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100 years abi?

Bill Gate a friend of Nigerians

The Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, yesterday said some Nigerians have been sentenced to serve for 1,000 years and some 500 years in Ghana prisons, saying that quest for quick wealth among some Nigerians was the key reason for the development. He added that his administration would reward any whistle blower on activities of cultists in the state.

Umahi spoke on Tuesday at the PA Ngala Oruta, Township Stadium, Abakiliki, during the celebration of the 59th Independence anniversary and 23-years of Ebonyi State creation. He said the revelation on Nigerians sentenced in Ghana was disclosed to him by a Nigerian resident in that country. “I get a lot of calls from people in Ghana, saying a lot of them are about to be sentenced. Some people have been imprisoned for 1000 years and some 500 years. “So, it is important that as Nigerians, we re-evaluate ourselves because a major cause of this is quick wealth among Nigerians and quest to travel aboard at all cost”, he said. Umahi called on Nigerians to uphold the cultural value of the nation.

“We must, as Nigerians do everything to uphold our cultural values and better ourselves outside the country. “And in the area of cultism, let me say that the war has not started in Ebonyi State. So there is going to be very intensive war against cultism as there will be whistle blowers in this and we are going to reward them”, he said.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/nigerians-serving-1000-year-jail-term-in-ghana-umahi.html

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A prosecution witness, Mary Anthony Bawa, has told a Jos High court, presided over by Justice Daniel Longji, that former Governor of Plateau State, Jonah David Jang had approved N2.079billion for the Plateau State Universal Education Board (SUBEB) without following due process. The former governor is facing a 12-count charges for abuse of office, embezzlement and money laundering to the tune of N10billion, brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Bawa said: “It was discovered that about N3billion was withdrawn from Plateau State SUBEB account and the first defendant (Jang) had directed that it should be borrowed from the Plateau State SUBEB account. “We discovered that these monies were borrowed in tranches. The first tranche was N2.079billion, which the first defendant directed to be paid to other contractors and liabilities in the state.”

Bawa added that another N700million was used as classified expenditure while another N400million was also borrowed and used for classified expenditures. The prosecution had, on Monday, amended the charges to 17. However, Bawa, prosecution witness 12, a former Director of Finance and Supply in SUBEB, told the court that the threshold limit for the sum of N2.079billion was never presented to the board, adding that a loan of N2.079billion was handed over to her. She said: “On my resumption, my colleagues handed over the loan of N2.079billion, borrowed by the previous government to me. I processed another request to borrow N750million by following a letter and directives from the chairman.

The former Director, who is now serving as a civil servant in the Office of the Accountant General, Plateau State Ministry of Finance, further explained that the official activities, including renovation of schools, furnishing and buildings of primary and secondary schools in Plateau State were suspended due to the negative impacts of the borrowing. “SUBEB could not carry out the purpose of the funds as the said funds were diverted to classified expenditure, where the second defendant withdrew cash and delivered to Jang,” the witness said. While being led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, (SAN), PW12 said, “looking at Exhibit P45, another sum of N1billion was processed via the loan procedure but only N400million was released due to the fact that there was not sufficient money to pay for the teachers’ salaries, which took us over four months from August 2014 to December 2014 due to the unavailability of funds.

“Before I left SUBEB in August 2015, the non-payment of loans, ranging from N2.079billion, N750million to N400million, etc, affected the day-to-day operations of the educational sector negatively by slowing down the pace of work,” she stated.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/jang-breached-process-in-obtaining-n2-079bn-subeb-loan-witness.html

Men of the Nigeria Customs Service on Monday sealed car dealers’ offices in Kaduna and Sokoto States. The Service was reportedly in search of vehicles smuggled through land borders. The Comptroller-General’s Strike Force and officers attached to the Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’ in Ikeja had earlier raided car dealers’ offices in Lagos.

Our reporter who visited car dealers’ offices in Mogadishu area of Kaduna reports that they were empty as dealers had removed their vehicles. It was gathered that the customs men warned that any dealer who reopened the sealed points would be fined N5m. Some of the sealed locations were KB Lamah Motors, Royalarms International Motors Limited, 2020 Motors‎, MD Parking Space ‎, Urgent Motors Nigeria Limited, among others. Ladan Abubakar, a dealer, expressed dissatisfaction with the shutdown, saying “There was no notice given to us, in fact, we were caught unawares here.”

A similar operation had started in Sokoto on Monday. “They came to our place, took chassis numbers of all our vehicles before sealing up the premises,” one of the car dealers, Shafi’u Bankanu, said. He added that the same operation was taking place in Kebbi and Zamfara States as gathered from their colleagues. “They told us they would take away our vehicles whose duties were not paid,” he noted. Our reporter, who went round some of the car dealers’offices around 7:30 pm yesterday, observed operational vehicles of Customs, with armed operatives, were stationed at the gates of the premises. When contacted, the spokesman of the Sokoto Area Command of Customs, Magaji Mailafiya declined comment on the development.

However, a senior Customs officer confided in Daily Trust that the operation was carried out by the strike force of the Comptroller General of Customs not their men. “They will collate the chassis number of vehicle to check if its duty is paid or not,” he said. According to him, the operation is taking place in all over the country. Meanwhile, vehicle dealers in Abuja yesterday expressed the fear that they might be affected too.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/customs-shuts-down-car-dealers-offices-in-kaduna-sokoto.html

A member representing Brass/Nembe federal constituency, Mr Israel Sunny-Goli, has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Chief David Lyon, is the only alternative to save Bayelsans from poverty and hardship perpetrated by the PDP-led government in the state. Goli, while speaking with newsmen yesterday in Yenagoa, said the recent statement by Governor Seriake Dickson claiming that the APC governorship candidate is being supported by an oil company was far from the truth.

“How can a governor say that our own governorship candidate that has clean records is a terrorist? Is it because he was a contractor in Agip or his company was given a contract by the oil firm, what about PDP members who are also doing contracts with Agip. “As we all know, Agip has no business with politics, their own is to extract crude oil, sell it and get their own percentage from the federal government, and they have been doing their business for over three decades in this country, why should Dickson want to bring them into politics. “Our candidate, Chief David Lyon is sellable, he is popular. In short, he is the demand of the people. Today, anywhere he passes in this state, people embrace him with both hands even without soliciting for their support,” he said.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/apc-governorship-candidate-not-a-terrorist-dickson-told.html

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Google’s doodle for Nigeria’s 59th independence

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An elder statesman and former minister of information, Chief Edwin Clark, said there is nothing to celebrate about Nigeria’s 59th independence anniversary. Clark, who spoke with Daily Trust in a telephone interview yesterday, said many countries which got independence the same time with Nigeria were more advanced.

He said though Nigeria remained one as a country, it was divided along religious, ethnic and other lines, adding that all hands must be on deck to end the challenges bedevilling the nation. “We have to be happy that we are still together; we are alive. But with regards to the progress we have made so far, I can say that there is nothing to celebrate because we are lagging behind. “Other countries that got independence at the same time with us are more advanced. We are the largest country in Africa, and there is no reason we should not advance.

“In the First Republic, we were making progress. There were three regions; the North, the West and the East. The three regions were working at their own pace. We had so much development going on in the country. There was no division. “So, if today we restructure this country, I think we will be back to the 1963 situation where we had a federal system of government with fiscal federalism. So that is my position. “Today, there is no much progress; the states are not developing. We have a situation where you have over 10 million out-of-school children. The federal government has taken over agriculture but they are not making any headway.

They have taken over free primary and secondary education; these are jobs for state governments. “So, as far as I am concerned, we are behind other countries. Today, we are the capital of poverty in the world; it’s a disgrace to us. But we thank God we are together though we are divided by religion and ethnicity. So, actually we have nothing to celebrate,” Clark said.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/weve-to-be-happy-that-were-still-together-edwin-clark.html

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Many Benue residents say are grateful to God for sustaining the corporate existence of the country and guiding its leaders to navigate it through difficult times. A cross section of the residents told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Makurdi that they had many reasons to celebrate the country at 59 years of age.

They, however, appealed for more patriotism from the citizens to help sustain its corporate existence and attain higher heights. They said that significant achievements were made in all sectors of the economy over the years but admitted that there was need to urgently address the challenges facing the country for rapid development. A don, Dr Aondoakaa Asambe, said there was every reason to celebrate Nigeria at 59 as there was no country in the world today without its own share of challenges to bear.

“For the fact that Nigeria has been able to manage her affairs for those past years is enough reason to celebrate. “Those that see Nigeria as a sinking ship; it is time for them to realise that the country belongs to all of us and they have no other country they can call their own other than Nigeria.

“This is the time for them to contribute in whatever little way they can to redeem their own image and that of the country. “For the irredentist secessionists and revolutionists, this is the time to reassess the Nigerians psyche and realise that Nigerians are not ready to commit any act of senseless and nonsensical killings in the name of secession and revolution,” he warned.

For Mrs Mimi Orubibi, a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Benue, ” it is time for the country to place more emphasis on vocational education rather than certificates”. According to her, having come such a long way, the country needs to emulate other nations by urgently developing the human capacity of her citizens as most certificate holders at the moment cannot defend them in the open market.

She, however, lauded the country’s achievements in the communication sector, but expressed regret that it still faced infrastructure deficits. The former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav said the nation’s challenges were not religious, ethnic and restructuring but greed, selfishness and brazen criminality by a few powerful people across the country.

“A few powerful people use ethnicity and religion to rape and milk Nigeria dry. They hypnotize the ordinary people with religion and ethnicity. “I don’t think we have started. We only seem to be moving fast but just to remain where we are. The rot is too much and has overwhelmed the anti -corruption fighters, “he said. (NAN)

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/nigerians-say-they-have-reasons-to-celebrate-country-at-59.html

As Nigeria marks its 59th Independence Anniversary on Oct. 1, Pastor Tunde Benjamins-Laniyi of the Throne Room Parish, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Abuja, has called on Nigerians to shun selfishness and sentiment. The cleric, who made the call during the church service on Sunday, in Abuja, said lack of love for country was inhibiting national growth and should be discouraged in all quarters.

He said prayer and fasting as well as love for the country were imperative to guarantee national development. “We need to fall in love with our country again. Some of us do not have the love of the country at heart. “Selfishness is taking over. The word `my’ has taken the place of “our” because selfishness and sentiment are on the rise.

“When time is dissolving, space collapsing and the world becoming one, we are being divided as a country. “Boundaries, space and time are dissolving but in Nigeria we are clamouring for more states and local governments. “As a people, we are praying but prayer is just a part of it. Now we have to love Nigeria again,” he said.

The cleric urged Nigerians, particularly Christians, to emulate the children of Israel, who even while in captivity, did not give up on their nation. Making reference to Nehemiah’ s role in the Bible, he said, “In the time of Nehemiah, there were serious challenges and Nehemiah did not only fast and pray but also rebuilt the nation.“ (NAN)

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/nigeria-59-cleric-urges-nigerians-to-shun-selfishness-sentiment.html

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From glory to glory

kai!!!

Sai baba

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The Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria (CLCN) has called for the restructuring of Nigeria for efficient management of security situation in the country. The council said it is the option if the present structure of the nation has proved too difficult for agencies to handle.

National president of CLCN, Thomas Adekoya, while addressing the council at its 142 National Executive meeting in Kaduna, said insecurity has bastardised the image of Nigeria before local and international communities. Adekoya called on the government, to “as a matter of urgency, initiate moves for the restructuring of the country and saddle the federating units, which we suggest should be the six geopolitical zones, to secure themselves.”

The Laity President said, “It is saddening that our country, Nigeria, has continued to be in the eyes of local and international communities for the wrong reasons. For the past three months, or since we gave the last state of the nation address, no single day has passed without news of one gruesome killing or the other; one case of kidnapping or the other, raping of minors by matured men, including those who descend as low as raping their own innocent daughters. “From the foregoing it is clear that insecurity has continued to dominate our national discourse. However, our greatest worry is why the Catholic Church should be at the receiving end of some of the most bizarre of these killings.

“If we hold dear that the protection of lives and property; and the welfare of citizens is the greatest responsibility of any government towards its citizens then our present day government has fallen far short of the expectation of Nigerians, no matter any other achievements it may credit itself with. One dare asks at this point: For how long shall Nigerians continue in this Hobbesian state of nature?” Adekoya noted. The Catholic Bishop of Kaduna Archdiocese, Most Reverend Mathew Man’oso Ndagoso, also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to do more in the area of providing security for the citizenry.

Bishop Ndagoso who fielded questions from newsmen shortly before the commencement of the meeting advised that since the general election was over, President Buhari must ensure proper national integration of the country. The clergyman noted that Nigerians have been so divided following the election of President Buhari during the last election. He said, “Anybody who cares for this country must be concerned about what is happening today regarding the insecurity. “What is happening in the North-East which has crept into the North-West, South-East and South-West is becoming alarming,” he noted.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/insecurity-catholics-call-for-restructuring-of-nigeria.html

Its wars, why they are fought The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) is a fat cow for all to milk, hence violence, killings. It may seem irrelevant in social cycles, but it is very powerful in so many ways. Its members may also not appear in corporate outfits, with latest technological gadgets to operate with, and use mostly “makeshift” offices, but they are worth billions of naira. The NURTW, believed to have about 4 million members across Nigeria, is reckoned with in so many ways. They control a large chunk of road transport revenue in Nigeria, spinning huge sums for the officials, power and influence in the society.

A member of the union in Kaduna State said it’s not a limited liability company; hence they are not required to invest. He, however, explained that they used such funds to meet the union’s financial obligations. Most times, these revenues are unaccounted or budgeted for. In fact, most of the workers and officials don’t even any vehicle plying the routes. The multi-billion naira union No doubt, the NURTW is a multi-billion naira union with “unending” revenue sources. A quick check will reveal that they rake in money from park registration for vehicles, registration renewal, daily ticket purchases, courier/goods services, penalties and loading fee, among other miscellaneous charges. For instance, from Berger Motor Park, Ogba, Ojota, Ikeja, Ojuelegba to Oshodi, CMS/Obalende, Iyana Ipaja, Iyana Iba, down to Ajah, Epe Park in Lagos, daily streams of cash flow into the NURTW coffers.

Lagos, the nation’s commercial nerve centre, with an estimated population of over 21million people, is unarguably the most profitable state in Nigeria for transport business, with the commercial transporters conveying millions of passengers daily within and outside the city. Though there are no official figures on the number of commercial vehicles plying Lagos roads, at least all the parks combined convey millions of passengers daily. On a busy morning of Wednesday when our correspondent visited Berger Park under Ojodu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), many buses were on the queue conveying passengers to various destinations like Obalende, Oshodi-Gbagada-Iyana Oworo; Bariga, Ketu, Ahmadiyya-Agbado-Ijaiye-Tollgate-Sango Ota, among others.

It only took about 20 minutes to have the first bus on the queue filled up with passengers. The situation was not different at Ogba/Ijaiye motor park. Though many drivers were being cautious in reeling out important facts about their operation, what was glaring is the magnitude of tolling – legitimate and illegitimate – and charges paid to various groups and unions. Also at one of the motor parks in Ikeja, the blue cab plying Ikeja/International Airport road pays N100 on every trip, an equivalent of fare paid by a passenger.

One of the drivers, Mr. Ladipo Adewole, confirmed that the money is different from the daily ticket fee they pay on resumption of duty. “As you can see, we pay N100 from every N400 collected from passengers and we are left with just N300 per trip. The greatest beneficiary is the NURTW, which sells daily ticket to drivers for N200, apart from other charges. Besides, companies operating inter-state pay higher charges, depending on the mileage they cover by each trip. More than 60 per cent of drivers are members of the NURTW. There are also affiliate unions of motorcycle and tricycle riders.

Findings by Daily Trust on Sunday indicated that the NURTW in Lagos has 180 branches spread across the 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas (LCDAs). Each of the branches has a minimum of 10 units while some have as much as 30, depending on the size of the local government. Also, each unit has an executive of at least 13 members overseeing over a minimum of 1000 members.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/big-money-big-trouble-the-story-of-nigerias-multi-billion-naira-transport-union.html

The Nigerian Police on Thursday, rescued about 500 children from a school in Kaduna. The police said they were tipped off about suspicious activities going on in the so called ‘school’. The Kaduna state commissioner for Police, Ali Jenga said ‘it was a house of torture.’ From the heartbreaking pictures released by the police, this might indeed be true and if it is, the Kaduna State Ministry of Education has some questions they need to answer. There is a Department of Quality Assurance in the Ministry, which has the statutory mandate of inspecting, evaluating and monitoring all schools within the state. So where are they? Why haven’t they been doing their jobs? Why wasn’t the school uncovered earlier? How did the school and its atrocious acts get to exist for so long? These are the questions that need to be answered.

AbdulRasheed Isamot, Kaduna

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/kaduna-school-raid-where-is-the-states-ministry-of-education.html

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Fine girl no..

House on the Rock (HOTR), Refuge Parish says it will give posthumous award to families of 11persons who served, sacrificed and paid with their lives for the security, peace and unity of the nation. Pastor Uche Aigbe, Lead Pastor, House on the Rock, a Faith-based organisation, who disclosed this at a news conference in Abuja on Friday, said the gesture was in commemoration of Nigerian 59th Independence.

According to him, the second edition of the Refuge heroes’ award will honour 11persons drawn from the Army, and the Police force. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the award which take place on Sept. 29, will cost the organisers N5 million. Aigbe said that the 2019 honour award would be done posthumously through family members in attendance, adding that the honours would be accompanied with some financial assistance to the families they left behind. “At HOTR, we believe in the power of God’s word to transform our lives to become all He ordained for us.

“We recognise the duty bestowed on us to shine as light in our world, and as the salt of the earth, we are keen to make our nation and world a better place to live in. “The heroes’ awards and Independence Day Service was conceptualised in 2018, to celebrate our gallant military, para-military and police officers who have sacrificed for the nation, and in some cases paid the ultimate sacrifice with their lives. “It is part of the church’s corporate social responsibility, even as we prepare to mark Nigeria’s 59th Independence anniversary. “This has become even more significant as hundreds of military personnel have lost their lives with the advent of the Boko Haram saga. “Also, many policemen continue to die daily in the fight against criminal elements who seek to cause harm to the citizenry.”

Aigbe said that military men and veterans of war were celebrated in public places and places of importance in country such as the U. S. He said that in spite of the sacrifices of the military, para-military and Police, Nigerians were yet to develop the culture of honouring and celebrating those who sacrificed their lives for the peace and unity of the nation. “Our objective is for Nigerians to develop the culture of honour and appreciation of those who constantly put their lives on the line to protect us. “Our intention is that this will be a movement that will sweep through the country.

“We are aware that the government through the Armed Forces Remembrance Day reaches out to veterans, but it is obvious that the needs are enormous, hence requiring a public/private partnership and collaboration.” He said that the church in 2018 honoured the widows of the Seven Policemen killed in Galadimawa roundabout, three Naval officers, two Army Officers who died fighting the insurgency in the North East and two Naval Officers injured whilst on active duty. The lead pastor said that in addition to the honours, a token was also given to them from the church to support the families left behind.

He disclosed that the church had some criteria for selection of awardees, adding that the selection was made by the Armed Forces and Police themselves. Aigbe said that the church always considered officers in the lower cadre for the award, high ranking officers with compelling stories and those who died in active service. (NAN)

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/independence-celebration-church-to-honour-fallen-heroes.html

The Chief of Defence Staff , Major General Gabriel Olonishakin, yesterday urged the media not to glorify terrorists or give them undue publicity. He spoke at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, during the Defence Correspondence Seminar 2019 themed “Enhancing National Security and Cohesion through Responsible Media Reportage.”

He said in times of crisis, the main effort of the press should be geared towards peace-building. According to him, military operations demand a cordial working relationship with the media for enlightenment purpose and national security.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/dont-glorify-terrorists-defence-chief-warns-media.html