Blog

AMMC charges fee to remove structures from encroached land – official

NAN-H-90
Structure
By Uche Bibilari
Abuja, Oct. 18, 2016 (NAN) ) The Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) says it uses the provision in the law to recover costs incurred during demolition of structures on the encroached lands in FCT.

Mr Muktar Galadima, the Acting Director, Department of Development Control, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to him, when the department receives complaints concerning an encroachment on land, investigation is carried out to ascertain the legal owner of the property.

He said expenses such as security and fuelling of vehicles incurred by the department in the course of removal of illegal structures on encroached land attract a fee which would be paid by the legal owner of the land.

He explained that the department had the right to charge some amount of money from the legal owner of an encroached property after formal communication in writing.

Galadima said that the cost was not a way of increasing the revenue of the department, adding that it was in the law of the Urban and Regional Planning of the FCTA.

“The law made provision for recovery of cost where demolition is involved; it is not that the department of development control just wants to increase its revenue or contravene the provisions of the law.

“In all cases, we write to the party concerned after we have established the authenticity of ownership over the land.

“We also communicate the cost of removing the structure in the letter.

“We are authorised by law to recover cost of demolition; it is not something that one can run away from,’’ Galadima said

The AMMC official stressed the need for the public to be vigilant because “some miscreants can pose as staff of the department to defraud unsuspecting developers or owners of property.

“Such miscreants usually request huge amounts of money and falsely claim to be able to remove the encroaching structure,” Galadima said. (NAN)
UU/HAS/AFA
Edited by Hajia Sani/Felix Ajide
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NAN-DS-8
Crashes
By Angela Atabo
Abuja, Oct. 18, 2016 (NAN) The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) on Tuesday said it had recorded 143 deaths from 313 road crashes in two weeks nationwide.

Statistics made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja by Mr Bisi Kazeem, Head Media Relations and Strategy, said the crashes involved 502 people in weeks 40 and 41, 2016.

Kazeem said that 899 people were injured in the crashes, while 1, 044 people were rescued without injury.

He said that 41,190435 people traveled within the period, while 368, 990 vehicles traveled across the country.

He said that 20,578 traffic offenders were apprehended for 22,712 offences nationwide.

The media officer added that 9,821 traffic offenders were educated and 591 persons were convicted in 27 mobile courts, while 83 were discharged and acquitted.

“Within that same period of weeks 40 and 41, 995 special marshals were also on patrol and one special marshal lost his life,’’ he said

Kazeem said from the statistics, the number of crashes reduced by four per cent and the number of people rescued without injury increased by 30 per cent.

He said although deaths from road crashes reduced by 11 per cent as compared to the previous weeks, there was still need to be cautious on the road and obey traffic rules.(NAN)
ATAB/JPE/AMY
Edited by Joseph Edeh and Abdullahi Yusuf
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NAN-HE-6
Support
By Isaac Aregbesola
Abuja, Oct. 18, 2016 (NAN) United States on Tuesday said that President Mohammadu Buhari Administration’s efforts in diversifying Nigeria’s economy into non-oil export, would make the nation’s export more attractive to America and the rest of world.

Peter Barlerin, Deputy Assistant Secretary, West Africa and Economic and Regional Affairs, disclosed this at a news conference in Abuja.

He said the U.S. was considering increasing Direct Investment in Nigeria.

Berlerin said that the commencement of Shale oil and gas production in the U.S, in the last 10 years, had changed American’s economy and no longer a major importer of oil especially from Nigeria.

“It (the revolution) impacted on the oil export from Nigeria, I think this gives an opportunity to Nigeria to diversify the economic and deep our economic relationship in other ways,” he said

Barlerin who noted that the decline in the oil price had significant impact on Nigeria’s economy, just like any other countries,  commended Buhari’s efforts in trying to improve the economic conditions.

“We believe that such efforts would be helpful for the economy because it will make Nigeria export more attractive to the region, the U.S. and the rest of world.

“It will help Nigerian economy as it would no longer depend on oil as it did in the past.

“A number of sectors in Nigeria are promising; there are lots of promising exports potentials in services industry, in fashion industry, agriculture and other sectors,” he said.

The envoy said that U.S. would try to increase two ways trade and investments with Nigeria to deep the trade relations between the two countries.

“So if we have a high level of trade here, we want to increase both U.S. export to Nigeria and U.S. import from Nigeria, so that we can have two ways trade. Also we think that increasing U.S. direct investment into Nigeria is very important.

“I think the Buhari’s Administration’s efforts to improve easy doing business in Nigeria is very important.

“And we think that openness to U.S. investors into country’s economy will be very important for Nigeria’s economic growth,” he said.

According to him, Nigeria is one of the most important countries for the U.S. in sub-Saharan Africa, and it has the largest population on the continent and the second largest economy.

He said that U.S. and Nigeria had good relationship which would be made stronger and vibrant.

“In terms of overall U.S. Africa policy, President Obama strategies have been to increase peace security in sub-Sahara Africa.

“It is to improve the economic growth, trade and investment also to improve democracy governance and human rights and finally to increase opportunity and development in the continent,” he said. (NAN)

(Edited by Bola Akingbehin/Julius Enehikhuere)

Osun Assembly passes Public Private Partnership Bill into law

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Bill

By Victor Adeoti

Osogbo, Oct. 18, 2016 (NAN) The Osun House of Assembly on Tuesday in Osogbo during plenary passed the state’s Public Private Partnership (Establishment) Bill into law.

Deputy Leader Oladejo Osuolale, moved the motion for passage of the bill after third reading, while Kamil Oyedele, representing Irepodun/Orolu Constituency, seconded the motion.

Mr Timothy Owoeye, the House Leader, who presided over the plenary, said that when operational, it would assist government in providing public facilities for the people.

Owoeye said that there was need to collaborate with private individuals and organisations to provide infrastructure.

He called on the private sector to partner with government, adding that the law would protect their investment.

The house leader lauded the executive arm for drafting the bill and the members of the assembly for promptly passing it into law.

Owoeye said that the bill would be forwarded to the governor for assent. (NAN)

VE/FLP/OU
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Edited by Folorunso Poroye/Obike Ukoh

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NAN-H-80

Appointment

By Solomon Asowata

Lagos, Oct.18, 2016 (NAN) The Federal Government has appointed two new Directors for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

FAAN’s Acting General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, in a statement on Tuesday, gave the names of the new appointees as Mrs Nike Aboderin and Mr Sadiku Rafindadi.

NAN reports that the government had recently sacked some of FAAN’s directors as part of efforts to restructure the agency.

Yakubu said that Aboderin was appointed Director of Finance and Accounts, while Rafindadi was appointed as Director of Commercial & Business Development.

She said: “Aboderin is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (FCIB). She holds an M.Sc degree in Banking and Finance of the University of Lagos.

“Her over 23years experience in the financial services industry exposed her to both public and private exploits at different institutions including multinationals.

“She is an Advanced Management Programme (AMP) graduate of Lagos Business School and also holds a post graduate certificate in Global Strategic Management (GSM) of the Harvard Business School, Boston, USA.”

According to Yakubu, Aboderin is married and blessed with children.

She said that Rafindadi is a 1985 graduate of Economics of the University of Pittsburgh and also holds an MBA in Finance of Clark Atlanta University, USA.

“He attended Kaduna Polytechnic, where he obtained Certificates in Management Studies.

“Rafindadi is a seasoned amiable Manager who started his career as a young officer and rose to the pinnacle through diligence and commitment.

“Until his current appointment, he has worked in several Management capacities in different institutions, including, Phoenix Investment Services and British Petroleum.

“At the early stage of his career, he had a stint at the Ministry of Finance, Kaduna state, “she said.

According to the FAAN spokesperson, Ranfidadi is married and blessed with children.

Yakubu said the management and staff of FAAN looked forward to a good working relationship with the new appointees that would add value to the system. (NAN)

ASO/SOA
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Edited by Oluwole Sogunle

Group urges Gov.Wike to sustain pro-non indigenes policy

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Policy

By Azubuike Okeh

Port Harcourt, Oct. 18, 2016(NAN) A group, Non–Indigenes Without Borders, has urged Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers to sustain policies that have positive impact on non-indigenes living in the state.

Leader of the group, Mr Emeka Onowu, made the call while speaking during a courtesy call on the governor in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

Onowu said that the Wike-led government had implemented policies and programmes that have directly impacted on the well being of non-indigenes residing in the state.

He said Wike’s leadership style had shown that he never meant evil for non-indigenes living in the state as was rumoured during the electioneering campaigns.

“During the campaigns, it was rumoured that Wike hated non-indigenes, that he will drive them away if he won.

“Today, the narrative is different, Wike has offered critical appointments to non- Rivers people and integrated them into key empowerment programmes,’’ he said.

Onowu said that the Wike-led administration had demonstrated fairness and love in several manners to non-indigenes.

In his response, Wike said that the votes of non-indigenes played huge roles in his victory during the governorship poll.

He said his resolve to accommodate non-indigenes in his government was deliberate.

“I commend the non-indigenes for standing by me during the election in spite of the negative propaganda from the opposition.

“I thank you for closing your ears to the concocted lies of the opposition, we shall remain partners in the Rivers project.(NAN)
AZU/JPE/OU

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Edited by Joseph Edeh/Obike Ukoh
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NAN-HE-7
Revenue
Ibadan, Oct. 18, 2016 (NAN) The Oyo/Osun Command of the Nigeria Customs Service generated N11.1 billion from January to September, an official said on Tuesday in Ibadan.

The Area Controller of the Command, Mr Tolutope Ogunkua, gave the figure while briefing newsmen in Ibadan.

He said that the service made 188 seizures with duty paid value of N369 million during the period under review.

According to him, the seizures were made at different locations in the command’s areas of coverage.

He said that the service resolved to deal decisively with acts that would hinder Federal Government’s revenue drive.

“In the face of the challenging economic situation in the nation, the Nigeria Customs Service has stepped up its operations by blocking all revenue leakages in other to collect maximum duty accruable to the Federal Government,” he said.

Ogunkua said that the service also arrested assorted vehicles smuggled into the country through unapproved border routes.

“It is disheartening to note that despite the arrest and seizure of about 10,000 bags of rice between the months of January and September, smugglers have continued their nefarious activities, daring the Federal Government’s ban on the importation of rice through the border areas.

“However, it is my pleasure to announce to you that we have continued to record victory over them.

“This month alone, the command re-sharpened its intelligence network which led to the seizure of 18 fairly used vehicles,” he said.

Ogunkua said that the command would continue to deal decisively with economic saboteurs and work for the security and wellbeing of the nation. (NAN)
MAM/CEO/IGO
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(Edited by Ijeoma Popoola)

Oyo Govt. commiserates with accident victims’ families

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Commiseration
By Akeem Abas
Ibadan, Oct. 18, 2016(NAN) Oyo State Government has commiserated with families of the victims of Tuesday morning truck accident at Oja Oba area of Ibadan, which claimed four lives.
Mr Toye Arulogun, the state Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, described as “very unfortunate’’ the fatal accident in which several other people were injured.
He appealed to the people of the state to stop street trading which could endanger the lives of the citizenry.
Arulogun also cautioned against reckless driving and appealed to residents to be safety-conscious.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a heavy duty truck lost control on Tuesday morning at Oja-Oba area of Ibadan, killing four people.
Mr Adekunle Ajisebutu, police spokesman in Oyo State Command, told NAN that the command was investigating the cause of the accident.
He said that the bodies of the dead victims have been deposited at the morgue in Adeoyo State Hospital while the injured were taken to University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. (NAN)
TAA/BOLA/WOJ
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(Edited by Bola Akingbehin / Wale Ojetimi)

NAN-H-65
Arabic
Katsina, Oct. 18, 2016 (NAN) The Academic Society for Arabic Language and Literature in Nigeria (ASALLIN) has urged the Federal Government to include Arabic Language in the existing academic programmes of the Police Academy, Wudil, Kano State.

The president of ASALLIN, Dr Muhammad Ndagi made the plea at the opening ceremony of the association’s 12th National Conference in Katsina on Tuesday.

According to him, the theme of the conference is: “Arabic Heritage and Human Civilisation’’.

“We are calling on the Federal Government to add Arabic to the existing academic programmes of the Police Academy, Wudil, Kano State,’’ he said.

Ndagi said that that association encouraged and supported scholarly research in the field of Arabic Language, Literature and Linguistics in the country.

He said that participants of the conference would brainstorm on how Arabic Language had contributed and still contributing to human civilisation through its different branches of knowledge.

Ndagi said that the branches included rhetoric, syntax, prosody, literature, prose, lexicography, semantics, phonetics and phonology.

He urged the Federal Government to include ASALLIN in the membership of the Governing Council of Board of the Nigeria Arabic Language Village, Ngala, Borno State.

Ndagi called on the government to grant the association an observer status at the National Council on Education (NCE) meeting and “make it a member of the Joint Consultative Committee on Education (JCCE) in the country’’.

In his remark, the Chairman of the occasion, Justice Musa Danladi, spoke at length on the importance of Arabic as one of the international languages.

He urged some state governments and the Federal Government to enhance Arabic Language institutions that were neglected to revive learning of the language in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that ASALLIN is a professional academic society that brings together lecturers of Arabic Language, Literature and Linguistics from various tertiary institutions in Nigeria (NAN)
ZI/AJA
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NIMASA transferred N8.5bn into JTF’s account within 9 months, says witness

NAN-H-27
Atewe
By Sandra Umeh
Lagos, Oct. 18, 2016 (NAN) A prosecution witness, Teslim Ajuwon, on Tuesday told a Federal High Court in Lagos how NIMASA fraudulently transferred N8.5 billion into the account of the military Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta –“Operation Puelo Shield’’, all within a space of nine months.

Ajuwon, a compliance officer with a first generation bank, gave the evidence at the commencement of trial of a former JTF Commander, retired Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Atewe.

Atewe is charged alongside a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Patrick Akpobolokemi, Kime Engozu and Josephine Otuaga over alleged N8.5 billion fraud.

They are arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an 11-count charged bordering on fraud.

When the case was called on Tuesday, the prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, led his first witness (PW1) in evidence-in-chief.

The witness said that on the whole, NIMASA transferred cash totalling N8.5 billion into the account of the joint task force.

He also informed the court that between Sept. 5 and Sept. 16, 2014, a total of N1.8 billion was moved from the account into the accounts of Jaggan Ltd, Paper House Service Ltd, East Point Services Ltd and Al-nald Ltd.

Asked by Oyedepo to tell the court the various transactions that transpired on Sept. 3, 2014, the witness said: “On that day, there was a Nigeria Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT) of the sum of N2.4 billion into the account of Joint Task force and this was from NIMASA.

“On Oct. 30, 2014, there was another transfer of the sum of N2.4 billion by NIMASA into the same account of the task force; on April, 30, 2015, there was also a transfer of N1 billion from NIMASA into the same account.

“Again, on May 11, 2015, there was a transfer by NIMASA of the sum of N1.7 billion into the same account, while the following day, May 12, 2015, there was another transfer of N1 billion by NIMASA into the account.”

According to the witness, these amounts represent cash inflows into the account between Sept. 3, 2014 and May 12, 2015 by NIMASA.

The prosecutor then asked the witness to also explain the various transactions involving monies that were moved out of the account between Sept. 5 and Sept. 16, 2014.

He said: “First, there was a withdrawal of N100 million which was transferred to Jaggan Ltd in Diamond bank; a second transfer of N100 million was made again to Jaggan Ltd, and N100 million transferred to Paper House Ltd.

“The sum of N100 million was also transferred to Paper House Ltd, another N200 million transferred to East Point Services Ltd, N100 million transferred to Al-nald Ltd, while the sum of N50 million was again transferred to Jaggan Ltd.”

On Sept. 9, 2014, the witness told the court that for instance, culmulatively N150 million was transferred to Jaggan Ltd, while same amount also hit the accounts of other companies.

Justice Saliu Saidu, who presided over the case, has adjourned the case to Oct. 19 for continuation of trial.

The anti-graft agency alleged that the accused conspired to defraud NIMASA of N8.5 billion using six companies.

The companies are Jagan Ltd, Jagan Trading Company Ltd, Jagan Global Services Ltd, Al-Nald Ltd, Paper Warehouse Ltd,  Eastpoint Integrated Services Ltd and De-Newlink Integrated Services Ltd.

According to the EFCC, the accused committed the fraud between Sept. 5, 2014 and May 20, 2015.

The accused all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The offences contravened the provisions of Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and Section 390 of the Criminal Code, Laws of the Federation, 2004. (NAN)

UNS/DA
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Edited by Dele Akinsola