NAN-H-99

Resignation

Kogi commissioner resigns

Lokoja, Dec. 7, 2016 ( NAN) The Kogi State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr Tim Diche, has resigned his appointment.

The Director-General, Media and Publicity to the state governor, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, confirmed the resignation of Diche to newsmen in Lokoja on Wednesday.

Fanwo, in a statement circulated among media houses, said that Diche resigned on personal grounds.

Diche, a Pharmacist by profession, resigned his appointment on Tuesday after serving in that capacity for seven months.

He and the incumbent governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello participated in the All Progressives Congress’ governorship primaries conducted in August 2015. ( NAN)
KKA/NKO/NKO

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Edited by Nkechi Okoronkwo

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Top NATO officer: 150 Turkish officers recalled, retired after coup

NAN-F-24

Coup
Brussels, Dec. 7, 2016 (dpa/NAN) Over 150 Turkish officers, some responsible for training others, were recalled or retired from NATO high command in the wake of a July coup attempt, US Army General Curtis Scaparrotti told reporters on Wednesday.

The top NATO commander said he lost 50 per cent of 300 Turkish officers in the alliance’s so-called Allied Command Operations in Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands.

“You lose a good deal of experience, so we are seeing a bit of degradation,” Scaparrotti said, speaking on the sidelines of a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers at the military alliance headquarters in Brussels.

Turkey’s government declared a state of emergency following the failed military coup and launched a crackdown on alleged supporters of US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom President Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds responsible for the putsch.

Scaparrotti said he was in contact with Turkey’s head of armed forces, General Hulusi Akar, on a nearly weekly basis, and that Akar has been “very direct in his commitment to NATO” and to refilling positions with the right officers as quickly as possible.

About half of the empty positions had been restaffed, Scaparrotti added.

The U.S. general said he had no suspicions that any of the officers were involved with planning the coup and that he was concerned for the officers and their families.

Last month, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that Turkish soldiers working in the military alliance have sought asylum in other countries in the wake of the Turkish government’s crackdown on the military and civil servants following the coup. (dpa/NAN)

(Edited by Julius Enehikhuere)

South Sudan seizes half ton of ivory amid smuggling worries

NAN-F-23

Smuggling
Juba, Dec. 7, 2016 (dpa/NAN) South Sudanese security agents have seized 500 kilogrammes of ivory at Juba airport, a sign that the violence-plagued country is increasingly becoming a route for ivory smugglers, officials said Wednesday.

The ivory of unknown origin was on a flight from Addis Ababa to Juba, from where it was due to be taken via Cairo to Asia, said Khamis Adieng, a spokesman for South Sudan’s wildlife authority.

Wrapped in clothes, the ivory was discovered by sniffer dogs at the airport on Tuesday. Three people were arrested.

In the grip of a civil conflict that has left tens of thousands of people dead since December 2013, South Sudan has few resources to update technology to detect ivory at Juba airport.

“We have no modern technology … and that is why it has become easy for [smugglers] to pass through South Sudan,” Adieng said.

South Sudan nevertheless seized more than 5 tons of ivory from foreign smugglers at Juba airport in 2014-15, he added.

Some of the ivory smuggled out of South Sudan also comes from its own wildlife reserves, where at least 500 elephants are estimated to have been poached during the current conflict.

That still leaves about 4,500 elephants living in the country’s six national parks and 13 game reserves, according to wildlife officials.

Tuesday’s seizure came six months after wildlife officials burned 5 tons of ivory in Juba on World Environment Day to demonstrate the government’s commitment to fight poaching.

The destroyed ivory had been confiscated from poachers and traffickers since 2011. (dpa/NAN)

(Edited by Julius Enehikhuere)

Donald Trump named Time magazine’s Person of the Year

NAN-F-23

Trump

New York, Dec. 7, 2016 (dpa/NAN) United States president-elect Donald Trump has been named Person of the Year by Time magazine.

The business tychoon-turned-politician defied the polls to win the US 2016 presidential election and is seen by many as a divisive standard bearer for right-wing anti-establishment movements across the globe.

“It’s hard to measure the scale of his disruption,” a statement released on Times magazine’s website reads, describing its choice as “for better or worse.”

(Edited by Julius Enehikhuere)

NAN -H-75

Sack

Lokoja, Dec. 6, 2016 ( NAN) The Dangote Group has dismissed 109 workers at Obajana Cement Company in Kogi State, after being found guilty of various offences, Mr Abdulahi Magaji has said.

Magaji , the Coordinator of the company’s Patrol Team, announced this to newsmen on Tuesday at the Obajana premises of the company.

Magaji said that the dismissed workers were among the 244 suspects arrested between May and November.

According to him, they include erring drivers, owners of illegal haulage, and those stealing the company’s properties among others.

He said that other 115 workers were being remanded in prison custody pending the determination of their cases.

“I am happy to inform you that we have arrested and recovered five stolen trucks; but unfortunately, the products have been stolen.

“It is interesting to note that one of the kingpins, Samaila Yakubu, who specialised in stealing our trucks in collaboration with some drivers and buyers, has also been arrested.

“It is this group that has been terrorising our trucks in the South East and South South axis,’’ Magaji, a former Commissioner of Police said.

The coordinator said that the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, had directed that misconducts by drivers should be reduced to the barest minimum.

“We have pasted warnings clearly on the cab of all our trucks prohibiting carrying of goods and passengers apart from company’s products.

“We are calling on the law enforcement agencies to support the efforts of the Dangote Group in arresting those who break the laws of the company,’’ he said

He explained that the efforts of the patrol team had helped to reduce accidents in the fleet, adding that more measures would be put in place to reduce accidents.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the major duties of the National Patrol Unit of Dangote Group are to stop illegal haulage and reckless driving by Dangote drivers.

The patrol unit also prevent diversion of products, driving of Dangote Trucks by unauthorised drivers and enlightenment of drivers on traffic rules among others. (NAN)
ASA/KKA/MO

==========Edited by Morayo Omolade
 

NAN-H-70

Investigation

By Abiemwense Moru

Abuja, Dec. 6, 2016 (NAN) The House of Representatives on Tuesday, resolved to investigate the death of Miss Rachael Oladepo, a corps member at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Orientation Camp in Kano.

The resolution of the House followed a motion by Rep. Olufemi Fakeye (Osun-Osun), which was unanimously adopted by members through a voice vote.

Moving the motion, Fakeye expressed concern over the media reports, last week, on the demise of Oladepo while at the Kano orientation camp.

He noted that Oladepo, before her demise, was aged 26, a first class graduate in Aviation Transport Management of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho and a native of Osun.

Fakeye explained that Oladepo became, sick few days after she reported at the orientation camp on Nov.25, 2016 and reported her condition to the camp authorities.

The lawmaker further informed the house that, the late Oladepo was admitted at the camp clinic under the supervision of an NYSC doctor, supported by NYSC nurses.

Fakeye further expressed concern that the camp clinic might not have been adequately equipped adding that the late Oladepo was reportedly given “placebo”.

Placebo is a pill or substance given to patient like a drug but has no physical effect on the patient.
He explained that Oladepo was later injected with some substances which he said worsened her health condition.

Fakeye said that because Oladepo’s medical condition did not improve many hours after being admitted at the clinic, she was ‘’belatedly evacuated’’ to another hospital where she reportedly died.

Contributing to the motion, the Leader of the House, Rep. Femi Gbajebiamila, described the death of Oladepo as “one death too many’’, a development he said should not be overlooked.

He said that all involved in ‘’the negligence of the act’’ should be made to appear before the Committees on Healthcare Services, Youths Development and Justice.
Gbajebiamila called on the management of NYSC to work with state governments for the provision of better health care services in all the NYSC camps in the country.
The House also resolved that health insurance should be provided for all youth corps members in the country.

The Speaker of the House, Mr Yakubu Dogara, therefore, referred the motion to the committees concerned for compliance and report back to the House within four weeks.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the House observed a minute silence for the souls of the departed corps members. (NAN)

AMM/DUA
Edited by Dada Ahmed
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NAN-H-52
Workshop
By Cynthia Nwadinobi and Babatunde Ogunrinde
Lagos, Dec. 6, 2016 (NAN) Mrs Amaka Okafor, Director, Pharmacist Council of Nigeria (PCN), Lagos Zonal Office, on Tuesday urged Nigerians to have confidence in locally produced drugs, saying they were as potent as the imported ones.

Okafor spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of a two-day capacity building workshop in Lagos, tagged “Coordinating Wholesale Centres (CWC)’’ for operators in the pharmaceutical industry.

CWCs are zonal centres where practitioners in pharmaceuticals industry, including those in open drugs market are brought under one regulatory platform to ensure quality of drugs on sale.

She urged the public to continue to trust and patronise homemade drugs.

The pharmacist noted that locally produced drugs were manufactured in line with the world standard of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), adding that they were well stored in appropriate temperatures.

“There is no reason to doubt the potency of homemade drugs as compared with foreign produced ones because they all go through the same standard production processes.

“The drugs manufactured are well monitored to see that they are in line with the world acceptable standard which is described as the Good Manufacturing Practices.

“We do not also lack any technicalities in producing drugs as the level of technical knowhow has well developed and can considerably measure up with our foreign counterparts.

“However, the problem of erratic power supply has most times tampered with capacity of producing drugs and caused about 24 hours use of electric generating sets thereby affecting the price of drugs,’’ she said.

Okafor urged the government to create social amenities such as infrastructure, electricity and standard storing capacity that would lessen the burden of drug production.

She also urged the government to encourage local production of drugs and the purchase of more locally produced goods as a way of encouraging local producers. (NAN)
NCO/BAO/PDE
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(Edited by Edwin Nwachukwu/Peter Ejiofor)

EU official: Brexit negotiations must be completed by October 2018

NAN-F-20

Brexit
London, Dec.6, 2016 (dpa/NAN) Negotiations on Britain’s exit from the EU must be completed by October 2018, the EU’s top Brexit negotiator said on Tuesday.

This, according to report, could add to the pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May to trigger formal talks soon.

“Time will be short. The period for actual negotiations will be shorter than two years,” Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, told reporters in Brussels.

May has promised to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which sets the rules for a two-year negotiating process for a nation leaving the EU, by the end of March.

“Article 50 is very clear. It sets out that as soon as we receive the notification, the earlier the better, we have two years in order to reach an agreement together,” Barnier said.

“All in all, there will be less than 18 months to negotiate,” he said, adding that a draft deal should be agreed by October 2018 to allow time for the British parliament, the European Council and the European Parliament to vote on the Brexit deal.

Meanwhile at Britain’s Supreme Court, lawyers for May’s government were presenting evidence in its appeal against a High Court ruling that she must seek parliamentary approval before triggering Article 50. (dpa/NAN)

(Edited  by Julius Enehikhuere)

Number of southern Africans needing aid rises by one million-UN

NAN-F-19
Aid

Jo’burg, Dec. 6, 2016 (dpa/ NAN) The number of people in southern Africa needing food aid and related assistance has risen by more than a million to 13.8 million since July, the UN said on Tuesday.

Food stocks have been largely depleted due to poor or failed harvests following a major drought, caused by the climatic phenomenon El Nino.

Needs are rising especially in Madagascar, Malawi and Zimbabwe. In southern Madagascar, an estimated 845,000 people are currently in the emergency or crisis category of food security, the UN’s office of humanitarian coordination (OCHA) for the region said.

Humanitarian agencies need additional funding worth 550 million dollars to provide for food aid, health care, agricultural and related programmes, according to the statement.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that UN Humanitarian agencies would require in excess of 22.2 billion dollars in 2017, according to a recent UN report. (dpa/NAN)

(Edited by Julius Enehikhuere)

NAN-DS-8

Caution

Lokoja, Dec. 6, 2016 (NAN) The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), ‎Kabba Branch, on Tuesday advised motorists in the state to drive with caution in accordance with road traffic rules.

Its Chairman, Mr Alaba Ajibade, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) ‎in Lokoja that the union in conjunction with Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), had carried out numerous awareness seminars aimed at sensitising drivers to the need to drive cautiously during the `ember months’.

Ajibade, who described the spate of road accidents in the country as alarming, further urged motorists to drive defensively to reduce accidents on the roads.

He appealed to passengers to be at alert and to always caution drivers, who overload their vehicles and drive recklessly.

He said any driver found to have broken the two rules would be persecuted.

The union leader commended the Kogi Command of FRSC for “working assiduously towards making the state free from road accidents throughout the Xmas period”.

He expressed optimism that motorists would drive safely during the Christmas period. (NAN)

WAL/YEE

Edited By Emmanuel Yashim
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