₦airaland Forum

Nigeria was on Thursday appointed as the Acting President to preside over the 81st Plenary Meeting of UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters.

The Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria’s Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande, presided over the 193-member body.

NAN reports that Bande’s presidency at the Plenary Meeting happened just nine days after he presented his credentials to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

Nigeria was appointed one of the 21 Vice Presidents of the General Assembly on June 13, 2016 at the 71st session of the General Assembly.

NAN reports that Bande presided over the General Assembly following the absence of the President of the Assembly, Peter Thomson, who was on an official travel to the Central African Republic.

NAN also reports that the opportunity for Nigeria to preside over the 193-member body became possible following the assumption of duty of the country’s Permanent Representative.

Bande had told NAN that the goodwill Nigeria enjoyed since his assumption of duty last week was an indications that the international community had keenly awaited the appointment of Nigeria’s ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN more than a year after the last ambassador completed her assignment and returned home.

“I intend to leverage on this and continue to leverage on Nigeria’s image in positive light,” Bande said.

NAN reports that the 81st Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly under Nigeria’s Acting Presidency, considered three reports.

The first report was ‘Appointment of Members of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Question: report of the Fifth Committee’, including the appointment of Mr Olivier Myard of France as a member of the committee from May 11, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2019.

The second report was ‘Appointment of Members of the Committee on Contributions: report of the Fifth Committee’, with the appointment of Ms Zhang Wei of China as a member beginning May 11 2017 and ending Dec. 31, 2017.

The third report considered was the ‘Organisation of Work, Adoption of the Agenda and Allocation of Items: Appointment of Members of the International Civil Service Commission: report of the Fifth Committee’, with the appointment of Mr Vladimir Storozhev of the Russian Federation as a member effective May 11, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2020.

Bande, subsequently, after the consideration of the three reports and recommendations, adjourned the Plenary Meeting. (NAN)

lalasticlala

A 38-year-old Roman Catholic sister confessed to be in an adulterous affair with a married man stating that all she wants from him is sex.

Emmaculate Samukange, who also works as a nurse at Chivhu General Hospital, said she has no intentions of breaking Phillip Dzingai’s marriage but only wanted sex from him.

“I am aware that Phillip is married and it is true that I am having an affair with him.

“I am a Roman Catholic sister so what I do does not allow me to be his second wife.

“I am in a relationship with him because I failed to resist sexual temptation; I don’t wish to break his marriage, all I want from him is sex,” said Emmaculate.

She added that Phillip is the only man she has ever loved in her life.

“I started dating him in 2013 and since then I have tried to let him go but I have failed to do so.

“We met at Chivhu General Hospital where I also work as a nurse and from that moment we clicked.

“I have never met his wife but she now knows what is going on between Phillip and I because we have been dating for a long time now,” she said.

When asked for comment Phillip denied having an affair with Emmaculate.

“There is nothing like that going on,” he said before hanging up the phone.

Meanwhile an H-Metro source, who is a close relative to Phillip, said they had tried to warn Phillip from cheating on his wife but it was to no avail.

“As a family we have had numerous meetings with Phillip but we have not been able to convince him to be faithful to his wife.

“It seems as if they are inseparable; each time you mention anything to do with Emmaculate he changes his temper and starts to be violent,” said the source.

- Another tomato scarcity might be looming as the tomato pest, Tuta Absoluta has struck again

- The pest has seriously affected tomato harvests in three local governments in Gombe state

- The pest caused a major tomato scarcity in Nigeria in 2016 when it destroyed the tomato harvest

According to the Gombe State Agricultural Development Project (ADP), the tomato pest, Tuta Absoluta, has seriously affected tomato harvests in three local governments in the state.

In 2016, the destructive tomato pest, destroyed tomato farms across Nigeria causing an astronomical increase in the market price of tomato.

The Pest Control Officer, Abba Dreba, in Gombe on Wednesday, May 10 told NAN that the affected local governments were Akko, Kwami and Yamltu-Deba.


He said: “The tomato pest started ravaging tomato farms since last year but the ADP was not aware of this until this year; this is because tomato farmers in the affected local government areas were ignorant of the pest.

“However, when we received the report, we went round the entire local governments of Gombe and discovered that only Akko, Kwami and Yamltu-Deba local government areas were affected.

“The entire tomato farms in the three areas were devastated. This is a very serious problem because the pest is resistant to all the available chemicals and insecticides in the market."

He then called on the state government to initiate proactive measures to ensure that tomato planted in this rainy season would not be affected by the pest.

“If proactive measures are not taken, tomato farmers will divert their attention to other crops because Tuta Absoluta is very devastating,” he said.

Mr Sunday Lah the director of the Gombe ADP Agric Extension Services, advised farmers to wait for the rainy season to be well-established before engaging in crop planting.

According to Lah, this was the only way to ensure that their crops would not be destroyed by the pest too.

To solve the problem, he said that the ADP was trying to procure seeds from reputable institutions for farmers in the state.

“Most at times, a farmer goes to the open market to buy seeds without knowing the source,’’ he said.

OkutaNla:
https://pmexpressng.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/POLICE-4-2.jpg




Mynd44, Lalasticlala

Posted by Sunday Ojeme


Our members have begun gradual withdrawal from oil and gas installations belonging to Mobil in Nigeria… Final shut down will be with the withdrawal of our members in Qua Iboe Terminal with about 14 loading locations by midnight Friday –PENGASSAN

Following alleged anti-labour activities in Mobil Producing Nigeria Limited, oil workers under the aegis of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) are threatening to cut the country’s crude production by as much as 600,000 barrels per day.

The threat is coming just as crude oil production is increasing from the ugly past experienced as a result of attacks on oil and gas installations by militants in the Niger Delta. PENGASSAN, during the second day picketing of ExxonMobil Nigeria premises in Lagos, made it clear that the workers had started gradual withdrawal from oil and gas installations belonging to Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, the Nigeria’s ExxonMobil arm.

Currently, Mobil is one of the largest oil producing companies in Nigeria with about 660,000 barrel per day (bpd). Nigeria’s revenue will be negatively impacted if the oil wells and shut down of oil and gas installations by PENGASSAN is carried out.

Addressing the workers yesterday, the PENGASSAN Lagos Zonal Chairman, Comrade Abel Agarin, said there had been gradual shutting down of the plants in Mobil locations all over the country. “Our members have begun gradual withdrawal from oil and gas installations belonging to Mobil in Nigeria. Our members in the loading bay at Best Operations Platform (BOP), where crude oil is loaded have been withdrawn, while those in Erha and Ushan FPSO will be joining by midnight today (Wednesday) and those in Bonny River Terminal will join by midnight Thursday. Final shut down will be with the withdrawal of our members in Qua Iboe Terminal with about 14 loading locations and many well heads by midnight Friday.

“By Friday, other Inter national Oil Companies (IOCs) such as Chevron, Shell, Addax, Total and Agip and indigenous oil companies will join. We are also mobilising our members in Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF), Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), and the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS),” he said.

Members of PENGASSAN started a threeday warning strike last Wednesday to protest the refusal of the ExxonMobil management to honour an agreement reached during a tripartite meeting with the senior staff union and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

They said that in the agreement brokered by the minister, Dr. Chris Ngige, the management agreed to review the sack of 83 employees in December and that none of the workers that participated in a protest in December will be sanctioned for their actions.

“Without honouring the agreement, the management went ahead to suspend other union leaders in the company that took part in the December protest. The company has no respect for constituted authority of the land, as represented by the Minister of Labour and Productivity. The management disobeyed the law and authority of Nigeria and we find this unacceptable to us,” he said.

lalasticlala

He was alleged to have also produced a fake bank statement, which he used to collect a million naira loan from money lenders.

According to the police, the suspect generated a false bank alert which he used to defraud his last victim of 25 cartons of HP computers valued at N4.5million.

The US on Tuesday said that the agenda being pursued by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration were in line with its expectations.

Nathan Holt, the deputy director, office of West African affairs, bureau of African affairs at the US department of state, made the remarks on Tuesday from Washington DC via a teleconference on ‘Nigeria, a critical U.S. partner’.

Holt said: “In 2015, Nigeria had a very important election. It elected Muhammadu Buhari as president.”

“This represented the first time in Nigerian history that there was a peaceful, democratic transfer of power from one party to an opposition party.

“It was a milestone not only for Nigeria, but really for Africa as a whole.

“President Buhari’s electoral platform was that he wanted to fight insecurity, particularly the depredations of Boko Haram and other forces in the northeast.

“He wanted to grow the Nigerian economy, create jobs for its growing population, and he wanted to fight corruption. Well, the nice thing about that agenda is that it meshes very well with our own.

“That is – those are areas of focus that very much are consistent with US interests in Nigeria. We too want to partner with Nigeria and its neighbours to fight terrorism.

“We too support private-sector-led economic growth. And we are very much in favour of President Buhari’s campaign against corruption,” the US envoy on African Affairs, said.

Holt also spoke on his country’s decision to cut foreign aid, assistance, and payments to UN programmes but pledged continued robust US assistance to Nigeria and other countries in West Africa.

According to him, the US remains the leading humanitarian donor in the humanitarian, bilateral development assistance and the president’s emergency plan for AIDS relief (PEPFAR).

“We are very pleased that we are the lead humanitarian donor in the Lake Chad Basin region.

We’ve got a vigorous bilateral development assistance programme that’s dominated by health assistance, including the PEPFAR programme.

“The PEPFAR programme has really helped turn back the tide of HIV/AIDS not just in Nigeria but across the African continent,” he said.

lalasticlala

By Joseph Undu


LAGOS— A policewoman attached to Makinde Police Division, Oshodi area of Lagos, yesterday afternoon, received the beating of her life after a female soldier engaged her in a fight, at Oshodi, opposite NAFDAC office.

A police source that spoke with Vanguard on the condition of anonymity, said the police traffic warden was on official duty when she was assaulted by the military woman, adding “as we speak, the policewoman is in coma in an undisclosed hospital.

“The case of assault has been reported to Police Command Headquarters for further investigation.”
Although nobody knew what exactly transpired between the women, an eyewitnesses said there was an argument between the two female officers, who were both in their uniforms, which later resulted to an outburst.

Meanwhile, soldiers descended on this reporter, beat him up, tore his clothes and seized his phone as he tried to talk to the fighters and snap pictures of the incident.

He dashed across the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, but the military men went after him, hitting him all over his body, until a courageous motorcyclist sped off with him.

Enyioha Opara , Minna


The Federal University of Technology Minna , Niger State, has been thrown into mourning following the killing of a female postgraduate student in the school , Bolatito Ajuola, by a man suspected to be her fiancée.

It was learnt that Ajuola , a student of Science Education , was allegedly stabbed to death at about 11pm on Monday at her off -campus residence.

Eyewitnesses said the man , Best Origboshe , was a worker in a company owned by the victim’ s father in Ondo State, when the duo began a romantic affair.

However, Origboshe was said to have lost his job, resulting in Ajuola asking him to join her in Minna.

It was learnt that on Monday , Origboshe and Ajuola had returned from shopping when the victim prepared dinner and set the table for them to eat.

Northern City News gathered that Origboshe was reluctant to eat the meal , claiming that it was too hot when Ajuola queried him for shunning her food.
An argument was reported to have ensued between them.

A witness, who did not want his name in print, said , “ During the argument, the man started beating the girl .

She rushed to the kitchen and emerged with a knife with which she injured her fiancé. The man afterwards went to a nearby store, where he bought a brand new knife which he allegedly used to stab her in the breast and in the stomach. ”

It was learnt that a professor in the university, who heard the cry from the house, rushed Ajuola and Origboshe to a hospital, where she was confirmed dead.

Her remains have reportedly been deposited in a morgue at the General Hospital, Minna.

Our correspondent gathered that Origboshe was initially being guarded at the hospital by some policemen, before he was later released to the police due to a crowd of students, who had gathered around the hospital.

The parents of the victim were said to have arrived Minna to recover their daughter's corpse and follow up with investigation.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana, confirmed the incident, adding that investigations had commenced into the case.

Posted By: Yusufu Aminu Idegu,



POWER, Works & Housing Minister Babatunde Fashola was unsparing yesterday in Jos as he told the 11 DisCos to sit up.

He said the Federal Government and Nigerians were fed up with excuses from the DisCos over their shortcomings and berated them for lack of “corporate governance” in their relationship with consumers.

The minister told the DisCos to stick to the terms of their licences and implement their remittance obligations without complaints.

Fashola spoke in the Plateau State capital during the monthly meeting of stakeholders in the power sector, hosted by the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) at their NIPP Injection substation at Lamingo Dam.

According to the minister, who chaired the 15th monthly meeting, “the monthly meeting is to provide opportunity for stakeholders to meet and brainstorm on challenges and ways to improve power supply to the satisfaction of all Nigerians.”

He rejected the excuses of the DisCos and the various attempts by them to justify why they have not satisfied their consumers.

Fashola told the DisCos: “What the public need to know and which your statement is silent about is that you are entitled to fully recover your cost and investment by law. And this is the function of how tariff are also calculated. So if you make your investment, the cost is passed through to consumers.

“Therefore, if government holds 40 per cent of the shares of DisCos on behalf of the state and local governments and the Nigerian people, I believe that the government has the duty to ensure that you buy your parts and equipment at reasonable and competitive market prices and not through inflated contracts to relatives as we have seen in some DisCos in respect of which NEC will take a decision in due course and sanction those who are involved.

“You also issued a statement regarding the declaration of eligible customers, your statement claimed that this provision which allows certain classes of consumers to deal directly with generation companies is premature and will result in extra cost to the consumers.

“Your statement is however silent on the inability of some of your members to invest in feeders and distribution equipment to get the power to the consumers, this has led to the emergence of the terminology of ‘load rejection’ for an economy that does not have enough power and enough crude.

“Your statement that money does not address the illogic standing in the ways of the consumers seeking to get by himself what the service providers or DisCos have failed or was unable to give him.

“As for the alarm and the panic which your statement seeks to raise about the increase eligible customer declaration is not compulsory and applied to only those who were left to benefit from it.

“And they are in the position, I believe, to decide whether the tariff of over N60 per kilowatt hour through generation by diesel which they currently use is preferable to investing in the distribution facilities that give them power at a lower term. What is important is that the law is followed; consultations are held with those prescribed before decisions are taken.

“Rather than complain about old infrastructure, I wish to remind you that nobody forced you to buy these assets, and that you knew what you were buying when you bought them.

“As for the N709 billion intervention, let me say that it is consistent with our government policy and determination to enable businesses flourish and it was intended to save the GenCos and the gas companies and their financiers who were providing service from collapse.

“Your statement did not tell members of the public that these companies were not getting paid because you were not remitting all what you are supposed to be remitting to the market operators.”

tintingz:
It might be a movie.

Esepayne:
from the look of things, na we girls dey cause wahala for our self

tintingz:
I hope it is not all these bloggers fake news.

Afeez Hanafi


A gang of assailants, suspected to be ritual killers, has wreaked havoc on a family of six in Adeke bus stop, Adamo , Imota , in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State.

The couple – Taofiq Agbaje and Simiat Agbaje, 32, – and two of their four children , Rodiat, 10, and eight-year - old Toyeebat, were hacked to death by the gang.

The two other siblings , Mardiya, 13 and her one -year -old sister reportedly sustained injuries.

This happened barely three weeks after another couple and their only child were murdered in Ibese Titun, a neighbouring community,
The attacks were allegedly perpetrated by members of a notorious gang called Badoo.

In what seemed to be their usual modus operandi , PUNCH Metro gathered that the attackers gained entrance into the Agbajes’ three - bedroomed flat in the night after tearing the window net and removing some burglar - proof bars.

They were said to have smashed some objects on their victims and wiped away their blood with handkerchiefs, leaving them for dead.

Our correspondent gathered that a neighbour, who had gone to get lemon juice from the family around 6am on Tuesday, saw the victims and called for help.

It was gathered that Taofiq and two children died on the spot, while his wife , Rodiat , and the toddler were rushed to a hospital for treatment.

The case was reported at the Imota Police Division.
Simiat ’ s uncle , Adisa Ismaila , said he was at work on Tuesday when he received the tragic news.

“ On getting to the house, I met the corpses of her husband and two children on the ground . There was a big stone beside them . The gang wiped their blood with a piece of cloth. The mother and the two other children were taken to the hospital, while we buried the deceased according to Islamic rites.

“ The following day, the mother also gave up the ghost. We buried her beside them . Mardiya and her sister have recovered and have been taken to our hometown in Iwo ( Osun State ) for proper care. When policemen from the division asked Mardiya what transpired , she could not explain, ” he said.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our correspondent that a generator was working at the time of the attack , adding that its noise deafened the neighbours.

He said , “ Around 6am, one of the neighbours, a woman , needed lemon for her child , who was having a stomach ache . She went to get it from Iya Mardiya (Simiat). She saw Mardiya crawling on the passage. She could no longer talk. She pointed at their room and the woman rushed in only to discover other family members lying helplessly.

“ They used to live in the Agric area. They moved into this area four years ago when they completed their house. We call on the security agencies to please do something. ”

A community leader , who did not want his name in print for security reasons, lamented that “ there is little or no improvement , ” despite several petitions to Governor Akinwumi Ambode and some other commissioners in the state.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Olarinde Famous -Cole, said identities of the assailants had yet to be known.

He said , “ The command responded to a distress call from a resident and discovered that one Taofeek Agbaje and his family were attacked at night by unknown persons . As a result, Mr . Agbaje and his two daughters , between seven and nine years , died , while his wife and two other daughters, aged two and 12 years, sustained injuries respectively and were taken to a hospital. Investigations are in progress.

ALLEGATION of breach of security standard is reportedly rocking the three-man presidential panel investigating the controversial $43 million found at the Osborne Towers in Ikoyi Lagos State.

There were serious concerns that some sensitive information and details classified in security circles as top secrets were being exposed to non-operatives, in total breach of global standard and practice.

The panel, which is headed by the Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, is also investigating suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Babachir Lawal, over contracts awarded by the Presidential Initiative on the North-East (PINE) to a company linked to him.

The allegation of the breach of global practice in the intelligence gathering is coming against the outcry by prominent Nigerians like former Minister of External Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, calling for a halt to leakage of information on the activities of the Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA).

There were fears at the weekend in intelligence and security circles that the breach was already causing incalculable damage to the agency’s image, its operatives, as well as its operations.

Though the three-man presidential panel is saddled with investigating the NIA and the allegation of corruption levelled against the SGF, it is the agency’s $43 million cash found in Flat7B inside Osborne Towers in Ikoyi in a sting operation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that has dominated national discourse.

But competent sources claimed while the idea behind the presidential panel to unravel the mystery surrounding the ownership of the fund was good, what insiders described as the indecorous manner of the panel’s operation and political considerations are having consequential effect on the country’s image.
Apart from the danger the exposure of the NIA and its operatives is causing the country, the sources informed Sunday Tribune that many international partners of the agency, liaison agencies worldwide “are now reluctant to do business with it,” citing exposure of its activities blown cover as reasons.

There are also allegations being bandied by some powerful interests involved in the apparent struggle for power that the investigation committee led by the vice-president with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno and the Attorney -General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, as members, violated its operational terms by involving all manner of individuals to sit on the panel when they were not empanelled to do so.

Sunday Tribune learnt that “Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun; Deputy Chief of Staff to the vice-president, Ade Ipaye, and a few other unknown individuals have sat on the panel at different times,” and have had the privilege of getting information on the numerous covert operations of the agency and its agents, thus escalating the exposure of the NIA’s activities to persons without such security clearance.

“Their involvement brought new dynamics by changing the rules in the middle of the game, and obvious intrusion and dilution of what is supposed a three-man Presidential Panel,” said a source, expressing worry that such a term of reference breach could also create the impression that the decision of the committee “could have a predetermined end.”

But an insider source debunked such claims, saying some individuals were brought on the panel as experts, sighting the case of Adeosun and Ipaye, who is said to be head of the panel’s secretariat.

The fear that the committee may work towards a certain result in the case of the NIA, Sunday Tribune learnt, is not unconnected with the rumoured interplay of powerful interests in the Presidency.

The State Security Service, headed by Mr Lawan Daura, is said to be providing a strong backing for the NIA while the NSA and EFCC are on the other side.
For instance, Mr Monguno, a member of the panel, has been variously mentioned as having knowledge of the source of the contentious money; a claim he has also vehemently denied.

His presence on the panel, it is being alleged, could be one of the determining factors, despite the oral and material evidence supplied by the Director-General of NIA, Ambassador Ayodele Oke and others summoned by the panel.

The evidence supplied the panel so far, it was said, exposed the failings of all security agencies which are supposed to provide cover for the operations of the NIA, particularly the NSA, who has continued to deny knowledge of the fund and the claim that Oke briefed him on the existence of the money.

What Oke’s wife told panel

Mrs Folashade Oke, wife of the DG NIA who has been variously mentioned in the whole affair had been appeared before the panel over the ownership of Flat7B, Sunday Tribune gathered. She was said to have provided insight into how the flat was bought as one of the safe houses of the agency. She was said to have told the panel that she only acted on the instruction of her husband.

She denied knowledge of the operational framework of the NIA or that of his husband. She was said to have told members of the panel that she never asked questions about her husband’s official duties, even when he asked her to conduct any transaction on his behalf as the case was with the Osborne property, whose ownership, Sunday Tribune learnt was transferred to NIA immediately after the purchase.

lalasticlala

Ihuoma Chiedozie , Enugu


The All Progressives Congress on Saturday vowed to bury the Peoples Democratic Party in the South - East.
APC National Chairman , Chief John Odigie Oyegun , who made the vow in Enugu, urged the people of the South - East to embrace the party, noting that APC can guarantee their quest for an Igbo president .

Oyegun spoke at a rally held to welcome former Enugu State governor , Sullivan Chime , to the APC.

Chime , who served as the governor of Enugu State on the platform of the PDP from 2007 to 2015, formally registered as an APC member at the elaborate event , which held at his ward in Udi -Abia , in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.

The event attracted several chieftains of the APC, including the Sokoto State governor , Aminu Tambuwal.

Addressing the large crowd at the rally , Oyegun spoke of the need for the South - East, which is seen as the last PDP stronghold, to return to the mainstream of Nigerian politics.

Noting that most of the prominent politicians in the zone are leaving PDP, Oyegun vowed that APC would ‘ finally ’ bury the PDP in the South - East.
“ We are going to finally bury PDP in the eastern states.

“ Come the next election , who is going to be the governor of Enugu State ? APC.
“ Which party can best ensure Igbo presidency ? Is it not APC? No other party can ensure that.

“ The people of the South - East are entitled to full participation in this country, and APC is committed to provide the platform.

“ For long you ( South -East) have been prevented from reaping the fruits of your labour. The time has come for you to reap the fruits of your labour.

“ When I get back to Abuja now , I have a message for the national headquarters of our party – Enugu State is ready , the people of the South - East are ready , ” Oyegun said.

The APC national chairman added that Chime ’ s move to the APC would help to return the South - East to the mainstream.

He said , “ From the moment we won the last election , and seeing how skewed the country is, part of the plan was to ensure that the South - East returns to the mainstream of politics in this country.

“ Today , I want to assure you that the final building block that will ensure that the South -East returns to the mainstream has been put in place with Chime joining APC.

It is something to celebrate that Chime is joining APC. You ( Chime ) are the type of people we need in APC.

lalasticlala

By Abubakar Sadiq Isah



A 20-year-old woman, identified as Rukayyat, whose wedding was slated for Saturday this week, was crushed to death by a hit and run driver on Tuesday evening in Abaji, on the Abuja- Lokoja road.

A witness, Aliyu, said the deceased, was on a commercial motorcycle when the front tyre of the bike blew out, saying the cyclist lost control and they crashed in the centre of the highway.

He said while the cyclist jumped off the road, an unmarked J5 Peugeot bus ran over the woman.

He said the bus driver sped off leaving the mangled body of the deceased on the road, adding that it was some sympathizers that rushed to the scene of the accident that called officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), who conveyed the remains to the Abaji General Hospital.

“After the deceased was confirmed dead by doctors, a certificate of death was issued and her corpse was conveyed in the FRSC van to her relatives for burial,” he said.

Our reporter learnt that the deceased, who hailed from Shafa-Abakpa in Toto Local Government of Nasarawa State, came to Abaji to buy some items in preparation for her wedding this Saturday.

When contacted, the Abaji Unit Commander of the ( FRSC), Assistant Corps Commander, Olasupo Esuruaso, confirmed the two incidents.

He said efforts were on to apprehend the hit and run driver.

Chidiebube Okeoma, Owerri


Three gunmen on Friday attacked a Chinese expatriate in Owerri, the Imo state capital , and made away with the N 10m he withdrew from a branch of Diamond Bank on Item Street.

The gangsters shot the expatriate, believed to be a Chinese contractor working in the state and killed his police orderly, who was an inspector during the operation.

Our correspondent was told at the scene of the incident that the foreigner was attacked by the hoodlums immediately he came out of the bank.

One of the sources said , “ Immediately the foreigner was driven out of the bank premises in his black Toyota with the number plate Abuja 723 JR by his driver , the gunmen who were already waiting double -crossed his vehicle.

“ Two of them jumped out of their car and attacked their target . ”

They were only a few days old in the United States. Tunde Adepegba, his wife Oluwayemisi , who is seven-month pregnant, and their two chidlren, arrived the U.S. in April. But on April 26, Adepegba died in a bus. His wife has sobbed her heart out since then.

Mrs. Adepegba, who has two daughters aged two and eight, had barely spent 12 hours with her husband when he was picked up dead inside a metro bus.

The late Adepegba, a computer systems analyst, suffered a suspected heart attack while inside a metro bus in Annapolis area of Maryland and died with no help until the bus driver got to a final stop and came for him.

The late Adepegba’s burial will cost about $10,000, which the wife does not have. A gofundme account has been set up for her husband burial.

A deputy editor with THISDAY newspaper, Olawale Olaleye, who has been part of the fundraiser, wrote on his facebook wall: “This is no good news but a time I need the Nigerian in us to act true to type. Sadly, he left behind a pregnant wife. It is such a pathetic situation. But we can’t go on and on brooding over what we can’t change. This is an appeal for his burial, which is a bit expensive in the U.S and of course, whatever is left of this will be given to the pregnant wife.”

A columnist with THISDAY newspaper, Adeola Akinremi, who is in the US and has seen the family of the deceased, said: “It is a sad story. The gofundme.com is probably the first place to start, but you can also reach out to the woman directly.”

Mrs Adepegba and her children are in Randallstown, Maryland, United States, where a Good Samaritan is accommodating them.

By: Vincent Ikuomola,



The number of registered political parties may increase to 45 soon, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) giving the nod to five associations to register as parties.

Presently, there are 40 registered parties.

Already, the Department of Political Party Registration of INEC is ready to forward names of the five associations to the commission’s management.

Confirming the number of applications before the commission, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, said the process is still on; though he did not say how long the process will take.

It was learnt 91 associations applied to INEC for registration as political parties after the 2015 general election.

This is beside 10 fresh applications seeking information on the requirements for registration as parties.

It was also learnt 43 of the 91 associations failed the initial assessment and were contacted on their status and advised accordingly.

The breakdown of the status of other associations showed eight of the remaining associations are under initial assessment.

It was gathered 22 passed the initial assessment and were directed to pay the administrative fee of N1million to obtain Form EA1. Another 21 paid the mandatory N1million administrative fee.

Five other associations collected Form EA1, but are yet to return them for processing. Seven associations are awaiting verification and processing.

Oyekanmi said the applicants have been given the template, adding that the commission still need to meet for final consideration of associations that scaled through.

“The process is on and the number of the associations applying to register as political parties have keep increasing. Perhaps, it’s up to 90. I am sure they are over 90. It is like every day we are getting new applications.

“But you see, there is a template. It’s like the National University Commission (NUC), if you want to get licence for your university, you go there. They will give you what you should pay and if you satisfy all of these things, when you are taking your application, there is a template. When you are bringing your applications, the first thing for you to do is to look at the template for requirements to be registered and check those things and if you are qualified, you still have to be recommended.”

He, however, said he did not know how long the process is.

Oyekanmi, who also reacted to Wednesday’s court judgement, which found one of the commission’s workers guilty of bribe, said the INEC waits for advice from its legal department.

According to Oyekanmi, “The implication, I really cannot say specifically because you know anything that will happen would have to come from the commission.

“The commission will have to meet and then decide on what to do. The court judgment was given yesterday and I think our legal department will have to get a copy of the judgment and then advise the commission on that. Then the commission will now seat to consider this thing and take the next step.

“But for me, I think at this point, we have to wait for that one to happen.

“Like today, the commission is meeting. I don’t know whether that is on the agenda. But I can assure you that when a decision is taken, we will brief the press on those decisions. “

On transfer of votes, he said the ongoing registration exercise has provided opportunity for those who have relocated to move their vote to their new locations.

He explained that those conducting the exercise have been directed to have a desk to handle the issue of vote transfer, likewise other issues.

But in a case of any complain, Oyekanmi said people were free to contact the commission through the media.

On how to check underage registration, he said the officers have the right to ask question when in doubt.

He said: “They can ask for a form of identification, when you see anybody that seems to be underage. But of course, we have the obligation to ask questions, where we are in doubt.

“To ensure that only those who are qualified are allowed to register, ordinarily, if there is no suspicion, we register you.”

The Oyo State Police Command has commenced investigation into the death of Miss Deborah Effiong, a 100-level Law student at the University of Ibadan.

The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Abiodun Odude, made this known in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Ibadan.

Odude said police investigation into the incident followed the report by the university’s authority.

He gave an assurance that the outcome of the investigation would be made public as soon as it was completed.

The University of Ibadan had on Wednesday issued a statement through its Director of Public Communication, Mr Olatunji Oladejo, announcing the death of Effiong.

Oladejo expressed the regret of the university management over the sudden death of the student at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.

“Her sudden death, however, remains a mystery and it is in the light of this that the university management wishes to state that the cause(s) of her death are still being investigated by the appropriate authorities.

“Her parents had been duly contacted by the relevant key officers of the university on the loss.

“It is pertinent to state that by the tradition of the Queen Elizabeth II Hall where she was a resident, an event tagged “Freshers/Finalists’ Week’’ was organised by the Hall’s Executive Committee.

“The first day being Monday, 01 May, 2017 featured ‘’Health Day’’ in the morning and “Movie Show’’ at 7.00pm.

“Her colleagues reported that the deceased was seen at the Hall Cafeteria, the venue of the Movie Show and it was reported that her “normal self’’ was seen at about 8.40 pm.

“Thereafter, she received a telephone call from a fellow; she left the venue of the movie show to meet the caller.

“The fellow had been identified after her death by the Campus Security Service,’’ Oladejo said.

He further explained that on getting back to the venue of the movie show, her colleagues stated that she suddenly became hyperactive and developed a strange attitude.

Oladejo added that her colleagues said Effiong danced abnormally and excessively in the cafeteria after the meeting.

“It was further revealed that she left the venue of the movie show and, thereafter, there was a bang, which her colleagues explained, she jumped from a dangerous position in the Hall.

“She was later found by her colleagues in a seemingly helpless condition in the precinct of the Hall and immediately, she was rushed to the university’s health centre by her colleagues and porters on duty.

“She was later referred to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, for further medical attention where all efforts to save her life proved abortive,’’ Oladejo said.

Effiong was said to have died overnight at the tertiary health institution.

By Amos Tauna


A group, Kaduna Central Peoples Forum, has called on the Senate to suspend the Senator representing Kaduna Central, Comrade Shehu Sani over an alleged certificate forgery and perjury.

The call was made at a press briefing in Kaduna on Wednesday, where they also charged the Inspector General of Police to order for the immediate prosecution of the Senator.

“We are deeply embarrassed that an imposter currently represents us in the Senate.

“Shehu Sani’s continued stay in the Senate is not just an insult to the very sophisticated people of our Senatorial zone in Kaduna State but an injustice to the constituents who voted him based on false and fabricated credentials he tendered to our leaders, party leaders and INEC.

“We are committed to redressing this injustice that has been done to our people by doing all that is within our powers, that is proper and legal to ensure that Mr. Sani leaves the Senate to pave way for a fit, proper and qualified person from Kaduna Central to go to Senate to give us quality and efficient representation,” the group said, in a statement read by its secretary, Alhaji Aminu Sha’aibu.

The group explained that they were determined to follow the rule of law in their bid to oust Sani, using certificates he submitted to INEC, the CPC and the APC in the nomination and affidavit forms for Kaduna Central Senatorial election in the 2010/2011 and 2015 general elections.

“Our petition centres on the fact that as at the time the 2015 Senatorial election was conducted by INEC, Mr. Shehu Sani was not qualified to vie for the position given that he lied on oath to the commission about his academic qualification and falsified documents in bid to sustain the lies and false claims in the nomination form and affidavit he submitted to INEC,” the group noted.

The group faulted his time of stay in Kaduna Polytechnic, which they said according to records available to them showed that he was admitted with registration number CST/84/1791 in 1984 for a diploma, but wondered why he graduated from what was expected to be a two-year programme after five years.

However, reacting through his Special Adviser (Political Affairs), Suleiman Ahmed, he said the alleged certificate forgery was the handiwork of group loyal to Nasir El’Rufai.

He maintained that the allegation was as spurious as it was in the imagination of those who concocted it.

Suleiman explained that the same group had addressed the press for the fifth time, the last being where Senator Shehu Sani was accused of anti-party
activities.

“This is the fifth time a press conference was organized from Kaduna government house against Sani. The last time, they accused him of anti-party activities”, Ahmed explained.

He was emphatic that Kaduna governor’s Senior Special Adviser on political affairs, Mr. Uba Sani had attempted to incriminate Sani without success, noting that efforts to bring him against President Muhammadu Buhari in the past did not yielded results.

He urged the group to cross check their facts from the institution before addressing the press, stressing that governor El’Rufai was lacking focused in the affairs of the state.

lalasticlala

By Dickson Adama, Uyo


Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has said that his administration will establish a ranch in Uruan area of the state that would accommodate about 2,000 cows to be imported from Mexico.

The governor made this known at the flagg off of an improved cassava stem plantation with the aim of crashing the price of garri, a local food made from cassava tuber.

He said the process of acquiring the cows was underway and his government would ensure fresh milk for Akwa Ibom people as against evaporated milk.

“Fresh milk is more nutritious and will enhance good health and growth among the people of the state,” he said, adding that consultants were working hard to get the projects started.

The cassava plantation, located in the Okobo Local Government Area of the state, is among the pet projects of his wife, Mrs Martha Udom Emmanuel.

The governor said he was putting in place a framework that would ensure “we can actually turn around and feed ourselves,” saying agriculture remains the highest employer of labour.

He commended his wife’s project, FEYReP, for taking an initiative aimed at ensuring availability of garri for the populace.

Mrs Martha Udom Emmanuel had earlier said that the project was in line with her husband’s initiative of returning people to the farm and enhancing food sufficiency in the state.

She thanked the Ikono -Offi/Nsie community for providing land for the project and assured that with the project, the price of garri in the state would crash substantially.

Ade Adesomoju, Abuja


The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Mr . Sam Saba, and other members of the bureau, said on Wednesday that they were not sacked by any court judgment.

They, however, said in a statement that they had filed an appeal against the judgment delivered by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja on April 28, 2017, which was the basis for the media reports about their sacking.

Justice Binta Nyako , in her judgment in the suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/411/2016, held that the five -year tenure of the chairman and nine others had expired since April 2015.

She held that by virtue of section 155 (1) (c) and Paragraph 1, Part 1, Third Schedule of the 1999
Constitution ( as amended), Saba and others , all of whom were appointed in 2010, were only entitled to stay in office for five years.

The case was filed by Kingdom Human rights Foundation International, through its director and lawyer, Mr . Okere Nnamdi.

President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney- General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami ( SAN), and the CCB were the three respondents to the suit.

Although, Justice Nyako refused to grant prayers seeking an order compelling the President to remove and replace Saba as well as the nine other members, the judge directed the AGF to advise the President on the tenure of members of the CCB board.

But the CCB chairman and his colleagues said through a statement issued by the bureaus’ s Head of Press and Public Relation, Mr . Idris Mohammed, on Wednesday that the judgment on what was “ purely a case of interpretation of the relevant section of the 1999 Constitution”.

The statement maintained that the top officials of the CCB would continue to perform their duties until their appeals against the judgment were determined by the Court of Appeal.

The statement read in part, “ The attention of the Bureau Executive Council ( BEC ) of Code of Conduct Bureau ( CCB) has been invited to the series of misrepresentations in the print, online and electronic media, on account of the judgment delivered by Honourable Justice Binta Nyako, on Friday April 28, 2017.

lalasticlala

By Evelyn Usman

A 12-year-old girl, yesterday, gave a startling revelation of how her father and his step-son allegedly took turns to rape her for seven months in Ilogbo area of Lagos.

She said it started with her father and his mistress holding her legs apart for the woman’s son to rape her.

At the moment, the victim, who was alleged to have been forced out of school while in Junior Secondary School 1, had been treated for several sexually-transmitted diseases allegedly contracted during the said period.

Vanguard was informed that the suspect, identified simply as Adimawu, a commercial bus driver, took his daughter away from their Isheri apartment in May 2016, following a misunderstanding with his wife.

He reportedly took her to his mistress’ home at Ilogbo. During her stay there, the victim was stopped from going to school, as she was assisting her father’s mistress to sell oil bean seed, otherwise known as ugba, at the Alaba International Market.

Her story

Narrating how she was violated, the victim said: “One of my father’s mistress’ son, Kenneth, crept to where I slept on the floor one night and started touching my private parts. I woke up and rushed to inform my father, who was sleeping on the bed with his mistress.

“But he drove me back, saying I should allow him do whatever he wanted to do with me. My father came to where I was sleeping and, with the assistance of his mistress, parted my legs and instructed his stepson to have sex with me.

“The next day, after everyone had gone out, my father called me inside, locked the door and had sex with me. He warned me not to tell anyone about what happened, threatening to kill me if I did.

“Since then, my father and his stepson had taken turns to rape me. At times, when I went to sell ugba at Alaba, his stepson would take me to an uncompleted building, where he would place some cartoons on the ground and rape me.”

More revelations

Vanguard learned that after police and family members’ intervention, the suspect brought his daughter back home in December 2016. But her mother, who claimed to have been suspecting that all was not well with her daughter, subjected the latter to questioning, in the process of which she opened up.

The victim’s mother told Vanguard that she caught her husband with his manhood inside their daughter’s mouth when she was nine months. She said it happened again when the victim was six years.

Narrating how this latest development came to the fore, she said: “I discovered something strange about the way she was walking when she returned home.

“When I asked her initially, she did not talk until I involved one of her teachers, who was taking her extramural classes, before she opened up.

“When I confronted my husband, he beat me to stupor and drove me and my daughter away. We have been staying with a relative since December 2016.

‘Missing’

“I had gone to the market to buy foodstuff one day, only to return and discovered that my daughter was missing. When my husband came back, I asked him about her whereabouts, he denied knowing where she was, saying I should look for her.

“Even when the matter of our missing child was reported to the police, he denied knowing where she was until December, when he said he took her to learn a trade at a relative’s.

“It took the intervention of the police and some relatives before he brought her back last December.”

His story

Asked why he took the child away from home, the suspect told policemen at the Human Right Desk, Ikotun Police Division, that his wife had a mental problem, adding that he had to take their daughter away from home to ensure her safety.

In a swift reaction, his wife described the claim as a lie, saying “I was never mad, neither was I ever sick. The emotional and psychological effect during the period I was searching for my only child made him conclude that I was mad.”

She further disclosed that her husband’s action was only a ploy to chase her away from the house they both built so he can bring in his mistress and her children.

Arrest

Vanguard gathered that the case was reported to police at Idimu by Sir Barth Ozoana, a legal practitioner, consequent upon which the suspect was arrested last Wednesday.

However, during interrogation, the suspect described the allegations as lies. Police sources hinted that the suspect earlier admitted to the claim that his stepson raped his daughter.

As at yesterday, Vanguard was informed that the case would be transferred to the command headquarters, Ikeja. Lawyer to the victim, Ozoana, said he would assist his client and mother legally, until justice prevailed.

Hindi Livinus, Yola


A corps member serving in Zamfara State, Fidelis Chalokwo, has been declared wanted by the Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, over N30m varsity school fees fraud involving 940 students.

Our correspondent learnt that the 940 students of the institution risked being restrained from sitting for the second semester examination.

The affected students were considered ineligible by the bursary department of the university to sit for the examination because they had reportedly not yet paid their school fees.

According to the Students Union Government of the institution on Tuesday, preliminary investigations into the N30m school fees fraud linked Chalokwo, a former student of the university, now performing his NYSC programme in Zamfara, of executing 70 per cent of the fraud.

“ More than 70 per cent of the students swindled of their school fees said they paid to Fidelis Chalokwo, who is now performing his NYSC programme in Zamfara, ” said Abubakar Lawan, the SUG Vice -President.

He added that Chalokwo who was wanted to account for his crime, claimed he had left the country. The SUG VP said the varsity believed the suspect was still in the country and in Zamfara.

The Dean, Student Affairs, MAUTECH, Yola, Dr . Haruna Lawan, said over N30m was involved, adding that most of the students, instead of using their Automated Teller Machine cards to make the payments, gave cash to the online vendors who turned out to be fraudsters.

He said the least of the school fees involved was N30,700, while other victims of the scams paid as much as N37,800 in school fees which never hit the school account.

However, Chalokwo , posting on his Facebook page , said the management of MAUTECH was trying to cover its ineptitude by using the 940 students to make up for its shortfall in revenues.

He dismissed any wrongdoing on his part.
He said , “ The university should instead get the incompetent Flexisaf to account for the 940 failed registration rather than its current manhunt for me and my colleagues. But whatever you want to believe, please , note that my colleagues and I successfully paid your fees and registered for your courses for 2016 session.

“Let the FLEXISAF ICT explain the rest. It is a pity that the school bursar or management or whosoever is encouraging the manhunt of students cannot have a deep introspection and get the incompetent FLEXISAF to account for whatever losses the school probably must have recorded . The dubious list of 940 failed registration is the worst conspiracy theory ever.”

By Mayowa Tijani

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has barred at least 12 deposit money banks (DMB) from the SME window of the foreign exchange market for flouting regulations, as it relates to small businesses.

A senior official of the CBN told TheCable that the financial regulator took the decision to bar the erring banks based on field reports, which revealed that only eight banks had sold forex to the SMEs.

Isaac Okorafor, the CBN spokesman confirmed the development, stating that the banks were barred for refusing to sell forex to the SME actors after accessing over $300 million offered to them via the SMEs wholesale forex window since its creation in April.

He said only Access Bank Plc, Diamond Bank Plc, Fidelity Bank, Heritage Bank, Jaiz Bank, Sterling Bank, Unity Bank and Zenith Bank, sold forex to SMEs.

He warned that the CBN would not sit back and allow any form of instability in the interbank forex market through the actions of institutions or individuals.
He therefore urged all stakeholders to play by the rules for the benefit of the entire country and its economy.

Meanwhile, the CBN continued its massive intervention in the foreign exchange segment of the financial market by injecting a total of $196.2 million into the various segments of the forex market on Tuesday.

According to Okorafor, the apex bank offered the sum of the $100 million to authorized dealers at Tuesday’s forex wholesale auction, and $52 million at the SME segment, while invisibles such travel allowances, medicals and tuition received $44.2 million.