Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello (right), shakes hands with a visually impaired member of the entourage of Kpakpando Foundation, Mr. Danjuma Attah, while the Chairman of the Foundation, Senator Osita Izunaso, (middle) looks on, when they paid the FCT Minister a courtesy visit in Abuja today…Tuesday. [myad]
A legal practitioner and mediator who negotiated the release of the 82 Chibok girls by Boko Haram insurgents, Barrister Zannah Mustapha, has said that some of the abducted girls chose to remain with Boko Haram insurgents who abducted them from the Government Girls Secondary School Chibok in Borno state in April 2014.
Zannah Mustapha, who spoke with Reuters, said that the refusal of the other girls could be as a result of the fact that they have been radicalized by the Boko Haram group or might be afraid, ashamed or even felt too strong as terrorists to return to their old lives.
He said: “some girls refused to return. I have never talked to one of the girls about their reasons. As a mediator, it is not part of my mandate to force them (to return home).”
The lawyer said that future talks between the government and the insurgents would extend beyond the release of the remaining Chibok girls in captivity, and that such talks will also focus on negotiating peace in the North-East.
Zannah Mustapha said: “we are not just talking; we are still actively working towards peace.
“Even though we have got (some of) the girls back, I don’t feel we have made much progress. After the (release of) the 21 girls, how many hundreds have been killed by suicide bombings?”
“While Boko Haram may indeed hold out in releasing all of the hostages to maintain some form of leverage, the reality is that the girls have limited value to the sect outside of public relations capital and are likely placing a strain on resources.” [myad]
Following unresolved face off between the Kogi State government and the striking medical doctors in the state civil service, there are indications that no fewer than 80 percent of the doctors are set to resign their appointments and seek greener pasture elsewhere.
The doctors had embarked on strike over nonpayment of their salaries even as they expressed deep disappointment on the outcome of the screening exercise which saw more than 30 of their members dismissed.
The acting chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Kogi State chapter, Dr. Godwin Tijani, in a statement, confirmed that the striking doctors had indicated their readiness to resign.
“As I am speaking with you, the doctors are monitoring the activity of the state as it regards the no work no pay policy government has adopted and the threat of sack if NMA failed to suspend the ongoing strike, anything otherwise the doctors will tender their resignation letter. “Remember, Kogi State has one of the poorest health indices in the federation and the lowest numbers of doctors in the country about 3.5% of the expected numbers. Majority of doctors in the state service have left because of poor welfare. “Imagine a doctor evicted from his apartment because of his inability to pay house rent, his children sent out of school because he cannot pay school fees, trekking to work and cannot eat well and you expect to get the best from such a doctor? You are putting innocent patients’ life at risk. A hungry and angry doctor is a dangerous doctor.”
The NMA acting chairman called on stakeholders to appeal to the state government to pay doctors their salaries rather than constantly threatening them.
He pointed out that they are demanding for the payment of their salaries and reinstatement of their 2015 colleagues.
“The Commissioner for Health sent an SMS to doctors yesterday. The SMS which was sent through the Director Administration Hospital Management Board (HMB) directed all hospitals to submit to his office attendance register on daily basis, failure to comply will lead to termination of appointment.
“This is the level we are now instead of looking for amicable resolution; we are being faced with sack threat and intimidation on a daily basis.” [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has told Nigerians that he is confident in acting President Yemi Osinbajo to run the government smoothly in his indefinite absence.
In a tweet via his @MBuhari handle, Buhari said: “As I noted earlier, I have absolute confidence that government will continue to run smoothly while I’m away. God bless the Federal Republic.”
The President, who handed over power to Osinbajo as he left the country on Sunday night for another medical consultation in London, assured Nigerians that they have no cause to fear.
Buhari had personally received the 82 Chibok girls that were freed by Boko Haram insurgents before he jetted out.
The President’s special adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, in a statement, said that the duration of his principal’s stay in London, would be determined by the doctors. [myad]
A court has sentenced the outgoing governor of Jakarta, Indonesia, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as Ahok, to two years in prison for questioning a verse in the Holy Qur’an which was considered to be a blasphemy against Islam that could lead to inciting violence.
Ahok, who was the first ethnic Chinese Christian to run Indonesia’s capital, was said to have insulted Islam by referring to a verse in the Qur’an during a campaign speech.
According to the BBC, the judge had told the court that the governor was “found to have legitimately and convincingly conducted a criminal act of blasphemy, and because of that we have imposed two years of imprisonment.”
Ahok was said to have made blasphemy comments during a pre-election speech last September which implied that Islamic leaders were trying to trick voters by using a verse in the Qur’an to argue that Muslims should not vote for a non-Muslim leader.
His remarks, which were widely shared in an edited video, sparked outrage among religious hardliners. They staged regular large rallies calling for him to face trial.
Throughout the trial, Mr. Purnama denied wrongdoing, but did apologize for his comments nonetheless.
Ahead of the verdict, protesters for and against Mr. Purnama had gathered outside the court demanding respectively his acquittal or a long prison sentence.
Disappointed with the eventual verdict, some protesters demanded the outgoing governor to be hanged.
Around 15,000 security personnel from the police and military are providing security at the scene, with riot police and armoured vehicles separating the rival groups.
Mr. Purnama became governor after his predecessor, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, was elected president in 2014.
As an ethnic Chinese Indonesian and Christian he is a double minority, and was Jakarta’s first non-Muslim governor for 50 years.
His political success was also seen as a significant development given the violent anti-Chinese riots that occurred in the city in 1998.
Before the blasphemy allegations, he had been widely hailed as a straight-talking politician with a strong anti-corruption stance. But the controversy overshadowed scheduled elections last month.
Despite his enduring popularity with many in Jakarta for his efforts to improve living standards, he lost to conservative Muslim candidate Anies Rasyid Baswedan.
Indonesia is the world’s most-populous Muslim country. About 85 percent of its population are Muslim, but the country officially respects six religions. [myad]
A 90-year-old man, Rasaki Raji has been sentenced to 6 months imprisonment with an option of N50,000.00 fine for duping a woman of N150,000.00 with the pretext of selling a plot of land to her..
The accused was arraigned before a Magistrate Court sitting in Iyaganku, Ibadan, Oyo State, on a two-count charge of obtaining and stealing of N150,000.00.
The prosecutor, Oyebanji Oluseye told the court that the accused, in the year 2014, at Idi-Oro area of Apete, Ibadan, committed the offence by collecting the money from one Mrs. Omolara Ajani by promising her to get her half plot of land.
The Prosecutor said that the accused took the N150,000.00 and converted it to his own use, an offence which he said, contravened sections 419 and 390(9), Criminal Code Cap 38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria 2000.
In her ruling, the Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Giwa Babalola sentenced the accused to 6 months imprisonment with N50,000. 00 option of fine. [myad]
Local government pensioners in Ekiti State have cried out over what they called “high mortality rate” among them, which they said was caused by the non-payment of their benefits.
At a prayer session organized by the pensioners in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, the pensioners said that many of them had died in the last one year with five dying in the last one month.
The pensioners, under the aegis of Association of Local Government Concerned Pensioners (ALGCP), called on Governor Ayo Fayose to pay their nine months arrears of pension and backlog of gratuities dating back to 2012.
The council retirees said that lack of money to buy drugs to manage their health challenges and hunger are the reasons why they are dying at the alarming rate. [myad]
A High Court in Maitama, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has discharged the former Nigeria’s Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Steve Oronsaye of the N190 million corruption charges leveled against him.
Oronsaye, who was also the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force, set up by former President Goodluck Jonathan, was docked on a seven-count charge, bordering on breach of trust and diversion of N190 million meant for the committee he chaired.
The judge, Justice Olasumbo Goodluck, in her ruling on the no-case submission filed by Oronsaye, held that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against Oronsaye.
“There was contradictory evidence by the prosecution witnesses on whether the defendant was still the head of service as at the time he chaired the committee.
“The court seems to discredit the evidence, suffice it to say that there is no evidence linking the accused with the statutory element and ingredients of the offence with which he is charged.
“The court of trial must as a matter of law discharge him because it has no business scanting for evidence that is nowhere to be found.
“I have looked through the case and I am unable to see any justifications for this case. The defendant is hereby discharged.“
The prosecution closed its case on November 15 last year after calling six witnesses to testify even as the defence counsel filed no-case submission on December 9, on the ground that the prosecution had no case against the defendant.
In his submission, the defence counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), argued that there were omissions of essential elements in the charges against his client.
He said on that account, the charges were imperfect, saying that the charge was initially 2- count, later amended to 7-count.
He said that, that was a sign that something was wrong with the charge from the beginning.
He said that the prosecution did not specify the amount that was entrusted to the defendant, nor the mandate of the committee the defendant chaired.
Agabi also said that no evidence of personal use of the fund that the defendant was accused of misusing, but mere allegations.
He said that no offence proven by prosecution to warrant the defendant to enter defence and urged the court to grant his no-case submission.
Responding, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Offem Uket, told the court that the prosecution has proved its case, adding that the defendant should enter his defence.
Uket said that it was not right to bring up the issue of imperfection of charges now, as it was against the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, (ACJA) 2015.
He urged the court to dismiss the no- case submission.
NAN. [myad]
Senators at the National Assembly, today, Tuesday, expressed shock on the content of President Muhammadu Buhari to them concerning the status of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo when he left Nigeria, on Sunday night, for medical consultation in London.
The Senators said that instead of the President to address Osinbajo as acting President, he referred to him as ‘Coordinator.’
In the letter, President Buhari had said: “I wish to inform the distinguished senate that I will be away for a scheduled medical follow-up with my doctors in London. The length of my stay will be determined by the doctors’ advice. While I am away, the vice-president will coordinate the activities of the government.”
A Senator from Abia North (PDP), Mao Ohabunwa, (PDP), said that for the sake of clarity, the letter should be sent back to the president, citing section 145 of the constitution.
He argued that there is no word like coordinating president or vice-president in the constitution, saying: “I come with a constitutional point of order arising from the letter you just read from the president.
“Mr. President (of the Senate), I don’t think in our constitution we have anything like coordinating president of vice-president, it’s either you are a vice-president or you are acting president.
“Any letter should be unambiguous and very clear, so I’m saying that this letter really does not convey anything because coordinating has no place in our constitution. We having been having letters like this, you tell us he is the acting president so we know who to deal with as a senate.
“I am saying that this letter for me is not right and maybe it should be sent back.
“This early warning spells serious trouble for the country, said a ranking APC senator.
“President Buhari should be well aware by now of the appropriate and necessary protocol to safeguard our nation’s democracy”.
“In unprecedented acts Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has played essential role in this administration, said a top APC chieftain from the Southeast, he has been loyal and has done everything to win the confidence of the president.”
“President Buhari’s effusive accompanying remarks on his return from the last medical vacation about the VP were even more unprecedented, and I wonder why the letter did not refer to him as acting this time around.”
Senator Obinna Ofodile, a PDP stalwart from Anambra said that Osinbajo has shaped the second office in ways beyond his contributions to the Buhari administration. [myad]
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), today, Tuesday, approved the sale of $100 million at the Wholesale Secondary Market Intervention Sales (SMIS) auction which was announced yesterday, Monday.
The CBN Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor, who confirmed this today, Tuesday, said that the sales will be settled this week.
Okorafor reiterated that the CBN will continue to make every necessary intervention in the interbank market to meet all legitimate foreign exchange demands by customers.
It will be recalled that the CBN on Friday, May 5, sold a total sum of $389 million to authorized dealers in the retail sector of the market as spot and forwards. Of the sum, $87.885 was for spot sales, while $300.8 million was sold as forwards in three tenors of 30, 45 and 60 days, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Naira maintained an average exchange rate of N386 to one United States dollar on Tuesday, May 9. Street Market surveys in Abuja and Lagos revealed that the Naira exchange for between N385 and N387. [myad]
