I Planned To Sell The Baby I Stole In Lagos Church, 14-Year Housemaid Confesses

January 5, 2022

A 14-year-old girl, Favour Iwuozor, who allegedly stole her mistress two-year-old- child during Church service in Lagos has confessed to police that she was taking the boy to Imo State to sell.
Favour Iwuozor, who allegedly stole the child in Lagos, but was arrested in Ogun State while trying to traffic the victim to Imo State said that she planned to sell the child.
Accordung to the Ogun state police Command: “during interrogation, the suspect confessed that she was a maid to the mother of the little boy, and that she left with the boy since on the 19th of December 2021, with the intention of taking the boy to Amraku Umorsu in Isiala/Mberna local government area of Imo state.
“She stated further that, she took the baby from the Church during Sunday school period, and since the Sunday school teacher knew her with the baby’s mother, she had no problem releasing the baby to her. She explained further that she decided to beg for alms in order to raise transport fare to Imo state.”
The State Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO), DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi said: ”the suspect was arrested following a complaint lodged at Sagamu Divisional Headquarters, by one Victoria Nwafor, who reported that she saw a 14-years-old girl on the 22nd of December 2021, with a very sick two- year -old boy in Yaba Lagos.
“She stated further that the little girl was begging for alms under the pretence that the small boy was her younger brother and that their parents died in a ghastly motor accident in December 2020. Out of compassion, the woman took both of them to her house in Sagamu, in order to take care of the little boy deteriorating health condition.
“But immediately the boy fully recovered, the suspect wanted to single-handedly take the boy to Imo State. This aroused the woman’s suspicion, hence her report to the Police Station.
“Upon the report, DPO Sagamu division, CSP Okiki Agunbiade, detailed his detectives to go and bring the girl and the little boy.”
Meanwhile, the State commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Bankole, has ordered that the baby’s parents be contacted urgently, while the case should be forwarded to Lagos State command in which jurisdiction the crime was committed.
Source: Cornerstone News

Senator Lekan Balogun, Otun Of Ibadan, Emerges Olubadan

Greenbarge Reporters

January 5, 2022

The Otun of Ibadanland, Senator Lekan Balogun, has been picked by members of the Olubadan-in-Council as the next Olubadan of Ibadanland.
The Osi Balogun of Ibadanland, Tajudeen Ajibola, at a news briefing by the kingmakers today, January 5, said that 10 out of the 11 members of Olubadan-in-Council endorsed the Balogun’s nomination.
Senator Lekan Balogun, as Otun, is the most senior chief from the two ruling chieftaincy lines, Egbe Agba (civil) and Balogun (military) that produce successors to the throne in the state.
Balogun, who represented the state at the red chamber, senate, and celebrated his 79th birthday last October, is statutorily the next person to occupy the Olubadan stool.
He reconciled with the late Oba Adetunji, less than three years ago following his installation by former Oyo State governor, late Abiola Ajimobi, as king in Oyo.
Balogun, a renowned technocrat, politician, and author, started his primary education at CAC Modern School, Anlugbua, and lived with one of his brothers, late Hamzat Balogun, who was a civil servant but was studying privately for the General Certificate of Education, Ordinary Level ( GCE O’L).
While he was also subscribing to Rapid Result College in the UK to enhance his performance in the examination, Lekan was secretly reading his brother’s correspondence tutorials which became very helpful to him when he wrote his qualifying tests which was like ‘G4’ at the time.
While in the second year of the three-year modern school programme, Lekan sat for the qualifying examination and passed. Therefore, he left school without completing the programme.
Armed with this certificate, he travelled to the United Kingdom where he studied for his O and A levels certificates while doing a part-time job to sustain himself- all under 18 years of age.
He left the university in 1973 with a Masters degree in Administration and Economics and had a brief stint with the Lamberth Local Government Social Services Department where he worked for one and a half years after which his academic inclination took the better of him and he enrolled for his PhD.
In 1973, he resumed as a research fellow at ABU Centre for Social and Economic Research and also had the option of working as a lecturer at the University of Ife now Obafemi Awolowo University but he chose ABU instead because of the desire to relate with other people away from his birthplace and to know their cultures and traditions.
It was during his sojourn in the UK that Lekan developed the white-black consciousness which crystallised into activism and the struggle for human rights. To give vent to his passion, he joined the leftist Marxist movement.
He plunged into the murky waters of politics in 1978 when he joined the PRP of Late Aminu Kano. His charisma, honesty and gallantry soon saw him climbing the political ladder with ease and grace that eventually accorded him the respect and recognition of the political overlords of Oyo State.
Within a short period of time, he had made his mark as an astute politician, activist and champion of downtrodden masses. He later became the gubernatorial candidate of one of the major political parties in the country, the Nigerian People’s Party (NPP) of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe.
The military coup of December 1983 kept him and other political giants in the cooler for 16 years.
He later re-emerged on the political scene with his election as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1999.
Source of the profile: Vanguard.

Margaret Chuba Okadigbo Heads Newly Constituted NNPC Board

Greenbarge Reporters

January 5, 2022

Senator Margret Chuba Okadigbo (South East) has been made the Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited just put together by President Muhammadu Buhari in accordance with the power vested in him under Section 59(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.

According to a statement today, January 5 by the Special Adviser to the President on media and publicity, Femi Adesina,

Mele Kolo Kyari is the Chief Executive Officer while Umar I. Ajiya is Chief Financial Officer.

Other Board Members are Dr. Tajudeen Umar (North East), Mrs. Lami O. Ahmed (North Central), Mallam Mohammed Lawal (North West), Engr. Henry Obih (South East), Barrister Constance Harry Marshal (South South) and Chief Pius Akinyelure(South West).

The statement said that the appointments of the Board members take effect from the date of the incorporation of the NNPC Limited.

The statement said that also appointed are Executive Commissioners of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.

They are Dr. Nuhu Habib (Kano), Executive Commissioner, Development and Production; Dr. Kelechi Onyekachi Ofoegbu (Imo), Executive Commissioner, Economic Regulations and Strategic Planning; Captain Tonlagha Roland John (Delta), Executive Commissioner, Health, Safety, Environment and Community and Jide Adeola (Kogi), Executive Commissioner, Corporate Services and Administration.

“Earlier appointed are the Board Chairman, CEO, Executive Commissioner, Exploration and Acreage Management, and Executive Commissioner, Finance and Accounts.

“New appointees at the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority are Francis Alabo Ogaree (Rivers), Executive Director, Hydrocarbon Processing, Mustapha Lamorde (Adamawa), Executive Director, Health, Safety, Environment and Community, Mansur Kuliya (Kano), Executive Director, Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund, Bashir Sadiq (Sokoto), Executive Director, Corporate Services and Administration, and Dr Zainab Gobir (Kwara), Executive Director, Economic Regulations and Strategic Planning.

“They join the Board Chairman, Executive Director, Downstream Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, the CEO, and Executive Director, Finance and Accounts, who had earlier been appointed.

“For Midstream and Downstream Infrastructure Fund, new Council Members are; Mr Effiong Abia (Akwa Ibom), Bobboi Ahmed (Adamawa), and Engr. Abdullahi Bukar (Katsina).

“It will be recalled that President Buhari had last September written the Senate on the administrative structure amendments to the Petroleum Industry Act, which included appointment of Non-Executive Board Members, removal of the Ministries of Petroleum and Finance from the Board of the two new institutions, and appointment of Executive Directors.”

Group Honours GOCOP President, Maureen, Others January 8

Greenbarge Reporters

January 5, 2022

A group known as Okaa Omee Youth Club of Nigeria from Anambra State has planned an award of merit to the President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), Maureen Chigbo, who publishes Realnews Magazine Online and others, including Ike Oligbo, a lawyer and politician.

A statement from the organisers today, January 5, said that the award ceremony will be held on January 8 at the Okaa Omee Youth Center in Umuoji in Anambra state.

Others who will be conferred with the honour include Nonye Osakwe, Adeze Moghalu, Victor Ide-Okoye, Okey Osefo, and V. O. Anyaegbuna.

Okaa Omee, the first social club in Umuoji, has continued to promote social activities and fostering of spirit of co-operation amongst her members.

The club is also critical in protecting the image, culture and social welfare of Umuoji.

The statement said that the conferment of award of excellence on well deserving Umuoji citizens for their contributions to the development of the town and service to humanity is in keeping with Okaa Omee Youth Club’s role of promoting the image, culture and social welfare of Umuoji.

It said that the club will also induct some of her members as patrons while Juderingo Okeke will be inducted as a member of the Board of Trustee of the club.

Aliko Dangote Foundation Flags Off Nutrition Program In Kano

Editorial staff

January 4, 2022

The Aliko Dangote Foundation has commenced the implementation of its nutrition flagship program, tagged: Aliko Dangote Foundation Integrated Nutrition (ADFIN) program in Kano State.

According to the ADF’s Director of Health and Nutrition, Dr. Francis Aminu, the program is in line with the plan to use the newly refurbished Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) across 5 pilot LGAs as Outpatient Care (OPC) and Inpatient Care (IPC) component of the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM) services for the Programme.

Dr. Aminu said that no fewer than 30 health workers have been trained in Kano, adding that the 5- day training program was held between 17th and 22nd December 2021.

“The purpose of the training was to equip the health workers with the requisite skills on how to assess, treat and care for malnourished children under the age of five. The 5-day training enabled participants to gain in-depth knowledge in line with the training requirements as stated in the National Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition Guidelines.”

He said that the participants were drawn from the State Ministry of Health and the five ADFIN supported sites from Bebeji, Dala, Kura, Tudun Wada, and Rimin-Gado LGAs comprising Officers-in-Charge (OICs), Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs), Nutrition focal persons, Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Coordinators, and Primary Health Care (PHC) Coordinators.

At the opening of the training, key development partners in Kano state participated and expressed their goodwill messages to ADF on the IMAM training.

Participants include the representatives of Nutrition International (NI), Partners for Development (PfD), Civil Society for Scaling up Nutrition (CSSUN) Kano, and Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN), among others.

The training was declared open by the Commissioner of Health, Kano State, Dr. Aminu Ibrahim Tsanyawa, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Kano State Ministry of Health, Hajiya Amina A Musa.

In his closing remarks, the Commissioner commended the dynamic leadership of the PHC Coordinators in staying with their health workers throughout the training.

He commended the Foundation for its contribution to human capital development in Nigeria, and Africa at large, while expressing his profound appreciation for the numerous contributions made by Alhaji Aliko Dangote to Kano State.

Buhari, Next President Can’t Defeat Bandits Unless…, Sheikh Gumi Swears

Editorial staff

January 4, 2022

“I can tell you without any fear of contradiction (that President Muhammadu) Buhari would spend the next one year seven months without addressing this issue.

“And if the next president comes and he will follow the same process, he cannot succeed.

“You have to address so many economic issues and so many issues of injustice.

“And then for you to pursue the path of dialogue. It is not a sign of weakness. That’s what Yar’Adua initiated in Niger Delta.”

These were the postulations of a Kaduna Islamic cleric, Sheikh, Dr. Ahmad Gumi, when he spoke to newsmen today, January 4 in Kaduna, through his media consultant, Tukur Mamu.

He said that if America could go to Afghanistan, spent 20 years, spent 3 trillion dollars and wasted 3,600 personnel, over 20,000 citizens killed after 20 years; they still came to dialogue with the Taliban, what do you expect in Nigeria?

“These (Americans) are people that have so much transparency, even in their military spending. You will not hear even the cases of corruption like the one we hear in Nigeria. So if they would do that after all these 20 years, what do you expect from Nigeria?”

Gumi advised Nigerians, in particular, the military to stop jubilating each time they kill bandit leader, saying that as they kill leader, another one would rise.

“There is a particular forest we visited in Niger State. The whole of the settlement had been bombarded. This settlement has nothing to do with bandits. In fact, they showed us two wells full of innocent people, dead, casualties of these bombardments.

“That’s exactly what these bandits were telling us. They said whenever we hear the sound of an aircraft, we run to our caves and then run. If they will succeed in killing anybody, it is the small children, the wives or the cows.

“That’s their own testimony. So you can imagine a country where, for example, bandits would gather in a forest and be celebrating. You don’t even have the intelligence to track them and eliminate them. Then you to say you will succeed in killing them.

“I hear them yesterday celebrating the reported death of bandit leader. So, for example, if you kill one bandit leader and another one emerges, what benefit did you derive?

“For example, you killed Dogo Gide, a person more dreaded than him emerged. When they killed Buharin Daji, Turji emerged. So what’s the success there? And for us to even be celebrating. There is nothing to celebrate, the only thing we can celebrate is that if our military succeeds in crushing them all and they cannot.”

He said the issue of security has no religious connotation as it affected everybody.

“It is something that is really consuming the society. Our major problem as a nation is how to go about solving this crisis that has defied all solutions so far.

“A lot of people are giving their own perspectives, a lot of people are giving their own thoughts about the way they think it is the appropriate way to manage the whole crisis.

“But for Sheikh Gumi, we believe people are making comments out of either naivety or out of ignorance about the quantum of the problems that we have and how to go about it.

“I think, by now, we are authorities especially on issues that have to do with banditry. The genesis of the crisis, how to go about it, and then what we’ve actually seen on the ground. This is because nobody in Nigeria has seen what we saw.”

Group Plans To Plant 100,000 Trees In Kano Schools

Editorial staff

January 4, 2022

A group known as Panacea Foundation, a non-governmental organisation has planned to plant 100,000 trees in Kano schools and communities in 2022.

The founder of the organisation, Dahir Hashim, in a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) today, January 4 in Kano, said that the project is aimed at curbing the menace of heat wave in Kano.

“We will place emphasis on planting in schools so that students will get the opportunity to acquaint themselves with tree planting and maintenance.”

According to Hashim, the aim of the tree planting is to influence the massive re-greening of Kano city.

“In 2021, we planted more than 10,000 trees across various schools and communities within Kano local government areas.

“During this period, we have organized sensitization campaigns to raise environmental awareness amongst school children, communities, and public offices.”

Hashim said that the foundation had also trained community-based organizations on how to take care of the trees, and how to source local manure for them.

He said the foundation had volunteers who served as focal persons in each of the local governments across the state.

“We are doing all these to ensure that the trees we planted are well taken care of and they will all grow to benefit the communities.”

Hashim said that the project is to improve the overall ecosystem in Kano, even as he appealed for public support in ensuring a greener Kano in order to safeguard the city against climate change.

Buhari Hands Shopping List To His New Chief Economic Adviser, Dr. Salami

Greenbarge Reporters

January 4, 2022

President Muhammadu Buhari has handed a shopping list on what his new Chief Economic Adviser, Dr. Doyin Salami should start doing right away.
Dr. Salami, who was appointed today, January 4 by the President, is expected to address all issues on the domestic economy and present views on them to him (the President).
He is also to closely monitor national and international developments, trends and develop appropriate policy responses.
President Buhari wants his new economic adviser to develop and recommend to him, national economic policies to foster macro-economic stability, promote growth, create jobs, and eradicate poverty, among others.
Dr. Doyin Salami, was up to today, Chairman of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and, he is a 1989 doctorate degree graduate in Economics of Queen Mary College, University of London.
The 59 year Dr. Doyin Salami is Managing Director and Head, Markets Practice at KAINOS Edge Consulting Limited, as well as being a member of the Adjunct Faculty at the Lagos Business School (LBS), Pan-Atlantic University, where he recently attained the rank of Senior Fellow/Associate Professor.

To End Banditry, Bomb Forests In The North, Kaduna Gov Suggests

Editorial staff

January 4, 2022

Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai has suggested that forests in northern Nigeria should be carpet-bombed to end banditry in the region.

Even though carpet-bombing will damage wildlife and forests in targeted areas, bt the governor said the possible damages can be rectified.

“I have always believed that you know, we should carpet-bomb the forests; we can replant the trees after. Let’s carpet-bomb the forests and bomb all of them,” El-Rufai said in an interview with Arise TV.

“There will be collateral damage, but it’s better to wipe them out and get people back to our communities so that agriculture and rural economics can pick up.”

The Kaduna State governor, whose state and many others in the north have suffered banditry attacks – kidnapping, killing and displacement of residents – said that more investment in security personnel, technology and military equipment will see bandits wiped out “once and for all.”

El-Rufai attributed the prolonged inability of security operatives to curb banditry in the northwest region to a lack of unencouraging factors.

He said the military and other security agencies “are doing their best but they are overstretched” and advised a more strategic approach to the fight against them.

“These bandits operate in the periphery because their hiding place is in the forest. It’s a major problem.

“The reality is we don’t have enough boots on the ground to address the myriad of security challenges that we face, and these security challenges are asymmetric, widespread, and there’s no part of Nigeria that doesn’t have one security problem or the other.”

El-Rufai’s suggestion comes days after Nigeria’s information and culture minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said that the government was deploying new measures to tackle insecurity across the country.

Lai Mohammed said that about 427 bandits have been neutralised under Operation Hadarin Daji, the conduct of offensive clearance operations, raids, and air operations in the North West Zone.

The minister added that 257 bandits were arrested, 897 civilians were rescued and 3,087 livestock were also rescued in the zone.

178,459 Arms, Ammunition Declared Missing In Nigeria Police Armoury

Editorial staff

January 3, 2022

No fewer than 178,459 different types of arms and ammunition have been declared missing from the Nigeria Police armoury in 2019 without any trace or formal report on their whereabouts.

This is contained in page 383 to 391 of the audit report by the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation’s annual report on non- compliance/internal control weaknesses issues in Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government for the year ended December 31, 2019, and submitted to the National Assembly.

According to the report on the missing arms which could not be accounted for, 88,078 were AK-47 rifles and 3,907 assorted rifles and pistols from different formations nationwide.

The report referenced AuGF/AR.2019/02 and addressed to the Clerk to the National Assembly, was dated September 15, 2021, and signed by the Auditor General for the Federation, Adolphus Aghughu,

The report accused the headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) of lacking comprehensive details of unserviceable weapons, saying that such could fall into some unauthorized hands for illegal use.

“Audit observed from the review of Arms Movement Register, Monthly Returns of Arms and Ammunition and Ammunition Register at the Armoury section that a total number of lost firearms as reported as at December 2018 stood at 178,459 pieces.

“Out of this number, 88,078 were AK-47 rifles, 3,907 assorted rifles and pistols across different police formations, which could not be accounted for as at January 2020. Formal report on the loss of firearms through dully completed Treasury Form 146 (loss of stores) were not presented for examination.

“Records obtained from force armament at the Force Headquarters showed 21 Police Mobile Force (PMF) Squadron, Abuja, did not report a single case of missing firearm, whereas, schedule of missing arms obtained from the same PMF showed a total number of 46 missing arms between year 2000 and February 2019.

“The value of the lost firearms could not be ascertained because no document relating to their cost of acquisition was presented for examination.

“The above anomalies could be attributed to weaknesses in the internal control system at the Nigeria Police Force Armament. Several numbers of firearms from the review of arm issue register, monthly returns of arms and ammunition obtained from Force Armament, Force Headquarters for various States Commands, Formations, Zonal offices, Training Institutions, squadrons and physical inspection of firearms and ammunition at the Force Headquarters have become unserviceable and dysfunctional.

“Similarly, returns were not submitted by some Police Training Institutions and some Formations, and Physical verification of firearms and ammunition at the Force Armament, Force Headquarters showed large quantity of damaged and obsolete firearms which needed to be destroyed.

“The damaged and obsolete firearms and ammunition should be treated in line with Financial Regulations 2618 which requires the destruction to be carried out in such a manner as to render the firearms unusable for their original purpose.”

The report, which disclosed that no fewer than 10 contracts worth N1,136,715,200 were awarded to a single proprietor in the name of different companies with details of the three companies as the same, queried the police hierarchy for the award of contracts without evidence of project execution.

1...574575576...2,499 Page 575 of 2,499