Blog

NEMA recommends rebuilding of tremor affected houses in Kaduna
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Recommendation
By Lizzy Agbaji
Abuja, Oct. 4, 2016 (NAN) The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has recommended the rebuilding of tremor affected houses in Kwoi, Kaduna State, pending the outcome of assessment reports by the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency.

Mr Musa Illalah, NEMA North-west Zonal Coordinator made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

He said there was urgent need for the over 300 houses affected to be rebuilt pending the outcome of the assessment report.

According to him, the report from the agency will enable them take action on whether or not to relocate the victims from the area.

“We, in collaboration with other stakeholders like the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency, the local government officials, and traditional rulers in Jaba local government undertook and assessment of the affected areas.

“We wrote our report and recommendations to the Federal Government for urgent intervention to the victims, which we recommended the provision of building materials.

“Ours is to keep close touch with the Geological Service Agency and when they share the report with us we will know what role to play.

“It is not the responsibility of NEMA to say the people should be relocated, that is why the geological agency is on ground and we are working in close collaboration.

“Unless that recommendation is made, I don’t know whether we can say it is safe or not for people to live there’’, Illalah said.

The coordinator said NEMA would do everything necessary to avoid further disaster and any loss of lives in the area in line with its Risk Reduction goal. (NAN)
LIZ/EAL/MZA

Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi and Controlled by Maharazu Ahmed
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Nurse docked for allegedly drugging, raping 19-year-old patient

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Rape
By Deborah Akpede
Lagos, Oct. 4, 2016 (NAN) For allegedly drugging and raping a 19-year-old girl, a 27-year-old male nurse, Olugbenga Isaac, was on Tuesday arraigned in an Ikeja Magistrates’ in Lagos.

Isaac, a resident of Ajah area of Lagos is being tried for rape.

The prosecutor, Insp. Clifford Ogu, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Sept.15 at Onipanu, Lagos.

He said that the accused unlawfully had sexual intercourse with the 19-year-old girl.

“The accused had sexual intercourse with a woman without her consent,” he said.

Ogu said that the complainant was sick and called the defendant, a nurse, to treat her.

“The complainant had toothache, she called the nurse to administer drugs on her, instead the accused injected her with some substance suspected to be sleeping injection.

“The complainant slept off and the accused raped her and left.

“The complainant regained consciousness after several hours and was bleeding from her private part, it was dawned on her that she had been raped,” he said.

The offence, Ogu said, contravened Section 258 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Section 258 provides that if convicted of the offence, the accused is liable to life imprisonment.

The accused denied committing the offence, while the Magistrate, Mrs T. Akanni granted him bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case till Nov. 30 for mention. (NAN)
DOA/OU

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Edited by Obike Ukoh

10 children get N10m support for heart surgeries in Plateau

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Surgeries

Jos, Oct.4, 2016 (NAN) The Plateau Government has released N10 million to support surgeries for 10 children affected by various heart ailments in the state, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Kunden Deyin, has said.

Deyin made the disclosure on Tuesday in Jos while handing over new ambulances to five General Hospitals in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria [NAN] reports that the commissioner did not, however, gave the names of the recipients and when the money was released.

He said that the administration was concerned about the health of its people and would ensure access to viable health care services to all residents.

NAN reports that the ambulances were for General Hospitals in Mangu, Barikin-Ladi, Shendam, Langtang and Pankshin.

“We gave the ambulances to them because of how busy these hospitals are; the ambulances would also be of benefit to their surrounding communities.”

He assured that other general hospitals would also be considered.

Dr Emmanuel Nahu of General Hospital Pankshin, who spoke on behalf of the other recipients, commended the government for making the health sector one of its focal point.

He said that the general hospital was without an ambulances since 1999.

“We have been without an ambulance since 1999, and this made issues of referral of emergency cases cumbersome as relatives of such patients had to look for alternative means of conveying their patients,” he said.(NAN)

UBO/TO/MZA

Edited by Tola Okinbaloye and Controlled by Maharazu Ahmed

Gov. Masari appoints new Head of Service
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Appointment
Katsina, Oct. 4, 2016(NAN) Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina State has approved the appointment of Alhaji Garba Sanda Mani as the new Head of Service of the state.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Media, Alhaji Abdu Labaran, and made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Katsina.

The statement said the appointment took immediate effect.

It said Mani’s appointment was based on his track record of service.

‘’Your selection is in recognition of your track record of service and on the conviction that you will serve faithfully, diligently and in the best interest of the state,’’ the statement said.

It said the appointee was born on Oct. 15, 1959; he began his working career in 1983 in the old Kaduna State as a Master Grade II officer in the office of the Secretary to the State Government.

It said Mani is an Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, graduate of Political Science, 1982.

The statement said the appointee also holds a Masters degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy (MIAD) from the same university in 2012.

It said the new Head of Service is also an alumnus of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, where he successfully completed the Senior Executive Course 32 in 2010.

It said Mani was appointed a Permanent Secretary in 2007, an office he has held until his present appointment.(NAN)
ZI/ERO/AMY
Controlled by Abdullahi Yueuf

WADA, Interpol team up to combat doping substances trafficking

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Doping

Berlin (NAN/dpa) The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Police Organisation (Interpol) have set up a joint project to fight the trafficking of performance-enhancing substances by criminal networks.

Interpol said in a statement issued on Tuesday that the WADA-funded project Energia aims to identify criminal networks.

It said that WADA and Interpol would also uncover links between trafficking and criminal organisations in sport and determine how to conduct law enforcement efforts.

The project is to focus on drugs which are used solely to enhance performance, such as anabolic steroids, growth hormones, peptides and the blood booster EPO.

“The Energia project is a key component in the global fight against doping.

“By joining forces, WADA and Interpol are better able to share intelligence on trafficking methods.

“And on those who manufacture and distribute dangerous substances to athletes seeking an edge,’’ it quoted WADA Director-General Olivier Niggli as saying.

Niggli said the project would help “support efforts to cut off the supply of performance enhancing drugs at the source, before they manage to get into the hands of athletes and it will contribute significantly to protecting clean sport.’’ (NAN/dpa)
MJO/ENN/SN
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(Edited by Edwin Nwachukwu, controlled by Silas Nwoha)

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Association

By Balarabe Nabilu

Jalingo, Oct. 4, 2016 (NAN) The Taraba State Branch of the Igbo Welfare Association has awarded scholarships to 100 orphans studying in various secondary schools in the state.

The President-General of the association, Mr Mazi Nwokeocha, made the announcement in Jalingo on Tuesday while disbursing money to beneficiaries.

He said that the 100 beneficiaries were children of the association’s dead members.

The president-general said that each beneficiary received N15, 000 as assistance to continue his/her education.

Nwokeocha said the gesture was initiated by the association in 2007 to give families of dead members sense of belonging.

He advised Igbos residing in the state to live in peace with their host communities and to continue to be good ambassadors of the Igbo race.

One of the beneficiaries, Mr Johnson Emeka, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, commended the association for the gesture.

He promised that the beneficiaries would justify the gesture by being hard working. (NAN)

NB/DUA/SN

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(Edited by Dada Ahmed, controlled by Silas Nwoha)

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Music
By Akeem Abas
Ibadan, Oct. 3, 2016 (NAN) An upcoming artist, Otis Kubeyinje, 27, says he will positively impact the Nigerian youths with his lyrics, which will soon hit the music stands.

Kubeyinje told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Monday that he was poised to turn around the music industry with truthful, unparalleled and meaningful music contents.

NAN reports that Kubeyinje, popularly known as DJ Timmy, son of Mr Kingsley Kubeyinje, a retired Deputy Editor-In-Chief of NAN, has been performing disc jockeys (DJs) for over 10 years.

A DJ is an artist, who plays recorded music for audiences on radio or at the live venues.

The artist said that he was inspired to sing to make positive impact in the society and make people happy.

Kubeyinje, who is currently working on his first album, said he would build and sustain his fans by dropping quality and irresistible contents.

He said that his music would involve hype, unusual and real stuff brands of music.

Kubeyinje decried the large number of mediocres and the get-rich-soon artistes in the industry, saying that their mission was to make quick money without impactful content.

He told NAN that he looked up to artiste like Yung6ix (King of the South), DJ Drama and Dj Kh.

Kubeyinje said that he was yet to feature in any album, urging the upcoming artists to build on their talents and produce real and positively rich contents. (NAN)
TAA/AIB/GOK
Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde/controlled by Olagoke Olatoye)

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Forecast
By Sumaila Ogbaje
Abuja, Oct. 3, 2016 (NAN) The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), has predicted cloudy weather conditions over the central states on Tuesday morning.

NiMet’s Weather Outlook issued by its Central Forecast Office in Abuja on Monday, predicted chances of localised thunderstorm over Abuja, Jos, Lafia, Makurdi, Ibi, Bauchi, Gombe, Jalingo and Mambila Plateau.

It added that partly cloudy sky with chances of isolated thunderstorm would affect the high grounds of the central states later in the day with day time temperatures of 27 to 33 degrees Celsius.

The agency also predicted cloudy weather conditions over the inland of the South-West and coastal cities, with prospects of localised rains in Port-Harcourt, Calabar, Eket, Benin, Obudu, Ogoja and Yenegoa in the morning hours.

According the agency, there are prospects of isolated thunderstorm over the region in the afternoon and evening hours with day time temperatures of 30 to 32 degrees Celsius.

NiMet further predicted that Northern states would experience partly cloudy to cloudy conditions with possibilities of thunderstorms over Gusau, Sokoto and Yelwa axis in the morning.

It added that sunny conditions would prevail over the region in the afternoon and evening hours with day time temperatures of 33 to 41 degrees Celsius.

NiMet said that cloudy conditions are expected with some chances of thunderstorm over some parts of the country within the next 24 hours. (NAN)
OYS/DUA/AEA
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Edited by Dada Ahmed and Controlled by Archibong Asuquo

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Electrification
By Akeem Abas
Ogbomoso (Oyo State), Oct. 3, 2016 (NAN) Sen. Abdulfatai Buhari (APC-Oyo North), has donated N500, 000 in support of efforts to electrify Koba Community in Saki local government area of Oyo state.

Buhari, Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber crime, made the donation on Monday when some residents of the community visited him at his Ogbomoso residence to seek his assistance in completing the electrification project.

He noted that the project was necessary to uplift the community, adding that the gesture was part of his electoral promises to his people.

Buhari restated his commitment to improve the living standard of the people of his constituency.

He called on privileged people in the society to assist by making meaningful contributions to the development of their communities.

The lawmaker assured the people of Saki that he would facilitate the development of Okerete international border market.

“The border market has the potential of not only fast tracking development of the area, but will boost the economy of the state, particularly Oke Ogun zone.

“And as your representative, I will not rest until the voices of our people are heard at the national level,” he pledged. (NAN)

Buhari, who had earlier met with members of Saki Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, pledged that he would use his position to facilitate meaningful development to the area.

TAA/AEA/AEA
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Edited and Controlled by Archibong Asuquo

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Lawmaker
By Victor Adeoti
Osogbo, Oct. 3, 2016 (NAN) A lawmaker in Osun State House of Assembly, Mr Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has urged Nigerians to join President Muhammadu Buhari in his fight against corruption and be whistle blowers.

Oyintiloye, who is the House Committee Chairman on Information and Strategy, in a statement issued in Osogbo on Monday, also advised the populace against idolising corrupt leaders with honours.

The lawmaker, in his message on the nation’s 56th independence anniversary, said that it was imperative for Nigerians, irrespective of their religious, ethnic or political leanings, to re-dedicate themselves to the cause of nation building.

He said though, the anniversary was worthy of celebration, it also called for sober reflection and renewed commitment to the ideal of nation building.

“We Nigerians, more than ever, needed to be truthful in the conduct of governance and political leadership to be able to fulfil the vision of the founding fathers.

“Unless we are truthful, open and sincere, probe our thoughts and our ways, it will be tough to break out of the limitations and circle of under development.

“Osun Assembly identified the need for proper and long term developmental planning that will serve as guiding light for the country to achieve the vision of the founding fathers,” Oyintiloye said.

According to him, the challenges facing the nation is not only at the economic front.

“It requires that we change our attitudes by investing in the nation resources through development of this potential as well as purchase of home made products.

“Essential components of patriotism to re-build the nation is for Nigerians to dream Nigeria, live, buy and eat Nigerian products.

“While I commend all arms of government for doing its best to salvage the economy, there is need for leaders to lead by examples, eschew bitterness, nepotism, blame game and other tendencies that may distract the nation from actualising its set goal.

“Loyalty and love for the nation must be rebuilt, we must inspire hope in the youths and citizenry at large, and necessary sacrifice must be made,” the lawmaker advised.(NAN)
VE/GOK
(Edited/controlled by Olagoke Olatoye)