DJ jailed 8 months in Abuja for stealing iPad

A Grade 1 Area Court in Kado, Abuja on Tuesday handed 25 year-old Disc Jockey, Emmanuel Nelson an 8 months jail term for stealing an iPad valued at N65,000.

The presiding judge , Alhaji Mohammed Ado, however, gave the convict an option of N8, 000 fine, with a warning to stay away from crime.

Emmanuel Nelson of Kado Kuchi Village, Abuja, was convicted on a two-count charge of criminal trespass and stealing.

He pleaded guilty to the charges and begged the court to temper justice with mercy. He added that he committed the crime in order to enhance his work.

The prosecutor, Judith Obatomi had told the court that one Benedith Akuh, also of Kado Kuchi Village, had reported the matter at the Mabushi Police Station, Abuja, on June 5, 2016.

She said that the complainant reported that sometime in October 2015, Nelson, his neighbour broke into his room and stole his iPad valued N65, 000, an act contrary to Sections 348 and 288 of the Penal Code.

Read More

Jonathan denies owning £15m UK property

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has dismissed as untrue, a publication by the UK Sun that he owns a £15m property in the United Kingdom.

Kelvin MacKenzie, a former Editor of the UK Sun had claimed in his weekly Saturday column that Jonathan had acquired a property in Weybridge, Surrey.

“I hear the aptly named Goodluck Jonathan, the former President of oil-rich Nigeria, has bought a 12,000 square foot house on the ultra-expensive and well protected St George’s Hill Estate in Weybridge, Surrey.

“I’m sure he gained his wealth legitimately but these houses are £10-£15million a pop, so, perhaps the ex-President could explain where his money came from as he has been at the forefront of the fight against his country’s corruption. Surely, it can’t all have been good luck.”

Reacting to the article however, Jonathan, through his media aide, Mr. Ikechukwu Eze, denied the report and demanded a retraction.

“Nothing could be further from the truth. Dr. Goodluck Jonathan takes pride in the fact that he does not have any property or accounts outside Nigeria. He stated this publicly while in office and his commitment to Nigeria’s economy remains total even after he has left power.

“As the Nigerian President who signed the Freedom of Information bill into law, Dr. Jonathan is well aware that the United Kingdom is a nation with good record keeping at county and national levels and as such, it will not take a serious and responsible media long to verify ownership of property before rushing to the press with potentially libellous publications.

“It is hoped that this publication will correct its error and do a retraction and that other media will likewise follow up on this story to put the lie to the details it contains,” Eze wrote in a statement.

Read More

Youths protest creation of grazing reserve in Plateau (Photo)

The Plateau G-17 Youths for Peace and Progress Forum has warned the state government against donating any portion of Plateau land for grazing purposes.

The youths during a protest at the Plateau State Government House on Monday, urged Governor Simon Lalong to delist the state from the states said to have donated land for grazing reserves in the country.

The leader of the protesters, Mr. Dachung Bagos, warned the governor to be careful not to  mortgage the future of generations yet unborn with the likely consequences of further throwing the state into a state of chaos as the policy had been massively rejected by the people of Plateau State.

“We therefore wish to state, unequivocally that we stand here today, in protest against any form of land grabbing and exclusive privileges to any group, under the guise of a government, sponsored grazing reserve policy.

“The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Audu Ogbeh, came out with a list of 11 states including the FCT, saying that the states had agreed to contribute lands for the purpose of the establishment of grazing reserves for cattle herders and Plateau State was listed as one of the states that have indicated interest in providing land.

“From time immemorial through the period of agriculture to the period of industrial development, land has remained the most valuable property in the life of a man and his development. It is a source of wealth to those who have it and the mother of all properties,” he said.

Read More

FG Recruitment: N-Power portal records 400,000 applications in 36 hours

The presidency disclosed on Monday the newly launched job portal of the Federal Government, N-Power. gov.ng, recorded over 400,000 successful registrations within its first 36 hours of operation.

The disclosure was made by the Job Creation Unit of the Presidency.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation, Mr. Afolabi Imoukhuede, who works in the office of Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo said in a statement that ; “We have been impressed by the enthusiastic response to the call for applications. As at noon on Monday, June 13, only 36 hours after the launch of the portal, 403, 528 applicants had successfully registered on the site and were in the middle of completing the application process."

Recall that the jobs portal was launched by the Federal Government on Sunday June 12, 2016.

Read More

Giwa FC's expulsion: NFF backs LMC

“The committee finds Giwa FC in breach of Rule B13.28 of the NPFL Frame Work and Rules which states that ‘if a club fails to honour three matches cumulatively within the League season without an acceptable reason to the LMC such a club shall be expelled from the League and its matches played and unplayed shall be cancelled."

That came from the Disciplinary Committee of the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF after its meeting in Abuja on Monday, during which it ratified the decision of the League Management Company, LMC to expel Giwa FC from the Nigerian Professional Football League, NPFL.

Giwa FC earned the expulsion by failing to honor three cumulative matches in the current season.

Following crowd trouble in their home match against Enugu Rangers in May, the Jos based club was banished to Illorin for their next three home matches.

However, the club failed to serve the sanction, opting instead to honour only their away matches.

Read More

Read the Niger Delta Avengers latest warning to President Buhari

Apparently apprehensive that the planned dialogue on the Niger Delta crisis is under threat of being hijacked by the political class, the Niger Delta Avengers have issued a fresh warning to President Muhammadu Buhari and the oil firms operating in the region.

In a statement issued on Monday by spokesman Brig-Gen Mudoch Aginibo, the NDA warned that they could go back on their promise not to take lives if their demands were not met.

“The issues of the Niger delta are as old and as new as the days of Pa. Dappa Biriye, Major Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro, to Ken Saro Wiwa and the government of President Musa Yar’ Adua.

“We are warning this government of President Muhammadu Buhari, not to turn the essence of genuine peace talk and dialogue to political jamboree that is prevailing now where all manner of social media agitators and criminals have being sponsored by the job seeking corrupt political class to save faces before the government of the day.

“If need be we may review our earlier stance of not taking lives. We are going to redirect and reactivate all our activities if the government, oil companies and their services firms don’t heed to these modest warnings of not carrying out any repairs works and suspend the buying of crude oil from our region as we await the right atmosphere that will engender genuine dialogue “ We Want a peace with Honour not a Peace of our time.”

Read More

Borno IDPs to get 106 trucks of foodstuff from Dangote

The Dangote Foundation confirmed in Maiduguri on Monday that Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs in Borno State will get 106 trucks of foodstuff during the Ramadan fast.

Hajiya Zouwaira Yousif said at the launching of the distribution of the items to the IDPs in Maiduguri that about 30,000 IDPs are expected to benefit from the programme which is aimed at providing succour to the displaced persons who are victims of terrorism.

“The whole exercise is aimed at providing food to Borno IDPs to enable them observe the Ramadan fast with ease.

“The idea was conceived by Alhaji Aliko Dangote after he visited the IDPs camps in Maiduguri and was touched by their situation,” she said.

According to Yousif, each IDP will receive a 50 kg bag of rice, a carton of noodles, a packet of sugar, salt and  seasonings under the programme.

Already, 43 of the trucks have arrived Maiduguri for the official flag off of the program and distribution to the beneficiaries.

“We are expecting the remaining consignment in Maiduguri as soon as possible.

“After the official flag-off, the remaining items will be distributed to the IDPs by a team comprising members of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and other emergency agencies to ensure that only those in need are given,” she said.

Yousif explained that the food items were in addition to a pledge of N2 billion cash donation made by Dangote to the Borno State Government.

Gov. Kashim Shettima thanked the foundation for the gesture and called on other well to do individuals to emulate it.

NAN

Read More