Blog

NAN-DS-5
Recovery
Minna, Nov. 30, 2016 (NAN) The Police in Niger have recovered about 200 stolen cattle following deployment of 500 policemen in troubled spots in the state over the last two weeks.

The State Commissioner of Police, Mr Zubairu Muazu, disclosed this to newsmen on Wednesday at the Command’s launch of the “Change Begins with Me” Campaign in Minna‎.

Muazu stated that 12 suspects had been arrested in connection with the stolen cattle, adding that lots of arms and ammunition were also recovered in the process.

“You recall that two weeks ago, we deployed 500 officers and men in some areas where this problem is rampant and our deployment is yielding a lot of success.

“As at today, I am glad to tell you that we have recovered about 200 cattle‎, arrested 12 suspects and recovered lots of ammunition as well,” he added

The commissioner lauded the “Change Begins with Me” initiative of the Federal Government, saying the force had keyed into it.

“We believe in the noble objectives of this project, which is conceived on the basic principle that if you change yourself, Nigeria will change.

“We want to drop those things that people abhor and make the public lose confidence in us; it is about self-discipline and doing what is right,” he said.

He admonished the officers and men on respect for the fundamental human rights of peope they came across in the discharge of their duties.

On the issue of an inspector who allegedly shot and killed a bus driver in the state recently, Muazu‎ said that trial in the case had been concluded, and proceedings forwarded to the headquarters to enforce the appropriate punishment.(NAN)
AMEN/OIF/AMY
Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Abdullahi Yusuf

NAN-H-28
Sentence
By Sandra Umeh
Lagos, Nov. 30, 2016 (NAN) A Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday sentenced a 28-year-old bricklayer, Nurudeen Olakunle, to five years imprisonment for dealing in 1kg of hemp.

Justice Babs Kuewumi sentenced Olakunle, without giving him an option of fine, after he pleaded guilty to a charge of drug trafficking.

“The accused is found guilty of the charge before this honourable court, and is hereby convicted.

“He is accordingly, sentenced to a term of five years, beginning from the date of his arrest.

“The drug is to be destroyed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), if there is no appeal against this judgment,” he said.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Mr Jeremiah Aernan, reviewed the facts of the case and tendered several documents and the hemp as exhibits.

Aernan submitted to the court a written statement of the accused, a scientific aid form, a forensic analysis form and the hemp.

He urged the court to sentence the accused based on evidence before it.

The accused had urged the court to temper justice with mercy, as he was a first offender.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the convict was first arraigned on July 25.

Aernan had told the court that Olakunle committed the offence on June 6, at Mazamaza area of Lagos State.

He said the accused was arrested on a tip off and the 1kg of hemp was found in his possession.

“Hemp is categorised by the agency as a banned narcotic,’’ he said.

The offence contravened Section 11 (c) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30 Laws of the Federation 2004. (NAN)
UNS/EOB/SOA

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(Edited by Edith Bolokor/Oluwole Sogunle)

NAN-F-25

Appeal

By Tiamiyu Arobani

New York, Nov. 30, 2016 (NAN) The 484 million dollars Humanitarian Response Plan appeal for the North East by the UN is grossly underfunded, the immediate past UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator, Mohamed Safieldin, has said.

Safieldin told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York on Wednesday that about a quarter of the funding was received as at October.

He, however, stated that at the moment, there is a funding shortfall of about 300 million dollars.

.           Cue in audio (Safieldin on humanitarian funding gap)

From the government, we don’t know in figures how much the government has provided in terms of aid; for the UN, we know how much the UN and the international NGOs have been able to mobilise in terms of funding for our humanitarian appeal.

“At the moment, the appeal from the UN and the international NGOs together to provide assistance has been based on an estimated budget of 484 million dollars.

“And we have received only 23 per cent of the funds we have asked (for) from the international humanitarian donors to support the humanitarian operations by international NGOs and the UN (as at October).

“If you asked for 484 million (dollars) and you received less than a quarter, it simply means you are unable to reach or provide services for more than a quarter of the target population of people, who need humanitarian aid.

“The humanitarian situation in the North East of Nigeria, specifically in Borno state, can simply be described as a humanitarian crisis and the statistics and the numbers as we speak to the fact that there is a humanitarian crisis of a very large scale.

“At the moment, there are at least 1.8 million civilians, who have been internally displaced as a result of the violence instigated by Boko Haram in the North East of Nigeria.

“And at the moment, international organisations are saying up to last year or specifically between 2011 and 2015, at least 23,000 civilians have been killed or (have) lost their lives as a result of the violence.

“But I have been spoken to the Governor of Borno (Kashim Shettima) and I trust his own estimations are much reliable when he said at least 100,000 civilians lost their lives as a result of the conflict and the violence instigated by Boko Haram in the North East.”

.           Cue out audio (Safieldin on humanitarian funding gap)

With the funding shortfall, however, he said civil servants should be encouraged to return to liberated communities to provide basic social services that would encourage spontaneous return of IDPs.

“What is needed urgently, and I thank the Governor of Borno – he’s mentioned this several times as part of his strategy – is to encourage civil servants from the LGAs, which have been liberated by the army to return to make the life at least comfortable.

“With the basic services – whether it is health, sanitation, drinking water, education – you need the teachers, you need the medical personnel, you need the engineers and the administrators from the LGAs to go back to the areas, which have been secured by the army to re-establish the civil services there.

“That is the most critical step.

“Unless these civil servants return and stay and resume the provision of services for the people, life is not going to be normal in these places and the spontaneous returnees will not find it conducive to stay,

“They will come back to the camps and this prolonged process of displacement will continue which is not in the interest of Nigeria economically and socially.

“I have many messages not necessarily only for the victims; definitely for the victims, we sympathise with them and we are trying our best to support them and we would continue with this commitment to support them.

“What is very important in my view now looking beyond the victims, looking beyond the IDPs is that what is it that we need, all of us national authorities, international community to do?

“We need to put our hands together. We need to look into the suffering of the people and forget about some of the political issues, sensitivities here and there.

“And focus on saving the lives and focus in giving the Nigerian people who are from this place the best we can give to them at the moment,’’ he said.

NAN reports that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, on Tuesday, released the Northeast Nigeria Humanitarian emergency-situation Report covering the period from Oct.1 to Nov. 28, 2016.

The report highlighted 1.82 million IDPs, with 5.9 million people in need of health assistance and 400,000 children under five with severe acute malnutrition.

The report also showed a current funding overview of 192 million dollars out of the 484 million dollars projects listed for the 2016, as of Nov. 1, with 292 million dollars funding shortfall. (NAN)

APT/YEE

Edited By Emmanuel Yashim

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Safieldin’s audio on humanitarian funding in North East

Nepal proposes to amend constitution to meet protesters’ demand

NAN-F-14
Demand
Kathmandu, Nov. 30,2016 (dpa/NAN) New constitutional amendments to address the demands of protesters who claimed the charter was discriminatory were put forward by Nepal’s government Wednesday, a parliamentary spokesman said.

The move, which came following weeks of negotiations between leaders of the ruling and opposition parties, is aimed at resolving political deadlock that has reigned since Nepal promulgated a post-war constitution in September 2015.

The disagreement has seen deadly protests by ethnic Madhesis living along the country’s southern plains. They demand greater representation in state institutions and two federal states in the region.

The protesters objected to a constitutional provision which assigned the community only one federal state in the region they call home. They also demanded that the constitution ensure equal rights to their members.

Bharat Gautam, a parliamentary spokesman, said the government late Tuesday registered the proposed amendments. They must now be considered in the legislature, which must approve them with a two-thirds majority.

Ramesh Lekhak, a minister for physical infrastructure and transport, said the amendment was necessary for elections and implementing the constitution.

“The move will make the constitution acceptable to a broad section of our society. I don’t see any reason to oppose the amendments,” he said.

But the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), the main opposition in the parliament, has denounced the amendments. Members protested in several districts that were carved out to create a new federal state in the country’s south-western region.

The Madhesi protesters waged months-long demonstrations last year, closing the vital border trade with India and leaving more than 50 people dead.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who came to power in August, pledged to meet the protesters’ demand by amending the constitution. (dpa/NAN)

(Edited by Julius Enehikhuere)

Court remands 2 herdsmen for alleged kidnapping
NAN-H-25
Kidnapping
Abuja, Nov. 30, 2016 (NAN) Two herdsmen, Usman Muhammed and Manu Saleh, on Wednesday appeared before a Wuse Zone 2 Chief Magistrates’ Court in Abuja over alleged kidnapping.
They were later remanded in prison custody pending police investigation.
Muhammed and Saleh of Gwagwalada Village, Abuja, were arraigned on three-count charge of criminal conspiracy, causing grievous hurt and kidnapping.
The Senior Magistrate, Mohammed Tahir, gave the order for the defendants to be remanded and adjourned hearing till Dec. 8.
Earlier, the Prosecutor, Gambo Musa, told the court that one Saidu Adamu, of Gwagwalada village, Abuja, reported the matter at the Nigeria Mobile Police (Mopol) team in Abuja on Nov. 21.
Musa said that the defendants kidnapped the complainant and his son sometimes in October.
He said that the defendants later released the complainant in order to source for the ransom demanded for his son’s release.
The prosecutor added that the complainant’s son also managed to escape.
He said that on Nov. 18, the defendants came back to the complainant’s house, hit his hand and head with cutlass and kidnapped his wife.
Musa, said that the defendants kept the complainant’s wife in the bush for two days and demanded for N1million ransom until she managed to escape.
He said that the phone used by the duo in demanding for the ransom was recovered from them during police investigations.
The prosecutor said that the offence contravened Sections 97, 247 and 273 of the Penal Code. (NAN)
UMD/HS/TA
Edited by Halima Sheji/Tajudeen Atitebi
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NAN-H-37
Agenda
By Sunday John
Lafia, Nov. 30, 2016 (NAN) The coalition of Business and Professional Associations (NACOBPA) in Nasarawa state, has unveiled its business agenda for the people of the state.

The chairperson of the coalition, Mrs Joana Bello, said on Wednesday in Lafia that the agenda was aimed at pursuing policies that would encourage the growth of business in the state.

She said that the group had identified certain factors militating against the growth and development of business in the state.

She said the agenda was the `modest’ contribution by NACOBPA to fast-track economic development and provide business opportunities to the people of the state.

Bello said the group hired the services of a consultant who carried out a survey in five local government areas of the state for the purpose of setting the agenda for the state.

“The survey which was carried out in Lafia, Nassarawa-Eggon, Akwanga, Keffi and Karu LGAs, were interpreted, analysed and came up with the challenges confronting the business sector

“Some of the problems includes; multiple taxation, lack of land titles, attacks on business premises by criminals, poor sanitary habit, difficult access to loan facilities, unfriendly government policies among others,” she added.

Bello urged the government to restructure the board of internal revenue and rename it State Internal Revenue Service (SIRS) with full autonomy as practiced in states like Lagos, Kaduna, Rivers among others.

“If the board is restructured and given the autonomy to collect revenue in the state, it will give room for transparency and help it get technical support from foreign partners,’’ she said.

She added that all taxes collected in the state should be harmonised and collected by the SIRS to address the problem of multiple taxation.

According to her, creating a business friendly environment through good policies will attract investors to the state and boost economic activities.

She also urged the government to improve security in the state to protect businesses and attract people into doing business.

Bala Moskolo, the chairman, House of Assembly committee on Commerce, promised that the legislature would enact business friendly laws.

“We will do everything possible to protect businesses by making laws friendly to business people and make efforts to curtail multiple tax collection,” he promised. (NAN)

SDJ/EAL/AEA
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Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi/Archibong Asuquo

NAN-H-23

Stowaway

By Solomon Asowata

Lagos, Nov. 30, 2016 (NAN) The lifeless body of a stowaway was on Wednesday found in the main wheel well of one of Arik Air’s A330-200 aircraft at the Oliver Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg.

The airline confirmed the incident in a statement by its Communications Manager, Mr Ola Adebanji, a copy of which was obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

According to the airline, the aircraft operated the scheduled Lagos-Johannesburg flight that departed the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at 3:55pm on Tuesday and arrived in Johannesburg shortly before 11pm.

It said engineers of South African Airways Technical facility at the Oliver Tambo International Airport, where the aircraft was scheduled for a routine maintenance check, discovered the body of the stowaway during the inspection phase.

The airline said investigations were ongoing to determine how the stowaway found his way into the aircraft’s main wheel well. (NAN)

ASO/SOA

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Edited by Oluwole Sogunle

Updated Health and Gender News Expectation for Thurs., Dec. 1, 2016

1. Today (Thursday, Dec. 1) is World Aids Day! The National Agency for the Control of Aids (NACA) organises reach out programmes at strategic locations in Abuja to mark the event.
2. The Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) conducts Health Talk to mark this year’s World AIDS Day.
3. Aids Healthcare Foundation, an NGO, organises road show to commemorate 2016 World AIDS Day.

Fire leaves 22 coal miners trapped in north-eastern China

NAN-F-12
Fire
Beijing, Nov. 30, 2016 (dpa/NAN) Twenty-two miners were trapped after a fire at a mine in north-eastern China, state media reported Wednesday.

Rescue efforts were under way at the mine in the city of Qitaihe, located on the border with Siberia. The blaze was reported to have broken out near the site late Tuesday.

Coal recycling and mining are the major industries of Qitaihe, the smallest prefecture-level city in Heilongjiang province.

Big cities “conduct security checks more frequently and take them more seriously than small cities,” a local coal bureau official told the state-run Global Times newspaper earlier this month after a gas explosion trapped and killed 33 miners in the south-western region of Chongqing.

Deaths reported from mining accidents in China have plunged since the start of the millennium: 1,049 miners died at work in 2013 whereas 598 died in 2015, according to the State Administration of Work Safety.

However, there are doubts about the accuracy of official figures, as well as the role played by reduced coal production.

China is the world’s biggest consumer and producer of coal.

Coal production was 3.68 billion tons in 2015, or 47 per cent of the world’s total, according to the China National Coal Association. (dpa/NAN)

(Edited by Julius Enehikhuere)

NAN-AE-1
Water
By Tosin Kolade
Abuja, Nov. 30, 2016 (NAN) The Federal Government has put in place modalities to improve the water and sanitation needs of Nigerians by 2030.

The Director, Water Quality Control and Sanitation, Mr Emmanuel Awe, said this in Abuja on Tuesday at the Inter-ministerial Meeting of the 2016 Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking Water (GLAAS) Report.

He said such modalities included the Partnership for Extended Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) strategy and the National Road map on Elimination of Open Defecation by 2025.

He reiterated government’s commitment to closing access gaps towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6 of scaling up access to water and sanitation by 2030.

He said the ministry has realised that meeting the SDGs on water and sanitation was only possible through improved finances and strategies.

He said the meeting was an avenue to deliberate on ways to make informed decisions for sanitation, drinking water and hygiene.

Awe said it would also increase the understanding of GLAAS processes through experience sharing among stakeholders for coherence and quality data collection.

“The GLAAS report is a UN-Water initiative implemented by the WHO to provide policy and decision-makers at all levels with a reliable, easily accessible, comprehensive and global analysis of the investments and enabling environment to make informed decisions for sanitation, drinking water and hygiene.

“With 2.4 billion people living without access to improved sanitation facilities, and nearly 700 million people not receiving their drinking water from improved water sources, GLAAS highlights where efforts stagnated, and what needs to be done,” he said.

Awe said with the implementation of SDGs, GLAAS would continue to provide information on investments and the enabling environment with a specific focus on monitoring Targets 6a and 6b.

Head of Governance, WaterAid Nigeria, Ms Tolani Busari, said it was important for Nigerians to realise that access to potable water is a fundamental human right, and not a privilege.

She said a lot needed to be done in areas of investing in quick wins that would enable the country meet its national and SDG targets on water and sanitation.

NAFDAC`s representative, Mrs Promise Ogbonna, said the agency was working with other stakeholders to ensure that standards were adhered to in the production of drinking water.

Contributing to the soon to be launched 2017 GLASS report, participants explained the great role effective data gathering plays in helping countries to plan for citizens` well being.

They said having accurate data helps in knowing what a section of the society needs, what is lacking and what could be done to improve their livelihood.

NAN recalls that conclusions from the 2014 UN-Water GLAAS) report, implemented by WHO and published biennially, point to strong political commitments around the world.

The report says national policies are largely in place, with over 80 per cent of the countries reporting to have approved national policies for drinking water and sanitation, and 75 per cent having policies for hygiene.

However, despite strong political support, data unveiled weak national capacity to execute WASH plans; only 20 per cent of countries surveyed have national WASH plans that are being fully implemented. (NAN)

TAK/MOL/IS
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Edited by Mustapha Lamidi/Ismail Abdulaziz