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Certificate Forgery: Appeal Court dismisses suit against Obaseki

Zainab Sa'id
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The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division has dismissed the alleged University of Ibadan degree certificate forgery instituted by the All Progressives Congress,  (APC) to challenge the election of Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State.

The court dismissed the suit for lacking in merit and awards N250, 000 cost in favour of Governor Obaseki

Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed of the federal high court in Abuja had on January 9, 2021, dismissed the alleged certificate forgery suit against Governor Obaseki.

The Judge had described the APC’s allegation as strange and like a story of an outsider telling a man in his house that he is not the father of a child.

But not satisfied with the high court decision, APC approached the Appeal Court and challenged the judgment of the lower court.

However delivering judgment in the appeal yesterday, Justice Stephen Adah held that the lower court was right in its findings and conclusion in the APC suit.

Justice Adah upheld the testimony of the Deputy Registrar, legal, Mr Abayomi Ajayi who confirmed that Obaseki attended the University of Ibadan in 1976 and fulfilled the requirement for admission.

He held that the evidence of the Deputy Registrar was direct in showing that Obaseki did not forge any certificate he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to secure his clearance for participation in the governorship election.

Based on that, he said governor Obaseki fulfils all requirement to contest for the governorship position of Edo state.

Justice Adah further said that APC failed to prove the certificate forgery allegation and that the appeal was unmeritorious and dismissed it with N250, 000 costs in favour of governor Obaseki and another N50,000 each in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and INEC.

Reacting to the judgement, Governor Obaseki described it as a victory for democracy, equity, fairness and justice noting that it has further reassured his confidence in the judiciary as an impartial umpire.

 

Zainab Sa’id

COVID-19: Nigeria confirms 135 new cases

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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Nigeria has confirmed 135 new cases of the deadly coronavirus also known as COVID-19.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, confirmed the cases on Thursday, 18th March 2021.

The NCDC listed States that recorded cases to include: “Lagos-41 Imo-20 Ogun-14 FCT-10 Kebbi-11 Rivers-10 Akwa Ibom-8 Plateau-4 Ebonyi-3 Kaduna-3 Kano-3 Osun-3 Oyo-2 Ekiti-1 Gombe-1 Nasarawa-1”

This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 161,409, the number of discharged patients stands at 146,890 and the death toll is 2,027.

Reps seek more funding for National Hospital Abuja

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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House of Representatives Committee on Health Institutions on Thursday urged the Federal Government to increase funding for the National Hospital Abuja (NHA) to improve service delivery.

The committee’s Chairman, Dr. Paschal Obi, made the appeal when he led other members to the hospital on an oversight function to monitor progress made in some of its projects.

Obi said that more funding was required to improve the healthcare services and enable it to live up to its status as a quaternary health facility, which provided an extension of tertiary care in reference to advanced levels of medicine.

According to him, although the capital allocation to the hospital in 2021 is reasonable, there is a need to increase it in the 2022 budget.

“The Federal Government has been doing well, it has responded to recommendations we made after 2020 oversight activities.

“This led to the significant increase in the capital allocation or capital appropriation to this institution.

“We are also calling on the government to continue in that regard especially this institution, being a quaternary one, should have adequate funding.

“It has the capacity to generate manpower that will even service other institutions both tertiary and even the secondary and because of that adequate funding is needed in National Hospital Abuja,’’ he said.

He also noted that members were not only responsible for making and passing bills or moving and adopting motions but were also expected to ensure funds appropriated were judiciously utilised.

“That is why we are here to look into the 2020 appropriation, especially the capital vote to this institution and how it has been able to manage it because we are sure that 100 percent release was made,’’ he said.

The Chief Medical Director, NHA, Dr. Jaf Momoh, said the organisation needed more intervention in payment of outsourced services such as electricity, security and cleaners services, as well as indigent patients’ bills.

Momoh revealed that the hospital was classified as a quaternary health institution with the best trauma centre in the whole of West Africa.

“So what that means is that this centre is serving to train all post-graduate doctors for the whole of West Africa sub-region. That is what it means to be quaternary, it means for you to be better than tertiary.

“So in trauma, we are better in terms of services and the facilities we have for the training of manpower on ground,’’ he said.

The CMD said that the hospital was working toward improving its 450-bed capacity to 700 beds and currently building the third ultramodern intensive care unit for infectious disease patients.

 

NAN/Nnenna.O

Irregular Migration: IOM, EU sensitise communities in Abuja

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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IOM, EU, and partnering agencies have launched a community dialogue and community theatre manual in Abuja Nigeria’s capital.

The manual which is on irregular migration including smuggling and trafficking in persons will be used by trained facilitators and theatre troupe members to guide and stir discussions on promoting safe migration pathways and providing homegrown solutions to irregular migration communities.

Speaking at the launch, IOM Country Director Represented by the Head, Programme Support Unit IOM, Ms. Prestage Murima, said that intervention by IOM is meant to showcase the numerous opportunities available in Nigeria.

“Since the inception,  Joint Initiative in April 2017 The International Organization for Migration (IOM), in coordination with NAPTIP and NOA has been engaged in implementing violence awareness-raising activities in Nigeria, and these have been designed to cause behavioural change among potential migrants their friends and families and the communities at large. These interventions are homegrown, community-led and ready to improve access to trusted information sources and promote informed decision making by sensitizing potential migrants on regular migration options vulnerabilities to trafficking in person and this is associated with irregular migration. We can all agree that the biggest issue we are dealing with irregular migration is misinformation”.

While highlighting some of the interventions done so far by the IOM, Murima said “The interventions are designed to highlight the opportunities that abound at home first on social inclusion amongst migrants and their community members and to encourage home coordination initiative to indigenous problems which we can all acknowledge that Nigeria is very good as partners and stakeholders. It is through your allegiance support and collaboration that we have managed to reach close to 25,600 people through different peace sensitisation activities such as community dialogue community theatre. 682 community dialogue facilitators have been to change across Lagos, Delta and Edo states while other 86  community theatre shows have performed by trained actors, reaching over  25, 000 people’’.

She added that “The fight against human trafficking and irregular migration is not a task for an individual agency but rather a task that involves all of us working together, after all, it takes a village. We believe it is through our joint efforts and collaboration, that we can be able to reduce the incidence of irregular migration and achieve the sustainable intervention of our returning brothers and sisters. I, therefore, reiterate IOM’s commitment to supporting the federal government of Nigeria through the available ministries, department and agencies in all areas of mutual interest.

Also speaking, the Director-General National Orientation Agency NOA, Dr. Garba Abari, explained the importance of community theatre in fighting irregular migration in Nigeria.

“The event signifies the importance of taking information through the active demonstration of the ills that are associated with irregular migration. We want to use the platform of community theatre to communicate the message. We can use the community halls in respective villages; demonstrate the dangers of irregular migration. And to do this we need a lot of partnerships because the impact is cross-cultural, it is not only about irregular migration but human trafficking as well,” Dr. Garba Abari said.

In the same vein, the Director of Public Enlightenment NAPTIP Mr. Orakwe Arinze, noted that community theatre helps stir debate amongst community members in order to arrive at local solutions.

He stated that NAPTIP has been in full support of IOM’s activities. “NAPTIP is creating state holding groups which is the arm of CSOs, law enforcement, police immigration in different states under the chair of the state attorney general, and the basic work of this tool is for enlightenment and to enhance prevention. And the only way to enhance prevention is to throw light in the darkness that parades the corridors of trafficking and irregular migration. This is  something they are going to use, we are going to have copies and share it with our partners for them push down to those state working groups so they can use it in doing their work”

The activities of IOM have been piloted in selected communities in Edo, Delta, and Lagos States as IOM data shows a high rate of irregular migration to Libya and Europe from these states.

Since March 2019, over 700 community dialogue facilitators from these states have been trained and subsequently conducted 69 community dialogue sessions.

 

Nnenna.O

President Buhari appoints Adedeji Zacch as Executive Secretary NSDC

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Mr. Adedeji Zacch as the Executive Secretary of National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) for an initial term of four years.

President Buhari made the announcement in a statement on Thursday by Mr Willie Bassey, Director of Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The statement said that Zacch’s appointment was in accordance with the provision of Section 5 (1) of the National Sugar Development Council (Establishment Act, 1993).

Zacch holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and Accounting and a Masters degree in Accounting from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun.

He also holds an Executive Certificate in Economic Development from Harvard, Kennedy School of Government, Boston, U.S. with fifteen years experience as a Chartered Accountant.

Until his appointment, Zacch had served as Corporate Affairs Manager (West Africa), Procter and Gamble Company, Lagos, and Commissioner for Finance, Oyo State, from 2011 to 2015.

“Mr. President enjoins Zacch to serve the nation with all sense of responsibility, honesty, diligence and promote good governance in the discharge of his duties,” it said.

According to the statement, the appointment is with effect from March 10.

 

NAN/Nnenna.O

NDLEA seizes illicit drugs worth N60b

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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NDLEA has seized illicit drugs worth more than N60 billion in the last two months, its chairman, Retired Brig.-Gen Buba Marwa, has said.

Marwa made the disclosure on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti at a colloquium tagged: “Walk Away from Drugs’’, a programme organised by Ekiti Ministry of Justice.

He described the menace of drug abuse in the country as “worrisome’’.

“In Nigeria today, there is no challenge that is more worrisome than drug abuse.

“For instance, insurgency, kidnapping and banditry are seen as peculiar to certain parts of the country, but drug abuse has no boundary or respect for ethnicity or religion.

“The menace is so worrisome that within the last two months, more than N60 billion worth of illicit drugs have been seized and perpetrators arrested and prosecuted.

“If access to drugs is prevented, criminality can be reduced by 50 per cent,’’ Marwa said.

He called for concerted efforts by stakeholders to campaign against the use of illicit drugs.

The anti-drug agency boss suggested that parents should from now include drug certificate as part of the criteria to give their daughters and sons hands in marriage.

“This will be the beginning in reducing drug usage and its prevailing economic effects on the nation,’’ he said.

Declaring open the event, Ekiti State governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi restated the commitment of his administration to reducing drug abuse.

Fayemi, who was represented by his deputy, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, urged participants to take the deliberation seriously and to evolve implementable plans to rid the society of the menace.

In his address of welcome, Ekiti State’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Wale Fapounda, said that the programme was organised because of alarming cases of drug-induced criminality in the society.

“In most cases prosecuted by the ministry, investigations showed crime perpetrators were under the influence of drugs,’’ he said.

In attendance at the programme were representatives of traditional rulers, Ekiti State Commandant of the NDLEA, Mr Gaura Shedow, representatives of road transport workers, market women and youths, among others.

NAN/Nnenna.O

Putin calls for open talks with Biden in coming days

Oluwasola Akintonde
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Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he was ready to hold pulbic online talks with U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday or Monday.

Putin, said he was ready to discuss bilateral relations with the United States as well as other issues such as regional conflicts.

Putin said he will order his foreign ministry to prepare the talks, the day after Biden said he thought the Russian leader was a killer and already poor relations between Moscow and Washington sank to a new post-Cold War low.

 

Olusola Akintonde/Reuters

Sariki-led panel reconciles PDP factions in Ogun State

Confidence Okwuchi
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The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Reconciliation and Strategy Committee has announced a breakthrough in its efforts to reconcile feuding factions in Ogun State.

The Senator Bukola Saraki-led panel of the Party said efforts to resolve the over ten years long political feud between a faction of the party loyal to the late Senator Buruji Kashamu and the other loyal to Ladi Adebutu have yielded fruits on Thursday.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Secretary of the Committee, Linus Okorie.

Okorie said, “I am directed by the chairman of the PDP National Reconciliation and Strategy Committee, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, to announce that today, the committee has successfully concluded the resolution of the decade-old crisis in the Ogun State Chapter of the PDP.

“This crisis that has lingered on for the past ten years between the groups led by late Buruji Kashamu and Honourable Ladi Adebutu with each of them instituting different court cases, obtaining injunctions and dissolving executive committees.

“These actions have combined to weaken the party in the state and made many people to believe that the differences would never be resolved. The crisis is, as a matter of fact, responsible for the loss of the PDP in the state during the past three general elections.

 “Today, both parties have resolved to work together and withdraw all cases pending in the various courts. The parties also agree that PDP remains the best umbrella under which the unity and development of Nigeria can be achieved, sustained and guaranteed. They have all signed an agreement to that effect.”

He expressed the committee’s gratitude to party leaders and stakeholders in Ogun State for playing very key roles in assisting the panel achieve its objectives which led to the resolution of the crisis.

“We appreciate the magnanimity, maturity, patriotism and the give-and-take spirit displayed by both parties to the crisis as well as other leaders in the resolution of the issue. Now, PDP is set to re-establish itself as the party that will take control of Ogun State from 2023,” Okorie added.

 

NP/Confidence Okwuchi

COVID-19: 35 states receive vaccines

Emmanuel Ukoh
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The National Primary Health-care Development Agency, NPHCDA, on Thursday informed the National Economic Council, NEC, that the COVID-19 Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccines have been delivered to 35 states in the country.

The NEC in that vein urged Nigerians to participate in the vaccination process when it gets to their turn.

The NEC also welcomed the integration of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to support the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on vaccine accountability and transparency.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who chaired the meeting, commended the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) for the smooth coordination of the nation-wide distribution of the vaccines.

State Governors, FCT Minister, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, other ministers, and heads of government agencies and parastatals, participated in the virtual meeting.

Making a presentation to the Council, the NPHCDA Executive Director, Dr Fiasal Shuaib, revealed that all States except Kogi have received their vaccines.

He noted that Kogi State was yet to receive due to the non-repair of their Cold-Chain Store coupled with the State’s concerns around the contradictory information about the vaccines.

“The vaccination application has been launched in most States’ Treatment Centres even against distractions and criticism of the FG’s efforts to ensure availability of vaccines in the nation. The roll-out of the vaccines across Healthcare Front-line Workers and other Health Support Staff was scheduled to commence by March 15, 2021, in some States, with the intention of wider coverage after the training of the States’ Health workers across board.”

To ensure accountability in the distribution of the vaccines, Dr Faisal informed NEC that “the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had been co-opted to support the PTF on vaccine accountability to ensure the safekeeping of the vaccines.”

He added that “there was a need for tight security around the Vaccines in the States to avoid being vandalized by hoodlums.”

He also assured that the second tranche of the Vaccines would be received in the country before the second dose of the Vaccines intake is concluded.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo receiving the vaccine jab in the capital Abuja

The Council also received an update from the National Economic Council (NEC) ad hoc committee interfacing with the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 to ease the lockdown of the economy by the Chairman of the Committee the Governor Delta State Dr Ifeanyi Okowa and the Director-General of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu.

Broadband access

On the implementation of a broadband access in the country, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Mr Ali Isa Pantami sought the support of NEC in the formulation and implementation of policies that will ease broadband penetration in Nigeria.

He said: “All States should support us by adhering to the N145 Right Of Way (ROW) charge per linear meter. The long-term benefits are far more than the initial fees being collected.

“We need a Point of Contact in each State as the interface on broadband and digital economy issues, and each State is also encouraged to have an institution or department to handle requests regarding broadband and the digital economy”

Highlighting some of the benefits derivable in increasing broadband access in the country, the minister noted that “the World Economic Forum predicts that over 60% of global GDP will be digitized by 2022 and that within the next decade, digital platforms will be used to create close to 70% of new value.”

Further highlighting the achievements in the ICT sector, the Minister disclosed that the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector recorded the highest growth rate of all the sectors of the Nigerian economy in both the fourth quarter of 2020 (Q4 2020) and the entire year 2020.

He said that this was based on the Q4 2020 Report on Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

 

 

 

Emmanuel Ukoh

Navy Releases List of Successful Candidates in DSSC Course 

Lateefat Ibrahim
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The Nigerian Navy has released the list of candidates who were successful in the Direct Short Service Commission Course 28 Selection Board.

 

The Navy Spokesman, Commodore Suleiman Dahun said candidates who attended the Selection Board interview held at the Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Ojo, Lagos State from 16 December 2020 to 4 January 2021 are to check their official website for the list of successful candidates and other detailed information.

 

He said successful candidates were to report for training at the Nigerian Naval College, Onne, Rivers State on Wednesday 24 March 2021 from 0800 (8am).

 

He adds that candidates who fail to report by 1800 (6pm) on Saturday 27 March 2021 will not be accepted for training.

 

Lateefah Ibrahim

 

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