Nation
THE STATES
The police in Benue State have charged two
members of a suspected syndicate of kidnappers with conspiracy, kidnapping and causing hurt, before a Makurdi Upper Area Court.
The accused, Sunday Ogbole, 24, and Emmanuel Alphonsus, 20-were arraigned on a three-count charge.
According to the prosecutor, Cpl Omaye Ujata, Ogbole a Nigerian, and Alphonsus, a native of Cotonou, Benin Republic, conspired and attempted to kidnap Mrs Ogwa Agada in her house at Ehaji Owukpa in Ogbadibo Local Government Area.
“When the victim raised alarm, the accused persons stabbed her with a knife and took to their heels,’’ Ujata submitted.
Kaduna
A lecturer at the Department of History, Kaduna
State University, Malam Sulaiman Shehu, has called on political parties to always allow internal democracy to prevail in their electoral processes.
Shehu told newsmen in Kaduna that applying internal democracy would make the political parties stronger and more reliable.
The lecturer said democracy within the political parties would always produce the best candidates for the electorate.
According to him, political parties should desist from hand picking candidates because such practice will breed contempt among the electorate.
Kwara
An aspirant to the House of Representatives from
Kwara State, Chief Rex Olawoye, said yesterday that the proposed autonomy for local governments in the country would give them a new lease of life.
Olawoye, a two-time Chairman, Ifelodun Local Government in Kwara, said this on Tuesday in an interview with newsmen in Ilorin.
“By this autonomy, a new lease of life has come to the local government councils in the country and will make them perform better,” Olawoye added.
He commended the National Assembly for the bold move, saying it would truly make the councils the third arm of government as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.
Kano
The Presiding Pastor of Shalom Evangelical
Assembly, Sabon-Gari, Kano, Mr Kehinde Babatunde, has expressed optimism that the 2015 elections in Nigeria will be peaceful.
Babatunde told newsmen in Kano that: “The forthcoming general election is going to be the most peaceful election people have ever seen or witnessed in this country.
“Let everybody in the country be calm because the election will be conducted peacefully.’’
Babatunde also expressed hope that the security challenges bedevilling the country would be a thing of the past.
“The country will also witness economic growth and prosperity in the year 2015 and people will have peace.
Lagos
Two students of Yaba College of Technology, Lagos,
who allegedly threatened to kill their lecturer, yesterday appeared before a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.
The accused – Tayo Ogunyomi, 24, and Kehinde Olaoye, 28, – reside at Yaba and Gbagada areas of Lagos respectively.
They were arraigned on a three-count charge of conspiracy, breach of public peace and membership of an unlawful society.
The prosecutor, Inspector, Rita Momah, told the court that the offences were committed on October16 at 9 p.m. on the school campus.
She said the students sent text messages to the phone of their lecturer, one Mrs Abraham Ibe, threatening to kill her.
Nasarawa
Governor Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa State has
appointed Mr Yakubu Lamai as his new Chief Press Secretary following a minor cabinet reshuffle.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Zainab Ahmed, and made available to newsmen in Lafia yesterday
It said Al-Makura also made minor cabinet reshuffle by reassigning commissioners to oversee some ministries following the sack of eight commissioners last month.
According to the statement, Mr Hussaini Abubakar, Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, has been moved to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
Ondo
A teenager, Segun Temi and a man,Tunde Akinagbe –
were yesterday brought before an Okitipupa Magistrates’ Court in Ondo State for alleged break-in and theft of mobile phone and N20,000.
The accused -Temi, 16, and Akinagbe, 21 -whose addresses and occupations are unknown, are facing a four-count charge of conspiracy, felony, burglary and stealing.
The prosecutor, Insp. Zedekiah Orogbemi, told the court that the accused had committed the offences on Sept. 19 at about 9.00 a.m. at 19, Kajola St., Ode Aye near Okitipupa.
Orogbemi said the accused broke into the house of one Bolanle Samson and stole a Samsung phone valued at N6, 000 and a wallet containing N20, 000.
He said the accused broke Sections 390(9), 411, 430(1) and 516 Criminal Code, Laws of Ondo State 2006.The duo pleaded not guilty.
Osun
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Osun
State says 10 persons died from road accidents in the state in September.
The state Sector Commander of FRSC, Mr Muhammad Husaini, disclosed this to newsmen in Osogbo yesterday0.
According to Husaini, 26 crashes involving 126 persons occurred during the month.
He attributed the crashes to speeding, deplorable roads and failure by motorists to comply with road traffic rules and regulations.
He lauded the efforts of the state government for complementing activities of the commission through its road construction and rehabilitation projects.
Oyo
Oyo State Government says it has set aside N125
million to boost cocoa production for the 2014/2015 Planting Season.
General Manager, Cocoa Development Unit, Oyo State, Mr Gabriel Kehinde, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Ibadan.
He said, “While N110 million is for the commencement of Youth Empowerment Programmes in Cocoa Production, N15 million is for one million cocoa seedlings for free distribution to farmers.
The General Manager said that government distributed 640,000 and 350,000 metric tonnes of free seedlings to farmers in all the 33 Local Government areas of the state in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
Sokoto
The District Head of Gagi, Sokoto South Local
Government Area of Sokoto State, Alhaji Sani Umar, said residents of the area have raised N500,000 for enrolment in the community health insurance scheme.
He also said that the people of the area had already opened a dedicated bank account for their monthly donations meant for the execution of the scheme.
Umar told newsmen in Sokoto that the fund would be used for the execution of other self-help development projects across the community, which is located some few kilometres east of Sokoto city.
“We have to take our destiny into our own hands. The three tiers of government are trying their best in terms of the provision of social amenities to the people.
“However, there are so many social needs of the people requiring the attention of the government and its efforts must have to be complemented by Nigerians,” said the monarch.
Gov. Sule Lamido( right) of Jigawa State, Receiving the Chairman, Governing Council of Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Alhaji Mustapha Jumare in Dutse, recently. Photo: NAN
The Chairman of Malumfashi Local Government Council of Katsina State, Maharazu Dayi, has been impeached.
Maharazu Dayi was impeached yesterday by 11 out of 12 councillors, barely two days before the local government elections in the State.
The councillors reportedly took action following allegations of misconduct and poor governance against the chairman after a dispute over the distribution of the council’s Paris Club funds.
The development has sent shock waves across the local government area, especially as the impeached chairman is among those who failed to secure the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest in the forthcoming election.
The Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association, Mile 1, Port Harcourt, has urged the state government to utilise the available spaces within the area to build phase 3 of the Rumuwoji Market in order to solve the ever increasing needs of traders.
The association, which said this at a media briefing in Port Harcourt, also described as a welcomed development the decision by the state Governor to open the phase 2 of the market for business.
According to the association, “We consider it as an answer to the various cries of the people, because he is a man on a mission who is out to place the interest of Rivers people first. It is a dream come true for the first time for the market to be dully allocated and open for business”
Chairman of the association, Hon Godspower Wobo, who briefed the press shortly after a meeting of the association in Port Harcourt, also urged the public to disregard the activities of some persons whose stock in trade is to cause disaffection in the market.
He said the attention of the association was drawn to the activities of some strange fellows who went about misforming the people about situation in the market, stressing that apart from his association, no other group exists in the market except subdiary unions.
Wobo also tasked the reallocation committee to tread with caution so as to avoid being deceived by any group.
According to him, time has come for the state government to engage in robust discussion with aggrieved shop owners who went to court and those who paid monies to the state coffers and issued with allocation certificates for the overall interest of peace.
He also advised the public to deal directly with his association, stressing that the meeting was to review activities for the last year as well as unveil their new Constitution.
Also speaking, former Chairman of the association, Deacon Kenneth Eze urged the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara to open the phase 2 of the market, as it is long overdue.
Eze who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the association also urged the public to do business with only the Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association as it is the only union recognised by the traders.
The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has debunked reports linking him with the race for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027.
Reacting to the report on his X handle yesterday, following a recent interview with Arise TV, the AfDB boss said his quotes were misrepresented and misinterpreted in several Nigerian media reports.
However, the AfDB president denied the media reports, stating that he never said that he wanted to contest for President.
“A segment of my recent interview on @Arise TV has been both misinterpreted and misrepresented in several Nigerian media outlets. What I said was, “I will be available to serve in any capacity, globally, in Africa, anywhere, including my own country.”
“A listen to the substantive and robust interview, which is available online, will show this to be the case. For clarity and for the record, I did not say that I am running for the office of President of Nigeria,” Adesina said.