Blog

Nomination
By Sunday John
Lafia, Sept. 25, 2018 (NAN)The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Nasarawa State says it will conduct primaries to produce flag bearers for the 2019 general elections if reconciliation of aspirants fails to produce consensus candidates .

Mr Musa Saidu, the state chairman, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lafia.

According to him 45 aspirants have so far obtained the nomination forms to contest the party’s primary elections.

He explained that 35 aspirants obtained forms to contest for the 24 state assembly constituency seats while five aspirants were seeking nomination to become members of House of Representatives.

The chairman added that four aspirants bought nomination forms for the Senate and one aspirant obtained the governorship nomination form.

He said the party had constituted reconciliation committees in the 13 local government areas of the state with a view to producing consensus candidates.

“From the preliminary reports, some constituencies have consensus candidates already while the committees are still working in others.

“We will scrutinise our candidates for consensus when possible, if not, the party will conduct primaries to elect flag bearers in all the constituencies.

“We will present our best candidates in all elections because we will contest against candidates of other political parties.

“We will present our best team with very clear vision and programmes that will reposition the state for the overall benefit of the people,” he added.

Also speaking, Mr Bala John, an aspirant for the House of Assembly, expressed optimism that the party would emerge victorious in the forthcoming elections in the state.

He said the party’s candidates for the various elective posts would be hard to beat in the next elections if the leadership of the party would promote internal democracy to produce credible candidates.

John promised to give his best to Nasarawa-Eggon East Constituency in the state House of Assembly if elected. (NAN)
SDJ/OSA/DCU
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Edited by Shittu Obassa/Donald Ugwu

2 men bag 3 months imprisonment each for grinding machine theft

Engine

By Nana Musa

Abuja, Sept. 25, 2018 (NAN) A Wuse Zone 2 Magistrates’ Court, Abuja, on Tuesday sentenced one Rabiu Aliyu, 30, and Suleiman Ali, 20, to three months imprisonment each for stealing a grinding machine.

The convicts of no fixed addresses, had pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of joint act and theft, and begged the court for leniency.

The Magistrate, Musa Jobbo, however, gave the convicts an option to pay N5,000 fine each, and warned them to desist from crime.

Jobbo said that the punishment would serve as deterrent to others.

The prosecutor, Adeyemi Oyeyemi, had told the court that Ishaku Yakubu of Wuse Zone 1, Abuja, reported the matter at the Wuse Zone 3 Police Station, Abuja, on Sept. 19.

Oyeyemi said that the convicts and one other, now at large, stole the complainant’s grinding machine, valued at N58, 000.

He said that one of the convicts, Aliyu, confessed during police investigation that he sold the stolen item to Salihu Ahmed, of no fixed address.

The prosecutor said the offences contravened the provisions of Sections 79 and 288 of the Penal Code. (NAN)

NHM/FLP/OU

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Edited by Folorunso Poroye/Obike Ukoh

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Recruitment

Lagos, Sept. 25, 2018 (NAN) Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says that applicants with tattoos, bow and K legs would be disqualified from its ongoing screening.

Oyeyemi disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) while inspecting the screening exercise at Ikeja 9 Brigades Military Cantonment in Lagos on Tuesday.

“In any uniform service, you are not supposed to have tattoo on your body; likewise twisted eyes, bow, K legs and flat foot are not allowed in the service.

“This is because anybody with bow and K legs will not be able to stand and walk for a long period of time.

“In uniform service, you must be able to walk and run long distances in case of emergency.

To save life, you will be required to walk long distances and you won’t be able to perform your duty if you have “K“ or flat leg.

“We have patrol duties for eight hours and rescue exercise can take up to five hours and if you are not fit you can’t do it.

“Likewise pregnant and married women, we can’t take them because that is the rule for uniform services,” Oyeyemi said.

The FRSC boss said that the screening had been going smoothly across the country together with the five states having high concentration of applicants.

“We have states that have high concentration of applicants, like Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, Kaduna, Benue, Lagos, Enugu and Oyo.

He expressed satisfaction with the progress made so far in the exercise.

Oyeyemi commended the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air force, Police, Civil Defence and the Department of State Security Service (DSS) for their maximum support for the success of the screening.

The FRSC boss said that the ongoing exercise across the country had been transparent, decent and on merit in line with the principle of Federal Character.

Mr Hyginus Omeje, the FRSC Lagos Sector Commander, told NAN that over 3,000 degree holders had been screened in Lagos state.

“The screened applicants will start their physical training today and we continue with other cadres on Wednesday.

“The Inspector Cadre will start their screening on Wednesday and Thursday, while Road Marshal Assistants cadre will begin on Friday to Saturday, “Omeje said.

Mrs Kemi Opakunle, the Acting State Coordinator, Federal Character Commission, Lagos State Office, while given her remarks on the screening exercise, gave kudos to the FRSC officials and other agencies involved in the process.

Opakunle said that the process was transparent, orderly and highly commendable.

“We are here to monitor the process and we are satisfied with the way it’s being conducted, so orderly, transparent without any manipulation,” she said.

NAN reports that the recruitment started on May 28, with the uploading of the application forms on FRSC recruitment portal. (NAN)

AKA/CHOM/DUA

Edited by Chioma Ugboma/Dada Ahmed

Court remands teenager over alleged house-breaking, stealing

Remand

By Dorcas Elusogbon

Ile-Ife (Osun), Sept 25, 2018 (NAN) An Ile-Ife Magistrates’ Court in Osun, on Tuesday ordered the remanded of 18-year-old Timothy Olalere,  over alleged house-breaking and stealing.

The prosecutor, Cpl. Wale Odusina, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Sept 22, around 5:00 p.m. at Safejo Road, Ile-Ife.

Odusina said that the accused broke into the dwelling house of one Ibrahim Kehinde and stole one 24 inches plasma TV, GOTV decoder, extension box, Itel phone, one tower pot, stainless plate, all valued at N80,000.

According to the prosecutor, the offences contravened the provisions of Sections 383, 390 (9) and 412 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Osun, 2002.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges, while his counsel, Miss Mariam Lai-Ibrahim, applied for his bail on liberal terms.

Magistrate Muhibah Olatunji, declined to grant the bail, but ordered the defence counsel to come up with a written application.

Olatunji ordered remand of the accused in Ile-Ife Prison and adjourned the case until Oct 8 for hearing of the bail application.(NAN)

EDA/ HS/OU

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Edited by Halima Sheji/Obike Ukoh

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Fertiliser
By Emmanuel Afonne
Abuja, Sept. 25, 2018 (NAN) Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) says 18 fertiliser blending plants across the country have been revived under the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI) introduced by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

The President of FEPSAN, Mr Thomas Etuh, who said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday, stressed that the resuscitated plants were now operational.

He recalled that only six, out of the 32 fertiliser blending plants existing in the country, were functional at inception of the Buhari-administration in 2015.

“We then had six fertiliser plants working at 10 per cent capacity but with the introduction of PFI, we moved to 11 plants in the first phase and today, 18 out of the 32 plants are engaged in this programme.

“At the end of last year’s season, we closed with 12 fertiliser blending plants because WACOT Limited, in collaboration with the Edo State Government, added one plant to the 11 we had in the first phase.

“About five plants are being evaluated to meet up the standards before we enlist them, and I can also tell you that because of this programme, we have five new fertiliser blending plants being set up in the country.

“We have one each in Zamfara, Ajaokuta in Kogi, Akwa-Ibom and Funtua in Katsina State, while the one in Kaduna is at the point of inauguration.

“The plants in Ajaokuta (Kogi) and Zamfara should come live by the end of the year, while that of Funtua in Katsina State might come up by first quarter of next year (2019).

“So, I think these new five plants should be up and running by the first quarter of next year,’’ he added.

Etuh said that Nigeria would soon be reckoned with in area of fertiliser production, considering the amount of money that was invested in the industry in the last three years.

He added that Nigeria would soon be an exporter of NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) fertiliser.

“About 63 per cent of the raw materials are locally available in the country; the materials are produced by some companies.

“We have limestone granules with calcium produced by West African Fertiliser Company in Okpela; we have the Urea produced by INDORAMA and NOTORE in Onne, Rivers State.

“So, I know that in the next two to three years, Aliko Dangote’s fertiliser plant will start production and other are also coming up. Currently, Nigeria is a net exporter of Urea-based fertiliser.

“With the Aliko plant coming on board and INDORAMA increasing to a second line, we will be producing about 7 million tonnes of fertiliser. About 70 per cent of the fertiliser would be for exports, while the remaining 30 per cent would be used within the country,’’ he said.

Etuh, who is also a PFI committee member, said that FEPSAN was working hard to ensure that every farmer cluster had a blending plant to ease product transportation costs and facilitate a reduction in fertiliser prices.

He said that the fertiliser blending plants in Niger and Plateau were to service states in the North Central geopolitical zone, while the fertiliser plants in Lagos were to cater for states in the South West and South East zones, as well as Kwara which as in the North Central zone.

“The whole idea is to get people to build plants around a cluster so that it helps with cost of transportation to achieve that price target we are looking at,” he added. (NAN)
EMAF/OOK
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Clean-up
By Desmond Ejibas
Port Harcourt, Sept. 25, 2018 (NAN) The Hydro Carbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) says it has commenced process to select pre-qualified companies for the clean-up of oil impacted communities in Ogoniland.

Dr Marvin Dekil, Project Coordinator of HYPREP, made this known in Port Harcourt on Tuesday at the opening of technical and commercial bid for the 21 clean-up sites in Ogoniland.

HYPREP had a fortnight ago announced that 183 out of 400 companies had scaled through to next round of bid for the remediation exercise.

Dekil said that 21 out of the 183 companies that scaled through the initial stage would be selected based on their technology, competence and viability.

“The 183 companies are here today and we are further screening them by carrying out commercial and technical assessment of their capabilities.

“So, today, we are opening their bids which they submitted to show their competence, commercial, financial and technical capability to do the job.”

He said the pre-qualified phase was the last stage that would lead to commencement of the clean-up exercise slated to start before the end of the fourth quarter of 2018.

“This exercise is the beginning of the last phase of activities to select competent companies that will be deployed to site in compliance with the public procurement act.

`Also, we will further set up a team to re-assess what they are doing, according to the public procurement act,” he said.

Dekil gave the assurance that HYPREP and its partners were committed to making the process tight, competitive and transparent.

He said the final selection phase was a milestone achievement of the Federal Government’s commitment to the project.

“We have 21 sites to clean-up, so at the end of the day, we will have 21 companies handling the sites.

“That a company did not make it does not mean such company is not competent. It’s just that we have to give it to the very best,” he said.

Minister of Environment, Mr Ibrahim Jibril, assured that the selection process would be competitive, transparent and devoid of bias.

Jibril, who was represented by Dr Ishayaku Mohammed, Senior Technical Assistant to the minister, said the Federal Government was passionate to address years of neglect of environmental pollution in the Niger Delta.

`I concur with everything that Dr Marvin Dekil has said; but in addition, the conclusion of this process will lead to actual implementation of the UN Environment Programme Report.

“It is not just remediation but cleaning up and restoration of the devastated lands in Ogoniland. Its success will ensure that the entire Niger Delta region is covered.

“Hopefully, this exercise will signal commencement of healing and catalyst for prosperity of the Niger Delta and the entire country,” he said. (NAN)
DES/BOLA/IS
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Edited by Bola Akingbehin
08036694557

Expose complicit trafficking personnel – NAPTIP challenges public
By Mustapha Sumaila
Complicity
Abuja, Sept. 25, 2018 (NAN) The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has called on the general public to expose any staff of the agency involved in aiding and abetting human trafficking for appropriate sanctions.
NAPTIP’s Head of Press and Public Relations Unit, Mrs Stella Nezan, gave the challenge in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.
She tasked Nigerians to report any officer involved in any case of human trafficking.
Nezan noted that the Director-General of NAPTIP, Ms Julie Okah-Donli, had made it clear to members of staff of the agency that whoever was caught in the act of complicity during official duty would not be spared.
“The DG has zero tolerance for any act of indiscipline; and she will not spare anyone, no matter who she or he is in the agency, and our boss does not condone any act of official misconduct,” she said.
On the prosecution of sacked officers of the agency, the spokesperson said that NAPTIP was waiting for further directives from the Attorney General of the Federation.
Nezan said that the sacking of the officers was authorised by the Ministry of Justice, being the supervisory ministry.
“Therefore, it is necessary to wait and take directives on the next line of action as regards prosecution,’’ she explained.
NAN recalls that the sacked personnel were involved in offences such as arranging professional sureties for suspects for a fee, and providing information about the operations of NAPTIP to outsiders for a fee, therefore, endangering the lives of their colleagues.
Others were involved in the acceptance of bribes and aiding the escape of suspects, while some were making romantic advances to victims of trafficking as a condition for rendering service to them.
NAN also recalls that one of the sacked personnel was absent from duty from July 2017 to May 2018, without official leave in addition to involvement in financial misconduct. (NAN)
MS/FLP/MST
Edited by Folorunso Poroye/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Resettlement

By Cecilia Ijuo

Abuja, Sept. 24, 2018 (NAN) Sen. Ali Ndume (APC-Borno) has called on the Federal Government to hasten efforts at resettling Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs),whose homes were ravaged by Boko Haram.

Ndume made the call when he featured at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.

While commending efforts of the Federal Government in ensuring normalcy returned to the zone, the lawmaker said the plea for resettlement had become imperative as the people needed to start leading normal lives.

“One of the major challenges that I am constantly facing from my electorate or my people is they want to go back home. They really want to go back home.

“We have IDPs in Abuja in 14 camps. I have stopped visiting them because each time I go there; they ask me, when are we going back home? and I have no concrete answer for them.

“I think the government should follow the insurgency with resettling the people.

“It is only when people are back to their localities, the schools take off, hospitals, the civil authority take off, then you will say that normalcy has returned to those areas.’’

Ndume also observed that IDPs were yet to be resettled even in some areas that had been retaken by the military.

“In one or two areas, especially Marge and Abadan, the Nigerian Army took over that place for a very long time but the people have not been able to go back because the houses have not been rebuilt and this cannot be done by the state government alone.

“In fact that is why the whole world is so worried. In Norway last year, just within four hours, the international community raised over 240 million U.S. Dollars.

“This year, as at last month, the international contribution for the humanitarian crisis has gone up to about 540 million dollars but the Nigerian government is budgeting just 45 billion which is too small.

“I am using this forum to call on the Nigerian Government to do more or to put in more.’’

Ndume urged the people to be patient as the Federal Government was doing all it could to ensure they were resettled. (NAN)

CJM/DOR/YEE

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 Edited by Nyisom Dore/Emmanuel Yashim

Outage

By Sunday Bassey

Eket (Akwa Ibom), Sept. 25, 2018(NAN) Residents of Eket Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom have decried poor outage in the area.

The people expressed their feeling in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Eket, Akwa Ibom on Tuesday.

They said that the poor power outage had paralysed social and economic activities in the Eket and its environs in the last weeks.

Mr Samson Asuqwu, a barber in Eket, said that poor power supply had crippled his business, adding that he spent so much buying fuel in his generator.

Asuqwu said that he spent about N50, 000 every week to fuel his generator to barb customers in Eket for the past two weeks.

“Poor power supply has been terrible recently in Eket, and when I went to Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) to lay complaint, nobody attended to me,” he said.

Mrs Josephine Akpan, who operates a Beer parlour , said that power outage had also paralysed her business, adding that she no longer sell beer due to poor power outage.

“Customers no longer come to my beer parlour because of poor outage in the area recently.

“When they enter my shop, they will first ask if my drinks are cold, if I say no, they will just leave my business premises and go to somewhere else where there is power supply,” she said.

She, however, said even though there was poor power outage; PHEDC had continued to bring outrageous bills to her business premises.

In similar vein, Mr Emeka Chike, an Eket resident said the effect poor power outage in the last two weeks had brought about heat and rashes to his body.

“I can’t even sleep at night due to poor power outage and this has resulted to rashes all over my body.

“It is very sad that upon all the outrageous bills by the Power Holding, yet the company cannot give us steady power supply in Eket,” Chike said.

He called on the Federal Government to come to their aid, saying that new transformers should be installed to change the faulty ones in the area.

Responding, Mr John Onyi, Manager, Corporate Communications of PHEDC, said the current outage experienced in Eket was due to system failure from the grid.

“I wish to inform our valued customers and indeed, members of public that the current outage being experienced in Eket and its environs is due to system failure from the grid.

He cited to Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) as his source to buttress his point.

Onyi, however, promised that effort was being made by the TCN to ensure restoration of power soonest.

He expressed regret the inconveniences the poor power outage might have caused members of the public and appealed for patience. (NAN)

SDB/DUA

Edited by Dada Ahmed

Tambuwal
Lagos, Sept. 25,2018 (NAN) Dr. Okey Ikechukwu, the newly appointed Spokesman of the Gov. Aminu Tambuwal 2019 presidential campaign says the governor is the most suitable for the PDP presidential ticket.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday, Ikechukwu urged members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to pick their presidential candidate without monetary influence.

“Our first task is to ensure that we get it right as a party. This is by ensuring that the best aspirant is chosen without sentiments.

“For the PDP to win the presidential election, there is need to present a candidate that will be acceptable to all Nigerian voters,” he said.

According to him, Tambuwal is one of the leading presidential aspirants that have not only Nigerian voters’ acceptance but also reckoned with by Nigerians in the diaspora.

“Tambuwal’s antecedents speak for him. He will be the candidate to beat if chosen by the PDP to represent them in 2019,” Ikechukwu added.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ikechukwu is a renowned public affairs analyst, who was once the Director General (DG) of the International Institute for Leadership and Governance.

In a Letter of Appointment dated September 21, and signed by Gov. Tambuwal, Ikechukwu was named Head of Media and Strategic Communication.

He was charged with overseeing all media contents and output for the Tambuwal Presidential Project, as well as being the official media face and voice for the governor’s presidential project.

NAN also reports that the Sokoto State governor and others was on Monday, screened by the PDP screening committee for presidential aspirants, headed by the immediate past Vice President of Nigeria, Mr Sambo Dasuki, in Abuja. (NAN)
CHOM/MNA
Edited by Chioma Ugboma/Maureen Atuonwu