Police Hunt For Criminals Amongst Kaduna Protesters

May 17, 2021

The high command of the Nigeria Police Force has alerted people in Kaduna State to promptly report any criminals using the current protest embark on by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the State to the nearest police station for action.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, in a statement today, May 17, by the spokesman of the Force, Frank Mba, said: “citizens are also enjoined to be vigilant and promptly report any suspicious movement or criminal activities in their localities to the Police.”

The IGP, according to the statement, has ordered the deployment of additional Police operatives and crime prevention assets to ensure public safety and strengthen security along the Kaduna – Abuja expressway.

The statement said that the IGP’s directive is a proactive measure to protect communities and travelers in anticipation of increased traffic on Kaduna – Abuja expressway following the disruption of other means of transportation by industrial action in Kaduna State.

“The IGP noted that the deployment is designed to enhance police visibility, prevent and neutralize possible criminal activities targeted at citizens plying the road.

“Consequently, the IGP has directed the Assistant Inspectors General of Police and Commissioners of Police in Zonal and State Commands with jurisdictions straddling Kaduna – Abuja Highway and its environs to ensure no new threat to lives and property thrive within their Area of Responsibility as a result of the industrial action. Similarly, the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of the Force Intelligence Bureau has been directed to immediately deploy covert operatives from the Intelligence Response Team and the Special Tactical Squad to prevent any untoward situation along the expressway.

“While assuring citizens that the Force will continue to do all within its powers to promote public safety, the IGP has called on citizens, particularly communities, transporters and commuters along Kaduna – Abuja expressway, to cooperate with security operatives deployed to their areas. Citizens are also enjoined to be vigilant and promptly report any suspicious movement or criminal activities in their localities to the Police.”

Kaduna Describes NLC’s Strike As Exercise In Futility, Says No Going Back On Sack Of Workers

Editorial staff

May 17, 2021

The Kaduna State Government has described the strike action embarked on by the Nigeria Labour Congress as an exercise in futility because the conditions that compelled its decision to rightsize the civil service have not been altered.

In a statement today, May 17, Special Adviser to the Governor Media and Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye, said that the government remained firmly committed to using all the resources it can generate to serve the interests of the majority of its citizens, putting the many ahead of the few.

“The unlawful actions and reckless statements that define the NLC’s assault on the rights of the people of Kaduna State, are a needless exercise in futility.

“Desperate actions undertaken by the NLC today include unlawful trespass on government facilities, and attempts to prevent officers from signing attendance registers.

” Despite these actions, the state government has guaranteed access to the State Secretariat and other government offices. KDSG intends to continue running its operations in the service to the people, despite the futile efforts of the NLC to impede it.

: The State Executive Council also held its regular weekly meeting to discuss policy matters germane to the progress of the state and the welfare of its people.

” In addition to shutting down electricity, the NLC has also shut healthcare access for several of our citizens. They have closed several hospitals and chased away the patients. General hospitals in Kawo, Tudun-Wada, Kafanchan, Giwa, Rigasa, Kakuri and Sabon Tasha were illegally locked. They also shut rural hospitals and primary health centres in Kwoi, Turunku and other locations across the state. Preventing patients from receiving treatment in public health facilities certainly does not qualify as a pro-people action.”

The government said that it is documenting all these violations of the Miscellaneous Offences Act and the Trade Union Act.

“The government shares the pain of the people of Kaduna State amidst the avalanche of unlawful conduct by the NLC and appeals to all residents to remain calm and vigilant. The resort to coercion and the imposition of restraints on the personal freedom and comfort of citizens confirm that this is a campaign of sabotage, not an industrial action.

“KDSG welcomes the visit by the leaders of the Trade Union Congress who met with our Head of Service, Bariatu Y. Mohammed, this morning. Hajiya Bariatu commended the constructive attitude of the TUC delegation led by Barrister Musa Lawal, its Secretary-General. The Head of Service also disclosed that all officers from GL 14 upwards are expected at their duty posts as usual.”

Qatar NGO Begins Construction Of Estate For Widows, Orphans In Abuja

Editorial staff

May 17, 2021

A Qatari non-governmental organization (NGO) from Qatar Charity has began the construction of housing estate for widows and orphans in the Wassa District of Abuja.

Laying the foundation stone for the estate today, May 17, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muhammad Musa Bello said that the project is significant as it represents the cordial and mutually beneficial relations that had been existing between Nigeria and the State of Qatar.

The Minister said that the project is in furtherance of the FCT Administration’s productive collaboration with international non-governmental organizations, adding that it is a partnership between the FCTA and Qatar Charity.

He explained that the financial cost of the project will be borne entirely by the NGO while the FCTA provides the land.

The Minister expressed optimism that on completion, the estate will complement the efforts of the Administration in the development of the Wassa District.

Earlier, the Country Director of Qatar Charity, Hamdi Elsayed, said that the estate is being constructed on about 13 hectares of land and has a planned completion period of 12 months.

The Housing estate, according to the Country Director, will contain 200 units of two bedroom houses, a school, a vocational training center, shops, and recreational facilities amongst other amenities.

Hamdi said that benefitting widows and orphans will not own the houses allocated to them but will remain as occupants until such a time when they will no longer need them, adding that such houses will be allocated to other beneficiaries.

Atiku Asks Governors Of 36 States To Convene National Unity Summit To Address National Challenges

Editorial staff

May 16, 2021

Former Nigeria’s Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has advised the governors of the 36 States of the federation to urgently convene a National Unity Summit to collectively find solutions to many challenges facing the country, which he said is drifting in many fronts.

In a statement today, May 16, personally signed by him, Atiku discouraged the current regional meetings by the governors in the same issues, saying that the situation on ground cannot be solved through regional groupings.

“What our present challenges therefore call for is not fragmentation but concentration. We must concentrate and focus our national willpower and resolve towards fighting these unNigerian tendencies.

“Governors representing some states have met. And I completely understand the necessity of their meeting and the wisdom of their decisions. But no matter how much you try to clap with one hand, the vibrations will not be the same as when you clap with two hands.

“We have a national challenge. And as Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

“These problems were created by those with a regional mindset, and will not be solved by those with a similar mindset.

“For too long, we have erroneously thought that the power to make effective changes lies at Aso Rock. But without the states, nobody can get to Aso Rock. That is why for anyone to emerge as President of Nigeria, he or she must secure enough votes in two-thirds of the states that make up the Nigerian federation.

“Let us apply this wisdom to our present challenges. I call on Nigerian Governors to stop waiting on Abuja to make changes, and instead convene a National Unity Summit of all Nigerian Governors to iron out the thorny issues affecting the destiny of our nation until they figure out a way to resolve them.”

Atiku, who is the leader of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Part (PDP” stressed that the difference between us is not North and South, but between good and bad, adding that those who are good should come together to show those who are bad that we are in the overwhelming majority.

“I have repeatedly said that I am a Nigerian. Full stop. That is my identity. And now more than ever, we must ask ourselves this question: what does it mean to be a Nigerian?

“A Nigerian is one who is committed to the idea of the indivisibility of Nigeria and who is invested in respecting, even if you disagree with, the differences that exist within this nation space, and respecting the right of others to coexist with you irrespective of religious, regional or ethnic differences.

“That is what being a Nigerian means to me. And that is why I believe that all those who believe in Nigeria should stand up to be counted.

“It is unNigerian to terrorise your fellow citizens. Up until about a decade ago, we did not have this. It is unNigerian to abduct people. And this is undoubtedly a new menace that has low historical precedence in Nigeria.

“The truth is that if at a National level, we address these unNigerian tendencies immediately and dispassionately, we would not have Nigerians congregating at a regional or sub-regional level to address these issues.

“Forget about your party. Forget about your tribe. Respect your religion and allow it to bring out the better part of you. Meet together. Talk together. Come up with the solutions to all our collective challenges.

“And then go back to your states, and consult with your federal and state legislators, with a view to getting them to work with their colleagues to implement the solutions you came up with. That is how to save Nigeria.

“To keep waiting for this Federal Government to take the lead, and effect the changes that Nigeria needs to stop drifting, is to keep waiting for Godot. And that is a luxury we cannot afford.

“We cannot afford it because, according to the Global Terror Index, our beloved nation is now the third most terrorised nation on Earth. We are featuring prominently on the Failed States Index, and the symbols of our nation, our currency, our passport, and our international standing are fast losing value.

“To quote Einstein again, “Those who have the privilege to know have the duty to act.” We do know that our Governors know that all is not well with Nigeria. That is why they have been meeting. At regional and sub regional levels. That knowledge comes with a duty to act, and to act together. Because if we do not act together, then the alternative is that we fall asunder. And God forbid that should ever be our fate.

“We must be mindful of the fact that one in four Africans is a Nigerian. And one in seven Black people on Earth is Nigerian. Therefore, being so centrally placed by God, it ought to be clear to us that it is our duty to be a beacon of light to the Black World.

“If we succeed as a nation, our successes will resonate beyond our borders. It will give hope to the Black Diaspora and increase the standing of Black people all over the world.

“That is why we cannot fail. That is why we cannot retreat into our regional enclaves. Too much is at stake. We are too centrally located to be dislocated. Together we must win forever.

“We are far too interconnected to be disconnected. Where would my children, who have a parent from each leg of Nigeria go? Where would your children, who have sunk roots far from their ancestral heritage, go?

“Oliver Wendell Holmes once said that “Man’s mind, stretched to a new idea, never goes back to its original dimension.”

“Let me paraphrase him and say, Nigeria unity, stretched to a new frontier, should never go back to its original dimension.

“We must grow in unity. We must glow in community. We must blow away disunity. We have no choice, considering the alternative, which is a calamity that we would not wish to return to. So help us God.

“May God bless Nigeria as one peaceful, progressive, and indivisible nation.”

Buhari Flies To France Today To Participate In African Finance Summit

Greenbarge Reporters

May 16, 2021

President Muhammadu Buhari has been scheduled to leave for Paris, France today, May 16 Abuja for Paris, to officially attend African Finance Summit which will be focused on reviewing African economy, following shocks from Coronavirus pandemic, and getting relief, especially from increased debt burden on countries.

A statement yesterday, May 15 by the senior special Assistant to the President on media and publicity, FMalam Garba Shehu said that the Summit, to be hosted by President Emmanuel Macron, will draw major stakeholders in the global finance institutions and some Heads of Government, who will, collectively, discuss external funding and debt treatment for Africa, and private sector reforms.

According to Garba Shehu, while in France, Buhari will meet with the French President to discuss growing security threats in Sahel and Lake Chad region, political relations, economic ties, climate change and partnership in buoying the health sector, particularly in checking spread of Covid-19, with more research and vaccines.

He said that before returning to Nigeria, President Buhari will receive some key players in the oil and gas sector, engineering and telecommunications, European Council and European Union Representative for Foreign and Security Policy and Commission, and members of the Nigerian community.

He said that the President will be accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, Minister of Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, and Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire.

Also on the trip, the spokesman said, are National Security Adviser, retired Major General Babagana Mohammed Monguno and Director General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.

Police Officer Recovers N1.2 Million From Accident Victim, Returns It To His Family

Greenbarge Reporters

May 16, 2021

A police Sergeant, Kabiru Isah, who recovered the sum of N1.2 million from a victim of an accident in Kano has taken the money to the family of the deceased.

And in appreciation of his honesty, the Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA) has rewarded him with the sum of N100,000.

In a statement, the Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abdullahi Haruna, said that Sergeant Kabiru Isah, attached to the command’s Motor Traffic Division (MTD) recovered the money while conducting analysis at an accident scene on the Kano-Zaria Road.

He said that an articulated vehicle had knocked down a motorcycle rider, who died on the spot, adding that the victim was in possession of the money packed in a box.

“The police officer returned N1,294,200 found at the scene of the fatal accident,” he said.

Haruna said that Commissioner of Police, Sama’ila Dikko, handed over the money to the relatives of the deceased and called on police personnel and residents of the state to emulate Isah’s good deed.

According to him, the Managing Director, Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA), Baffa Dan-Agundi, handed over to Sergeant, Kabiru Isah, the sum of N100,000 as reward for his honesty and dedication to duty.

JAMB Fixes June 19 For 2021 UTME Exams

Greenbarge Reporters

May 16, 2021

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has fixed June 19 this year for the commencement of the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

JAMB Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, who made the announcement yesterday May 15, after a stakeholders’ meeting, said that the exam will commence on June 19 and end on July 3.

He added that the mock exam would now take place on May 29, 2021, while the registration, which ought to end yesterday has been extended by two weeks.

“Field reports showed a huge improvement in the processes. As of today, 1,134,424 candidates have so far registered.

“Stakeholders undertook on the spot assessment of the CBT centres and discovered lapses which warranted the extension.

“The challenges among others include candidates non-compliance with registration requirements, using the wrong format to generate profile code and using multiple phone numbers, among others.”

Oloyede said the board would send a monitoring team to states and CBT centres to stop selling e-pins. He said the board would sanction any CBT centres that violated the board’s requirements.

He called on the ministry of education to discourage parents from registering underage children to pursue tertiary education.

I Won’t Provide Cover For Any Criminal, Whether My Relations Or Not – Buhari

Editorial staff

May 14, 2021

President Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear that his policy on corruption would always remain that he would not provide cover for anyone found to be corrupt whether or not such person is related to him.

Reacting to a story trending in the social media that the ICPC has declared “an inlaw of the President” wanted in connection with fraud involving the large sum of money , USD65 million to be exact, Buhari said such story should normaly be an affirmation that his anti-corruption agencies/institutions are truly independent and allowed unfettered freedom, “which infact is the case.”

“That a state institution can issue such is a measure of the administration’s commitment to accountability, equality and justice.”

A statement today, May 14, by a presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, setting the record straight, said however that the person declared wanted by the ICPC is not an inlaw to President Buhari.

“While at some point in time the said fugitive from justice had been linked to a family member in marriage, that relationship has ended some years ago. ” It is therefore unfortunate to bring the Presidents family into this case. It is in our view an attempt to generate views and sell copies of sensational reporting.

“The President’s position at all times is that the law be allowed to take its course. As is well known of him, President Muhammadu Buhari will not provide any cover for crime, no matter who is involved.”

Those Of Us In Authority Have Failed Our People, Kogi Governor Confesses

Editorial staff

May 14, 2021

“Those of us that are still in authority today, how have we been able to implement programs that can benefit the lives of the people?

“How much have we taken the people seriously, how much have we accounted for what we have been entrusted with?”

These were the questions posed by the Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello when he featured on Channels Television programme today, May 14.

Speaking to the call by the governors of the Southern part of the country on restructuring of the country, the Kogi State Governor faulted the move for restructuring, saying that the governors are also contributors to the bad governance in the country.

“My definition of restructuring is allowing the younger generation to take over the leadership of this country.

“In some quarters where the restructuring is sounding so loud, looking at history and performances, how have they been able to perform when they were given positions of authority in this country?

How We Killed 3 In Battle With Rice Smugglers In Oyo – Customs

Editorial staff

May 14, 2021

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operation Unit (FOU), Zone A in Ibadan, has confirmed the death of three persons during a battle with rice smugglers yesterday, May 13, in Iseyin area of Oyo state.

In a statement today, May 14, the FOU Zone A spokesman, Theophilus Duniya, said that the customs officers who were on routine patrol intercepted two Nissan Pathfinder SUV vehicles fully loaded with smuggled foreign parboiled rice at Iseyin.

He said that the dare devil smugglers mobilized themselves with the help of some thugs on Thursday at about 3pm and attacked a Customs patrol, who were on lawful duty at Iseyin.

Duniya said that the mob attacked the officers with dangerous weapons which led to the infliction of serious injuries on two officers.

“They attempted to abduct one of the officers that was brutally attacked; who sustained deep cuts on his head and other parts of his body.

“The assailants had taken the injured officer with his rifle before his team members who acted in self defence, shot at the suspected abductors leading to the death of three of them before he was rescued and taken for immediate medical attention.

“The officers were able to successfully evacuate the intercepted smuggled rice, while the injured officers are currently receiving treatment.”

Duniya said that the Acting Controller of the Unit, DC Usman Yahaya, was sadden about the avoidable incident and urged community leaders and parents to call their wards and children to order.

Duniya said that the acting controller lamented the criminality of obstructing and attacking officers on lawful duty, describing it as a venture that yields no good for all including the Service.

“We appeal for compliance to extant rules and assures of the resolve of our men to remain resolute in discharging their duties in the best interest of Nigerians.”

Source: NAN.

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