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  • Flights resume at Imo Airport after fire

    Flight operations have resumed at the Sam Mbakwe Cargo Airport, Owerri, Imo State, after a fire outbreak that razed part of the arrival terminal.

    When The Nation visited the airport yesterday, passengers were queuing to get their boarding pass, though the number of passengers was minimal compared to what it used to be before the fire.

    It was also gathered that the executive lounge of the airport was completely razed and has been cordoned off.

    The Airport Manager, Mrs. Rejoice Ndudinachi, said the cause of the inferno was yet to be ascertained as investigation was still on.

    Read Also: Robbers raid Imo Airport, cart away cash

    According to her, flight operations have fully resumed and the fire didn’t affect any critical infrastructure or equipment.

    She said: “We are following Airport contingency plans to make sure that flight operations resume, and it has resumed. We are sorry for what happened; there was no casualty; the fire department was able to contain the inferno.”

    Governor Rochas Okorocha and Governor-elect, Emeka Ihedioha, during separate visits to the airport, praised the management for the proactive measures taken to avert what a major disaster.

  • How to build successful enterprises, by experts

    Building successful enterprises is not easy. This was why a firm held a workshop  at Landmark Towers, Oniru, Lagos to address the problem.

    Phoenix Learning and Development Academy, organisers of  the workshop, provided an opportunity for women to share their thoughts on how best they could survive in the global, but male-dominated economy.

    Titled: Women Network and Business Partnership, the workshop  attracted women from mostly private organisations.

    It took the participants through the rudiments of owning and building a business enterprise.

    The Director, Strategy, Funding and Stakeholder Management, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, Mrs Abosede Alimi, said the economy  needed women who could run successful ventures and generate employment for many.

    For her, nothing could be truer for the women entrepreneurs, who are in unknown territories.

    Mrs Alimi urged women to  invest  more in learning if they want to achieve a lot in their chosen trades.

    She said women should keep abreast of developments in the global economies, keep their contacts well and exchange correspondences with their mentors or mentees regularly.

    She said, by so doing, prospective and existing business owners would be able to innovate, know the problems facing them and the strategies to overcome problems at either initial or future stages of business.

    She advised the participants to leverage the opportunities offered by social media, such as Linkedin, Facebook/WhatsApps and Twitter to exchange ideas that would  increase their networth.

    Also, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPMAN) Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Ajibola Ponle, urged women to certify themselves in areas outside their core competence.

    To  excel in her trade, she got certified in event management and coaching, she said. She advised caterers to seek more knowledge about their business, especially how to prepare foreign delicacies, to attract increased patronage.

    She said meeting the needs of local people was not enough, as people travel far and near for tourism globally.

    Entrepreneurs, she said, should not be afraid to partner their colleagues, claiming that nobody could steal their vision through that means.

  • PSC sacks nine police officers for misconduct

    Nine senior police officers have been dismissed for what the Police Service Commission (PSC) called gross misconduct.

    The Commission, in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday by its spokesman, Ikechukwu Ani, said it also approved the reduction in rank of six officers for sundry offences.

    According to the statement, the decisions were part of the outcome of its fifth plenary meeting which held in Abuja on 26th and 27th of March. The meeting was chaired by the PSC Chairman, Musiliu Smith, a retired Inspector-General (IG).

    Ani said the Commission also approved the punishment of severe reprimand for 10 officers while another, officer, Austin Agbonlahor, Commissioner of Police (CP), was exonerated.

    The Commission said one of the dismissed officers, Adamu Damji Abare, a Superintendent of Police (SP), will also be prosecuted while SP Abdul Yahaya Ahmed and another SP, whose promotion from SP to Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) was withdrawn before his dismissal.

    According to the Commission,  Acting Inspector-General Mohammed Adamu has been asked provide it with information on the punishment awarded to other officers mentioned in the Police Investigation Reports involving SP Abare with regards to irregularities in the conduct of the 2011 recruitment exercise.

    Read Also: PSC promotes Larmode, Mba, 8,914 others

    The other dismissed officers are: Osondu Christian and Samson Ahmidu (both Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) as well as DSP Pius Timiala, who will be prosecuted and whose promotion from DSP to SP was withdrawn. The four Assiatnt Superintendent of Police (ASPs) dismissed for various wrong doings are: Agatha Usman, Esther Yahaya, Idris Shehu and Usman Hassan Dass.

    Those whose ranks have been reduced from SP to DSP are: Oluwatoyin Adesope and Mansir Bako.

    DSPs Gbenle Mathew, Tijani Saifullahi, Sadiq Idris and Alice Abbah have their ranks reduced to ASP.

    Ani said the commission’s decisions have been conveyed to Ag. IG Adamu in a letter by its Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Commission, Nnamdi Maurice Mbaeri.

  • Navy takes war to kidnappers, others

    To ensure that kidnapping and hostage taking do not reign in riverine areas, the Nigerian Navy (NN) said on Tuesday that it was taking the battle to the enclaves of the criminals.

    Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command (WNC) Rear Admiral Oladele Daji stated this in an interview shortly after assuming headship of the command.

    Daji, who took over the mantle of leadership as the 39th FOC from Rear Admiral Obed Ngalabak, said the NN had already identified the hideouts of the criminals and was battle ready to smoke them out

    He was reacting to a question on the seeming resurge of kidnapping and armed banditry in the Southwest, especially in riverine areas of Ikorodu and Epe in Lagos State, as well as Ogun and Ondo states, which fall within the command’s area of responsibility.

    Read Also: Navy takes war to kidnappers, others

    The admiral said steps had been taken to flush out the criminals from their hideouts.

    “We are so lucky in the military in that our roles and tasks have been defined and cut out for us. For the Navy, we are guided by the vision and mission of the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), as well as the strategic directives.

    “Just as the outgone FOC mentioned, the command has strived over the years to deliver on its mandate. What we are only coming to do is build upon, bring fresh ideas into some of the challenges we have in the maritime expanse.

    “Luckily for us, the Federal Government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has been able to acquire more boats for us to patrol. This is not to say we have enough to cover our vast maritime space, but with what we have and the strategy of using the Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), we will ensure the assets provided for us are effectively used to accomplish the tasks ahead.

    “The data we have at the Naval Headquarters show that kidnapping is on the decline. Perhaps, there are one or two cases with prominence, which makes it seem as though it is on the increase. It is actually on the decline.

    “That notwithstanding, the FOC briefed me

  • Muslim group holds awards

    The annual Muslim Clerics and Community Leaders awards of Morikaz Hudalahi Al-Isiammy will hold on April 28 at 10am. Venue is Eagles Estate, Orunkole Phase II/ Keneth Street, off Bello Street, Thuraya Bus-Stop, Obafemi/Owode Local Government Area, Ogun State.

    Host, who is also the leader of the group, Sheik Salmonu Abdul Rafiu Akorede said the award is to recognise members of the group for their contribution and support to community development.

    Notable among the awardees is Alfa Rafiu Alubarika who will be decorated as Balogun Adini of Morikaz and seven others.

  • 9th NASS: Elders Forum tasks Buhari, APC on zoning speakership

    As part of efforts not to repeat the revolt and the rebellious act that characterized the emergence of the leadership of the outgoing National Assembly leaders in 2015, a group, the North Central Elders Forum (NCEF), has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to zone the position of the Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives to the North Central.

    NCEF Chairman, Alhaji Muhammadu Gwaska, disclosed this while addressing reporters in Abuja on Tuesday.

    Gwaska said APC should imbibe the traditions of party democracy which appropriates the spoils of office when elections are contested and won for the purpose of running an inclusive government and to accommodate divergent interests within the party.

    According to Gwaska, who is also the Sarkin Yaki Lafia, the North Central is too strategic to be relegated in the sharing of power equation in Nigeria.

    He queried the insinuations that the South West is being considered by the leadership of the APC for the Speaker which he said is very unfair to the North Central.

    He added that the zone since the Second Republic has continued to play a strategic role in representative government and has been the bridge between the northern and the southern part of Nigeria.

    The NCEF chairman added that the North Central deserves the nation’s number for position based on the number of votes it contributed to the reelection of President Muhammadu Buhari during the last Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    Read Also: Buhari condemns Kaduna violence

    He said the NCEF believes in the ability, maturity and the exposure of the deputy House Leader, Honorable Idris Wase, representing Wase Federal Constituency of Plateau State to be the Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives to be inaugurated in June 2019.

    Gwaska stated that Wase has the support of the elders of the zone he has gathered enough legislative experience in the House which will make him to relate very well with the Executive arm of the government headed by President Buhari to move Nigeria forward, give accelerated development to Nigeria and give the deserved dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

    He said: “The North Central has demonstrated its loyalty and strength to the APC both in 2015 and 2019. In 2019, we contributed 2,441,013 votes to President Buhari compared to South West’s votes of 2,036,450. To forestall the rebellion act that upset the apple cart in 2015 which produced the Senate President and the Speaker from North Central and North East respectively which never had our backing, the national leadership of the APC must ensure that it does not inflict a sufficient damage on itself, which consequences can be better imagined in the course selection and election of principal officers of the 9th House of Representatives.”

    When asked what the elders would do about the aspiration of Honourable Umar Bago from Niger State who is also aspiring to be the Speaker, the NCEF chairman said the elders will reach out to him (Bago) to support the candidature of his elder brother (Idris Wase).

    He added that the zone will settle for nothing except for the position of Speaker in the spirit of equity and fair play.

     

     

  • Lawan and the quest for NASS leadership

    It is no longer news that the All Progressives Congress (APC) recently announced its endorsement of Senator Ahmed Lawan from Yobe State as the party’s candidate for the position of president of the senate in the ninth assembly.

    The party hinged its decision to field Senator Lawan on the outcome of extensive consultations with members-elect, stakeholders as well as the cognate experience of the senator.

    Expectedly, Senator Lawan has since hit the ground running alongside his campaign team.

    Speaking during a campaign visit to Lagos last week, Senator Lawan unveiled his campaign slogan- the “A Senate and National Assembly that works for Nigeria” to the public. According to him, the main agenda is to have a senate and National Assembly that will work with the Nigerian people.

    “We need a National Assembly that will look at Nigeria as its constituency. We want a senate and a National Assembly that will maintain cordiality, synergy and cooperation with other arms of government” he stated, adding that the welfare of Nigerians must not be compromised, stressing that jobs and wealth should not be concentrated in few hands.

    In his words, “you can’t sleep with two eyes closed if wealth does not go round, if there is poverty, if the children of the poor cannot to school”. Senator Lawan said the 9th Senate should assist the country by helping President Muhammadu  Buhari to achieve his agenda in the areas of security, economy, job creation and anti-corruption battles.

    To him, the concept of separation of powers should not translate into an unnecessary rift that will cripple the harmonious working relationship amongst the various organs of government to the detriment of the country. The relationship amongst these organs of government, he stressed, should be characterized by cooperation, collaboration, partnership and synergy.

    “We may disagree. Our perspectives may differ. We don’t go to the market square to settle our differences. We should be able to meet and discuss issues and make compromise in national interest. That is the way to grow democracy. We may disagree, but the disagreement should not escalate”, he  declared”.

    On his qualification for the exalted office, he said his progressive stance over the years would serve as a major advantage. “I have been in National Assembly for almost 20 years. I have served in the House of Representatives for eight years and senate 12 years. I am a progressive. I was an APP and later ANPP House of Representatives member and I am now in the APC. I believe in the progressive politics, in ensuring that ordinary people – the masses-get support and opportunities to actualize their potentials and dreams. We should support entrepreneurship and business to grow and thrive for employment to boom”.

    Expectedly, the progressive disposition of Senator Lawan as well as his welfarist policy plans has not gone unnoticed by some members–elect and members of his campaign team. Senator Barau Jibrin from Kano North, who is the campaign  secretary, said from Senator Lawan’s policy agenda, which is welfarist–oriented, Nigerians should brace up for a people’s friendly 9th Assembly. “you can see that apart from his cognate experience, Senator Lawan means well for the Nigerian people, especially the ordinary Nigerians. Therefore, we should be expecting a preponderance of people-friendly legislations coming out of the senate. And this is exactly what Nigerians are clamoring for at the moment”. In his reaction, the chairman of the campaign committee, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi from Kebbi North declared that Senator Lawan “is eminently qualified for the position” and has the capacity “ to lead a Senate that will work with Nigeria people’’.

    For senator–elect on the platform of the YPP, Ifeanyi Uba, Senator Lawan deserves all the support he can get from all his colleagues and Nigerians in general.

    Justifying the inter-party endorsements flowing in for Senator Lawan, chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Sabi Abdullahi declared that the PDP will also massively support Senator Lawan’s senate presidency.

    Political analysis have variously commented on  Senator Lawan’s senate presidency bid and  their opinions rest majorly on the plank that his welfarist pro-people policy plans remains the surest path to a successful Senate Presidency.

    However, this endorsement is facing a major challenge from some members-elect in APC like senators Danjuma Goje and Mohammed Ali Ndume. Ndume has since gone ahead in defiance of the party’s stance to reel out a nine-point agenda for his bid.

    In another vein, some political analysts have opined that Senator Lawan would most likely be a pro-executive senate president and therefore sacrifice the independence of the legislature but this assertion was vehemently denied by Senator Jibrin who said Senator Lawan would never be a lackey to anyone based on his antecedents.

    According to him, “if there is anyone that can perfectly bridge the gap between the executive and the legislature, it is Senator Ahmed Lawan. He perfectly fits the bill because of his vast experience spanning close to 20 years in the National Assembly. We dont need an extremist who would make confrontation with the executive a pastime neither do we need one that would be a lackey. The person must be able to manage the delicate balance and we have found the person in Distinguished Senator Lawan”.

    While the whole scenario plays out, one thing that sticks out is the fact that the APC seems determined to push through its decision this time.

     

    • Meseko, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja

  • Leadway hails Special Olympics team

    Leadway Assurance has described the Nigerian contingent to the just-concluded 2019 Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi as true heroes who deserve to be celebrated by the nation.

    Speaking during a reception hosted in Lagos by the Special Olympics Nigeria for the team and various sponsors that made the team’s participation at the Abu Dhabi event possible, Ademola Ayodabo who represented Leadway Assurance’s Head of Corporate Communications, Olubunmi Adeleye, said the team’s total haul of 63 individual medals in eight sporting activities was a testament to the irrepressible Nigerian spirit.

    He added that Leadway was proud to be associated with the great success story of the team both as a sponsor and also for being represented on the Board of Special Olympics Nigeria.

    Ayodabo also promised that the company was committed to sustaining its CSR support for Special Olympics Nigeria.

    Earlier in his welcome remarks, Victor Osibodu, Chairman, Special Olympics Nigeria, said the Nigerian contingent to the games earned global respect for their magnificent achievements in Abu Dhabi.

    Read Also: 60 Nigerians participate in 2019 special olympics

    ‘’I am proud to inform you that we returned home with 63 medals, 32 gold, 21 silver, and 10 bronze medals. These numbers may sound odd but in Special Olympics we celebrate individual athletes and not the event. Therefore, the medals are not counted as per sport but as per athletes, he stated.

    He praised the sponsors, coaches, caregivers and the medical personnel for their dedication and hard work in ensuring the team was in top shape for the Games.

    A breakdown of the Special Olympics team’s 63 individual medal haul shows that the athletes won four gold and two bronze medals in athletics, two gold, seven silver and two bronze in badminton, 10 silver medals in Unified Basketball, one gold in cycling, 12 gold in Unified Football, three silver and one bronze in table tennis, one gold, one silver and five bronze in swimming, and 12 gold in Unified Volleyball, totalling 63 individual medals in eight sporting activities.

  • Ohanaeze calls on South Africans stop mindless killing of Nigerians

    Ohanaeze Ndigbo Chuks Ibegbu has called on the people of South Africa to stop the mindless killing of Nigerians in their country.

    The group expressed alarm at the rate Nigerians in that land are being felled by Xenophobics and wondered why South Africans have easily forgotten the role Nigerians played in their Independence.

    The deputy publicity secretary, Chuks Ibegbu in a statement said besside, several South African citizens and companies are doing their business unmolested in Nigeria.

    Ibegbu called on South African government to do something urgently about it .

    He also called on Nigerian government to engage its South African counterpart on this very serious matter. “No single South African has lost his or her life in Nigeria.”

    He called on elders of South African to teach their youths history of their country and the role of Nigeria in their independence struggle.

    He appealed to Nigeiran government to make life worthy of living here so that our men and women would not be dying like chicken in foreign lands.

    The Ohanaeze spokesman lambasted politicians for stealing our commonwealth and our legislators for alloting huge salaries to themselves without doing any commensurate work thus arrogating to themselves monies that would be used to develop our  country and make life better for our people.

    Ibegbu called for the  abrogation of security votes to political office holders and immunity clause covering them.

    Finally Ibegbu appealed to youths of South Africa to see all Africans as their brothers while calling on Nigerians and other Africans that commit crime in the country to stop it.

     

     

  • Court remands suspected killer of police corporal

    A Senior Magistrates’ Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has ordered the remand in prison custody of 23-year-old Ndifreke Jonah, for alleged murder of a police corporal, and armed robbery.

    Ndifreke and others at large allegedly shot dead Cpl. Godknows Iworima at an hotel, before snatching N4,000 from another victim.

    A court document obtained by our reporters showed that the incident occurred on March 7, 2018 at Varlin Hotel, Rumueke Mgbuoba, Port Harcourt.

    Iworima was reportedly shot on the left side of his chest by Ndifreke’s gang, who were armed with guns, including a locally made revolver pistol. He died from the gunshot wound.

    Read also: Court orders service of processes on Magu over detention of lawyer, ex-Senator

    The accused was also alleged to have dispossessed Obinna Irondi of N4,000.

    The suspect was charged with a three-count charge of murder and armed robbery, but the charges were not read to him; hence he did not take any plea.

    Magistrate Sunday Abel said the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter and ordered that Ndifreke’s case file be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.

    He said the accused should be remanded in prison custody, and adjourned the case till May 2.