President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the composition of the Governing Council & Board of Trustees for the Implementation of the Ogoni land Report.
Saturday 30 July 2016
The Network on Police Reform in Nigeria, NOPRIN has called for the investigation and prosecution of a naval officer who shot and critically wounded a commercial motorcyclist in Idah, Kogi State.
Muhammed Idachaba was shot by Navy Commander Otuh Bassey on July 26 , 2016 after being frog matched for apparently contesting the right of way with the military officer who was driving a Sport Utility Vehicle.
In a statement signed by its National Commander, Okechukwu Nwanguma, NOPRIN detailed the inhuman treatment meted on the hapless motorcyclist by the naval officer.
“Because the road was bad, the motorcycle rider felt that the Naval officer was trying to manoeuvre through the potholes.
“A little distance ahead, the okada rider met the same Naval officer parked by the roadside and as he passed, the Naval officer entered his vehicle and gave chase. He double-crossed the okada rider and forced him to a stop.
“The Naval officer, who was carrying a girl in his SUV, came out from his car and ordered the okada rider to park his bike, and he obeyed. He ordered him to kneel down and he also obeyed, and he then ordered him to frog-match.”
Saturday Punch reports that NOPRIN gathered that it became apparent that Bassey was visiting a past grievance on Idachaba when he pointedly told the motorcyclist that the time had come to waste him as he had promised during an earlier encounter.
“At this point, the Naval officer drew his pistol and started to shoot the boy and that he shot him several times until the boy fell in a poll of his own blood.
“Believing that the okada rider was dead, the Naval officer entered his SUV and drove to a motor park where he dropped off the girl he was carrying in his car and left.”
Unknown to Bassey however, a plainclothed policeman had trailed him to the motor park where he dropped off the girl in his SUV.
He arrested the girl and took her to the police station from where she was made to call Navy Commander Otuh Bassey who then came and made a statement.
“The girl then called the Naval officer from the police station and informed him about her arrest. He arrived at the police station and made statement claiming that he did not shoot the boy on purpose."
According to reports, Idachaba is billed to undergo surgery at the Federal Medical Center, Lokoja on 12 August 2016.
NOPRIN in its statement called on the Navy authorities to dismiss Commander Bassey and hand him over to the police for prosecution.
Friday 29 July 2016
According to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, the Federal Government has so far paid 70 construction companies the sum of N63.12bn for works done in the first quarter of 2016.
Fashola said on Friday that following the payment, the firms had mobilized back to their construction sites, and in the process, recalled over 5,000 workers that had hitherto been laid off.
He stressed that the budget was an article of faith through which government expressed its commitment to the people.
“From the N4tn average budget in a time of plenty, this administration sets an ambitious N6tn with a 30 per cent capital expenditure. It pays serious attention to its budget as the article of faith that defines its commitment. Since the budget was passed in May, 70 construction companies got paid N63.169bn for the first quarter in Works ministry alone.
“The response is that in the last few weeks since budget was passed, construction companies that had demobilised from their sites and laid off workers due to lack of payment since 2014, are remobilising to rail, road, power and other construction sites, and are re-calling workers.
“The Kaduna-Abuja rail project, which was commissioned but never ran in the past government, was opened to public service on July 26 by this new administration. These are the first signs of productivity, they signal a clear pathway out of recession, and although results take time to manifest, Nigeria has chosen an appropriate pathway out of economic difficulty," he said.
Following the rejection by Paul Le Guen, Nigerian Football Federation, NFF has said that it will appoint a substantive technical adviser for the Super Eagles in August.
The Chairman of the NFF Technical and Development Committee, Chief Chris Green disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.
His words:
“We are working to ensure that we finish with the other incidentals, because as at the last time we didn’t do that.
“We left it for the executive to do, which ordinarily should be their responsibility.
“But when they now asked us to go and do it again, they now told us to complete everything with the incidentals and send recommendations.
“It’s based on that, that we are doing this now; we don’t want a situation where somebody will come out again and say this and that.
“As I speak with you, we have made contacts, we have done interviews, we have asked questions and the rest of them – even verifying from every other person.
“We have considered at a lot of people, but we have zeroed in on one person.
“It may not be from the former list; it’s a different exercise entirely, because as I speak to you, even when we have closed entries, some people are still applying,’’ he said.
NAN
Troops on counter-terrorism operations in the Northeast have continued to liberate more towns in the region.
A statement issued by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col Sani Usman said that troops of Operation Lafiya Dole and troops of the Multi-National Joint Task Force, M-NJTF during the week cleared more towns of Boko Haram terrorists.
"In continuation with clearance operation of the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists hibernating in remote border towns and villages, troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE have cleared Kareto town since Monday 25th July 2016.
"The gallant troops are stabilizing the immediate environment, while others are maintaining blocking positions at various areas. In the same vein, today, troops of Operation GAMA AIKI under the auspices of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), have successfully cleared Dutchi and Damasak towns.
"In due course, the troops of both Operation GAMA AIKI (MNJTF) and Operation LAFIYA DOLE would link up with each other to continue the clearance operations."
The International Association of Athletics Federations, IAAF has banned a Nigerian athlete Tosin Adeloye for testing positive to drugs.
Consequently, the Nigerian 4x400m women’s relay team of which Adeloye is a member has been banned from participating in the 2016 Olympic Games holding in Rio, Brazil, next month.
The IAAF said that the female team was banned because one of them, Tosin Adeloye tested positive to drugs during the Confederation of African Athletics, CAA Super Grand Prix/Warri Relays in Warri, Delta State on July 24th last year.
Adeloye was been banned for eight years by the IAAF and all her results from both individual and joint events will be ignored.
The Nigerian Army has announced the commencement this weekend of a training exercise in the Niger Delta code named “EXERCISE CROCODILE SMILE” involving the 82 Division and elements of the 2 Division.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Army spokesman, Col Sani Usman.
“The general public is please requested not to panic on the sight of unusual movement of large number of troops, heavy military weapons and equipment in these areas.
“The aim of the exercise is to practice our Special Forces and other units of the Nigerian Army in Amphibious and Internal Security Operations in riverine environment and also check criminal activities like kidnapping, militancy and piracy and other forms of criminal activities in support of the civil authority,” the statement said.
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