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The Minister of State for Health, Dr Muhammad Pate, has enjoined expectant mothers go to hospitals or medical centres to deliver their babies to avail themselves of the usage of health facilities. Pate said this was necessary to enable HIV positive mot...

The Kaduna State Government will partner with the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) on traffic decongestion in the state.

Gov. Mukhtar Yero of Kaduna state said this when he met with the NITT Director- General, Alhaji Aminu Yusuf in Kaduna.

Yero said the partnership would also improve the capacity for transport workers and improve the transport system in the state.

He directed the state Commissioner for Works and Transport, Alhaji Sulaiman Richifa to arrange a meeting with the institute on ways they could partner to develop the state's transport system.

He added that the state government would soon disburse 700 tricycles, 40 taxis and 50 buses to ease transportation problems.  

“I direct the commissioner for works and transport to immediately after this visit arrange a meeting with you and your management to design areas of collaboration.

"Most of our people are engaged in transportation and the training would help us in this endeavour," he said.

The governor urged NITT and other Federal Government institutions to pay their taxes promptly as the board of internal revenue would soon carry out a verification exercise and “collect what belongs to us”.

Yero stressed the need for federal institutions to employ indigenes in keeping with the quota stipulated by the 1999 Constitution.

“We want to seek your cooperation to ensure that our people are properly employed in your institute, this is applicable to all federal institutions in Kaduna state.

" We want to ensure that they all meet up with the employment requirement if not, we would demand for it to be made up.

Earlier, the NITT Director-General emphasised the role of the transport sector in socio-economic development of the state.

Yusuf appealed to the government to prevail on various ministries to take advantage of the institute's programmes to ensure efficiency in transportation. (NAN)

A leader of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Jigawa State, Alhaji Magaji Dogo Dan Umaru, has faulted critics of the members representing Kazaure, Roni, Gwiwa and Yankwashi federal constituency, Hon. Bashir Adamu Kazaure and that of Dutse/ K...

The Kwara State Government has said that it will not condone cultism in all its tertiary institutions. The Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Alhaji Aliyu Lade, made this known on Friday when he paid an unscheduled visit to Kw...

The Court of Appeal, Lagos, on Friday upheld the judgment of a Lagos High Court which convicted the General Overseer, Christian Praying Assembly, Chukwuemeka Ezeugo and sentenced him to death.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Ezeugo, popularly known as Rev. King, who was charged with six-counts bordering on attempted murder and murder, was convicted by Justice Joseph Oyewole on Jan. 11, 2007.

Oyewole sentenced Ezeugo to death by hanging, for the murder of a church member, Ann Uzoh.

Ezeugo was said to have poured petrol on the deceased for an offence which he classified as "acts of fornication," and set her ablaze.

The convict, through his counsel, Mr Olalekan Ojo, had, however, filed an appeal on Nov. 5, 2012 raising a plethora of issues for determination and urging the court to upturn the verdict of the lower court.

Justice Fatima Akinbami, in a lead judgment at the appellate court, held that all issues raised by Ezeugo in his appeal, failed.

``This appeal is devoid of any basis and accordingly fails.

``The judgment of the High Court is hereby affirmed, and the conviction imposed on the appellant, is also affirmed" Akinbami ruled.

She said that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and faulted an alibi raised by Ojo that the appellant was not at the scene of the offence.

According to her, the evidence of some prosecution witnesses pinned the appellant to the scene of the offence, throwing out arguments by Ojo that the evidence was tainted.

Akinbami said that even the evidence of a tainted witness is admissible, once it is material to the case, noting that all evidence adduced by the prosecution witnesses were unanimous.

She said that they all pointed to the fact that the appellant actually used matches and petrol to set the deceased ablaze.

``Each of the prosecution witnesses gave evidence as to how the victim was beaten and burnt by the appellant.

``To my mind, there is no contradiction whatsoever and even if there were, it is immaterial, since all the witnesses were unanimous," she said.

According to Akinbami, the evidence of some doctors also showed that the deceased died as a result of the burns.

She held that the trial judge was at liberty to write his judgment in his own style, provided it sets out the issue for determination, shows a clear understanding of the facts as stated and arrives at a logical conclusion.

The judge condemned the attitude of some pastors toward their congregation, noting that the circumstances surrounding the death of the deceased were rather bizarre.

``It is so devastating how some men of God will give out to their congregation scorpion, instead of fish, and stone, instead of bread.

``It is indeed sad and unfortunate," Akinbami said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justices Amina Augie and Ibrahim Saulawa consented to the judgment.

NAN reports that the appellant’s counsel informed the court of his intention to challenge the verdict at the Supreme Court. (NAN)