₦airaland Forum

The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that a staggering 300, 000 Nigerian kids may lose their lives this year.

This, the body says, could come as a result of malnutrition without intervention to save them, just as stakeholders are of the opinion that the Nigerian government has not helped fund or implement its nutrition policy since it was passed two years ago.

Daily Trust reports that an estimated 1.6 million children are at risk, and many of them are from malnutrition, which is likely to rise to severe malnutrition if there is no intervention.

Arjan de Waqt, the chief of nutrition at UNICEF, who made the revelations while addressing a townhall meeting on nutrition in Abuja on Friday, February 19, said:“We have become deaf to these numbers. We have accepted these numbers. We don’t find it strange, unless it is your child, then it is no more a number.

“At least 280,000 of them don’t have to die, if you give them ready-to-use-therapeutic food, and you need government support for that,”he noted.
Dr Philippa Momah of the Civil Society Scaling up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), a coalition of nongovernment groups working on nutrition, lamented the non functionality of the National Strategic Plan of Action on Nutrition (NSPAN) which is owned by the government.

He said:“How can a policy be developed for 2014 to 2019—it is 2016 and there’s no funding for it?”

The group also stated that despite the fact that the 2016 federal and state budget had been finalised,“nutrition was not seen as a priority issue in a country where over 11 million under five children are stunted.”

Nigerian oil workers, under the aegis of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, on Wednesday applauded the federal government for the renewed effort to reorganize the productive and extractive industries.

Acting General Secretary of PENGASSAN, Lumumba Okugbawa, on Wednesday commended the government’s recent decision to review and redraft the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) for re-submission to the National Assembly for passage.

The PIB, which would provide the legal and institutional framework for the country’s oil and gas sector, has been pending before the National Assembly for approval since 2012.

Mr. Okugbawa said the PIB, when eventually passed into law by the National Assembly, would redefine the regulatory and control apparatus of the oil and gas industry and ensure that the petroleum industry operated in line with acceptable global standards.

Lamenting the long delay in passing the draft documents into law, Mr. Okugbawa said the absence of established laws guiding aspects of the industry operations has cost the country huge losses, in terms of fresh investments.

“The senior staff association calls on the National Assembly to expedite action on the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, as well as reconsider global best practices in maintaining two regulatory agencies to superintend over the upstream and downstream sectors,” the PENGASSAN scribe said.

On the government’s decision to sack the Chief Executives for the regulatory agencies in the petroleum industry on Tuesday, Mr. Okugbawa called for a “diligent search for suitable replacements” to sustain the momentum of progress in the industry reform process.

The Federal Government had on Tuesday sacked the Chief Executives of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF); Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB); Petroleum Equalization Fund (PEF), and Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA.

Stealthideals24:
Another drama

The Osun State Internal Revenue Service (OIRS) on Wednesday announced the sealing of the offices of telecommunication firm, Globacom, in the state for not effecting the payment of outstanding taxes and other levies in respect of mast/ base station and laying of fibre optics.

The state said the charges became “due and payable to the Osun State Government arising from back- Duty-Investigation-Exercise”.

This Acting Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Osun Internal Revenue Service, Dayo Oyebanji, said the action became necessary following Globacom’s non-compliance in ensuring remittance of all outstanding taxes due to the State.

“The distrain action is in line with the provision of Section 104 of the personal Income Tax Act 2004 LFN (as amended in 2011) and will not be reopened for business until all full compliance is attained,” Mr. Oyebanji said.

He said several meetings were held with the company’s representatives in the past three years to resolve the issue, but that the company failed to comply.

The latest meetings, he said, were held October 8 and November 13, 2015, adding that the company’s representatives reneged on their promise to facilitate payment.

Mr. Oyebanji said the Osun State House of Assembly also intervened in the matter by inviting Globacom to appear before its special session on December 3, 2015.

He said representatives of the company appeared before the House on that day, the promises they made to remit the outstanding tax liabilities within two weeks were yet to be kept.

Mr. Oyebanji added, “Another important issue is the failure to obtain relevant approval for laying of fibre optics in line with the State’s relevant regulation on physical and urban planning. He emphasized that in the last few months, it has been discovered that GLO has been laying cables and masts especially in Ife Axis without obtaining necessary approval and thus violating the law.

“OIRS has intensified its efforts on advocacy, publicity and enlightenment programmes on the statutory obligations of the citizenry for voluntary compliance by paying their taxes promptly as prescribed in the Nigeria constitution and the applicable tax legislations.

“In spite of its efforts, some corporate organizations and individuals still engage in several violations. As a result of this, OIRS is set to begin enforcement of tax payment, prosecution of all tax defaulters in the State of Osun to ensure that the defaulters are made to face the full scale of the law.

“Personal Income Tax Act mandates all taxable institutions to file its annual tax return for the preceding year at the expiration of 90 days from the commencement of every year of assessment, a taxable person or corporate organizations who fails to file its returns with OIRS by the stipulated date is in breach of the provisions of the law.”

He, however, thanked those who had continued to express their unalloyed support to the State through their regular tax payment. He assured members of the public that the state government remained committed to building a vibrant economy aimed at boosting commerce, industry and improving the welfare of the citizenry which he said could only be achieved through prompt tax payments.

He said the OIRS would “not hesitate to take legal action against recalcitrant individuals or corporate organizations that fail to perform their civic responsibility to the State government in the area of tax payment”.

PhockPhockMan:
The source please.

As the opposition Peoples Democratic Party gets set to name a new leader of the party, governors and other chieftains of the PDP are on a manhunt for a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nuhu Ribadu, in their bid to make him chairman.
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that a meeting of the national caucus of the PDP is currently holding in Abuja, after which the National Executive Committee would meet at the Wadata Plaza secretariat of the party by 2p.m. on Tuesday.

Mr. Ribadu was tipped for the chairmanship position last year, shortly after the then chairman, Ahmadu Muazu, resigned from office.

However, we gathered that the move, championed by governors elected under the party, was thwarted by the National Working Committee, NWC, under the interim leadership of Uche Secondus.

We also gathered that Mr. Ribadu who had earlier agreed to take the offer also abandoned it on account of “lack of seriousness to truly reform the party by its top echelon”.

However, after a long back and forth and controversy, including court cases, the party agreed to hold a special NEC meeting to fill the position created by the resignation of Mr. Muazu.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt of spirited attempts over the last few days by some top party chieftains to persuade Mr. Ribadu to accept to chair and transform the party.

A source privy to the goings on in the PDP said some of the party’s governors visited Mr. Ribadu in a last minute effort to get him to change his position. He was however, said to have stuck to his guns.

“Since midnight yesterday, party chieftains led by a governor from the South-south region began a search for Ribadu, to no avail.

“The ex-EFCC chair was said to have gone incommunicado since last night, making all attempts to reach him impossible,” the source said.

He also said at least four governors of the party and other chieftains are currently waiting at the Bayelsa governors lodge in Maitama area of Abuja, scrambling to reach Mr Ribadu.

“Mr. Ribadu, PREMIUM TIMES learnt, is skeptical of taking the PDP job because of the battered image the party has suffered, especially with current corruption probes.

“He is also not confident that the party’s bigwigs would tolerate his radical disposition,” our source said.

PREMIUM TIMES reporters have been unsuccessful in reaching Mr. Ribadu for hours. His telephones are switched off the several times our reporters called.

At his residence in the Asokoro District of Abuja, security guards denied our reporters entry, saying the former EFCC chairman was not home, and that his whereabouts is unknown.

When contacted, his spokesperson, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, said he had not been able to reach Mr. Ribadu in the past two days.

The Christian Association of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, has called for the prosecution of former President Goodluck Jonathan for corruption.

The Chairman of Lagos CAN, Apostle Alexander Bamgbola, spoke in Lagos on Saturday on the sideline of an interdenominational service.

While fielding questions from journalists, Bamgbola applauded the ongoing war against corruption in the country, adding that nobody should be spared.

When asked about the stance of the group on the call for the prosecution of Jonathan, he said, “What is wrong with it? A former President of Peru (Alberto Fujimori) was jailed. Also, a popular prime minister of Israel (Ehud Olmert) was jailed. If a nation puts you in a position of trust and you betray that trust, you should go to jail no matter who you are. I have no sympathy for anybody. Just make sure you get it right, and we get the facts right as well.”

He lamented the corruption in the country, urging the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to go after the looters and “put them where they belong, so that we may have peace in this nation.”

The guest speaker, Prof. Joseph Otubu, who spoke on the topic, ‘Great Faith, the Antidote to Helplessness,’ urged the congregation to have faith in God and shun corrupt acts.

The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, appealed to CAN to support the programmes of the state government.

While quoting from 1 Corinthians 13:13, Ambode, who was represented by the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Lola Akande, asked members of the Christian body to embrace love and unity.

The Senator representing Lagos-East Senatorial District, Gbenga Ashafa, commended CAN for being consistent in organising the annual service, saying it would help people in the country to have faith and the fear of God.

He assured Nigerians that the senate would not cover up any shortcomings in the 2016 budget.

Ashafa said, “The presidency will re-present the budget. I appeal to Nigerians to be patient as everything will be to the benefit of the country.”

The police at FESTAC Town police station and a leader of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) have rescued a-month-old baby, who was abandoned in an Indomie carton.

The baby was sighted by the OPC leader in Amuwo Odofin, simply identified as Suleiman Badmus, who rescued the baby and handed her over to the police.

The baby is now being cared for by a woman police sergeant, Pamela Nwabinye, who has since the discovery been playing the role of mother to the baby.

Lagos Metro gathered that the baby, who was wearing a light blue overall, was wrapped in a white shawl and carefully placed in the carton.

Olabisi, a younger sister to the OPC leader, who rescued the baby, said “The baby was found close to where I sell herbs at Amuwo-Odofin. One of the OPC members heard the baby’s cries and called my brother, Badmus. The baby was inside a carton.

“When I saw her, I was shocked. I felt whoever abandoned her must be crazy. Mosquitoes had bitten her face. Why would any woman abandon her baby after she had carried the pregnancy for nine months?,” she added.

Sergeant Nwabinye was said to have bought new sets of clothes, flask, feeding bottle for the baby.

A police source at FESTAC police station said: “That’s how Pamela behaves with every baby rescued and brought to the station. She goes all out to mother the baby. Pamela spends her money a lot on abandoned kids. She likes kids a lot.”

Seventeen people were killed in an automobile crash on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, said on Sunday.

Yusuf Salami, the Oyo State Sector Commander of the commission, told the News Agency of Nigeria that 79 persons were injured in the crash.

Mr. Salami said that the accident, which involved an articulated vehicle and a Peugeot J5 bus, occurred at Sepo area of the highway.

Mr. Salami said the accident occurred due to impatience, over speeding and struggle for the right of way by both vehicles, which were travelling from Ibadan to Lagos.

“A Peugeot J5 with number plate XS 626 LSV and a DAF articulated vehicle with number plate AA 902 MML, crashed as both drivers were struggling for the right of the way.

“They were both going to Lagos when the accident happened at about 9.30 a.m. (on Sunday),’’ he said.

“There were 96 people involved with 17 confirmed dead; it is obvious that both drivers were over speeding and suddenly lost control of the vehicles.

“The Peugeot bus was loaded with passengers and goods but the casualty figure rose because the other vehicle was travelling to Lagos with huge number of illegal passengers,’’ he said.

Mr. Salami said that the corpses had been deposited at the Adeoyo State Hospital morgue in Ibadan, while the injured were taken to the University College Hospital, Ibadan Central Hospital and Kejide Hospital.
(NAN)

what !