Author: Isah Mukhtar

NAN-H-77
MTN
By Cecilia John/Ifeanyi Nwoko
Abuja, Sept. 22, 2016 (NAN) The Senate on Thursday  agreed  to investigate an allegation that telecommunication giant, MTN Nigeria, repatriated 12 billion dollars out of the country over a 10-year period.
The resolution followed a motion moved by Sen. Dino Melaye (APC-Kogi) who relied on a point of order to make the allegations.

The Senate asked Melaye  to present documents at the next legislative day showing evidence of the transfer for immediate investigation.
Melaye had alleged that the South Africa-owned company had taken away over 12 billion dollars from Nigeria in the last 10 years.
“My respected colleagues, MTN Nigeria paid a sum of 284.9 million dollars on the 6th of February, 2001, to purchase their licence of operations in this country.
“Between 2006 and 2016, through four Nigerian Banks and a serving minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, MTN moved over 12 billion dollars out of Nigeria.

“That is about half of our external reserves.
“If I get the nod of the Senate I will want to bring a substantive motion on the next legislative day with substantiated facts to buttress this position,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that MTN was involved in a dispute with the Federal Government over the non-registration of 5.2 million subscribers in 2015.

The government subsequently imposed a fine of N1.04 trillion on the firm but later reduced it to N330 billion after negotiations but the company has paid N50 billion of the agreed sum.  (NAN)
CJM/ICN/JCE
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(Edited by Chukwudi Ekezie)

NAN-H-11
Suicide
By Fatima Mohammed Lawal
Ilorin, Sept. 22, 2016 (NAN) Dr Adekola Aminu of the Department of Political Science and Conflict Resolutions, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, has appealed to Nigerians to shun suicide tendencies in spite of hard times.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Ilorin, Aminu urged Nigerians not to give up hope of a better tomorrow.
He identified poverty and frustration as the main causes of suicide, regretting that some persons in difficult economic situations had considered suicide.
The don advised that suicide was not an option but optimism, hard work and patience.
He expressed the hope that Nigeria would soon be out of economic recession.
Aminu said that the World Health Organisation estimated that approximately one million people would die yearly from suicide.

According to the don, this represents a global mortality rate of 16 people per 100,000 or one death every 40 seconds.
“The global suicide rate is 16 per 100,000 population and, on average, one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds somewhere in the world,” he said.
He said that 1.8 per cent of deaths worldwide resulted from suicide, adding that global suicide rate had increased by 60 per cent in the past 45 years.
‘’Suicide is now among the three leading causes of death among those aged from 15 to 44 – male and female,” he noted.
Aminu added that mental disorders, particularly depression and substance abuse, were associated with more than 90 per cent of cases of suicide.
He said that suicide resulted from many complex sociocultural factors, and was more likely to occur during socioeconomic family and individual crisis.
According to him, some other causes of suicide are loss of a loved one, unemployment, sexual orientation, difficulty with developing identity, disassociation from community or other social/belief group.
“Too much of worry and depression could push people to commit suicide.
“This is because there are those who think they cannot make it in life due to past failure, disappointment or poverty,’’ he said.
Aminu implored the Federal Government to urgently revive the economy to reduce poverty, improve living standards and reduce suicide. (NAN)
FATY/DUA/IGO
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(Edited by Dada Ahmed and controlled by Ijeoma Popoola)

NAN-F-1
Coalition
By Ekemini Ladejobi
New York, Sept. 22, 2016 (NAN) The Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, has advocated the formation of broad coalitions around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Onyeama made the suggestion on the sideline of the stakeholder engagement in the implementation of  SDGs in Africa at the ongoing 71st UN General Assembly.

“The implementation of the SDGs is a pressing and pivotal task that requires all hands to be on deck and firmly so.

“From inception, the achievement of the SDGs has been      predicated on the combined efforts of the sub-national, national, regional and global actors.

“Thus, it is imperative that all stakeholders appreciate the importance  of their unique roles in the matrix of the common intent to achieve the SDGs.

Onyeama said the implementation of the new agenda was happening in much tougher times than those which prevailed when the Millennium Development Goals were launched in 2000.

He said although government commitment was vital, it was  insufficient on its own.

The minister said the legislative branch of government must be engaged in meaningful ways and must strive to have a development that was inclusive and sustainable.

“Financing for development is critical for results-based implementation of the SDGs.

“All available resources, including financial and technical, must be harnessed for the new agenda, including domestic and international, public and private, and environmental,’’ he said.

Onyeama said generating and sharing new ideas, knowledge, and technologies were fundamental for multi-level engagement to be meaningful.

“This will be significant in achieving the SDGs,” he said.

The minister expressed optimism that the meeting would add considerable value to the efforts of the international community at advancing the implementation of the SDGs in Africa.

“Although the target year of 2030 is 14 years away, we must act as though we have just a few years to implement the plan.

“Nigeria remains ready and committed to play its expected role in the full implementation of the SDGs.

“This event is a step in the right direction in making the SDGs’ vision a reality,” he said.

Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, said the process of domesticating, mainstreaming, prioritising and integrating the SDGs required  collaboration.

“We are at the moment in partnership with our Ministry of Budget and National Planning and their counterparts at the state level to integrate the SDGs into the national and state development plans.

“In this regard, we are encouraging peer learning and are consistently showcasing best practice at integration at the sub-national level,’’ she said.

Orelope-Adefulire  explained that in deploying the SDGs in Nigeria, government was adopting the bottom-top approach by securing buy-in at the grassroots through high impact interventions.

She said one of such interventions was the Conditional Grants Scheme, acclaimed as a global best practice at the sub-national level.

Ojuolape-Adefulire explained that for effective delivery, government had begun the process of reviewing the implementation of the manual of the Conditional Grants Scheme to enhance ownership and inclusion.

She, however, said that  in the face of the prevailing fiscal challenges, it had become urgent to leverage multi-stakeholder engagement to mobilise non-government resources for SDGs implementation.

The event was organised by Nigerian in collaboration with the UN SDGs Action Campaign and the African Network of Parliamentarians. (NAN)

EAL/JCE
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(Edited by Chukwudi Ekezie)

Olobayo, late Kabba monarch will be buried Sept. 24

NAN-H-110

Burial

By Kola Adeyemi

Lokoja, Sept. 21, 2016 ( NAN) The late Obaro of Kabba, Oba Michael Olobayo, will be buried on Sept. 24.

This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Ben. Owoleke on behalf of the burial committee in Lokoja on Wednesday.

Owoleke said that a Christian interdenominational service would hold on Sept. 22 at St. Augustine College, Kabba, and followed by a Christian wake keep and service of songs at the same venue on Sept. 23

According to him, thanksgiving Holy Mass will hold at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Kabba,, on Sept 24 while reception follows immediately at the Kabba Township Stadium.

The late Obaro,who ascended the throne on Oct 17, 1987, died on May 16 this year at the age of 71. (NAN)
KKA/OFN
(Edited by Felix Nwadioha

NAN-H-90

Victory

Lokoja, Sept. 20, 2016 (NAN) Gov. Yahaya Bella of Kogi on Tuesday said his victory at the Supreme Court was a “big honour’’ to democracy in Nigeria.

In a statement shortly after the apex court affirmed him as elected governor of Kogi, he said the judgment would remain a watershed in the annals of electoral jurisprudence and constitutional law in the country.

“It is a long walk to victory which will reshape the nation’s constitution.

“I am humbled and magnanimous in victory; it is a long walk to victory.

“The victory belongs to all Kogi people who believe in transforming Kogi State from a potentially great state to a really great state,’’ the governor said.

In the statement signed his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, in Lokoja, he advised his supporters to guide against wild jubilations but to use the occasion for sober reflections.

He said that he would pursue his cardinal goals of improving education, healthcare, infrastructural development as well as raising the capacity of the citizens to reinvigorate the state’s economy.

Bello commended the Judiciary for “rising to the occasion by standing firm with what is true and just”.

In its reaction, the state chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), in a statement in Lokoja, described the judgment as a victory for the rule of law.

The Chairman of the group in the state, Mr Taufiq Isa, commended the justices of the Supreme Court for the judgment, saying it had finally settled the contention over the governorship position.

“We are calling on stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to come together and join hands with the administration of Gov. Yahaya Bello in the interest of the development of Kogi,” he said.

Contacted on the judgment, Mr Jacob Edi, Media Officer to former Gov. Idris Wada, said that his principal had no comment on it.

According to him, Wada is yet to get the details of the Supreme Court decision and will want to tarry a while before making any pronouncement.

NAN reports that the atmosphere of Lokoja before and after the judgment remained peaceful as residents went about their normal activities.

Security personnel had prior to the judgment been deployed to strategic locations in the city to forestall any possible breakdown of law and order.

Heavily armed anti-riot policemen moved about in patrol vans while security was beefed up in and around the Government House and other important public facilities.

The police had on Friday banned all public processions, celebration and unauthorised gatherings in the state as part of measures to prevent lawlessness in anticipation of the Supreme Court judgment. (NAN)

KKA/ECN/OPI

Edited by Emmanuel Nwoye and Olisa Ifeajika

NAN-H-19

Smuggling

By Aminu Ahmed Garko

Sokoto Sept. 20, 2016 (NAN) The Sokoto Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, said on Tuesday that it had introduced stringent security measures to prevent smuggling in the area.

Alhaji Sani Madugu, the Comptroller for Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara, made this disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto.

He said that officers posted to the border posts had been adequately briefed on the various security methods to be adopted in their areas of jurisdiction to check smuggling.

‘’Competent officers have been put on red alert in strategic areas to ensure the arrest and prosecution of all those involved in the illegal business,

“Our area of supervision is no go area for any smuggler, “he said.

Madugu added that the command had fully enlightened residents of border communities through their traditional rulers on the negative effects of smuggling on the nation’s economy.

He called for the support of the traditional rulers in mobilising their people to offer intelligence reports to the command on suspicious movement of smugglers.

Madugu said that such support would aid the command to discharge its constitutional duties effectively and without any threat. (NAN)
AAG/DUA/YEMI
Edited by Dada Ahmed
Controlled by Yemi Idris-Aduloju

Race tightens in projected U.S. Electoral College vote – a survey

NAN-F-4
Race
New York, Sept. 18, 2016 (Reuters/NAN) An election analysis conducted in the Reuters States of the Nation project, shows that the race has tightened considerably over the past few weeks.

It shows that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump projected to win Florida, an essential battleground state, if the election were held today.

The project, which is based on a weekly tracking poll of more than 15,000 Americans, shows that the 2016 presidential race could end in a photo finish on Nov. 8, with the major-party candidates running nearly even in the Electoral College, the body that ultimately selects the president.

The States of the Nation project shows that the race has tightened in several traditional battlegrounds. Pennsylvania has been moved from a likely win for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to a tossup; Ohio has been moved from a tossup to a likely win for Clinton.

It also shows that Florida is now considered a likely win for the Republican nominee, with 50 per cent support for Trump to 46 per cent support for Clinton.

If the election were held today, the project estimates that Clinton has a 60 per cent chance of winning by 18 electoral votes.

Last week, the project estimated that Clinton had a 83 per cent chance of winning the election.

In a separate national Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll, Clinton continues to lead Trump by 4 percentage points, and her recent bout with pneumonia doesn’t appear to have scared away her supporters.

The national Sept. 9 to 15 tracking poll showed that 42 per cent of likely voters supported Clinton while 38 per cent backed Trump.

Clinton, who has mostly led Trump in the poll since the Democratic and Republican national conventions ended in July, regained the advantage this week after her lead briefly faded in late August.

She also has an advantage among minorities, women, people who make more than $75,000 a year, and those with moderate political leanings.

Trump has an advantage with white men, avid churchgoers, and people who are nearing retirement age.

Overall, Americans appear to be relatively uninspired by their choices for president with less than eight weeks to go before the election.

One out of every five likely voters said they do not support Clinton or Trump for president.

In comparison, about one out of every 10 likely voters wouldn’t support Obama or Republican challenger Mitt Romney at a similar point in the 2012 presidential campaign.

Respondents took the survey after video surfaced of Clinton nearly collapsing at a Sept. 11 memorial in New York on Sunday.

Her campaign later said she had a non-contagious, bacterial form of pneumonia.

The video however sparked a renewed discussion about the health of both candidates. Trump, 70, would be the oldest president to take office, while Clinton, 68, would be the second oldest.

Clinton and Trump candidates have since released details of their personal health.

Clinton’s doctors said her physical exam was normal, apart from the pneumonia, and that she was in excellent mental condition.

Trump also released a note from his doctor saying that he was in “excellent physical health.”

Americans do not appear to be overly concerned with the health of either candidate.

According to a separate question in the poll conducted this week, most American adults said the issue would make “no difference” to how they voted.

A negligible percentage of Clinton supporters said concerns about her health made them “less likely” to vote for her.

Clinton led all candidates in a four-way poll of likely voters that included Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Jill Stein of the Green Party.

Seven per cent of respondents supported Johnson, and 2 per cent backed Stein.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll is conducted online in English in all 50 states.

The latest horserace poll surveyed 1,579 likely voters over the past week.

The question on the candidates’ health surveyed 1,179 American adults from Sept. 12-16. Both polls had a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 3 percentage points.

National polls have produced varying measurements of support during the 2016 campaign for Clinton and Trump.

The differences are partly due to the fact that some polls, like Reuters/Ipsos, try to include only likely voters, while others include all registered voters.

The Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll gathers responses every day and reports results twice a week, so it often detects trends in sentiment before most other polls.

Polling aggregators, which calculate averages of major polls, have shown that Clinton’s lead over Trump has been shrinking this month. (Reuters/NAN)

(Edited by Julius Enehikhuere)

U.S.-led forces strike Syrian troops, prompting emergency UN meeting

NAN-F-3
Meeting
New York, Sept. 18, 2016 (Reuters/NAN) U.S.-led coalition air strikes reportedly killed dozens of Syrian soldiers on Saturday, endangering a U.S.-Russian brokered ceasefire and prompting an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting as tensions between Moscow and Washington escalated.

The U.S. military said the coalition stopped the attacks against what it had believed to be IS positions in northeast Syria after Russia informed it that Syrian military personnel and vehicles may have been hit.

The U.S. relayed its “regret” through the Russian government for what it described as the unintentional loss of life of Syrian forces in the strike, a senior Obama administration official said in a statement.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement that Russian officials did not voice concerns earlier on Saturday when informed that coalition aircraft would be operating in the strike area.

The 15-member Security Council met on Saturday night after Russia demanded an emergency session to discuss the incident and accused the U.S. of jeopardising the Syria deal.

The U.S. ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, chastised Russia for the move.

“Russia really needs to stop the cheap point scoring and the grandstanding and the stunts and focus on what matters, which is implementation of something we negotiated in good faith with them,” Power told reporters.

She said the U.S. was investigating the air strikes and “if we determine that we did indeed strike Syrian military personnel, that was not our intention and we of course regret the loss of life.”

When asked if the incident spelled the end of the Syria deal between Moscow and Washington, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said: “This is a very big question mark.”

“I would be very interested to see how Washington is going to react. If what Ambassador Power has done today is any indication of their possible reaction then we are in serious trouble,” Churkin told reporters.

Moscow cited the strikes, which allowed Islamic State fighters to briefly overrun a Syrian army position near Deir al-Zor airport, as evidence that the U.S. was helping the jihadist militants.

“We are reaching a really terrifying conclusion for the whole world: That the White House is defending Islamic State. Now there can be no doubts about that,” the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying.

Power said Zakharova should be embarrassed by that claim. Churkin said Russia had no “specific evidence” of the U.S. colluding with IS militants. (Reuters/ NAN)

(Edited by Julius Enehikhuere)

NAN-HG-4

Subsidy

Bauchi, Sept. 15, 2016 (NAN) The Bauchi State chapter of the Diabetes Association of Nigeria (DAN), has introduced a 50 per cent subsidy on drugs purchased by diabetic patients at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Teaching Hospital, Bauchi.

The DAN state Secretary, Mrs Uwa Abubakar, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi on Thursday that the measure was aimed at making the drugs affordable to the registered members of the association.

She said that the sum of N1.5 million assistance given to the association by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, would be used to sustain the subsidy.

“Diabetes drugs are very expensive and most of those battling with diabetes in the state are low income earners, who cannot afford sustaining themselves on the drugs indefinitely.

“In most cases, the condition of members degenerates because of lack of enough resources to keep to the rules, one of which is the use of drugs.

“We are therefore hopeful that the initiative of subsidising the drugs will go a long way in addressing the challenge,” she said.

Abubakar, however, noted that continuing the subsidy arrangement after the N1.5 million had been exhausted, would depend on any further assistance from government, individuals or organisations.

“The N1.5 million assistance is not a revolving fund and will therefore keep depleting; by the time it is exhausted, there will be no more money to continue the gesture.

“We are therefore imploring the State Government, public-spirited individuals and organisations to help in sustaining the gesture,” she pleaded.

The secretary thanked the management of the ATBU hospital for supporting the association with medical personnel and facilities.

According to her, the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Dr Mohammed Alkali, who is the National President of DAN, has assisted immensely in sustaining programmes initiated by the association.

Meanwhile, some members of the association, who spoke to NAN on the subsidy, described the initiative as ‘long overdue’.

“On each clinic day, I spend at least N5, 000 in purchasing different types of drugs that will last for just two weeks.

With the 50 per cent subsidy, I will now spend N2, 500 and this is a big relief; N2, 500 in this hard times is no small money,” said Mohammed Aliyu, a pensioner.

Also, Mrs Hauwa Usman, a housewife, lauded the gesture but lamented that its sustenance would depend on further assistance.

“During clinic days, 70 per cent of those in attendance are women, which means that we (women) are the key beneficiaries of the subsidy,” she said. (NAN)

AE/ASH/ASH/YEMI

Edited and controlled by Yemi Idris-Aduloju

Washington, Sept. 15, 2016 (Xinhua/ NAN)  In-depth medical records of U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton were released on Wednesday, showing her physical conditions are good.

“She continues to remain healthy and fit to serve as President of the U.S.,” said Dr Lisa Bardarck, Clinton’s personal doctor.

The former U.S. secretary of state fainted at a 9/11 memorial ceremony on Sunday and has since stayed home.

Bardarck said the former secretary of state suffered from a “mild, non-contagious bacterial pneumonia.”

The rest of the physical exam “was normal and she is in excellent mental condition,” Bardarck said in a letter to the media, saying that she examined Clinton several times this week.

“My overall impression is that Clinton has remained healthy and has not developed new medical conditions this year other than a sinus and ear infection and her recently diagnosed pneumonia,” she wrote.

The Democratic nominee is expected to return to the campaign trail on Thursday and due in several battleground states next week, said her campaign team on Wednesday.

Clinton’s Republican rival Donald Trump will also reveal the results of his own recent medical exam during a TV show set to be aired on Thursday, said a daily report by The Hill, a top U.S. political website.

A video of Clinton’s faint at Ground Zero on Sunday has returned the issue of health transparency to the central stage in the two candidates’ White House bids.

Clinton was diagnosed with pneumonia two days before she fainted on Sunday but her campaign team had kept it quiet until the video was put online.

The September race is unexpectedly rough for Clinton. A series of national poll results showed that her lead over Trump has been narrowed since Labour Day. (Reuters/ NAN)

Edited by Julius Enehikhuere
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