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Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS),in Abuja on Monday announced the promotion of 2,900 soldiers. Ihejirika said at the decoration of 14 Colonels with their new ranks of Brigadier-Generals, that no fewer than 10,000 soldiers wer...
A 27-year old politician, Terfa Ankyo of Gboko Local Government Area of Benue, was on Monday remanded at the Federal Prisons, Makurdi, for alleged terrorism. The prosecutor, Sgt. Gabriel Ebonyi, told the court that one Yandev Amaabai, also of Gbo...
The Nigerian Legion, a body of ex-servicemen in the country, has called on the governments at all level to make a separate budgetary provision for the Legion.
The Chairman of the body in Anambra, retired Major Gabriel Enyibuaku, made the call in Awka on Monday during the launch of the emblem appeal fund.
According to him, government must show more commitment to welfare of legion members.
He said that the body needed functional office as well as utility vehicle to help coordinate its activities in the state.
He, however, expressed gratitude to Gov. Peter Obi, for supporting the legion and urged other states and indeed, the Federal Government to emulate him.
``We are appealing for more assistance like the creation of a functional state office, a utility vehicle to enable us to reach our offices at the local government.
``we are also calling for employment for the children of our members both fallen and alive so as to take care of our members," he said.
In his response, Obi thanked the legion for their role in keeping the country together, adding that they put their lives on the line for the unity of the country.
Obi said his administration would be more aggressive this time in addressing the plight of the Nigerian Legion in the state.
He announced a donation of N1 million to the legion and launched the emblem with N50,000, while the Deputy Governor, Mr Emeka Sibeudu, launched it with N30,000.
He encouraged them to keep faith with the country and continue to contribute their quota to nation building.
John Dramani Mahama was inaugurated President of Ghana on Monday in a ceremony boycotted by the opposition over claims of electoral fraud.
Mahama, 54, was sworn in at a ceremony attended by numerous Heads of State and a crowd of Ghanaians in Accra's Independence Square.
``I will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of Ghana and I'll preserve and protect the constitution of the Republic of Ghana, so help me God,” said Mahama in taking the oath.
Mahama, a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, won 50.7 per cent of Ghana's election on Dec. 7.
His 68-year-old opponent, Nana Akufo-Addo, of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), received 47.74 per cent.
The NPP, which alleged vote rigging in the wake of Mahama's narrow win, boycotted the swearing-in ceremony.
The party had earlier filed a petition at the Supreme Court challenging the results that declared incumbent Mahama the winner, claiming that 700,000 to 1 million votes were added in his favour.
The inauguration was attended by various dignitaries, including the Presidents of Senegal, Nigeria, South Africa and Equatorial Guinea, as well as the Chairman of the AU.
A 37-year old bricklayer, Oriyomi Adepoju, on Monday appeared before an Osogbo Magistrates' Court for alleged assault and shaving off his girlfriend's pubic hair without consent.
The police prosecutor, Insp. Isiaka Ajadi, alleged that the accused committed the offence on Jan. 1 at a house located on Ibokun road.
Ajadi told the court that the accused indirectly assaulted Nofisat Adedeji, shaved off the hair while she was asleep, without her consent.
He said the offence contravened sections 249(D) and 360 of the Criminal Code of Osun 2003. The accused, who had no legal representation, pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read out to him.
Magistrate Habbibat Bashiru, admitted the accused to bail in N100,000 and two sureties in the like sum.
Bashiru directed that the sureties must be resident within the court’s jurisdiction and their addresses verified by the police.
She ordered that one of the sureties must be a close relative of the accused.
The magistrate also ordered that the sureties must provide two passport photographs and one year tax clearance certificate to the court.
Bashiru adjourned the case to Feb. 11 for hearing, to enable the accused to get legal representation.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said it sealed 131 Private Guard Companies between January 2011 and December 2012. This is contained in a NSCDC document made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja Reacting...
The Federal Government is conducting a Needs Assessment Survey to deepen Statistical Agencies and Planning Commissions in 12 states, Dr Kabir Usman, the lead survey’s consultant, has said. Usman, who is also the Director General of Centre for Man...
A 26-year old man, Akinola Oluwafemi, on Monday appeared before an Ado-Ekiti Magistrates' court for allegedly assaulting two ladies.
The Police Prosecutor, Cpl Cutis Enabulele, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Jan. 5 at Ajilosun Street, Ado-Ekiti.
According to Enabulele, the accused unlawfully and indecently assaulted Omotola Ibrahim and Sadiat Ibrahim by forcefully removing their pants, with intention to have canal knowledge of them.
He said on the same date, time and place, the accused unlawfully assaulted Sadiat by biting her and incurred harm on her.
Enabulele said that the offence contravened section 355 of the Criminal Code of Ekiti State, 2012. However, the accused, who was not represented by any counsel, pleaded guilty to the charge.
Magistrate Taiwo Ajibade ordered that the accused should be remanded in prison custody. She adjourned the case to Jan 13. for judgment.
The Minister of State for FCT, Ms Olajumoke Akinjide, has said that 8,000 indigenes from nine communities in the territory will be resettled in June. This is contained in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja and signed by Mr Oluyinka Akintunde, the Sp...
The Controller of Immigration in Kaduna State, Haruna Dawoop was on Monday charged with alleged abetment and criminal misappropriation before a Kaduna Chief Magistrates' Court 1.
Dawoop was charged along with one Ellie Jaounde, a Lebanese of No 11A Suleiman Crescent, Kaduna.
The complainant, Hussaini Jallo, said through his counsel, Malam Abdul Ladan, that the two had conspired and ``intentionally'' defrauded him.
He said they did this by ``dishonestly'' inducing him to deliver to them, the contract documents for the construction of the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences of Kaduna State University.
The counsel said the 1st accused person, Jaounde, undertook to pay the complainant the sum of N35 million as the 20 per cent of the contract sum but failed to do so.
He told the court that the 1st accused allegedly gave him a dude Cheque No 23924515 dated May 31, 2012 in the sum of N1.2 million as part payment, which was not honoured by the bank. According to the counsel, the two conspired to criminally misappropriate N35million belonging to his client.
He said the offences were contrary to Sections 83, 96, 320, 311 and 308 of the Penal Code.
When the charges were read, only the 1st accused person was present in court and he pleaded not guilty.
His lawyer, Mr Dzever Steven urged the court to grant him bail as the offence was bailable.
The presiding officer, Chief Magistrate Nasiru Idris, granted Jaounde bail in the sum of N1 Million with two sureties in like sum.
The court said the sureties must be residing in Kaduna, have substantial means of livelihood and valid government issued ID card.
One of the sureties was expected to deposit his passport photograph with the court. In addition, Jaounde was ordered to deposit his International Passport with the registrar of the court until the conclusion of the case.
The chief magistrate said the accused shall be kept on remand at the Central Prison Kaduna, as provided under section 353 of the Criminal Procedure Code, until he meets the bail conditions.
He advised that the immigration controller, who is the second accused person, be properly served and arraigned by the next adjourned date.
Idris then adjourned the case till Jan. 14, for mention.
President Gooodluck Jonathan in Abuja on Sunday admonished the Church to champion the course of nation building through character moulding of the citizenry.
The President gave the charge in Abuja at the 30th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service of John Cardinal Onaiyekan’s, Episcopal ordination as a Bishop and appointment to the College of Cardinals.
``The church, the government and the political actors have the same responsibilities and we believe that the church is at the centre of society building. ``Some of the challenges we faced today is because of the character our people have. If the church moulds the people, especially starting from the children, Nigeria will be a better place,’’ he said.
The president also seized the occasion to appreciate efforts of the church at promoting inter-religious dialogue in the country. He recalled that in March 2012, the Pope sent a Cardinal in charge of inter-faith dialogue at the Vatican to Nigeria for inter-face in inter-religious cooperations.
``There is no doubt that immense progresses have been made in this critical area and I am grateful for all the work that had been done by the church. ``We all know that no religion preaches or encourages violence. The two major religions in our land preach brotherhood, love and peaceful co-existence which are their foundation.
``Those who do otherwise, do not worship God because it cannot be the same person, who worships God that will encourage killing people, who are also created by God. ``We believe that God created all of us and anybody who raises weapon to kill the very one created by God cannot be said to be worshipping God.’’
Jonathan noted that the appointment of Onaiyekan to the position of cardinal was a clear recognition by the Vatican of the immense contributions of the church in Nigeria to the worldwide catholic movement.
``I see in his appointment as a recognition for those who work and toil for peace, bringing hope to their people and building bridges for reconciliation among men. ``I also see it as a great privilege to our country at this time, and in particular to me, since I am serving as the president now.’’
He described the cleric as ``a simple, humble and totally unassuming man yet a man of great distinction, learning and knowledge who always sees himself as a citizen and of course a messenger and servant of God’’. Jonathan noted that the smooth progression of the cleric in the church hierarchy stood him out as a man of great piety and intellectual strength.
The president expressed the hope ``that one day, and I pray it will not be too long, we will also celebrate a Papal Father from Nigeria’’. Earlier, in a sermon, Onaiyekan said the circumstances of the birth of Jesus Christ, a ruler of justice and peace, should be a great lesson for the country, particularly in the area of religion.
The sermon was centred on the story of Epiphany and circumstances of the birth of Jesus Christ, ``the infant king of Bethlehem’’. Onaiyekan noted that a true religion ``must be open to all, embrace peace and devoid of blood shedding.
That Nigeria is deeply religious is a precious asset. ``It is, however, sad that our image abroad is tainted with fanatism, religious intolerance, killing and shedding of blood. ``We must not allow this to continue. We have to strive to live in peace in our nation with our differences of tribe, culture, tradition, language and religion.
``We must see the image of God in everybody around us and apply the golden rule that we should do to others only what we can do to ourselves,’’ the cardinal said. He said that the congratulatory messages he had received since his appointment cut across religion, tribe, business and politics.
He said the thanksgiving service was in commemoration of his 30 years of ordination as a Bishop and his appointment into the College of Cardinals by Pope Benedict the XVI. He recalled that on Jan. 6, 1983, he was ordained Bishop by Pope John Paul II at St. Peters’ Basilica in Rome.
Onaiyekan said 14 of them were ordained on the fateful day among which were two Nigerians and four Archbishops. The cleric also noted that the date Jan. 6 was significant in his life as remarkable things in his life had fallen on that date.
According to him, he was ordained a Deacon on Jan. 6, 1969; Bishop on Jan. 6, 1983; took over as Bishop of Ilorin Diocese Jan. 6, 1985, Bishop of Abuja Diocese on Jan. 6, 1992 and the thanksgiving on his elevation to Cardinal on Jan. 6, 2013.
The Senate President, Sen. David Mark, in a goodwill message said the church in the country was faced with many challenges brought about by few disgruntled elements.
He, however, said the challenges could be addressed with the prayers, understanding and unity in the church. Mark thanked the president for sending him as head of the Federal Government's delegation to the Vatican for the consecration of Onaiyekan.
The Deputy Governor of Kogi, Chief Yomi Awoniyi, who represented Gov. Idris Wada at the service, said the occasion was a moment of pride for the government and people of the state.
He said Onaiyekan, who hailed from the state, rose from a humble beginning to the peak of his Episcopal career. The Coordinator of Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), Prof Ishaq Oloyede, who represented the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar at the service, underscored the need for religious tolerance and cooperation among various religions.
He described Onaiyekan as a ``genuine man of God, academician per excellence, promoter of peace and a pride to the nation and Africa’’.
Born on Jan. 29, 1944 in Kabba, Kogi, Onaiyekan attended St. Michael Secondary School, Aliade, Benue, and later enrolled at the Major seminary of St. Peter and Paul, Ibadan, Oyo State, and ordained Priest on Aug. 3, 1959.
He was consecrated into the prestigious College of Cardinals on Nov. 24, 2012 in Rome and five other cardinals from the US, Lebanon, Colombia and Philippine. Onaiyekan is the fourth Nigerian Catholic priest to be appointed a cardinal.
Those that preceded him are late Dominic Ekandem, Francis Arinze and Olubunmi Okogie.
Cardinals are the Pope"s closest aides in the Vatican, running in key departments around the world where they head dioceses to oversee the more than 1.2 billion members of the Roman Catholic Church.
NAN also reports that Onaiyekan was the immediate past President of the Christian Association of Nigeria and former President of English Speaking Bishops in Africa among others. (NAN)
The Commissioner for Education in Cross River, Prof. Offiong Offiong, said that the State Government spent N1.2 billion on the provision of laboratory equipment in 60 Schools in 2012. Offiong told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar that the ex...
Alhaji Sambo Sulaiman, the Sarkin Tukur-Tukur in Zaria, Kaduna State, has died at the age of 82. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sulaiman died in his residence on Saturday night after a protracted illness. Alhaji Sabo Sulaiman, Manager, Q...
The Director-General, National Automotive Council of Nigeria, Mr Aminu Jalal, on Sunday in Lagos said the Federal Government needed to enhance the nation's automotive industry for sustainable economic growth. Jalal told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that this was necessary because the current state of the industry was discouraging. He said capacity utilisation in the industry had dwindled from 90 per cent in 1981 to 10 per cent currently.
``There were more than 50 auto component manufacturers in Nigeria before, some of which were original equipment manufacturers (OEM). ``But many of them have closed down due to lack of demand and infrastructure,’’ Jalal said. He said the installed capacity of the Nigerian automotive industry surpasses the annual vehicular demand as indicted by data from the Nigerian Automotive Manufacturers Association (NAMA).
``Annual installed capacity in the assembling/manufacturing is 150,000 units, valued at N550 billion, while 70,000 new and 200,000 used vehicles valued more than N400 billion were imported annually since 2008.
``The potential value added, if imports were locally assembled, will be N145 billion with additional value incidental, if local content programmes are vigorously pursued,’’ the director-general said. He said the automotive sector, at full capacity, could employ 70,000 skilled and semi-skilled workers and 200,000 in indirect employment.
``But unfortunately the total current operating capacity for the local assembly plants by value is just six billion Naira,’’ Jalal said. He urged the Federal Government to urgently address the issues of low demand, competition from China and India and lack of infrastructure so as to revive the sector.
``These are some of the challenges that affect the sector, and if they can be eliminated, the sector will benefit the economy through jobs, wealth-creation and technology-acquisition. ``The automotive local content generates many Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and high-paying jobs and that is why both developed and developing economies nurture and protect their automotive industries,’’ the director-general said.
Jalal said with an annual auto import bill of more than N400 billion, the automotive sector in Nigeria was well positioned to improve the nation’s economy.
``Large employment generation, effective utilisation of local raw material and resources, acquisition of technological know-how, foreign exchange savings and earnings are just some the gains if the sector operates at full capacity.
``The industry has the potentials to turn Nigeria into the auto manufacturing centre for the ECOWAS sub-region and beyond,’’ he said.(NAN)
Farmers in Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi have appealed to the Federal Government to provide seedlings and relief materials to cushion effects of the 2012 flood disaster.
The farmers, in separate interviews in Ibaji on Sunday, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that they lost all their crops and granaries to the disaster. NAN reports that Ibaji Local Government Area was the worst hit area in the state by the 2012 floods.
This had led the Federal Government into evacuating all residents to Idah town in the state. The area is a border riverine community between Kogi and Anambra, comprising no fewer than 34 villages with farming as the major occupation of inhabitants. Mrs Eke Emeje, a farmer at Odeke village, told NAN that she left grains she recovered from her granary behind during evacuation of the area because rescue boats refused to carry goods.
"I waited for three days with some grains I took from my granary, but the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) refused to take any goods.
So, I had to leave everything to save my life. "At the camp in Idah we were not given enough food and when the flood receded we came back home to see that all our farms and granaries had been washed away. "Now, we are hungry and there is famine in our land.
The farming season is approaching and we have no seeds to plant. "Most of our houses collapsed and we are living in danger. Government should save us from starvation," she pleaded.
Pastor Jude Atta of the Glorious Faith Ministry, Idah and a cassava farmer at Ugwoda, told NAN that he lost about five hectares of cassava farmland to flood. He said he presently has no cassava stems to plant in the new cropping season. "We were expecting a bumper harvest then, but the flood came overnight and destroyed everything.
I lost crops spanning over five hectares. "Our granaries were washed away, and seedlings is a major problem we are now having," Atta said. He said one Mr Dave Ogwu, out of goodwill, had distributed seedlings to a few farmers in the area to alleviate their sufferings. Atta however noted that the seedlings could not reach all the farmers.
He called on the Federal Government to rescue the community by providing seedlings and relief materials to assist the inhabitants in agricultural activities. Another farmer, Pastor Peter Oyaka of Grace of God Mission at Enweli, told NAN that he lost both crops and economic trees to the flood.
He expressed regrets that relief materials did not get to some farmers and appealed to government to come to their assistance. "There is no hope for the planting season because our seedlings were washed away and we thought we were going to get improved seeds from the government.
"We heard of the relief funds but it did not reach the real farmers because what was meant for us were diverted. "It is very appalling and disheartening and I have been crying every day since the floods, hoping I can meet President Goodluck Jonathan to tell him the plight of farmers here," Oyaka said.
Mrs Lilian Amabi, a farmer at Unale, told NAN that her family escaped being wiped out at the farm settlement when their house collapsed. "Government said we should not take anything but now we have returned to nothing. How can we survive the hardship if government does not help us?" she demanded.(NAN)