Editors to media owners: Don’t owe your workers
The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has urged some media owners to stop owing workers salaries.
In a communiqué issued at the end of its conference in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State capital, the editors said journalists’ working conditions should be improved.
“Media owners must ensure regular payment of salaries as well as provide improved working conditions commensurate with the efforts of media practitioners,” NGE said.
The communiqué was signed by NGE’s president Garba Deen Mohammad and General Secretary Victoria Ibanga.
About 300 Editors drawn from the print, electronic and online media across the country attended the conference which held from August 26 to 30 and featured presentation of papers from scholars and giants in the media industry.
They include Professor Etannibi Alemika of the Department of Sociology, University of Jos; Executive Secretary, National Institute for Cultural Orientation, Abuja, Dr. Barclays Ayakoroma; and Editor-in-Chief of Vanguard Newspapers Mr. Gbenga Adefaye.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) was the Special Guest of Honour. He was represented by Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information Dr. (Mrs) Folashade Yemi-Esan. Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson was the Chief Host
The editors urged the media to remain steadfast in their reportage of events as well as be facilitators and agents of the positive change that Nigerians desire.
NGE said Nigerians must unite to build a nation that is prosperous and secure, irrespective of political, ethnic and religious differences.
It said steps taken so far by the President Buhari-led government to tackle terrorism are commendable. It urged Nigerians not to politicise or ethnicise the war against the scourge, stressing that much more must be done by all stakeholders to ensure that every part of country is secure.
On graft, NGE said: “The present administration’s war against corruption is commendable but that every effort must be made to ensure that it is not selective. Every Nigerian must support the battle to eradicate the monster which has adversely affected the country.”
The communiqué added: “Media practitioners must play their agenda setting role and make conscious effort to raise the level and quality of public debate by bringing issues of national interest to the fore.
“Editors must strive continually to improve their skills and acquire new skills that would prepare them for life outside the Editorial chair. Editors must do more to bring about the change Nigerians are yearning for by playing the watchdog role assigned them by Section 22 of the Nigerian Constitution.
“Nigerians must unite and support efforts of the government of President Buhari to revive the nation’s economy. There must be a conscious effort to re-orient Nigerians to embrace values that would bring about the desired change.
“That the Governors’ Forum make more efforts to build synergy among themselves and function as a Peer Review Mechanism, for sharing experiences and learning from each other policies and programmes that would make their states better.”
The editors praised President Buhari for appointing two past NGE presidents Mr. Femi Adesina and Mallam Garba Shehu as his Special Adviser and Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity.
The nation
64 million Nigerians are mentally sick- Nebo
Former Power Minister, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, Monday in Enugu rated governments at various levels low in the area of psychiatric and mental health care.
He said this was worrisome considering that some medical scholars have revealed that in a population of 160 million or thereabout, “it is speculated that 64 million Nigerians suffer from one form or the other of afflictions of mental illness- deserving attention”.
Nebo spoke as a guest lecturer at the 2nd Public Lecture organized by the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu in collaboration with the West African College of Nursing.
Speaking on the theme: “Psychiatric and Mental Health in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects”, the former minister said whereas government had done much in the area of Primary Health Care, much was yet to be done in the area of psychiatric and mental health.
“I will confess that while Government has built modern diagnostic centres, dialysis and ophthalmological centres, and constructed more than 710 Primary Health Care Centres throughout our political wards in Enugu State, we are only beginning to give priority towards optimizing and modernizing our Psychiatric Mental Health Institutions in the State to meet required demands.
“Despite the efforts of all levels of government in the medical sector of our nation, Nigerians still grapple with many social challenges, including poverty, high level of unemployment and other social pressures.
“The prevalence of these situations have been escalated by the fact that there is high level of poor knowledge and understanding of the malaise of mental health disorder and the positive treatments required by the growing population of mentally ill patients,”he stated.
He identified causes of mental illness to include genetic composition, early development, neurological and psychological experiences and environmental stresses.
While calling for increased awareness on the treatment and management of mental disorder, Nebo said “the belief that many Nigerians seem to hold that mental disorder is a result of supernatural forces and, therefore, only responds to cure through traditional practices and supernatural incantations- must give way and face the realities of modern conditions, which in fact, produce the stresses that lead to different level of mental conditions”.
He called for adequate funding for research and training of mental health manpower, stressing that “this will increase our output of psychiatric nurses and create more positions for residency training in psychiatric”.
Nebo equally advocated for community based mental health care services, total integration of the mental health care into the Primary Health Care System and periodic review of legislation governing the care of the mentally ill.
The Chief Medical Director of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, Dr. Jojo Onwukwe said the institution was the only one of its kind, East of the Niger, with staff strength of 1000 workers, including eight consultants specialist psychiatrists, more than 400 psychiatric nurses and 27 resident doctors.
Enugu State Governor, Rt. Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi was represented at the event by his commissioner for special duty, Mrs. Rita Mba, while former Governor Sullivan Chime, represented by his son, Nnamdi Chime, was inducted into the institution’s hall of fame.
The nation
Awoniyi joins Liverpool
Awonyi after he was unveiled by Liverpool FC on Monday. Photo: LFC
… Loaned to FSV Frankfurt
Dream Team VI striker, Taiwo Awoniyi has joined English Premier League side, Liverpool, from Imperial Academy.
The 18-year-old forward who was part of the Flying Eagles squad to the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand has been sent on loan to Bundesliga side, FSV Frankfurt, Goal reports.
“This is the biggest club in the world and I’m privileged to be here,” Goal quoted Awoniyi as saying on Liverpoolfc.com.
“I’ll try to develop myself very well so that when I come back to Liverpool I’ll be able to add value to the team.
“When I’m in the red shirt, I will always give my very best to make the fans happy,” he concluded.
He will hope to get regular playing time at the Bundesliga 2 side managed by Tomas Oral.
Dogara lauds D’Tigers’ FIBA tourney victory
Dogara
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has said the victory of the nation’s basketball team at the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Afro basketball 2015 championship in Tunisia was an exhibition of the true Nigerian spirit of resilience, courage and determination.
Dogara, in a congratulatory message by issued his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan, said the victory was for all Nigerians and not just the team.
It reads: ” Nigeria has never won the competition as Angola, continued to triumph over the D’Tigers in the past but that yesterday`s victory has finally broken the jinx.
“By beating the 10th time champions 74-65, members of D`Tigers had made Nigeria proud and written their names in gold.
“The Speaker further expressed his happiness with the team for not only winning the competition but qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
“He said the team has exhibited the true Nigerian spirit of resilience, courage and determination which according to him, led to their victory over Angola.
The nation
It’s too early to judge Buhari – Lai Mohammed
Mohammed
The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lai Mohammed, has said it is too early to judge the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari based on few appointments made so far.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Mohammed said he believes the President will make the right decision on appointments and he will be gender-friendly.
He debunked reports that some members of the APC have expressed disappointments over the appointments made by the President, insisting that the party is happy about the appointment.
“I also read online that some APC leaders, who chose to remain anonymous, expressed dissatisfaction.
“But I can tell you that all the APC members are behind the President on these appointments,” he stressed.
He, however, disagreed with a statement credited to the National Chairman of the party, John Oyegun, that APC will be more involved in future appointments by the President.
“I read the full statement of the National Chairman of my party, and what he said was that, these are personal staff. It’s too early to make a judgment, you do not take part to be the whole.
“Future appointments will be different but these are personal staff,” he said.
Stop bragging about fake economic achievements
•Bury your head in shame, presidency tells PDP
The Presidency yesterday asked the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) to bury its head in shame instead of bragging about fake economic achievements while in power.
It said while the PDP was in power, the economy was gasping for breath under the egregiously corrupt administration.
It said if the former ruling party was doing so well, the opposition parties would have found it difficult to defeat a popular ruling party.
The presidency blasted the PDP in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Mallam Garba Shehu.
The statement was a reaction to the PDP’s claim, through its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, that the economy was going down under the APC.
The statement said: “The presidency has advised the PDP to stop its pathetic efforts to play down President Buhari’s achievements in his first 100 days in office and bury its head in shame for subjecting Nigeria to the worst economic plunder through corruption in its recent history.
“The economy of Nigeria was gasping for breath under the egregiously corrupt PDP administration, and that the country was witnessing an acceleration of poverty which united Nigerians for change.
“The excruciating hardship experienced by Nigerians under the PDP misrule was unprecedented. It is ridiculous to for any sane government to artificially rebase the economy and claim to transform Nigeria into the largest economy in Africa as the PDP administration did.”
He explained that the defeated former ruling party was artificially manipulating statistics to create the illusion of impressive economic performance record.
He added: “One falsehood built on another cannot stand, adding that if the PDP claim of economic successes in terms of GDP, employment generation, poverty alleviation and others were genuine, Nigerians wouldn’t have voted the party out of power.
“If the former ruling party was doing so well, the opposition parties would have found it difficult to defeat a popular ruling party.
Malam Garba Shehu said that the PDP assumed performance was nothing more than window dressing, and a detachment from reality.
The Presidential spokesman said: “No economy can grow with corruption, an area in which the PDP administration demonstrated more competence.
“Criticism for its own sake is not the Hallmark of credible opposition.
“Nigerians no longer face exploitation at filling stations because the government is taking punitive measures against marketers that punish poor Nigerians.
“Queues have disappeared at the filling stations and the Naira is also enjoying favourable exchange rate.
The Media aide said the Buhari administration has successfully blocked leakages and other avenues for corruption, practices which he said the previous PDP administration lacked the will or the desire to stop.
“As a result of the measures to block leakages, the Buhari administration has frustrated the efforts by corrupt elements to divert public funds to private pockets.
“Once the formal trial for corruption begins formally, the PDP might no longer have the moral legs to stand on, let alone talk down on Nigerians with fake claims of economic miracles under its most incompetent and grossly purposeless and sleazy administration.
Chibok girls: Buhari offers economic support to grieving parents
•Sends them message of hope
The Federal Government is offering economic support to parents of the over 200 students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, who were abducted by Boko Haram in April 2014.
Also being offered them by government is trauma management support.
President Muhammadu Buhari in a fresh message of hope to the parents yesterday on the occasion of the 500th day of the abduction said the support is not any way compensation for the missing girls.
He said: “these priceless schoolgirls are our daughters and they are dear to us as much as they are to you. We share the agony and sorrows you are experiencing as well as our abducted girls. As government we are working hard to rescue our girls alive and healthy.
“I am optimistic that the girls are still alive and will soon be rescued and handed over to you parents by the grace of God. As leaders we are responsible for the welfare of our people and are accountable before the Almighty God.
“As such, while the rescue efforts go on relentlessly, the government will continue to render assistance to you as their biological parents. We are aware that most of you the parents cannot attend to your sources of livelihood, go to work, go to farms or carry on with your trading because of the psychological trauma and agony you are going through and this is to be expected.
“It is for this reason, we find it an obligation to support you in trauma management and in offering some economic support and these support are not compensation for your daughters because we have not lost hope in recovering them, indeed no sane parent gives up on the recovery of a missing child.”
The President’s message was delivered to the parents by Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State at a meeting in Maiduguri, according to his Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Mallam Isa Gusau.
Ninety parents were at the meeting.
The President said Boko Haram’s actions have religious or tribal inclination whatsoever and regretted their senseless killings.
He said: “government is fully committed to fight the insurgents to a standstill especially with renewed global and regional military cooperation as well as the commitment so far displayed by the newly appointed service chiefs and their gallant armed forces who have shown so much patriotism and great sacrifice in defense of their father land.”
The president said he fully understands the pains and agony of losing a child having once lost a child too.
The nation
Jonathan Alison-Madueke ex-CSO fingered in $6.9m scandal
•Security agencies probe purchase of mobile stages
•How NNPC secret account was used
•How NNPC secret account was used
Security agencies are now probing how the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan allegedly withdrew $6.9million (N1.460b) from a secret account of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) to buy three 12 meter (40 feet) mobile stages for use at public events.
The cash was said to be part of the unremitted funds into the Federation Account by NNPC.
The purported purchase, according to investigation, did not pass through due process and was known only to Dr. Jonathan, his then Chief Security Officer, Mr. O.J. Obuah and former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Obuah, it was gathered, raised a memo to his boss for the purchase and the release of the money to that effect.
Jonathan allegedly gave his approval and authorized the former minister to disburse the fund.
Shedding light on how the deal was struck on October 17, 2011 through a curious memo from Obuah, a source familiar with the development said preliminary investigation suggested that there was no record of purchase of the said stages.
It was learnt that the $6.9million was paid into a company’s account after NNPC directed that the money be taken from one of its accounts in New York CITIBANK with sort code CITIUS 33, and Routing number 021000089.
The affected company, J. Marine Logistics Limited, Abuja, was purportedly registered by Obuah.
The source said: “Between himself, his Chief Security Officer and the former Petroleum Minister, former President Goodluck Jonathan spent in just one shot deal a whopping $6.9 million dollars to buy three 40-feet mobile stages for use at public speaking events.”
Federal government investigators and security agencies, sources added, believe this is just one of the tons of alleged corrupt practices frequently engaged in and condoned under the last president.
“Besides the fact that the sum for the stages was incredibly inflated, according to mobile stage industry experts, government investigators say there is no evidence yet that any stage was purchased at all,” one source said, citing several documents.
One of the documents says: “At the centre of the fraudulent financial ring was the former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr. O.J. Obuah who initiated a memo to the former president on October 17, 2011 asking for the purchase of three mobile stages.
“He said in that memo to the former president that this is regarding “my earlier discussion with Your Excellency on the security implication of your public appearances and your subsequent directive on the need to procure a secured presidential platform.”
“And on the same day without any financial advice or purchase order reviews, the former president minuted his approval of the request to buy the three stages to the then Minister for Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke.
“In his minute, the president said ‘we have discussed this, please deal.”
“Right after that okay from the president, on the same October 17, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administrative Matters, Matt Aikhionbere did another letter on the strength of the president’s approval requesting the Petroleum Minister to take action on the request to purchase the stages for $6.9m.
“By the next month, an NNPC payment voucher number 3840336 was already in place revealing that the money was released. NNPC directed that the money be taken from one of its accounts in New York CITIBANK with sort code CITIUS 33, and Routing number 021000089.
“It was first routed from the US bank to an NNPC account in Zenith Bank account number 5000026593, Maitama branch in Abuja, from where the money was sent to a private account. The sum of $6.9m was then credited to a Sterling Bank account of one J. Marine Logistics Limited, Abuja, a company investigators say was registered by Obuah.”
Responding to a question, the source said: “The $6.9miilion in question was promptly paid on November 29, 2011 into a private account belonging to the former CSO.
“The former president approved the procurement of the mobile platforms without due process and bye-passing the Procurement Act neither was there an appropriation in the 2011 budget for such facility.
“Neither the minister of Finance nor the Director-General of the Budget Office was aware of the deal.
“There are no records of this purchase which was carried out late 2011.”
The preliminary findings also indicated that the cost of the stages might have been inflated.
The source said: “According to the investigators, the cost of mobile stages depends on size and designs; only outlandish rock star musicians in Europe and the US spend hundreds of thousands on their huge stages way bigger than the 40-feet stages.
“Even then, those musicians and super stars would not pay over $2m per stage, according to industry sources.
“The process of procurement of the three mobile stages was not known to extant Nigerian laws and due process regulations, nor were the offices of the Auditor-General and the Accountant-General in the know.”
It was learnt that the deal was one of the issues for which the ex-CSO was grilled quizzed by the Department of State Security(DSS) during his recent arrest and detention.
One of the officials handling the investigation added: “ The CSO himself according to investigators has not been able to show proof of the purchase and his memo irked his bosses at the SSS that he took the initiative to request for the stages, an action which officials say was way above his pay grade.
“It is not the duty or responsibility of the CSO to make the determination on that purchase. He was meant to have informed the service, which will then review the situation and act accordingly.
“What has happened here is that the former president and the former minister with the collusion of the CSO decided to use public funds for other purposes since no one has found the stages as we speak.”
“This is just one of the several instances where the Jonathan administration used secret NNPC accounts to fund questionable projects and for alleged personal financial aggrandizements.”
It was gathered that some of these embarrassing issues were part of the matters raised by Jonathan with the National Peace Committee headed by the former Head of State, General Abdusalami Abubakar.
The committee later facilitated a secret parley between President Muhammadu Buhari and ex-President Jonathan.
But at the session, Buhari insisted that the law must take its course with anyone found guilty of corruption.
At the June 29th meeting of the National Economic Council at the State House, the council had raised questions over the non- remittance of the finances generated by the NNPC into the Federation Account.
The nation
Audu emerges Kogi APC governorship candidate
A former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Abubakar Audu, has emerged candidate of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) in the state governorship election slated for Nov. 21.
Audu emerged winner of the APC governorship primary which was held in Lokoja between Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
He polled 1, 109 votes to beat his closest rival, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who scored 703 votes.
A former Senator, Alhaji Nurudeen Abatemi, scored 400 votes to place third .
Another aspirant, Alhaji Sanusi Abubakar, scored 309 votes, while Hajia Hadiza Ibrahim, the only female among the 28 aspirants, scored four votes.
Out of the 3,548 delegates, 3,044 were accredited by the Electoral Panel, while 29 votes were declared invalid.
Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, the Chairman of the Electoral Panel, commended the aspirants for their maturity and commitment to the ideals of the party.
El-Rufai urged the Audu and other contenders to quickly close ranks and work together to ensure the victory of the party in the coming election.
In his response, Audu thanked members of the electoral panel for making the election transparent , free and fair.
He called on other aspirants to accept the result in good faith and work with him in harmony in the interest of the party.
“ Letus work together in harmony , we have serious task ahead. To unseat an incumbent is not easy but we can do it, “ he said.
Audu described the result of the election “as no victor, no vanquished’’ and praised all the aspirants for their courage and comport before and during the primary election.
Bello, who spoke on behalf of the other aspirants, described the primary election as transparent, free and fair and lauded the members of the electoral panel for their efforts.
He advised Audu to live up to his position as a leader and father, describing APC as a big family.
Bello, also advised the winner to carry all aspirants and stakeholders along , pledging that they would work with him to win the election.
Media groups demand release of detained Nigerian based journalist in Cameroon
Ateba
Media groups in Cameroon and the Committee for the Protection of Journalists,
( CPJ) have condemned the arrest of a Nigerian based Cameroonian journalist, Simon Ateba who is being detained by the country’s military authorities on charges of espionage.
The groups in separate statements demanded for Ateba’s immediate releaseAteba, a Cameroonian wo has worked as a journalist in Nigeria for over a decade, was arrested on Friday afternoon at the Minawao refugee camp and taken to Makolo in the far north of Cameroon and has been accused of spying for the Boko Haram insurgency group which is waging a Jihadist was in the north east Nigeria.
The President of the Cameroon Journalism Trade Union, Dennis Nkwebo, condemned Ateba’s arrest as high handed, observing that the journalist had not committed any offence by going to report on activities there.
“He is a Cameroonian even if he is working in Nigeria and he has not committed any offence by going to report the refugee situation at the camp. We condemn his arrest as he was arrested in the course of doing his legitimate journalistic work and demand his release”, Nkwebo stated.
According to the Cameroon journalists’ union president, there is no law in the country which forbids any journalist from reporting the refugee camps. Nkwebo added that the military authorities even had no right to arrest anybody for going into the refugee camps since the facility is controlled and run by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR, and not the government.
“I have gone there to report events there at the camp many times and even taken photographs and nobody stopped me,” he observed.
He lamented that even local journalists suffer repression in the hands of the military authorities, noting that journalists in Cameroon had been dragged to military tribunals before for possessing information that the authorities think they should have shared with the government.
( CPJ) have condemned the arrest of a Nigerian based Cameroonian journalist, Simon Ateba who is being detained by the country’s military authorities on charges of espionage.
The groups in separate statements demanded for Ateba’s immediate releaseAteba, a Cameroonian wo has worked as a journalist in Nigeria for over a decade, was arrested on Friday afternoon at the Minawao refugee camp and taken to Makolo in the far north of Cameroon and has been accused of spying for the Boko Haram insurgency group which is waging a Jihadist was in the north east Nigeria.
The President of the Cameroon Journalism Trade Union, Dennis Nkwebo, condemned Ateba’s arrest as high handed, observing that the journalist had not committed any offence by going to report on activities there.
“He is a Cameroonian even if he is working in Nigeria and he has not committed any offence by going to report the refugee situation at the camp. We condemn his arrest as he was arrested in the course of doing his legitimate journalistic work and demand his release”, Nkwebo stated.
According to the Cameroon journalists’ union president, there is no law in the country which forbids any journalist from reporting the refugee camps. Nkwebo added that the military authorities even had no right to arrest anybody for going into the refugee camps since the facility is controlled and run by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR, and not the government.
“I have gone there to report events there at the camp many times and even taken photographs and nobody stopped me,” he observed.
He lamented that even local journalists suffer repression in the hands of the military authorities, noting that journalists in Cameroon had been dragged to military tribunals before for possessing information that the authorities think they should have shared with the government.
“Freedom of expression is under attack in Cameroon and journalists in this country will continue to resist all attempts to supress the Press,”Nkwebo asserted.
The President of the Cameroon Union of Journalists, Charles Ndi Chia condemned Ateba’s arrest and promised to do everything possible to effect his release as soon as possible.
In its reaction, the CPJ, in a brief statement issued Saturday by its West African representative, Peter Nkanga, said that the journalist’s arrest and continued detention was uncalled for as he was doing legitimate business of reporting an issue of public interest.
“Authorities should release Simon Ateba immediately and allow journalists access to the camp, and the people within, to report those stories of public interest which have remained shrouded in secrecy and underreported for too long,”Nkanga stated.
Ateba was arrested at the Minawao refugee camp in the far north of the country at about noon on Friday and taken to Mokolo, some twelve kilometres away, where he was detained.
He was in Cameroon to report on the conditions of refugees in the camp when he was arrested and accused of spying for the dreaded Boko Haram insurgency group.
He said he had been told that he would be taken to Yaoundé, the Cameroonian capital, and handed over to the secret police to be tried for espionage.
Dayo Aiyetan, executive director of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, ICIR, which awarded a grant to Ateba to conduct the investigation, expressed worry that the journalist’s whereabouts are no longer known as nobody has been able to reach him since Saturday afternoon.
“I was in contact with him even as he was detained but since about 4.00 pm or so I have not been able to reach him,” Aiyetan stated Saturday evening.
He added that Ateba complained that he had not been given food or water for over 24 hours and had not been allowed to buy drugs to treat a feverish condition that developed after he was beaten by rain.
When contacted over the matter, the Cameroon minister of information, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, said he was not aware of the journalist’s arrest. Although the minister was told that he had not been fed or given access to medication to treat a fever, the minister said that there was nothing he could do until Monday or Tuesday.
Body of abducted man found in Ebonyi
His hand was placed on his chest and his mobile phone which has been off since he was kidnapped.
Isha was whisked away a week ago by unknown gunmen with a Hilux van on his way back home from where he went to buy things for his family in the night.
The people of the area had declared him missing and organized a search party for him but to no avail as he was still missing the weekend when his remains was found in a nearby swamp in the area.
A family source who pleaded anonymity and who confirmed the death of Isha said that he was found dead.
The source added that a relative of the deceased had gone to farm and started perceiving offensive ordour which made him uncomfortable while in the farm and he began to look for the source which led to the discovery of Isha’s dead body.
‘’One of us went to his farm. While in the farm, he said he perceived bad ordour and that the ordour was so offensive that no one could stand it.
‘’So, when the man was searching for the source of the ordour, he saw the dead body of our brother who have been missing for the past one week,” the source disclosed.
Wife of the deceased, Isha Ada who lamented the gruesome murder of her husband called on the law enforcement agents to fish-out the perpetrators.
She described her late husband as a peaceful and caring man who never want any trouble and wondered why he was murdered in such manner.
‘’I never believed my husband could be killed in this manner because he doesn’t look for anyone’s trouble. And those who killed him will never know peace in life.
‘’He was good to me, caring and tolerant. Today I have lost a companion, a loving man and a true husband,” she lamented.
The late Isha is a staff of Igbeagu Development Centre in Izzi local government area of the state.
The nation
Ibadan Restaurant Serve Customers With Hoverboard!
Big Shoutout to Ibadan Peeps for being Innovative and Creative, So when i first came across this picture, i thought it was a joke, but then it isn't... There is actually a new restaurant in Ibadan serving people with hoverboard, What do you think about this??
Cool Or Naah??
Is Anything Wrong With The Dress This Girl Wore To Church?
Pastor Dee Franklin from St. Stephen Baptist Church in Houston posted this photo on her Facebook page of a woman that came to her church dressed like that.
Was it appropriate for the pastor to post it? and in your opinion is the Dressing wrong??
Was it appropriate for the pastor to post it? and in your opinion is the Dressing wrong??
N2.4b pay off bonanza for ex-Senators, Reps
NASS
•Lawmakers also went away with Prado, Peugeot 407 vehicles
LEGISLATORS who served in the immediate past National Assembly (NASS) are going home with N2,494,300,000 as severance pay, it has been learnt.
Those reelected into the present NASS also benefited from the package.
The severance pay is computed at the end of every session of the National Assembly. The 7th session ended on June 4, paving the way for the inauguration of the 8th session on June 9.
There are 109 senators and 360 House of Representatives members in the National Assembly.
Senators got N6. 7 million each; Representatives, N4.9 million each.
They were also given their official cars. Senators parted with N2 million each for their Prado Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) and representatives, N1.9million each for their Peugeot 407 cars.
The vehicles were distributed to them after their inauguration in 2011. The exercise sparked outrage across the country.
The National Assembly leadership then said the vehicles were “for use in performing committee functions.”
Investigation by The Nation showed that the Prado SUVs allocated to the Senators were supplied at a contract price of N12 million per unit although the market price then was about N8 million.
Sources said the amount deducted from the lawmakers’ severance gratuity was the ‘depreciation value’ of their cars.
Payment of severance gratuity to federal legislators is contained in the “Remuneration Package for Political and Public and Judicial Office Holders” (Feb 2007 to date) prepared by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
Under the RMAFC guidelines, the Senate President is entitled to N7, 482, 727.50 as severance gratuity and House of Representatives Speaker, N7, 431,330.
Senators are entitled to N6, 079, 200 each and representatives, N5, 955, 637.
So far, members of the 8th National Assembly have collected N12,967,600,000 in salary and allowances within the first two months of their sitting.
Senators got N36.4million each and representatives, N25million each.
The first tranche of N10million, totalling N4.6billion, was paid to the Senators and Representatives in June to ‘cushion’ the difficulty of settling down in Abuja.
The amount covered their housing, transport and furniture expenses.
Last month, senators got another N13.4 million each and representatives, N7 million each as quarterly allowance.
The legislators have gone on recess three times since their inauguration. They have yet to pass a bill.
There are proposals to cut their emoluments because of the prevailing economic situation.
Seven die in NAF jet crash in Kaduna
Seven persons are reported dead in an Air Force Training flight which crashed into Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA Officers Quarters, Kaduna on Saturday morning.
Those on board the flight which crashed at about 6: 47am included the pilot, co-pilot, two engineers and three passengers.
The Nation learnt that the Abuja bound flight crashed about 10 minutes after take off from the NAF base.
Photos: Nigeria Police gets 1st female Force Public Relations Officer
She is a graduate of Nigeria Police Academy; she studied Law in Ogun State University and graduated with Bachelor of Law degree (LL.B) in 2000. She graduated from the Nigeria Law School where she obtained a (BL) degree and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2002. She attended University of Leicester, United Kingdom where she obtained a Masters degree in Police Leadership and Management (PLM).
She is an officer with vast policing experience at both national and international levels. At national level she has held several positions including Legal Adviser, Administration officer, Intelligence officer and Force Gender Adviser among others. At the international level, she served in the following United Nations Missions; in East-Timor 2000, Kosovo 2004, Liberia 2006 and at the DPKO UNHQ, New York 2007. She is a member of the pool of investigators assisting the office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague in the investigations of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence as international crimes. Besides her core academic trainings and attainments, Ag. ACP Kolawole attended several professional Police courses within and outside the country namely;
• Standing Police Capacity Training at the National Police Institute, Bramshil, London, United Kingdom in 2007
• Counter Terrorism Studies at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom in 2008
• POC/Sexual and Gender Based Violence Course at COESPU in Vicenza, Italy in 2013
• Investigating cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence as International crimes at the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Centre, Doha, Qatar in 2013.
• Protection of Civilian Train of trainers course, National Defence College, Abuja 2014.
• Policy, Strategy and Leadership Course, National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS), Jos 2014.
• Tactical Leadership and Command Course (TLCC) Police Staff College, Jos 2014.
• Public Relations Course, Public Service Institute, Abuja 2015
• Standing Police Capacity Training at the National Police Institute, Bramshil, London, United Kingdom in 2007
• Counter Terrorism Studies at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom in 2008
• POC/Sexual and Gender Based Violence Course at COESPU in Vicenza, Italy in 2013
• Investigating cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence as International crimes at the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Centre, Doha, Qatar in 2013.
• Protection of Civilian Train of trainers course, National Defence College, Abuja 2014.
• Policy, Strategy and Leadership Course, National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS), Jos 2014.
• Tactical Leadership and Command Course (TLCC) Police Staff College, Jos 2014.
• Public Relations Course, Public Service Institute, Abuja 2015
She is a member of a number of organisations and associations such as; Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA),International Association of Women Police (IAWP), International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), United Nations Women Police Network.
Until her appointment as the Force Public Relations Officer, Ag. ACP Kolawole was the Deputy Director of the Directorate of Peacekeeping and the Police Force Gender Adviser.
She is happily married with children. Her hobbies include reading and travelling, her sport is Table Tennis.
She is happily married with children. Her hobbies include reading and travelling, her sport is Table Tennis.
Fire guts Saraki’s house in Abuja
The Maitama, Abuja, home of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, was gutted by fire on Friday morning.
The Nation gathered that the fire was caused by electric spark in the building’s gymnasium hall.
However, no casualty was recorded in the incident.
Details later…
Edo: Baby dumper begs for forgiveness
A 28 years old girl who threw her new born baby away is begging for forgiveness from her parents and Nigerians.
Joy Osarhiakhi had on June 13, 2015 delivered herself of a baby girl in a bathroom of the house she lives with her parents and immediately packed the baby in a nylon bag and threw her away in the same neighbourhood.
It took three days before the baby was discovered by neighbours who immediately called for help from the police.
Joy who said she successfully hide her pregnancy from her parents for nine months, attributed her action to the fact that the baby’s father, denied being responsible for the pregnancy.
Joy has been remanded in prisons since July after spending about three weeks in the custody of the Nigeria Police who arrested her upon her confession on June 16.
“I regret my action and have begged my parents, siblings for the pains and embarrassment I have caused them. I also want Nigerians to forgive me.
“I want my baby back. I want to take proper care of her and promised that I will not in any way harm her.
“It was never my intension to do what I did; I just took the decision immediately I delivered.
“I felt labour pains when I was about to bath and when I had the baby, I held her in my hands for some minutes and asked myself what to do with the child.
“It was then I saw a N10 nylon bag and rapped her inside I quietly dropped her across the fence. I regret my action and appeal for forgiveness from everybody.”
Also speaking, parents, Mr Ebohon Osarhiakhi and his wife, Mrs Elizabeth Osarhiakhi who both denied any knowledge of her pregnancy, stressed that they would not have allowed her take the decision she took if they were in the know.
Mr. Osarhiahki said he and his wife were even part of those reigning curses on who dumped the baby without knowing it was their daughter.
‘When we heard of neighbour cry after discovering the baby, we joined them to curse whoever did it and never knew the person was with us.
“I don’t know what my wife discovered for her to later ask me to question my daughter about the baby who actually confessed to it. I immediately handed her to the security agency for her to face the appropriate punishment.
“I have received lot of pleas from families and neighbours who appealed for me to assist her out of prisons. You don’t throw a bad child away and I want her back to be assisted in whatever capacity.
Osarhiakhi said though, pride price was yet to be paid on her daughter, but noted that it was the same man who she had her first child for that was responsible for the pregnancy.
“My daughter told me so but the boy has denied it and even said he would carry out paternity test on the first child. They never quarreled but had an arrangement for my daughter to be staying in my house she it was closer to where she learn fashion design.
“I do not only want my daughter back but my granddaughter who has been kept in an orphanage home after being discharged from hospital,” he stated.
10 Boko Haram militants sentenced to death in Chad
At least 10 members of the Boko Haram sect have been sentenced to death in Chad as part of efforts by that country to stamp out lawlessness.
The 10 were found guilty of terrorism by a court in the capital, N’Djamena, according to Reuters’ report quoting judicial sources.
“They are all sentenced to death,” said one of the sources.
N’Djamena, less than 100 kilometres from the Nigerian border, was hit by a series of suicide bombings in June and July that killed more than 40 people.
Photo: Ambode condoles with El-Rufai
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (left) with his Kaduna State counterpart, Mallam Nasir El Rufai (middle) and widow of Late Yahaya Hamza (right) during the Governor’s condolence visit to Gov. El Rufai on his Father’s demise in Kaduna, on Thursday
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (2nd right) with his Kaduna State counterpart, Mallam Nasir El Rufai (2nd left) and Secretary to the Government, Mr. Tunji Bello (right) during the Governor’s condolence visit to Gov. El Rufai on his Father’s demise in Kaduna, on Thursday
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (right) with his Kaduna State counterpart, Mallam Nasir El Rufai (2nd right) and one of Kaduna State Government officials during the Governor’s condolence visit to Gov. El Rufai on his Father’s demise in Kaduna, on Thursday
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (left) with his Kaduna State counterpart, Mallam Nasir El Rufai (right) during the Governor’s condolence visit to Gov. El Rufai on his Father’s demise in Kaduna
Photos: 70 decomposed bodies of migrants found in a meat truck in Austria
In another indication of the worsening migrant crisis in Europe, an abandoned meat truck full of 70 bodies of migrants was found on the side of a highway in eastern Austria on Thursday morning Aug. 27. The truck was found on a motorway near the borders with Slovakia and Hungary by an Austrian patrol with fluids from the decomposing bodies seeping from its back.
The refrigerated truck had Hungarian number plates and the driver was nowhere to be seen. According to Associated Press, the truck was emblazoned with the logo of a Slovakian chicken processing company, Hyza, whose parent company, Agrofert Holding , said the truck was sold in 2014.
"One can maybe assume that the deaths occurred one-and-a-half to two days ago,” Hans Peter Doskozil, police chief in the province of Burgenland, told a news conference, adding that "many things" indicated the migrants were already dead when the truck crossed the border.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at a summit on the West Balkans in Vienna:
"We are of course all shaken by the appalling news. This reminds us that we must tackle quickly the issue of immigration and in a European spirit that means in a spirit of solidarity – and find solutions."
According to local media, the migrants died of suffocation after being trapped in the truck's trailer. Meanwhile, a manhunt has been launched to find the driver who is suspected of smuggling the dead refugees into the country.
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