Blog

SEMA presents relief materials to victims of Kaduna village attack

Relief

By Moses Kolo

Kafanchan (Kaduna State) Dec. 19, 2018 (NAN) The Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on Thursday presented relief materials to victims of Sunday’s attack at Ungwan Pa’a Gwandara village in Jema’a Local Government area.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that gunmen attacked a wedding ceremony on Sunday night, killing and injuring residents.

Malam Ya’u Mahmud, Director Relief and Disaster Management of SEMA, represented the Executive Secretary, Mr Ben Kure at the event.

“Although the visit is to assess the damage done including those of the victims still receiving treatment at the hospital, the materials is to demonstrate an immediate concern on the plight that had befallen the community.

“A comprehensive assessment and report would be forwarded to the Governor for onward action as soon as possible,” Kure said.

He urged youths in the community to remain vigilant and report suspicious persons to appropriate authorities.

Responding, Mr Peter Averik, Chairman of Jema’a local government commended the state government for it’s prompt response describing it as heartwarming.

Averik expressed confidence with the level of security presence at the affected community, adding, “the government was living up to its responsibility in securing further loss of lives and property”.

He said victims of the attack currently at the General Hospital Kafanchan are responding to treatment while others have been discharged.

“Only two of the injured persons are likely to be referred and the local government is shouldering the responsibility of their well being,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that items presented included, 30 bags of rice, 10 gallons of vegetable oil and 10 gallons of palm oil. (NAN)

MGK/MZA
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2019 budget assumptions unrealistic – Experts
Budget
By Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma
Lagos, Dec. 20, 2018 (NAN) Some financial experts on Thursday said the proposed 2019 budget was unrealistic due to its questionable assumptions in view of the current economic realities in the country.
The experts disclosed this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, while reacting to N8.83 trillion budget for 2019 presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to the joint National Assembly.
Malam Garba Kurfi, the Managing Director, APT Securities and Funds Ltd., said the assumption of crude oil production of 2.3mbpd against the current production of 1.8 million barrels per day was on the high side.
Kurfi said the decision of OPEC to cut oil production by 1.2 million barrels per day from January 2019 for an initial period of six months should be a source of concern to Nigeria.
According to him, the price of crude oil at 60 dollars per barrel is also on the high side in view of the current oil price at the global market.
“The capital expenditure, reduced from 30 per cent to less than 25 per cent, is not good enough when compared with infrastructural deficit of the country,” he said.
Kurfi said allocating about 25 per cent or N2.14 trillion for debt servicing was taking the country to the old days before the country’s debts were cleared.
Mr Ambrose Omordion, the Chief Operating Officer, InvestData Ltd., said the timing of the budget was very late considering what budget delay and passage had done to the economy.
Omordion also said the size of the budget, which reflected the expected low income from the major source of revenue of the government, oil, would increase unemployment and poverty in 2019.
He also said the oil price benchmark of 60 dollars per barrel was very high due to expected supply cut from January by OPEC.
According to Omordion, pegging inflation figure at 9.9 per cent is unrealistic, noting that the possibility of single digit is high considering the expected implementation of new minimum wage.
NAN reports that Buhari presented a N8.83 trillion budget for 2019 before the joint sitting of the National Assembly.
The fiscal plan for next year is smaller compared with N9.12 trillion budgeted for 2018.
The proposed budget shows that about a quarter of the sum, N2.14 trillion naira will be spent on debt servicing, while capital expenditure is expected to gulp N2.03 trillion.
Government also intends to spend N4.04 trillion naira on recurrent expenditure and N492.36 billion naira on statutory transfer in the course of 2019 fiscal year.
The fiscal policy is predicated on crude production of 2.3 million barrels a day, an oil price of 60 dollars per barrel and an exchange rate of N305 to the dollar. (NAN)
JNC/SA
Edited by Salif Atojoko
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Theft
By Ugochi Ugochukwu

Abuja, Dec. 20, 2018 (NAN) A 31-year-old convict, Mathew Ajayi, on Thursday  begged a Karmo Grade I Area Court not to send him to jail because he will not steal again.

Ajayi pleaded guilty to the two-count charge of house breaking and stealing.

“ I will not steal again. I was given a thorough beating the last time I stole the 17 bottles of beer and goat meat

“I was injured in the head.

“I suffered in their hands. I will never steal again. My lord please temper justice with mercy. God has arrested me this time.

“I will not do it again.’’the convict pleaded.

The Judge, Alhaji Inuwa Maiwada, after listing to plea of Ajayi for mercy warned and discharged him to enable him go for medical treatment.

He also warned Ajayi to be of good behaviour and to desist from committing crimes after his medical treatment.

Maiwada held that Ajayi was a first-time offender and had prayed the court for mercy.

The Prosecuting Counsel, Mrs. Ijeoma Ukagha, had told the court that one Emeka Ani of Dape Village, Abuja, reported the matter at the Life Camp Police Station, Abuja, on Dec. 15.

Ijeoma said at about 4.00 a.m., Ajayi broke into the complainant’s shop and stole 17 bottles of beer and goat meat valued N15,000.

She said that Ajayi was apprehended by security men in the village.

The prosecutor told the court that all the stolen items were recovered from Ajayi.

Ijeoma said Ajayi confessed to the crime during police investigation and was taken to Gwarinpa General Hospital for treatment to save his life.

He said the offences contravened the provisions of Sections 354 and 288 of the Penal Code. (NAN)
UGO/SH/TA

Edited by Sadiya Hamza/Tajudeen Atitebi

Rape
By Vivian Ibobo
Ikeja, Dec. 20, 2018 (NAN) An Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court on Thursday remanded a 58-year-old security guard, Johnson Okon, accused of raping his 14-year-old daughter.

Okon is to spend the next 34 days at the Kirikiri Prisons, according to the Chief Magistrate, Mrs B.O. Osunsanmi.

The court could not take the plea of the accused as Osunsanmi said that the court needed the advice of the state’s Director of Public Prosecutions.

She adjourned the case until Jan. 23, 2019, for mention.

The security guard who resides on Abule Berger in Ikorodu, Lagos, is facing a count charge of rape.

The Prosecutor, Insp. Raphael Donny, had told the court that the accused committed the offence sometime in 2018 at his residence.

Donny said that Okon raped the daughter after she came back from school on the fateful day.

“The girl told her uncle how her father had been molesting her sexually.

“The uncle later disclosed it to the girl’s mother, and the case was brought to a police station.

“Upon interrogation, the girl told the police that her father had been raping her,” he prosecutor said.

He said that the offence contravened Section 261 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. (NAN)

IZU/JIE/IGO
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Edited by Julius Enehikhuere/Ijeoma Popoola

Defilement

By Vivian Ibobo (08063018689)

Ikeja, Dec. 20, 2018 (NAN) An Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, on Thursday remanded a 54-year-old pastor, Michael Olise, who allegedly defiled his friend’s  12-year-old twin daughters, pending Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs B. O. Osunsanmi, remanded  Olise in Kirikiri Prisons, and  ordered that the case file be the DPP.

Osunsanmi adjourned the case until Jan. 23, 2019 for mention.

The accused, who resides at No 2, Okanlawon St., Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos, is facing a two-count charge of  sexual assault and defilement.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp Raphael Donny,  told the court that the accused committed the offences on Nov. 15 at No 1, Okanlawon St., Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos.

Donny said the accused went  to the girls’ house while their parents were not around and had sexual intercourse with of them.

“They  confessed to their mother that the  accused always come to their house to have sexual intercourse with them .

“She reported the  case to  the police  and the accused was arrested,’’ he said.

The offence contravened the provisions of  Section 137 and 261 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. (NAN)

IZU|EOB/SH

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edited by Edith Bolokor/Sadiya Hamza

Filling station manager docked over alleged N4m fraud
Fraud
By Amen Gajira

Minna, Dec.20, 2018 (NAN) A 25-year-old manager, Mohammed Mohammed, was on Thursday docked before a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Minna for allegedly defrauding a filling station of over N4 million.
Mohammed is standing trial on three-count charge of criminal breach of trust, criminal misappropriation and cheating.
The Police Prosecutor, ASP. Daniel Ikwoche, said one Alhaji Yahaya Abdullahi, the director of Oando filling station, Kpakungu, Minna reported the matter at the station on Dec.7.
Ikwoche said the complainant discovered alleged fraud after the company’s account was audited.
He said the accused allegedly misappropriated the sum from the sale of petroleum products.
He noted that the accused person confessed to have committed the crime with one other person, now at large, during police investigation.
He said the offences were contrary to sections 312, 309 and 322 of the penal code.
However, when the charges were read to him, he pleaded not guilty.
The Magistrate, Nasiru Muazu, granted the accused bail in the sum of N500, 000 and a surety in like sum.
Muazu adjourned the matter until Jan.7 for mention. (NAN)
AMEN/JI/SA
Editing by Joseph Idika/Salif Atojoko
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Farming
By Chidinma Ewunonu-Aluko
Ibadan, Dec. 20, 2018 (NAN) Prof. Lucia Ogunsumi of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) Ibadan, has called on female farmers and the youth in Nigeria and Africa to embrace Integrated Farming System (IFS).

Ogunsumi, an agricultural extension and rural development expert, made the call  in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Thursday.

She said that it had become imperative to support the women in promoting IFS in the country for sustainable agricultural development growth.

Integrated Farming is a whole farm management system, which enables the farmers to identify opportunities and threats and act accordingly; and at the same time, consider consumer interests in their business.

According to Ogunsumi, IFS and strategy are not based on a set of fixed techniques but on informed management processes.

“With IFS, Nigerian agriculture is going to be restored to its original status and would be sustained for generations to come.

“Foreign earnings will also come again from agriculture and our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will increase while youth unemployment will become a thing of the past.

“Also, a transformed agrarian community will be developed. Things will turn around for good in Nigeria, Africa, through modern agriculture and promotion of IFS model.

“The knowledge-based flexibility of IFS included: attention to details and management of all resources available for attainment of specific goals under a framework that defines and describes the guidelines for Sustainable Development Goals as it would impact on the next- generation agriculture,’’ Ogunsumi said.

According to her, sustainable agriculture, basically, entails improving the productivity and living standard of farmers without jeopardising the opportunities of the coming generation of farmers to do the same.

She noted that government at various levels embarked on different programmes and policies in order to revitalise the agricultural sector.

“Some of the programmes and policies emphasised the need to re-orientate women and youths back into agriculture.

“Youths are avoiding farming and are migrating to cities in search of menial jobs, engaging in street hawking and motorcycle riding, among others.

“Thus, one strategy to attract women and youths to choose to engage in farming is to turn farming into a profitable venture; commercialise agriculture and increase farming output and outfit.

“The income from farming should be commensurable with incomes from other sectors as well as its contemporaries across the globe,’’ Ogunsumi said.

She said generally, the low productivity in agriculture and high cost of production resulted in depressed farm income, which in turn, forced people to search for other employment outside agriculture.

“In the midst of these, population pressure increases land-use intensity under low level of use of external inputs; thereby, undermining the sustainability of our production systems.

“It is not an understatement that African nations, especially Nigeria, has never been found wanting in generation of policy documents.

“The concern has always been in the implementation. If our current efforts to revitalise the economy will bring any justifiable results, it must essentially and adequately address the prevailing challenges of agricultural development.

“About 34 per cent of Nigerian population are youths; over 90 per cent are not employed, while over 80 per cent of peasant farmers are aging with a mean age of about 65 years,’’ Ogunsumi said.

According to her, the age factor stands out clearly as a major factor around which youths have an advantage of transforming agriculture in the country in line with the Agricultural Transformation Agenda.

Ogunsumi said the agricultural agenda emphasised the need for commercial agriculture in order to increase and sustain productivity. (NAN)
CC/OYE/AJA
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Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Adeleye Ajayi

Boom

By Lizzy Okoji

Abuja, Dec. 20, 2018 (NAN) The Developing- 8 organisation also known as the D-8 has said that it was optimistic it would generate over one trillion dollars from the health sector alone with the cooperation and collaboration of member states.

Dr Ado Muhammad, the Special Adviser, D8 Health and Social Protection Programme, made this known on Thursday in Abuja while appearing on the News agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum.

Muhammad stated that this could be achieved following the D8’s new commitments of diversifying to the health sector as another area of cooperation and collaboration among member states.

He said that the D8 organisation will also be encouraging inter-trading and civil-trading between member countries in other to supersede its five million dollar set target in the sub-sector.

He observed that not much progress was made by the organisation in the health sector as it had been more involved in areas of cooperation such as agriculture, poverty alleviation, energy, amongst others.

“We should be able to see a volume of trade of over one trillion dollars or even more just from the health sector in terms of pharmaceuticals of member countries.

“There would be cooperation and collaboration in terms of product being produced and being procured by another country.

“So that within our eight member countries, virtually all we need in pharmaceuticals will be sourced from the member countries.

“D8 Organisations have been actively involved in some areas of cooperation like Agriculture, energy, poverty alleviation but, unfortunately, not much progress has been made in some other areas like health.

“Considering that the organisation is going to the next phase of development, which is implementation, the Secretary General felt that it is important that health should be looked at critically.

“We all know the vision behind D8 as an organization is to encourage economic cooperation and collaboration between member countries and how we can use our interventions to enhance the economy of member countries.

“For development to happen, for an economy to grow, it is important that health should be involved,’’ Muhammad said.

Muhammad said that to achieve economic development, the D8’s social investment programme would also be addressing the issue of social protection.

He said that the organisation would encourage porgrammes of member countries that fell under the Social Investment Programmes and would be support them.

He lauded the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for doing a lot of interventions under its Social Investment Programmes (SIP) and pledged the support of the D8.

Muhammad said that the organisation, which cuts across the continents, was working on carrying out a PEER review in terms of managing best practices from each country and how others could learn from that.

He said in line with that, the D8 would support member countries through technical assistance, resource mobilisation and  very robust performance management system.

The D-8 official said that it intended to achieve all the plans through Monitoring and Evaluation framework of its health and social investment porgramme.

He further explained that the Social Investment Programme was not an independent entity, but a complimentary programme under the administrative office of the Secretary-General also geared toward economic development. (NAN)

LIZ/DCU

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Edited by Donald Ugwu

Health

By Lizzy Okoji

Abuja, Dec. 20, 2018 (NAN) The D-8 organisation for Economic Cooperation has said that it would strengthen Nigeria’s health system as part of its programmes  to enhance economic development among member countries.

Dr Ado Muhammad, the Special Adviser, D8 Health and Social Protection Programme, made this known on Thursday in Abuja while appearing on the News agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum.

Muhammad said that the organisation was targeting five areas of interventions in the health sector including expanding Primary Health Care services in Member Countries, tackling communicable diseases and tackling issues of clinical governance.

“We are looking at five areas of interventions, we are looking at how we can expand primary health care services in member countries in terms of nutrition, immunisation, tackling maternal mortality and tackling child mortality.

“These are areas that we find across board is affecting member countries particularly; there are countries like Nigeria that has high burden with regard to these indices.

“We want to see how we can tackle non communicable diseases because as economy progresses, as member countries move from high income to low income you start seeing less of infectious diseases and more of non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension.

“Thirdly, we also want to tackle the issue of clinical governance and quality of care in the health system because it is one thing to have a health system and another thing to have quality health system that works.

“We will also see how we can unlock the huge potential of the health sector along the value chain between member countries.

“Ill health and poverty are interlinked; ill health and hunger are interlinked; so we want to see how to tackle those three so we have complimented that intervention with the Social Investment Programme,’’ Muhammad said.

According to Muhammad, to achieve development and economic growth, there is the need for a working and quality health care system, hence the nexus between “Development and Health’’.

He explained that realizing the importance of health as a key factor for economic development, the D8 as an organisation was diversifying to health as another area of cooperation.

He listed other areas of interventions to include unlocking the huge potential of the health sector along the value chain and Social Investment Programmes to address health induced challenges.

Muhammad pointed out that for the economy of Member States to grow, it was important to strengthen the health sector which was a major stimulant for economic development.

He also said the D8 under its health interventions would be strengthening the health system of member countries in other to achieve universal coverage as the agenda of World Health Organisation.

“We should be able to improve our health system to similar organisations like the G8 countries,’’ Muhammad added.

The D-8 Special Adviser also noted that all developed countries in the world were able to attain development by having very strong health system.

According to him, a study has shown that for every one dollar that is invested in health, you get a return of about 20 dollars in the near 10 to 15 years.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that D-8, an acronym for Developing -8 countries,  is an organisation for development and cooperation among eight countries: Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey.

Established in 1997 its main objectives are to improve Member States position in the global economy, diversify and create new opportunities in trade relations and improve standards of living.

During its last summit in 2017, the D8 expanded areas of cooperation to Science and Technology, health, innovation, environment and some other issues. (NAN)

LIZ/DCU

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education

Donation
By Muhammad Nasir Bashir
Dutse, Dec. 20, 2018 (NAN) Th National Commission for Mass Education (NMEC) has donated skills acquisition training equipment worth N20 million to Jigawa State Agency for Mass Education.

The Executive Secretary of the Agency, Dr Abbas Abbas, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Dutse on Thursday.

Abbas said the items were distributed to the agency’s Women Functional Literacy Centres in Dutse and Ringim.

According to him, the equipment will be used for train-the-trainer on functional literacy skills for self reliance among women across the state.

Abbas stressed that the effort was to enhance the agency’s efforts at training women on various income-generating trades for self reliance.

He added that it would go along in motivating women from both rural and urban areas to acquire lifetime skills that would enable them become self reliant and eventually employers of labour.

Abbas said the items included hair dryers, steaming machines, gas cooker, refrigerators,  embroidery machines, ironing boards, pressing irons, hand dryers, washing basins.

Others he said, are sets of pedicure and manicure tools, touching matches, roller magnetic,  frying pans, pots, deep freezers, blenders, power generator, industrial machines and sewing machines among others. (NAN)
MNB/CHOM/MZA
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Edited by Chioma Ugboma/Maharazu Ahmed