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Gov Fashola Advocates Heavier Sanctions For Drug Pushers

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Gov Fashola Advocates Heavier Sanctions For Drug Pushers

Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, has advocated stiffer penalties for drug traffickers and illegal manufacturers to achieve success in the fight against drug peddlers.

The governor said this on Monday when he received the chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, at the Government House, Ikeja.

He said that the drug trade was “too dangerous” to be treated with a kids glove, noting that the country’s anti-drug law must be made more punitive to fight the menace.

“I support calls and campaigns for stiffer penalties for drug traffickers, manufacturers and others who are one way or the other engaged in this unhealthy trade,” he said.

Fashola reasoned that in the face of increasing national and global insecurity, it is impossible to neglect the role drugs play in motivating terrorism and other violent crimes.

“I have come to the resolute belief that it takes some degree of abnormality for someone to go out and take people’s lives. And often times, those who perpetrate these crimes do it under the influence of drugs and other substances,” he said.

The governor, therefore, urged security agencies to collaborate with the NDLEA in its efforts to confront crime.

He said: “The first fight against crime is to rid the country of illicit drugs. For me, every security agency that wants to fight crime must collaborate with the NDLEA”.

Earlier, Giade said that the agency was winning the war against drugs as it had, through a number of efforts, reduced trafficking and use.

He said that the removal of Nigeria from the list of biggest drug transit countries in 2010 was proof of the progress made.

Giade thanked Fashola for supporting the operations of the NDLEA, which he said had helped the agency to record some successes in Lagos.

At the end of the meeting, Fashola presented two patrol vans to the NDLEA to enhance its operations in the state.

US Government Shuts Down

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US Government Shuts Down

The US government has shut down for the first time in 17 years after President Barack Obama refused to bow to Republican demands that he roll back his signature healthcare law.

Around 800,000 federal workers have been placed on indefinite unpaid leave after a game of intense political brinkmanship failed to yield any deal between Democrats and Republicans in Congress.

In a series of late-night votes, Republicans insisted they would only vote to fund the federal government in return for a one-year delay to the health reform law known as Obamacare, key parts of which go into force Tuesday.

In his sole response early tosay to Congress’ failure to avert the  shutdown, Obama told the military that he would push Congress to re-open the government as soon as possible.

There was no reference in the three-minute video message to Republicans, whose insistence that President Obama’s health care law be scaled back has been at the centre of a gruelling back-and-forth between the Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-led Senate.

Troops in uniform in Afghanistan and elsewhere will stay on duty, the US President said, noting he had signed a law Monday to ensure they get their pay cheques on time.

But thousands of civilians who work for the Defence Department face unpaid leave, compounding the damage already inflicted on the military by automatic spending cuts.

 

Shootout At Ogwashi-Uku Iwaaji Festival Led By Army Captain – Police

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Shootout At Ogwashi-Uku Iwaaji Festival Led By Army Captain – Police

Jessica Tamaradonye , Asaba

The shootout last Friday at the Ogwashi-Uku Iwaaji new yam festival in Delta State which led to the death of Pentty Sunday Chukwu, a 15-yer-old boy identified as a prince of the kingdom  led by a captain of the Nigerian Army, the state police command has confirmed.

The public relations officer of the Delta State Police Command, Lucky Uyabeme, an assistant superintendent of Police, confirmed to journalists in Asaba, the state capital, that the shooting “was done by the army, led by a captain.”

He however refused to disclose the name of the army captain.

Uyabeme who declined further details, said the army were was handling the issue, adding that when “they are through, they will hand-over to the police for further investigation.”

Last Friday’s crisis is connected with the celebration of the New Yam festival by the respective ruling houses laying claims to throne of Obi of Ogwashi-Uku Kingdom.

It would also be recalled that there has been a protracted kingship tussle over who occupies the throne between the Umudei ruling house represented by Izedunor lineage and the Umuobaha ruling house represented by Okonjo lineage.

The state government had presented the staff of office to Chukwuka Okonjo, father of Nigeria’s Minister of Finance as the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku Kingdom following his victory at the lower courts.

However, Okonjo’s victory at the lower courts is being challenged by the Izedunor lineage at the Supreme Court and as such the police advised both parties to maintain the status quo until judgement was delivered.

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Meanwhile, Pentty’s corpse is yet to be recovered by relatives for burial.

The family has urged the relevant authorities to probe the circumstances that led to the invasion of the palace by uniformed men and the subsequent shooting that resulted in the casualty.

“It is hoped that both the federal and state governments should probe into this matter as a soul is already lost. We are demanding for justice because this victim was murdered in his father’s house not on the streets,” Anthony Nti, spokesman for the family said.

 

Gunmen Kill 3 Egyptian Policemen

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Gunmen Kill 3 Egyptian Policemen
Three policemen have been killed by unknown gunmen in Egypt’s volatile Sinai Peninsula on Monday, security sources said.
A militant group released a video of a deadly drive-by shooting of a man identified as an army colonel.
The Sinai has become a major security headache for the Egyptian authorities since the army overthrew elected President, Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in July.
Almost daily attacks by al Qaeda-inspired militants have killed more than 100 members of the security forces since Morsi’s ouster, said the Army spokesman on September 15.
Instability in the Sinai worries western governments because the region borders Israel and flanks the strategic Suez Canal, the quickest sea route between Asia and Europe.
The Sinai is also difficult to police because it borders the Gaza Strip, which is run by the Hamas group, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Egyptian army says that Gaza-based militants take part in attacks over the border and accuses Hamas of doing too little to secure the area, allegations it denies.
In the latest attacks, gunmen opened fire on a police station in the city of El-Arish in North Sinai, killing two policemen as they were eating breakfast outside the building.
In a separate incident, a police officer walking in the city was shot in the head and killed.
Gunmen also shot and killed a civilian in another attack in the nearby town of Sheikh Zuwa.

ICPC Arrests Operators Of Fake NYSC Orientation Camps

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ICPC Arrests Operators Of Fake NYSC Orientation Camps

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, in collaboration with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, has arrested some officials of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC running fake orientation camps and recruiting fake Corps members, as well as University operators giving fake admission to students.

Chairman of the commission, Ekpo Nta, who disclosed this during a public lecture organised by the Abuja chapter of the University of Ibadan Alumni Association over the weekend, expressed displeasure that some Universities were running courses not accredited by the National Universities Commission, NUC, thereby giving false hope to students.

“We have arrested some of the officials involved in this and now, we are going back to even expose universities that are running unapproved programmes for these youths,” he said, although he declined naming those arrested as investigations are still on-going.

Nta further stressed: “If you give a young man admission to run a programme that is not approved by NUC knowing that he is not going to be accepted for NYSC service scheme why then are you admitting him without telling him the consequences? When he finishes, he now decides to begin to play games to get into fake NYSC camps and go for fake posting, when you start with a lie, you continue with a lie,” he said.

He also warned admission seekers to be careful not to register for courses are not accredited by the NUC, identifying some unaccredited courses to include those that have to do with skill improvement, which are not endorsed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.

“Make sure it is an NUC- accredited course and that you are qualified to run masters programme or participate in the NYSC afterwards. Make sure you don’t go and start acquiring fake certificates,” he warned.

The ICPC chairman also advised civil servants to start investing in profitable ventures, while they are still in service to enable them have a secured future, rather than stealing public funds.

“Don’t wait until you retire because two things are involved; it is either you steal money and ICPC will be after you or you might be unlucky that somebody is stealing your pension,” he said.

Also speaking, the director-general, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion, NOTAP, Umar Bindir, said that in all continents across the world, including Africa, the small and medium scale enterprises,  provide between 60 to 75 per cent of the job opportunities.

Bindir, who was represented by Dan’azumi Ibrahim, NOTAP’s director, technology promotion and commercialisation, delivered a lecture entitled: “Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) as Avenues for Wealth Creation in Nigeria”, in which he advised Nigerians to take advantage of the research results in the country to establish SMEs.

“These technologies could be upgraded to provide the needed employment as well as wealth creation for our people,” he said.

In his remark, Chairman of the UIAA, Abuja, Ismailia Alasa,  said that the topic of the public lecture was carefully considered because it was critical to efforts at addressing the challenges of poverty, unemployment and social insecurity facing the country.

“It is even unfortunate that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is currently on a protracted strike,” he noted.

 

Firm Asks Court To Annul PDP Convention Results

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Firm Asks Court To Annul PDP Convention Results

By Emmanuel Ogala

A company has asked a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to nullify all elections conducted during the last special convention of the People’s Democratic, PDP, held on August 31, 2013 in Abuja.

According to the originating summons filed by the firm marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/655/2013, a copy of which was obtained by www.icirnigeria.org, the firm is contesting the alleged unlawful use of its patented ballot boxes for the party’s convention.

The firm, Bedding Holdings Limited, BHL, is praying the court to determine whether by virtue of reliefs granted by a court on June 5, 2012, the respondents could use its patented ballot boxes or its imitation for the PDP special congress without its consent.

It is also urging the court to determine whether, if it answers the above question in the negative, the elections conducted in the congress are unconstitutional, unlawful and thus null and void, in view of the fact that the respondents allegedly used its patented ballot boxes without first seeking and obtaining its consent as required by the judgment.

In the judgment delivered on June 5, 2012 by Justice Adamu Bello in a suit marked: between BHL, Registrar of Patents, Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry and six others, the court declared BHL the sole patentee of transparent and collapsible ballot boxes in the country, adding that the use of such boxes without its consent renders the purpose for which the boxes were used a nullity.

According to the court, Order 6 of the judgment reads in part: “any action or actions whatsoever and howsoever taken or purported to have been taken by the defendants relating to the said products without the prior and express license, consent, authority and/or approval of the plaintiff is unconstitutional, illegal, unlawful and is therefore null and void.”

Order seven restrained the Registrar of Patents and its agents from registering or issuing the plaintiff’s valid and subsisting patent over the ballot boxes to any person or organisation, except with the consent of BHL.

The plaintiff accused the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of disobeying the earlier court judgment, despite being aware of the court orders, adding that INEC deployed the same ballot boxes for use at the PDP convention without its consent.

The respondents to the suit are President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark, House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal and chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, Anthony Anenih.

Others include the PDP national chairman, Bamanga Tukur, Jerry Gana, who acted as the chairman, PDP’ special convention committee), Ken Nnamani (who was the Chairman, PDP’s electoral committee, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, who acted as chairman, PDP Essential Electoral Materials Committee, chairman, Police Service Commission, Mike Okiro , who served as chairman, PDP Special National Convention Sub-Committee on Security), INEC and its chairman, Attahiru Jega.

The suit was filed last Thursday for BHL by its lawyer, John Okoriko of the firm of Karina Tunyan, SAN, and Co.

 

Terrorism In The North Not Caused By Poverty – Jonathan

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Terrorism In The North Not Caused By Poverty – Jonathan

By Kevwe Ebireri

President Goodluck Jonathan has debunked claims that the terrorist activities in Nigeria’s north east is caused by poverty.

The President who was speaking during a Presidential Media Chat on Sunday noted the terrorism requires huge funding, alleging that terrorists in the country are sponsored by top influential persons, as confessed by some members who have been arrested.

He noted, however, that in spite of continued killings from time to time, his administration was winning the war against terrorism and soon it would be a thing of the past.

“At the time I declared the state of emergency, the crisis came down. But after some time now they are looking for soft spots, places where you will not expect them to just to embarrass the country. Even Maiduguri which appears to be the centre point of Boko Haram, the whole thing has come down,” he said.

While fielding questions on the lingering strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Jonathan stated that education was key to the development of any nation, describing the union’s strike as very unfortunate and politically manipulated.
“The issue is beyond the 2009 agreement. It is political,” he said while stressing that there were certain aspects of the 2009 agreement that cannot be implemented, like the transfer of government assets to the universities who do not have the ability to manage them.

According toJonathan, the allowances which the university lectures are demanding ought to be paid from the internally generated revenues of the schools, adding that until public universities become autonomous in terms of funding, the problems will never truly be resolved.

“Even if we solve this problem, even if we give ASUU 100 per cent of what they are asking for, as long as we still manage the universities the way we are doing as a developing country, further strikes will come up in one way or the other,” he stated.

Commenting on the issue of crude theft, Jonathan expressed disappointment that those behind the vandalisation of oil pipelines in the country were very rich individuals – Nigerians and non-Nigerians alike.

“You need a vessel to lift the crude oil across the ocean and if you were to sell a stolen product abroad you also need some connection because refineries in some countries don’t take crude oil from any and everybody,” he noted.

He, however, assured Nigerians that his government was taking steps to address the problem as some oil thieves identified were already facing prosecution and called on the governors of oil producing states to complement the efforts of the federal government in terms of monitoring pipelines to prevent crude oil theft

Reacting to questions on power supply, President Jonathan assured that power will be “reasonably stable” before the end of the first quarter of 2014.

He said the achievement in the power sector in not so much in the number of megawatts of electricity generated, but in how many hours of the day Nigerians enjoy power in their homes and business places.

Jonathan avoided being categorical whether or not he intends to contest for re-election in 2015 but refuted claims that he signed a single term agreement.

“I have not signed agreement with anybody. If I had signed agreement with anybody they would have shown you. A lot of people are misinforming Nigerians,” he said.

Explaining further, the President said: “I was in Addis Ababa and that was when I advocated for this single tenure. I said it would be more productive probably, if a president has a single tenure of seven years running without interference and I said that if Nigerians agree to that seven years tenure, I will not even be involved so that people will know that I am sincere. I discussed that in the context of the single term tenure that I was advocating.”

He stated further: “My not declaring my interest does not stop you from preparing to contest.”

The Presidential Chat which is the 5th since Jonathan’s assumption of office in 2011 was anchored Senami Ohiomokhare of AIT and had a panel of journalists including Shola Oshunkeye of the Sun newspaper, Shehu Dauda of Capital Post, Nosa Igiebor of Tell magazine and Gloria Umeh of  Channels

 

Northern Governors Condemn Yobe Killings

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Northern Governors Condemn Yobe Killings

The Northern States Governors Forum, NSGF, has condemned the killing of students in Yobe State and called on security agencies in the country to put a stop to the mindless killing of defenceless citizens in the North-east.

Chairman of the forum and governor of Niger State, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, who gave the charge on Sunday, described the gruesome murder of 38 students of the College of Agriculture, Gujba, Yobe as “horrendous and callous”.

He also condemned the killing of 15 persons in Zangang community in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

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“The forum is particularly alarmed that the shooting dead of 38 students of the College of Education; Gujba, Yobe State followed the same pattern as the killing of 22 students and a teacher at Government Secondary School, Mamudo in the same state last July,” a statement signed by Aliyu’s chief sress Secretary, Danladi Ndayebo, said.

The NSGF commiserated with the families of the victims and prayed God to grant eternal rest to the deceased and quick recovery to those who sustained injuries.

The forum urged security agencies to do more to protect the lives and property of citizens and also ensure that those behind the violence in the region are brought to justice, while pledging to continue to work with other tiers of government to bring an end to security challenges confronting the nation.

Oritsejafor Calls For Truce Between FG and ASUU

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Oritsejafor Calls For Truce Between FG and ASUU

By Kevwe Ebireri

The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Ayo Oritsejafor has called on the federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to “shift grounds” in order to bring an end to the lingering strike that has crippled academic activities in all public universities of the country.

“The federal government must shift grounds, but ASUU must also shift grounds. And we are ready to midwife a solution if they will let us. Its possible,” he declared.

Delivering a message at the 53rd Independence Anniversary Interdenominational Service held in Abuja, Oritsejafor also criticised plans by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, as well as the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT,  to shutdown public polytechnics, secondary and primary schools.

“I hear some other people say they will go on strike, is it a jolly, jolly, jolly thing? Don’t you care about this country?” he queried.

On the issue of insecurity, he commended the vigilante youths known as Civilian JTF for what he described as a “bold step” in tackling terrorism in Borno State and urged government and stakeholders to complement these efforts.

“I thank God for the Civilian JTF in Borno State. That is a bold step for those young men. But our leaders and the elite must go beyond that, especially in the north. We must stop turning terrorism issues to political issues,” he said.

On his part, President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the attack on on the College of Agriculture in Yobe State early Sunday morning, in which 21 students were gruesomely murdered.

He called for Nigerians to work with the government in ensuring peace and stability, while expressing hope that this phase of crisis will soon be over.

“No Boko Haram or any group can frustrate this country. By God’s grace, we’ll get to where we want to go as a nation. The challenges we are seeing now are transient. We’ll surely get over it,” Jonathan said.

The service was attended by members of the National Assembly,  ministers, governors, deputy governors, ambassadors and other dignitaries.

Prayers were also rendered for good governance, peace and unity of the country.

 

Explosion Kills 33 In Pakistan

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Explosion Kills 33 In Pakistan

An explosion has ripped through a market in the north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar, leaving at least 33 dead and dozens wounded, officials say.

Police said they suspect the explosion was a car bomb and that it exploded in the Kissa Khwani market, with shops and vehicles set on fire.

Pakistan’s Dawn Newspaper quoted the health minister as saying that the main Peshawar police station may have been the main target.

However, bomb disposal chief, Shafqat Malik, said it appeared the blast had taken place some way from the station.

He told Agence France-Presse, AFP, that a parked car had been “converted into a remote controlled bomb”.

One shop owner, Nazar Ali, told Associated Press: “It was a huge blast that was followed by fire in vehicles. Thick black smoke covered the air and splinters spread all over. I saw people lying dead and bleeding.”

An emergency situation was declared at the Lady Reading Hospital as it received the injured, many of them badly burnt. Officials said 76 people had been hurt.

The blast comes a week after a double suicide bombing killed at least 80 people at a church in the city.

On Friday, at least 17 people were killed in the bombing of a bus carrying government employees near Peshawar.

Peshawar, the main city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has been hit by numerous bomb and gun attacks blamed on Taliban insurgents in recent years.

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