The Nation Newspaper

Tag: The Nation newspaper

  • Edo, NIRSAL, Sterling Bank partner on mechanised farming

    Building on the strides made in the agricultural sector in the state, the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration has concluded plans on a partnership with the Nigeria Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) and Sterling Bank on the development of at least 1500 hectares of farmland in different locations across the state.

    Edo State Acting Governor, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu, who disclosed this when a team from NIRSAL paid a courtesy visit to the Government House in Benin City, assured farmers in the state of adequate incentives to boost productivity.

    He said the state government is committed to the partnership which ensures that farmers get necessary financial support to fast track the introduction of mechanised farming in the state.

    According to him, “I commend the banking sector for coming to the rescue of the agricultural sector. They are making the process of introducing farmers to new techniques and technologies easy. This will help in boosting productivity.”

    He added that the state government designed an entrepreneur programme for youths, which will help in grooming them for profitable agribusiness.

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security Programme, Hon. Joe Okojie, reiterated that agriculture remains the easiest and fastest way to create wealth, noting “People don’t pay much attention to agriculture in this country, but this system seems different in the sense that it is going to be strictly mechanised. We aggregate all the farmers, link them to funding, inputs and markets.”

    He said there are off takers for whatever the farmers produce, which is going to boost their confidence in developing large expanse of farmland.

    READ ALSO: Immunisation: Edo reads riot act against exploitative health workers

    According to him, “For instance, we have a rice belt in Iguoriakhi, where we are doing above 500 hectares of rice. We aggregated all the farmers that have been traditionally farming rice and helped in developing the land. We brought in the NIRSAL, to take it from mechanisation to harvesting.

    “In Illushi, we are doing about 1000 hectares of rice farming. That is also in our rice belt. We would aggregate the farmers in that area and improve their productivity.”

    Head, Agricultural Field Services, NIRSAL, Ibrahim Abdullahi said that the collaboration between the organisation and the Edo state government would improve the fortune of farmers in Edo State.

    According to him, “We have already identified about seven locations. The farmers engaged in subsistence agriculture, and did not approach it as a business. The governor has given us the mandate to work with the farmers to train them to create wealth and ensure that they take farming as a business. We have been having technical meetings. We are going to deploy our full team to the field so they can commence delineation.”

  • Alleged exam fraud: only Adeleke’s brother sat for 2017 NECO exams – witnesses

    *Court asks prosecution to be diligent

    Proceedings resumed on Wednesday in the trial of Senator Ademola Adeleke and four others before a Federal High Court in Abuja over their alleged involvement in examination malpractices.

    The prosecution called two witnesses – Emmanuel Odesola and Adigun Akintayo – who said they acted as supervisor and invigilator during the June/July 2017 National Examination Council (NECO) examination in Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School, Ojo-Aro, Osun State.

    Odesola (a teacher, who was a supervisor during the examination) and Akintayo (a teacher and invigilator during the exam) said they only saw Sirkiru Adeleke (the Senator’s brother), who is listed as the 2nd respondent, in the examination hall.

    The witnesses also said they did not experience any incident of examination malpractices.

    They said, of the five defendants, they only saw the second defendant (Sikiru Adeleke), the principal and registrar of Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School during the examination.

    Senator Adeleke, Sikiru Adeleke (who is said to be the senator’s relative), Alhaji Aregbesola Mufutau (the school principal), Gbadamosi Thomas Ojo (registrar) and Dare Samuel Olutope (teacher) were arraigned in November last year

    The five were arraigned on a charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/156/2018, filed in the name of the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

    Ademola and Sikiru were accused of fraudulently, through personation, registering as students of Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School, Ojo-Aro, Osun State to enable them sit for the National Examinations Council (NECO) examination of June/July 2017.

    The other three defendants were accused of aiding the commission of the alleged offence.

    Testifying on Wednesday, as the third prosecution witness, Odesola said he teaches at Akode Middle High School, Akoda, Ede, but served as supervisor during the 2017 examination.

    He admitted knowing the Adeleke and three other defendants, except Olutope, who

  • Kolade Johnson: Buhari frowns at SARS, promises prosecution of perpetrators

    President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed regret over the recent action of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Police Command in Lagos, which led to the avoidable death of Kolade Johnson.

    President Buhari, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Wednesday, acknowledged the genuine outrage regarding the activities of SARS.

    The president reassured the public that swift actions had already been taken as the suspects were in custody.

    He said that an orderly room trial was set to commence immediately, following which indicted officers would be prosecuted in court.

    Buhari, who commiserated deeply with the family of the deceased, said: “Government will not tolerate, in any way, the brutalization of Nigerians or the violation of their rights.

    “Any officer of the law enforcement agencies or any other government functionary caught in this act will certainly be visited with the full weight of the law,” the president said.

    Read Also: BMO: you can’t compare Buhari with Atiku

    He recalled that the Presidency, in 2018 directed overhaul of the management and activities of the SARS, the president said steps were taken by the Police leadership to restructure and reform the squad.

    Buhari however, observed that a lot more remained to be done and sustained.

    The president pledged his administration’s resolve to ensure that the Police and other law enforcement agencies conducted their operations in strict adherence to the rule of law and with due regard to International Human Rights and Humanitarian Laws.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Johnson had on March 31, gone to watch a football match when he was hit by stray bullet from policemen attached to the Police Anti-Cultism Unit.

    The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, had already revealed the names of policemen involved in the killing of Kolade Johnson at Mangoro area of the state.

    Muazu, who made the revelation when he paid a condolence visit to the deceased’s family, identified the officers as: Insp. Ogunyemi Olalekan and Sgt. Godwin Orji attached to Anti Cultism Squad.

    NAN

  • Immunisation: Edo reads riot act against exploitative health workers

    The Edo State Government has issued a warning against unscrupulous health workers who extort monies from Edo residents in exchange for immunisation in government hospitals, maintaining that immunisation is free.

    In a statement, the state government warned health workers involved in the act to desist forthwith and urged members of the public who encounter such workers to report them to the appropriate quarters for necessary action.

    The government decried the condemnable practice, which deprives many across the state the opportunity to benefit from the free immunisation campaign.

    Read Also: 65 prisoners regain freedom in Delta

    The statement reads in part: “The Edo State Government has noticed that some unscrupulous health workers charge residents and indigenes of the state money for immunisation, thereby depriving many across the state the opportunity to benefit from this service which is free of charge.

    The government restated that “immunisation for newly born and older children are free and at no cost to beneficiaries.”

    The state called on all citizens to promptly report anyone who demands money in exchange for immunisation across the state, to any representative of government nearest to them, including the local government chairman, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health or the State Commissioner for Health.

     

  • Elections Petition Tribunal receives 34 petitions in A’Ibom – Scribe

    The Governorship, National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal in Uyo, Akwa Ibom says it has received no fewer than 34 petitions as at April 1.

    The Tribunal Secretary in the state, Mr Sidiq Abubakar made this known in a document made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Uyo.

    Abubakar said that one of the petitions was filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the state, Mr Nsima Ekere against Gov. Udom Emmanuel of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    He said the tribunal also received two petitions emanating from the senatorial election, adding that Sen. Godswill Akpabio of APC filed one against Mr Christopher Ekpenyong of the PDP from Akwa Ibom North West.

    The secretary tribunal also said that Mr Bassey Etim of APC filed another petition against Sen. Bassey Akpan of the PDP from Akwa Ibom North East.

    READ ALSO: Delta tribunal receives 51 petitions

    He said eight petitions emanated from the House of Representatives and 23 petitions from the State House of Assembly elections out of the 26 House of Assembly seats.

    “We have received 34 petitions, including that of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate Mr Nsima Ekere, two petitions from the Senate, eight from the House of Representatives.

    Others are 23 petitions from the State House of Assembly elections,” he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the tribunal also received one petition filed by the PDP House of Assembly candidate, Mr Gerald Umoh against Mr Nse Ntuen of APC from Essien Udim State Constituency.

    No date has been fixed for the tribunal to begin its sitting.

  • Newborn baby dies during home circumcision

    A newly-born baby from a family of migrants has died in Italy following a botched home circumcision, the second such incident in little over a week, news reports said on Wednesday.

    Circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin, the tissue covering the head (glans) of the penis.

    It is an ancient practice that has its origin in religious rites.

    Today, many parents have their sons circumcised for religious or other reasons.

    According to the ANSA news agency, the baby, only a few weeks old, was found dead at home in Genoa, a port city in north-western Italy, by emergency services called in by his Nigerian mother and grandmother.

    “The events took place overnight.

    “The two women have been taken in for questioning by Police amid suspicions that a third person attempted the circumcision,’’ the ANSA news agency said.

    Read Also: Nurse gave baby overdose on doctor’s instruction, panel told

    On March 25, a 5-month-old boy from a Ghanaian family, living near Reggio Emilia in northern Italy, died in hospital after his parents tried a home circumcision.

    There was also a case in December when a 66-year-old man was arrested in connection with the death of a 2-year-old boy as a result of a circumcision ritual in a town north-east of Rome.

    Circumcisions are expensive and not subsidised by the National Health Service, so many migrant families try to perform them on their own or rely on unlicensed doctors.

    According to Mustafa Qaddurah, a paediatrician and representative of the Islamic Centre of Rome, who spoke to ANSA, “the only solution’’ is for the state to pay for the operations.

    Circumcisions are often performed within Muslim and Jewish communities for religious and hygienic reasons.

     

    NAN

  • Trump’s move against Huawei suffers setback

    United States President Donald Trump’s move against telecommunication giant Huawei has suffered a major setback.

     European nations are considering using Huawei in building fifth-generation, or 5G, wireless networks.

    The Donald Trump administration’s had earlier run an aggressive campaign to prevent countries from using Huawei and other Chinese telecommunications equipment in their next-generation wireless networks.

    Trump had argued that Huawei and other Chinese telecom companies are a significant security threat.

    But other countries say that the threat can be managed, in addition to Huawei’s denial of the claim.

    A Washington Post report said Trump’s move stumbled because some of America’s closest allies rejected it.

    European countries divided

    Top European countries are currently divided over the ban. Britain, Germany, India and the United Arab Emirates are among the countries signaling they are unlikely to back the American effort to entirely ban Huawei from building their 5G networks.

    Some countries like Britain share the United States’ concerns, they argue that the security risks can be managed by closely scrutinising the company and its software.

    With a majority rejecting Trump’s plan, their decisions are a blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to rein in Beijing’s economic and technological ambitions and to stop China from playing a central role in the next iteration of the internet.

    American government officials are now looking for other ways to curb Huawei’s global rise without the cooperation of overseas allies, including possibly restricting American companies from supplying Huawei with key components that it needs to build 5G networks across the world.

    “It is looking dicey. We are running out of runway,”  Mike Rogers, the former Republican congressman who led the House Intelligence Committee and who has long been a fierce critic of Huawei, reportedly said.

    Why America’s move failed?

    The United States is not ready to admit defeat, but its campaign has suffered from what foreign officials say is a scolding approach and a lack of concrete evidence that Huawei poses a real risk.

    It has also been hampered by a perception among European and Asian officials that President Trump may not be fully committed to the fight.

    Moves to ban Huawei: Political or economic battle?

    There is confusion over what may be the motive of America to ban Chinese companies, prominent among which is Huawei.

    Mr. Trump has repeatedly undercut his own Justice Department, which unveiled sweeping criminal indictments against Huawei and its chief financial officer with accusations of fraud, sanctions evasion and obstruction of justice.

    Trump has suggested that the charges could be dropped as part of a trade deal with China. The President previously eased penalties on another Chinese telecom firm accused of violating American sanctions, ZTE, after a personal appeal by President Xi Jinping of China.

    Those moves have only deepened concerns that the administration’s fight against Huawei is not really about national security and instead reflects its political and economic ambitions.

    Read Also: Donald Trump and the post-American world order!

    European and Asian officials have complained privately that recent American intelligence briefings for allies did not share any sort of classified information that clearly demonstrated how the Chinese government used Huawei to steal information, according to people familiar with the discussions. European officials have told counterparts that if the United States has evidence the Chinese government has used its companies to do so, they should disclose it.

    A senior European telecommunications executive said that no American officials had presented “actual facts” about China’s abuse of Huawei networks.

    Huawei Founder reacts

    Ren Zhengfei, the founder of Huawei, in his reaction denied the US allegations.

    He accused the United States of having political motivations in leveling criminal charges against the company and has said the firm does not spy for China.

    Why it is difficult to ban Huawei

    Unlike the United States, European wireless networks are much more dependent on Huawei, so banning its equipment would be far more consequential.

    Many of the leading carriers, including Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom, use the company’s equipment, and a widespread ban would result in costly changes that executives have warned may delay the debut of 5G in the region.

    Garrett Marquis, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said the United States continued to work “with our allies and like-minded partners to mitigate risk in the deployment of 5G and other communications infrastructure.”

    “I’m not sure a ban is the solution,” said Caroline Nagtegaal, a member of European Parliament from the Netherlands who helped write a resolution on the cyber security risks posed by China that avoided calling for a Huawei ban. “We have to be very careful making a step like that.”

    Many countries facing American pressure have not made any final decisions.

  • Court resolves ownership crisis of Ekiti communal land

    An Ekiti State High Court, Ido Ekiti Judicial Division, on Wednesday resolved the lingering ownership crisis surrounding Agamo, Iludun Ekiti in Ilejemeje Local Government Area.

    The Court said Agamo is a communal land belonging to the entire Iludun Ekiti and not individuals, groups or families.

    Justice A.A Adeleye, while delivering judgment in suit number HID/8/2017 filed by Rev David Adeosun and five others on behalf of themselves and their families against the Owa of Iludun Ekiti, Oba Kayode Akinola, and three others over the ownership of Agamo, held that title to Agamo land is vested in the whole Iludun community.

    Justice Adeleye, in the judgment, said: “I find as a fact that the claimants are not the first settlers at Agamo and therefore not owners of the land in dispute.

    READ ALSO: Eight feared dead in Niger communal land tussle

    “Agamo belongs to the Iludun indigenes as a communal land since the land has not been partitioned.

    “This is a fact pleaded, and led in evidence by the counter claimants, but not disproven by the defendants.

    “Consequently, a reigning Owa of Iludun is entrusted with the management custody, control and supervision of the Agamo farmland in conjunction with other principal or prominent indigenes of the town for the benefit of the entire community.”

    The applicants had in the suit filed on June 28, 2017 sought among others “a declaration that Agamo farmland belongs to Oke Iludun Quarter under the headship of Joseph Adeosun and Daniel Kolawole families,” seeking declaration as null and void sale of Agamo and other farmlands amounting to 100 hectares belonging to the applicants but sold by the defendants.

    The applicants had also sought “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants whether by themselves, their agents or privies from further trespassing on the plaintiffs’ land at Igbo Oge, Agamo, Eyin Eran”.

    But the defendants, the Owa of Iludun and others, in their joint statement of defence/counterclaim denied the positions contained in the applicants’ statement of claim and prayed the court to dismiss applicants’ claims.

    Consequently, the defendants sought, among others, “ a declaration that the entire parcel of land situate, lying and being at Agamo farmland, Iludun Ekiti, Ekiti State exclusively belong to the Iludun community as a communal land same having not been partitioned”.

    They also sought “declaration that none of the three principal quarters constituting Iludun Ekiti community – Oke Iludun, Oke Ilomo and Ojomoko can lay sole claim of ownership on any part of Agamo farmland, same having not been partitioned.

    “A declaration that the incumbent Owa of Iludun is entrusted with the management, custody, control and supervision of the entire Agamo farmland as the head of the community in conjunction with other principal or prominent indigenes or members of the town for the benefit of the entire community.”

  • Court remands two suspects for alleged kidnap, robbery

    A senior magistrates court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has ordered the remand in prison custody of two persons for alleged Kidnap and armed robbery.

    The suspects are David Anele ’27’ and Onyemauche Nwankwo ’38’.

    The duo allegedly robbedone Martha Don-Mark of her valuables valued at N500,000 while armed with guns and other dangerous weapons.

    They also allegedly kidnapped their victim and released her on December 20,  2018 after the family had paid N350,000 ransom.

    The suspects are alleged to have committed the offence on December 14, same year at Igbo-Etche, Etche local government area at about 2am in the morning.

    Read Also: Court remands herdsman for allegedly killing farmer

    The three-count charge of conspiracy, armed robbery and kidnap preferred against them were not read out to them;   the court lacks jurisdiction to hear the matter hence, they did not take any plea.

    They were represented by a lawyer who applied for their bail.

    The court presided over by Magistrate Gomba Osaro denied them bail but advised the counsel to seek their bail at the high court.

    Osaro ordered that the suspects be remanded in prison custody while their case file be duplicated and sent to the office of Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.

    She adjourned the case till April 30, for DPP’s advice.

     

  • Final of Covenant chancellor cup holds Sunday

    The final of Covenant University Chancellor football Cup holds by 2pm on Sunday, April 7.

    The competition with the theme “one champion” featured 12 teams spread into four groups.

    The final match takes place on the newly commissioned 6,500 capacity artificial turf stadium of the university.

    The competition has ushered in a new set of unbridled talents providing the solution to the much awaited new generational footballers who could place the country back on the pedestal of sport glory.

    One of them is Wisdom Igiebor whose mesmerising performance in the competition has earned him the appellation Covenant Ohenhen.

    Read Also: Why Covenant University won’t accept sale of handout – Don

    The left-footed footballer has shattered all football records in the school, including scoring eye-catching free kicks.

    The free kick wizardry of the lanky 200 Level Banking and Finance undergraduate has catapulted him into the highest goal scorer in the competition history.

    The younger brother of Nosa Igiebor, 2013 AFCON winner with Super Eagles is a deadly left free kick specialist, an unrepentant dribbler and visionary passer.

    Another revelation is Moses Ekoh, popularly called the Berlin wall, a suave shot stopper.

    He saves penalty with style and has a maverick disposition in one on one.

    He has kept 6 clean sheets in seven games in the CU premier league, showing ability to fit in seamlessly in Barcelona or any Pep’s team as he is adept with his feet.

    He helps his team builds attack from the back.

    Live stream of the final match is provided by Bspot, the sport marketing and talent management firm.

    Head, Activation and Partnership of Bspot, Babatunde Amusa, said: “We consider it a privilege and we shall pursue our mission with a mindset of unwritten social contract to deliver a platform for limitless possibilities for youths across our higher institutions and of course the society within which we operate.”

    A dinner party holds at the luxurious university guest house after the match by 7pm.