great honour to captain Middlesbrough – Mikel

    Super Eagles Captain, John Mikel Obi has said it is nice to lead Middlesbrough out for the second consecutive game following Saturday’s hard fought 1-0 home win against Hull City at the Riverside Stadium.

    He captained Middlesbrough for the first time in a competitive game in the Tuesday’s 2-0 away win at Bolton Wanderers.

    The Nigerian International was bestowed with the honour once again on Saturday afternoon and he expressed his delight even as he hopes Boro can keep on winning games to aid their push for a play- off place at the end of the season.

    Mikel told BBC in an interview that it was always nice to be the captain.

    ”Great team, great players, great lads too, so it is always nice, it is always positive. I am really honored to have captained the team in the last two games.

    ”Hopefully we can keep winning games, I think that is the most important thing.”

    Tony Pulis ‘ men will host Oghenekaro Etebo’s Stoke City in their Championship game on Friday.

    The former Chelsea midfielder who linked up with Middlesbrough on a short term deal in January has featured in 14 Championship games for the club but is yet to find the back of the net.

    Middlesbrough sit in seventh position in the table with 64 points from 42 games.

  • Akure Landlords petition NBC over location of Fm station.

    Landlords of Alagbaka / Police headquarters areas of Akure, the Ondo state capital have petitioned the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission(NBC) for sitting a Frequency Modulation(FM) station within their domain without recourse to laws guiding its establishment.

    A petition written by residents in the area and signed by their Lawyer,  Tunde Atere, said it was worrisome to them to notice the springing up of a structure and high mast/tower in the neighborhood without any prior knowledge of landlords in the area.

    The environment, they said by original design, was purely a residential plan,but now having a commercial outlook.

    According to representatives of the Landlords’ Association, Victor Adejimola and Mrs. Veronica Titus, all efforts by the community to know those behind the FM station failed, until police intervention.

    Residents noticed that the consultant handling the project, has not done what he was expected to do before commencing the project,stressing that all procedures were jettisoned even as the project reached 65 percent completion.

    The landlords said at the public review on the project, the panel’s chairman, Prof. Ayo Olajuyigbe of the Federal University of Technology Akure,( FUTA ) faulted the Environmental Impact Assessment document  presented by  the consultant.

    Olajuyigbe and officials of the ministry of Environment, described the  documents presented  by the consultant as very  defective and  called for re-presentation.

    The landlords said they were not against developmental plans for the community,but maintained that their welfare should be paramount and above individual pecuniary benefits.

    They noted that the whole process of the project was faulty, while the consultant handling the project failed to do proper job to prevent future hazards.

    The Landlords also expressed concern that some affluent individuals were threatening the landlords with ethnic sentiments without considering safety of human beings in the society.

  • We ‘ll provide adequate security in Ogun during Easter — Police

    The Ogun Police Command on Sunday promised to provide adequately security for residents of the state during Easter.
    DSP Bimbola Oyeyemi, the Ogun Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ota, Ogun.
    Christians worldwide will be celebrating the Easter between April 19 to April 22 to mark the end of Lent and to commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
    Oyeyemi advised the public to be vigilant and to report any unusual movement or gathering in their environments during the festive period to the police.
    “And on the part of the police, we are going to provide adequate security across the length and breath of the state so that good people of the state can celebrate the Easter without any hitches,” he said.
    The PPRO said the police would not leave any stone unturned to protect the interests of people coming into the state for one religious obligations  or the others since some of these churches have their Headquarters  in the state.
    Oyeyemi, however, promised that the people coming for one programme or the other would not regret doing so during the Easter period as the police are adequately equipped to safeguard them. (NAN)

  • NLC to FG: Don’t accept IMF recommendation

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned the government against implementing the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the removal of subsidy on petroleum product. President of Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who spoke in Abuja, insisted that if the country can refine what it consumes locally, the issue of subsidy will not arise.

    Wabba also said that the continued devaluation of the Nigerian currency has created the impression of the existence of subsidy, adding that as long as the value of naira is left to market forces, the issue of subsidy will continue in the country, adding that efforts should be made by government to upgrade the nation’s refineries. He disclosed that as President of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), he recently led organised labour across the world to a meeting with the IMF and the World Bank and told them point blank that their one stop recommendation on subsidy removal and other sundry policy recommendation to the third world are not working and will not work.

    He said: “let me tell our country and our government that certainly they should be wary of IMF and their advices. I saw that many media houses are trying to amplify that the IMF has recommended that subsidy should be removed. In the first instance, is there subsidy? This is a question we have not been able to answer. “I want to collaborate what President Buhari said years back that subsidy is actually corruption and that whoever is subsidizing is aiding corruption and we stand by that position. In fact, that has remained a consistent position of the NLC. We can kill that issue of subsidy if we refine our products locally for our domestic use.

    “Refineries can be upgraded from one capacity to another. The four refineries we have, if serviced and upgraded, can service our population and the entire West Africa sub region. But because it pays more for corrupt tendencies to thrive, we prefer importation than refining our product for domestic use. Whereas we celebrate countries like Venezuela that have stood their ground to say no; the policies must work for the people and not for the capitalist, our own case is a sorry one.

    “You own crude oil, you pay for it to be extracted from the ground, you pay for it to be taken outside to be refined, you pay for tax to where you took it to and you also pay to bring it back to your country for consumption. If we are not able to refine for local consumption, there will be no end because the devaulation of our currency will continue except we are able to address some fundamental issues associated with that. This is an issue that we should be able to address once and for all.”

  • Lawmakers compromise oversight, probes, says ICPC chairman

    The Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) Professor Bolaji Owasanoye has accused members of the National Assembly of compromising their major constitutional functions of oversight and investigation most times.

    The ICPC chief claims such compromise is done through commercialization of the legislators’ assignments.

    “Oversight function has been commercialised, which is why the mechanism hasn’t been effective. Legislature is accused of passing the costs to MDAs and of accepting other forms of gratification, e.g. foreign trips, phoney seminars, to look the other way,” the ICPC chairman said in a paper entitled ‘The Role of the Legislature in the War Against Corruption and Graft’ at the induction course for the second batch of elected members of the coming 9th Assembly.

    He added: “the legislature has powers of investigation: this was very well utilised in the past. But many other times, the power is commercialised.

    “You find out that the investigators become compromised in the process. There’s lacuna on what the legislature should do with the findings.

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    “We should avoid a situation where because people are being investigated, they come to say they want to change the laws to forestall that. I want to urge the lawmakers not to support that.

    He challenged the lawmakers to make the details of their budget public.

    His words:”since 1999, the Nigerian Legislature has never shown any seriousness in scrutinising the reports of the auditor general. NASS Budget rose from N6.9bn in 1999 to N139bn in 2018.

    “There’s no country in the world where the legislature budget is up to one percent.

    “There’s no breakdown for the amount. It is opaque and disproportionate. If you make the details, it may even lead to the need for more funds. Why would the legislature demand the details of agencies’ budgets without making its own open?”

     

  • Small arms: Buhari seeks cooperation of neighbouring countries

    President Muhammadu Buhari has called for wider cooperation among countries of Sahel and Saharan regions to counter the infiltration of small arms to Nigeria.

    Buhari noted the importance of not allowing the flow of small arms into the hands of militia forces, bandits and insurgents who are becoming a threat to human rights and internal security.

    He made this call in N’Djamena, the Chadian capital, where he is attending one-day Extraordinary Session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, CEN-SAD, alongside his host and current Chairperson of CEN-SAD, Idriss Deby Itno and their counterparts from Niger and Togo, with high-level representations from other member-countries.

    The President, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu in Abuja, stated that Nigeria under President Buhari has worked closely with immediate neighbours in the last few years to stem the widespread availability of small arms and light weapons making their way into Nigeria, but the “very disturbing recent developments” have impelled the administration to seek support from a wider circle of countries if the illegal inflows are to be curtailed.

    He said that the President was also putting on the table for discussions, the problems of irregular migration, trafficking in persons, especially of women and children as part of the security nature of his engagements.

    According to the statement, “It is in view of the significance of this organisation and the role it can play in furthering domestic security that President Buhari ordered the reinvigoration of our nation’s interest, approved the payment of the backlog of unpaid funds and for a speedier work on the processes of the ratification of the treaty binding the members of the organisation.

    “While in N’Djamena, President Buhari is also expected to press for the protection of the well-being of the large population of Nigerians living both legally and illegally in Libya, which is the host country of the CEN-SAD Secretariat.”

  • APC’s claim on my birth is ridiculous, pedestrian, says Atiku

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday dismissed claims by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that he is not a Nigerian by birth and therefore unqualified to rule the country as infantile logic.

    He said the APC resort to “unconstitutional redefinition of the term ‘Nigerian’” was also ridiculous and pedestrian.

    Atiku in a reaction to the APC’s counterclaims to the petition he filed at the Presidential Election tribunal was confident that the court will treat the APC’s submission “with the contempt it deserves.”

    Paul Ibe, Atiku’s chief media aide who responded on his behalf in a statement said: “Atiku Abubakar, told us previously that he has verifiable and incontrovertible evidence to show that the last Presidential elections were fraudulent, not credible and did not reflect the will of the Nigerian people, and he has been vindicated by the response of the All Progressives Congress and its candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari, to his petition to the Electoral Tribunal hearing the petition he filed.

    “The former Vice President based his case on facts and statistical evidence and challenged both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the APC, to disprove his factual submissions.

    “The fact that the APC chose to base its defence on the ridiculous assertion that the Waziri Adamawa is not a Nigerian should show to Nigerians the type of characters we have in the APC and its government, whose legitimacy runs out on May 29, 2019.

    “The position of the APC is so pedestrian and shows such straw clutching desperation on their part, that I shall not dignify it with an answer. Our lawyers would, of course, do the needful in court. But the point I want to draw the attention of Nigerians to is that both the APC and its candidate have by this infantile logic admitted to the fact that they trampled on the will of Nigerians and that their only defence is to attempt an unconstitutional redefinition of the term ‘Nigerian’.

    “I am, however, confident in the Nigerian judiciary, as well as in the Nigerian people. I trust that the Tribunal will treat such a claim with the contempt it deserves. We must maintain our fidelity to the rule of law and to our fountain of origin, the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended).

    “Atiku Abubakar has served our nation diligently in various capacities, from the civil service, where he rose through merit, to the top of his chosen field, to public service, where, by the grace of God, he was the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “Moreover, he has committed his assets and talents to developing our nation through the provision of tens of thousands of direct jobs and hundreds of thousands of indirect jobs.

    “I make bold to state that those who have made Nigeria the world headquarters for extreme poverty are the very people whose Nigerianness should be in doubt, and not a man, who worked with President Olusegun Obasanjo to double the per capita Income of our nation in less than eight years.”

  • My wife lures our daughter into prostitution –Husband

    A 56-year-old businessman, Mr. Aijokwu Christopher has implored an Alagbado Customary Court, Meiran, Lagos State, to end his 26-year-old marriage to his wife, Oluwakemi, alleging that she is stubborn, destructive and encourages their only daughter into prostitution.

    Christopher, who hails from Imo State, told the court that his wife who hails from Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, whom he married 26 years ago and which union is blessed with four children, is always going against his orders.

    Giving his evidence, Christopher said, “I did traditional marriage with her but no dowry was paid based on the agreement between me and her family members to make up for my sending her to school.”

    ‘I had a child outside wedlock before we got married, which I informed her about, but after we got married, she disallowed the boy from mixing with his siblings. To make matters worse, she is always turning my children against me.”

    “My wife, Oluwakemi is adulterous; and to worsen it all, she lured our only daughter into prostitution. She flouts my orders at every opportunity, I don’t love her anymore,” Christopher said.

    Oluwakemi was however against the divorce, stating that she still loves her husband and doesn’t want the marriage dissolved. She said, “My husband is a liar; he is a womanizer; in fact I’ve caught him on our matrimonial bed with another woman and when I reported the matter to his elder sister, she asked me to forgive him and forget about the matter, which I did.”

    “He favours his first son whom he had before we got married at the expense of our children. Moreover, his family members hate me. I’m not destructive and I did not encourage our daughter into prostitution,” she said.

    “The day he accused me of cheating on him was the day a colleague of mine visited me in our house in company of his wife to-be during my teaching days. The man in question is not my boyfriend.”

    One of the couple’s children was also present as witness; he said “Our daddy is fond of nagging us and always in favour of our elder brother to our own detriment. He doesn’t give us upkeep allowance and has locked us outside for two weeks. He has since stopped performing his responsibility as a father,” said Jones.

    Giving his judgement, the court president, Chief Odunlami Olatunji dissolved the marriage on the ground of incompatibility and the fact that both are always quarrelsome and fighting.

  • Chibok Girls, Leah Sharibu can still return, says Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday that all hope is  not yet lost on the possible return of the remaining 112 Chibok girls from Boko Haram captivity.

    Buhari assured the girls’ parents that he has not forgotten them.

    It is exactly five years today that Boko Haram terrorists stormed the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, seized about 276 of them.

    About 60 girls managed to escape in the melee following their abduction while Buhari Administration secured the release of 107.

    About 100 are still with the sect.

    But Buhari speaking on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the abduction yesterday said government was still working on getting the girls and Leah Sharibu back home.

    Leah and about 110 other students of Government Girls Science and Technical Secondary School, Dapchi, Bursari local government area of Yobe State were abducted on the night of February 19, 2018.

    But while all the other girls were released almost immediately, the terrorists have held on to Leah because she refused to renounce Christianity her faith.

    Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu said Leah’s return was being hindered by fear on the part of her abductors.

    His words: “President Muhammadu Buhari would like to remind the parents of the school girls of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State that he has still not forgotten their daughters who were kidnapped from their dormitory five years ago (April 14, 2014).

    “He promised the parents when he met them, at the beginning of his first term as president, that he would bring their daughters home.

    “He is aware that this promise he made is the main reason the people of Chibok voted overwhelmingly for him in the February elections, and although his government has so far succeeded in bringing back 107 of the girls, the President will not rest until the remaining are reunited with their families.

    “President Buhari assures the parents that his administration is still on the matter.

    “Diverse efforts are being intensified to secure the release of the Chibok Girls, along with all hostages in Boko Haram captivity, including Leah Sharibu who was kidnapped from her school, Science Secondary School, Dapchi, Yobe State, on February 19, 2018.

    “On Leah Sharibu’s abduction, the interlocutors have reported encouraging progress so far.

    “The report reaching us says her return to her family has unfortunately been hindered by the fear of the militants.

    “They worry that heavy military presence in areas where they previously moved about freely could affect their safety after they return her to the government.

    “At the same time, the military cannot jeopardise the security of the entire north-eastern region by halting their operations to accommodate Boko Haram’s fears.

    “Leah Sharibu will be reunited with her family as soon as any conclusions are reached on a number of options being considered for her safe transportation.

    “The success of the Nigerian military in subduing Boko Haram is evidenced by the large numbers of militants who have surrendered recently, especially in neighbouring Cameroon and Niger.

    “A similar mass surrender of militants is expected to happen soon in Nigeria.

    “While Nigerian military operations are ongoing, the government is also engaging with the militants but the talks have been affected by the factionalisation of Boko Haram – with one group adopting a hard line attitude and intensifying attacks on Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad, and another group engaging with the government for peaceful resolution.

    “President Buhari also uses this opportunity of the commemoration of the Chibok tragedy to commend the girls, now women, who have triumphed over it all.

    “He sends special greetings to the 106 girls sponsored by the Nigerian government to continue their studies at the American University of Nigeria, Yola.

    “He encourages them to stay focused on becoming women who will inspire girls in Nigeria and around the world to triumph over the daily battles they face in a world that is often unfair to the girl-child.

    “President Buhari also extends his best wishes to Chibok girls in other schools in Nigeria and around the world.

    “He sends special congratulations to Kauna Yaga Bitrus, who has excelled beyond expectations in her college in Maine, USA, and who is soon to receive a special ‘Against All Odds Award’ from her school.”

     

  • Bauchi governor-elect, PDP assemble five SANs, 60 other lawyers in defense of mandate

    The Bauchi Governor-Elect, Sen. Bala Mohammed, yesterday disclosed that his party, the Peoples Democratic Party in the state will engage the services of 5 Senior Advocates of Nigeria, (SANs), 10 other senior lawyers and 50 indigenous lawyers from Bauchi in defense of his mandate at the election petition tribunal.

    The disclosure followed the petition filed yesterday by the outgoing governor, Mohammad Abubakar, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State challenging his victory in court at the last governorship election.

    Addressing journalists shortly after the submission of the petition yesterday at the tribunal, the APC Chairman, Uba Ahmed Nana, said   Abubakar, the gubernatorial candidate of the party at the last election, is seeking justice from the court.

    The governor-elect however noted that though his party is yet to be served a copy of the petition; it is readily prepared to tackle Governor Abubakar and the APC in the foreseeable judicial contest.

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    Addressing newsmen at the Command Guest House in Bauchi, while receiving the group known as the Body of Bauchi Lawyers of Conscience who earlier volunteered to mobilise 50 lawyers in his defense, Mohammed said “The issue of APC taking me to the tribunal is a normal thing; that is why it is provided for in the Electoral Act. I want to use this opportunity to thank my supporters and the people of Bauchi for their show of patience. The petition is nothing to worry about because we have taken necessary measures.”

    “Though we have not been served, once we are served and we see the details, we are going to respond.

    “We are also going to engage our lawyers, about five Senior Advocates of Nigeria, about ten other senior lawyers and 50 Bauchi indigenous lawyers. That is to say the APC petition at the tribunal is dead on arrival due to the support of the Body of Bauchi Lawyers of Conscience (BOBALAC),” he said.

    Mohammed while accepting the offer of BOBOLAC to be part of his legal team said he is highly privileged to be rendered such services by the lawyers of conscience and quality.