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  • Plant trees, Ogun residents told

    Residents of Ogun State have been urged to plant trees in their compounds to beautify the environment and mitigate the effects of global warming.

    A Director in the State Ministry of Forestry, Dolapo Odulana, made the call at a rally for schools and selected areas in Abeokuta metropolis, to mark the International Day of Forestry.

    He said the purpose of the rally was to sensitise people on the benefits of forest preservation and the need to prevent indiscriminate felling of trees.

    Read also: When will Ogun West produce governor?

    Speaking on this year’s theme, ‘’Forest and education’’, Odulana cautioned that deforestation would have a devastating impact on the people, as trees help to mitigate harsh environ-mental condition.

    “The forest is no doubt a veritable tool to mitigate the challenges of the environment and this is why we encourage everybody to raise at least a tree,’’ he said.

    If you and I would raise a tree, it will make a big difference in the environment”, he said.

    Places visited included: Ita-Oshin, Panseke, Itoku, as well as Abeokuta Grammar School, Egba.

  • I’ll run people-centred govt, says AbdulRazaq

    Kwara state Governor-elect AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said yesterday his administration will be a complete departure from the old order.

    He added that he would run a government that serves the best interest of the people.

    He said this at the inauguration of the 80-member transition committee in Ilorin, the state capital.

    The frontline businessman turned politician said: “For the past 16 years, they have been running government in their own style.

    “We have put this committee in place to engage the outgoing government to know how much we are owing and know the state of our infrastructure. We cannot walk blindly into office and succeed.

    “The huge margin of our victory at the polls suggests that our people are fed up with the status quo and want a new approach to governance. We, therefore, have a historic duty to serve their best.

    Read also: Kwara election panel to lawyers, parties: be wary of fraudulent agents

    “To do that, we must understand the current governance structure in the state; we must know how the current system works to be able to know where to begin, what current policy would be retained and what policy must go. We also need to know what is in the books in terms of financial receipts, obligations, contracts and other things.

    “This is why we have taken our time to nominate some of the best hands around – in terms of competence, credibility and maturity – as members of this committee, with proper accommodation of the various political tendencies in our political party. In essence, the most crucial work of this committee is to ensure we hit the ground running on May 29th.”

    Hailing their credibility and commitment to serve the state, AbdulRazaq urged the committee to discharge their duties in a way that would help the new government to serve the people.

    Chairman of the committee Aminu Adisa Logun said their job is to bridge the gap between the outgoing and the incoming governments.

    “The Transition Committee is not a scouting committee to suggest or recruit personnel for the governor. Ours is to highlight what needs to be done in line with the change mantra of the government. Our duty is mostly technical such as gathering and interpreting data for the new government in its bid to serve the people of the state,” Togun said.

     

  • Arewa worried over kidnapping, killings in North

    WORRIED by the spate of kidnappings and killings across the land, particularly in the North, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has called for deployment of troops.

    The organisation said the security operatives deployed in trouble spots should go beyond repelling attacks; and pursue  perpetrators of crimes and bring them to justice.

    The North’s foremost socio-cultural group also urged the Federal Government to re-examine its security apparatus, take adequate measures that will increase the number of police personnel, train and retrain them.

    Besides, they said the operatives should be kitted with modern equipment and other logistics for professional efficiency.

    According to a statement issued by the forum’s National Publicity Secretary, Muhammad Ibrahim Biu, the security agencies must employ new strategies and intelligence gathering needed to effectively smoke-out the kidnappers and bandits from their enclaves and hideouts.

    The statement reads: “Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and in deed Nigerians are worried and disturbed with reports of spate of kidnappings of innocent people on the highways and frequent attacks on villages by some armed bandits which has led to the death of hundreds of innocent lives particularly in the Northern part of the country.

    “The recent frequent kidnappings and attacks on the people, especially along Kaduna/Abuja express highway and many villages in Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina and Kaduna states as well as many parts of the country is cruel, barbaric and inhuman.

    “ACF, therefore, condemns these unwarranted and unbridled kidnappings and killings of people by some unknown gunmen.

    “This is a serious challenge to the place of government, our military and other security agencies, as the attacks are getting vicious and unacceptable.

    “The establishment of Military Joint Task Force and other security operational bases in Zamfara, Sokoto and other flash points to combat the bandits’ activities in the region need to redouble their efforts in order to put an end to this daily loss of innocent lives and destruction of property.

    Read also: Arewa youths demand military takeover in Zamfara

    “ACF also calls upon the security agencies to employ new strategies and intelligence gathering needed to effectively smoke-out the kidnappers and bandits from their enclaves and hideouts.

    “The Police Force should deploy more troops to the affected states and highways to not only repel attacks but go after the perpetrators and bring them to book.

    “ACF appeals to the Federal Government to seriously reexamine its security apparatus and take adequate measures that will increase the number of police personnel, train them and provide equipment and other logistic support to effectively tackle this menace.

    “ACF equally urges the communities to cooperate with the security agencies by way of intelligence gathering and sharing.

    “ACF extends its condolences to the families of the innocent souls killed in the dastardly acts of the kidnappers and bandits, the people and governments of the affected states.”

  • Ondo PDP chiefs: our statements at EFCC not voluntary

    ONDO State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Clement Faboyede and its former campaign director, Modupe Adetokunbo, yesterday told the Federal High Court in Lagos that statements they made at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were not voluntary.

    The commission accused them of violating the Money Laundering Act by receiving N500 million in cash ahead of the 2015 general election.

    Faboyede was accused of making N500 million cash payment to the Ondo PDP Election Committee.

    The prosecution said the defendants committed the offence on March 27, 2015, contrary to Section 18 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, punishable under Section 16(2).

    Faboyede and Adetokunbo pleaded not guilty when they were arraigned last June 29 and were granted bail for N50 million each with one surety in like sum.

    At the trial yesterday, the second prosecution witness, Mr. Usman Zakari, who was led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel Mohammed Idris, said he was part of a team that investigated the case.

    According to him, sometime in April 2015, the commission received intelligence report that the defendants received N500 million illegally.

    Read also: EFCC nabs five internet fraud suspects in Uyo

    He said payment receipts showed that the defendants received the cash on March 27, 2015.

    Zakari said an invitation letter was sent to the defendants, which they honoured on December 8, 2016.

    The witness said during the interview, the defendants were shown the payment receipts, and they both identified their signatures, residential addresses and phone numbers.

    According to Zakari, the defendants were subsequently cautioned before their statements were obtained.

    He urged the court to note that the defendants did not present any financial instruments for the withdrawal of the sums, adding that the monies did not emanate from any of them.

    When the prosecutor asked the witness if he would be able to identify the defendants’ statements, he replied, “Yes”.

    Idris then sought to tender the statements, but defence counsel Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) objected.

    He said the statements dated December 9, 2016, December 14, 2016, January 10, 2017, February 14, 2017, May 31, 2017; January 24, 2018, March 22, 2018 and March 28, 2018 were not voluntarily made.

    He said the fact that they were not made voluntarily violated Section 29(2/(a) of the Evidence Act.

    Jegede, however, did not object to the statements of December 8, 2016 and May 23, 2018.

    Defence counsel, therefore, urged the court to order a trial-within-trial so as to test the statements’ voluntariness.

    Justice Saliu Saidu adjourned until May 16.

     

     

     

     

  • How we’re keeping peace in Osun, others, by AIG

    THE cooperation being received from the Osun State Government and the others has made it easy to keep crime rate low, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 11, Mr. Adeleye Oyebade, has said.

    Speaking during a visit to Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, on Wednesday, the AIG said: “There is no doubt in the fact that we have received timely and prompt security support from Osun State and this has really helped us to deliver on our mandate.

    “It is on record that Osun is one of the safest states in Nigeria today and this couldn’t be achieved without your relentless efforts.

    “We are fully aware of support given to ease the smooth-running of our activities and this had in no measure contributed significantly to the successes the state had recorded in security sector.”

    Apart from Osun State, Oyo and Ondo are the other states in the Zone 11 command.

    The AIG added that the Zonal Command would organise a security stakeholders’ forum that will serve as a platform to combat crimes in the state.

    Read also: Police dismiss inspector for allegedly killing soccer fan  

    He said the police would continue to render services that would promote the security of lives and property of the citizens.

    “We are working round the clock to maintain and sustain the relative peace that Osun is enjoying at the moment; that is why we are bringing on board a Security Stakeholders’ Forum that will help to drive this mission.

    “The issue of crime management has been at the front burner of our activities as we remain committed to free Osun from crime and criminality,” Oyebade said.

    Oyetola hailed the officers and men of the Police for displaying high sense of professionalism in managing the security in the state.

    He said his administration prioritised the security sector to fulfill the basis on which the government is formed.

    Governor Oyetola said he had been working hard to build a helipad to support security surveillance.

    “I thank you for the wonderful job you are doing to maintain peace in the state. We are very proud of the activities of the security agencies in the state.

    “We are committing resources to advance security because of our consciousness to the security of lives and property of the citizenry.

    “We are lucky in our state to have been blessed with efficient, effective and proficient officers and men of Nigeria Police Force.”

  • Behave as a statesman, Ondo APC urges Olanusi

    ONDO State All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday denied the allegation by former Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, that President Muhammadu Buhari lost in the state due to its leaders’ anti-party activities.

    Olanusi, at a forum of the Concerned APC leaders in Akure, the state capital on Tuesday, accused Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of compromising the election because of the National Working Committee’s (NWC) decision to endorse three incumbent senators as automatic candidates.

    He said this prompted the governor’s alleged sponsoring of opposition Action Alliance (AA) candidates.

    A statement by APC’s Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro, said the former deputy governor has never been on the same page with the party leadership, stressing that he could not be competent to comment on the party’s affairs.

    Besides, the party faulted the claim that the governor allegedly diverted the fund disbursed to Ondo State by the national leadership of the party for the 2019 general election to finance AA candidates.

    It said: “With these statements, Olanusi’s group had brought to fore their secret apathy against Akeredolu, who refused to do their biddings. We should be reminded that Olanusi claimed huge amount from the present APC-led government in Ondo State to offset his accumulated salary arrears over his removal from office by the previous administration.

    Read also; APC will reclaim all ‘stolen’ mandates

    “He refused to acknowledge the governor’s quick response to his plight. Rather, he countered the effort with contempt. When he demanded for more money and was denied, he became dissatisfied and turned himself into a critic of the APC’s government he claimed to be its Board of Trustees (BoT) member at the national level.

    “We have it on record that he is planning ahead of the 2020 to present an unpopular governorship candidate for election in the state, but he doesn’t have to heat up the polity over such clandestine moves that will die on arrival.”

    The statement emphasised that the party leadership in the state would not succumb to the group’s cheap blackmail and lies.

    It said: “We are advising Olanusi and his group to desist from constituting themselves as enemies of the party they claimed to belong. The former deputy governor particularly should behave as a true statesman and member of APC’s Trustee.”

     

  • Wema Bank’s Hackaholics gets winners

    Wema Bank has announced winners in the maiden edition of hackathon, Hackaholics held  in Lagos at the weekend.

    Hackaholics allows startups and young tech professionals to brainstorm, strategize and create solutions to the problems presented. Solutions were screened by a team of judges who announced the winner at the grand finale.

    Among a number of groundbreaking solutions from the 20 participating teams, Team EazyChange won with a solution that provides simpler payment for transportation. The solution is programmed to ease the problem of scarcity of lower denominations for transport fare within Lagos and other states. The winning team received the $10,000 prize and will also join the bank for a period of 6 months.

    Team 2i became the first runners-up for a backend solution designed to solve problems in Know Your Customer (KYC). Team Lendse came out as the second runner-up for creating a solution that tackles alternative credit scoring for financial institutions.

    Besides the winning teams, participants who impressed with their ideas and work attitude will gain access to incubation and acceleration programs at the Wema Bank’s innovation lab, Codeville. The innovation lab will help nurture tech solutions and other business ideas into marketable brands through investment opportunities, business support and mentorship.

    Read also: Wema Bank’s PAT rises by 36% to N3.08b

    The bank also used the platform to announce Ignite by Wema, a special business account for micro, small and medium enterprises. The all-inclusive account will support MSMEs to upgrade their businesses through partnerships with the bank, leverage on the bank’s network and marketing channels, provide access to business advisory, incubation benefits and concessions on business loans of up to N3m.

    Hackaholics was organized in partnership with Scooper and Ntel who provided media support and internet services respectively. Wema Bank will continue its track record of creating and promoting platforms that will pave the way towards building the future of Nigeria’s fintech and business sectors.

    The event, hosted at Codeville, Wema Bank’s innovation lab, brought together some of the brightest minds in the country to be part of various activities including keynote addresses, panel discussions and training programs for the participants by Osmosis.

     

  • Alleged certificate forgery: It’ll be futile exercise against AbdulRazaq, says APC

    THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has assured Kwarans that the suits claiming that Kwara State Governor-elect, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, presented forged Senior Secondary School Certificate for election will be an exercise in futility.

    Its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, in a statement yesterday, said: “Our attention has been drawn to the politically-sponsored and laughable allegation against the AbdulRazaq that he forged the Senior Secondary School Certificate he presented for election.

    “We understand the desperation of the sponsors of this campaign of calumny to get power through the backdoor after the crushing defeat they suffered from the Kwara electorate in the last general elections.

    “While it is the right of the rejected opposition and their proxies to approach the election tribunal relying on their flimsy and false claims, we assure Kwarans that it is an exercise in futility and will surely come to naught.

    Read also: Kwara election panel to lawyers, parties: be wary of fraudulent agents

    “Challenging the popular mandate given to Alhaji AbdulRazaq amounts to mere shadow-boxing. The outcome of the elections in Kwara is an expression of collective resolve of Kwara electorate for a new progressive order that has long eluded the state.

    “Our party affirms its confidence in our governor-elect and equally affirm that all documents he submitted are authentic. We urge our members in Kwara State to exercise no doubt at all. They should rather gear up for the task of setting our dear state on a path to progress under the capable hands of Alhaji AbdulRazaq.”

     

  • Fed Govt plans more revenue sources, says minister

    The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma,  has said the Federal Government is determined to improve its revenue generation this year and has already taken a number of steps to achieve the plan.

    He spoke at the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Finance, Appropriation, Planning and Economic Development on the 2019 revenue and expenditure projections as contained in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) 2019-2021).

    He said  that one of the reasons it could not realize its revenue target for 2018 was that some one-off items listed for implementation in the fiscal year were not actualized.

    But he said those items which include the N710 billion from Oil Joint Venture Asset Restructuring and N320 billion from revision of the Oil Production Sharing Contract Legislation/terms have been rolled over to 2019.

    Read also: Returning the lost glory of palm oil farming in the Niger Delta

    Among other initiatives aimed at expanding the fiscal space, the Minister indicated that the Federal Government will intensify efforts to improve public financial management through the comprehensive implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) and the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

    Also the Department of Petroleum Resources has been directed to, within three months, complete the collection of past-due oil license and royalty charges, including those due from Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) (a subsidiary of NNPC), which it had agreed to pay since 2017.

    Udoma said the Ministry of Finance, working with all the relevant authorities, has been authorized to take action to liquidate all recovered, unencumbered assets within six months.

    Amongst other revenue generating initiatives, he said the President has directed that work should be immediately concluded on the deployment of the National Trade Window and other technologies to enhance customs collections efficiency from the current 64 percent to up to 90 percent over the next few years.

    He indicated that in spite of the challenges that militated against the realisation of targeted revenues, the revenues generated in 2018 showed a significant improvement over 2017.

     

     

  • 60 SON workers get training

    No  fewer than 60 workers of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) are receiving training on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in Enugu.

    SON Director-General Mr. Osita Aboloma, represented by the Director of Human Resources, Mallam Usman Abdullahi, said the workers were being trained on efficient service delivery.

    He noted that the training would make them live above rudimentary mistakes intheir duties.

    Aboloma said: “The essence of this training is to improve the capacity of staff to deliver quality services and improve their relationship skills as they discharge their daily duty.

    “The training aimed at exploring other avenues to solve issues that concern enforcement of standards without necessarily going to the formal law courts.

    “The SON Act as amended had given SON the mandate to prosecute those that go against its mandate.

    “However, we feel that there should be other avenues apart from the courts that SON can easily achieve its mandate.

    “So, on this premise, SON is partnering with the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators (ICMC) to train some of its staff on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).’’

    According to him, the training would be beneficial to the agency’s enforcement and office workers.

    Also, a facilitator of the training, Ambassador Victor Ojaide, noted that the workers would get with ADR skills.

    Ojaide, who is also the Vice President (Training) of ICMC, said the training would enable workers understand how to settle issues harmoniously.

    “The ADR lessons will equip them on how to deal with issues and win trust and public confidence even as they discharge their duties.

    “The training will teach better ways of approaching issues and people even as they carry out their official mandates,’’ he said.