Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Wednesday 4th March 2020
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 04/03/20
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Coronavirus: Spain Confirms First Death
Spain has confirmed its first Coronavirus death.
This was announced by the country’s health officials in Valencia. More than 110 persons have contracted the disease in the Western European country so far following a surge in cases from last week.
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Ondo Assembly Passes Amotekun Bill Into Law
Lawmakers of Ondo State House of Assembly have passed the bill for the establishment of Amotekun Corps into law.
Recall that the Assembly in February 2018 deliberated on the bill and committed it to the House Committee on Security Matters after scaling through first and second readings.
Shortly after, the Assembly also held a public hearing on February 24 where stakeholders in the state were allowed to make inputs on the bill before it became law.
During the public hearing held at Babafunke Ajasin Auditorium in Akure, the state capital, the Department of State Services, and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps asked to be included in the operations of the regional security outfit.
Speaking on the recommendations of the bill, Chairman, House Committee on Security Matters, Mr Ololade Begudu, said that the security agency will have a board to be administered by a head appointed by the governor.
Speaker of the House of Assembly, Bamidele Oleyelogun, who described the passage of the bill into law as a welcomed development, said the corps will be a community policing body to complement the work of other security agencies in the state.
Mr Oleyelogun however, added that the bill if assented to by the governor, will reduce all forms of crime in the state.
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JUST IN: Chinese National Tests Negative To Coronavirus In Lagos
A Chinese national isolated in Lagos State has tested negative to Coronavirus.
This was disclosed by the Lagos State Government in a statement on Tuesday.
Earlier, an Italian had tested positive to the virus in Lagos, forcing government to adopt stringent methods to curb its spread.
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BREAKING: Nigeria Confirms First Case Of Coronavirus, Issues Safety Advisory
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At least 20 persons, who came in contact with the Italian have been quarantined while more than 150 persons that boarded a Turkish Airline flight into Lagos from Europe with the man are being searched for.
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EXCLUSIVE: How Italian Coronavirus Patient Had Contact With Several Persons In Ogun State Before Being Moved To Lagos Hospital
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Murder In Kaduna By Achike Chude
Turning and turning in the widening gyre, the falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world. –W.E. Yeats
Again, again, and again, they come in the middle of the night. Not because they fear recognition and exposure, but because the dead of night is a more effective period when the demons of death come calling. It is a time when the shouts of fiendish exultation by deranged killers complement and accentuate the devastating complicity of the accompanying fires of hell that light the way for another mindless mayhem in Kaduna. The confusion of the night is good for the business of killing.
No! They are not afraid of the day. Have they not always shown that they are masters of both day and night? Have they not shown their superiority over territories they conquer at will? They strike during the ungodly hours of the night, they strike by dawn, they strike at noontime, they strike by dusk. Who will stop them? The army? Police? DSS?
They have goaded the anger of the Nigerian state and survived. They have made fun of the impotence of the president and are thriving. They have dared the will and expectations of the Nigerian people and have come out unscathed. The consequence of their defiance are the body bags of innocent Nigerians killed in manners as gruesome as only the most heinous acts of pogroms can be.
Now they have grown in their numbers. And because the good book has warned us about the consequences of allowing an evil to go unpunished, they have equally grown and multiplied Boko-Haram is in bed with ISWAP, and together they have become herdsmen and herdsmen have become bandits and bandits have become kidnappers and our country and people are no longer safe.
What does the president think of when he hears news of these persistent and violent killings of our people, including the aged, children, and vulnerable? Does he still eat and enjoy his meal with relish, knowing that he is secured and immune from the madness that consumes the lives of Nigerian by day and by night? Does he sleep well, knowing that for others eternal sleep has been imposed on them against their will?
What do the service chiefs think? That they are doing a good job, despite what we think and see? What do they say about our young soldiers under their watch and supervision being killed daily, sometimes without adequate combat gear for protection and ammunition to confront, repel and confound the killers? People have speculated on the nature of all conflicts – that it is an avenue for money making. Are our generals making money over the blood of our soldiers and people, or is it simply that our famed military ability in the battlefield has been demystified? Do the service chiefs sleep well at night? Do they eat well, knowing that they have let our country down?
What do the politicians think? Are they salivating about their re-election in 2023 while parts of our country are burning? Are those in the National Assembly thinking about the 400 brand new state of the art cars they are buying for themselves in the midst of absolute griding poverty while a local car manufacturing company (Innosons) seeks for buyers of their vehicles to help secure the jobs of their workers? Are our National Assembly members thinking of the Bill for the rehabilitation of Boko- Haram terrorists for killing and maiming and uprooting Nigerians from their homes while their victims in IDP camps have been totally abandoned?
How can President Muhammed Buhari fail us and this country in such a spectacular manner? Did he not promise us safety and peace? Did he not tell us that he knew how to confront and confound the terrorists and killers ravaging and assailing our land?
Now Boko-Haram and ISWAP have become herdsmen and herdsmen have become bandits and bandits have become kidnappers and we are no longer at ease because the centre can no longer hold.
And Muhammed Buhari is the President of the Federal Republic.
Many tears!
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Achike Chude
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BREAKING: Reps May Shut National Assembly For Two Weeks Over Coronavirus Fears
The House of Representatives on Tuesday considered a motion seeking the suspension of plenary in both chambers of the National Assembly for two weeks over Coronavirus.
The resolution, which was an amendment to an original motion moved by Hon. Onyime Idem representing Akwa Ibom, came from the Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu.
The resolution is however, subject to Senate concurrence before it can be effective.
The National Assembly management did not put any preventive measure in place like hand sanitizers for members and staff at the entry points when our correspondent visited the complex on Tuesday.
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UPDATE: Supreme Court Judge Disagrees With Colleagues, Declares Ihedioha Governor Of Imo
A dissenting judgment delivered by Justice Chima Chiweze of the Supreme Court, Abuja, has set aside the January 14, 2020 ruling of the court and declared Emeka Ihedioha as winner of the governorship election.
Chiweze, who disagreed with the judgment of the six other members of the panel, said that Ihedioha’s application had merit and therefore allowed it.
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BREAKING: Supreme Court Upholds Verdict On Imo Election, Affirms Hope Uzodinma As Governor
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He added that the apex court had the power to review its judgment.
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BREAKING: Supreme Court Upholds Verdict On Imo Election, Affirms Hope Uzodinma As Governor
The Supreme Court sitting in Abuja has upheld its earlier decision, which sacked Emeka Ihedioha as governor of Imo State and declared Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress as winner of the election in the state.
In a lead judgment delivered by Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, the apex court held that the application was lacking in merit.
The judge said, “To ask us to set aside the judgment of this court is an invitation to sit on our own judgment.
“This application is hereby dismissed.”
Ihedioha had approached the apex court to review its January 14, 2020 ruling that nullified his initial victory in the election.
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Nigeria: The God That Failed In Africa By Bayo Oluwasanmi
Bayo Oluwasanmi
Bayo Oluwasanmi
Every day in Nigeria, unspeakable barbaric acts far exceed the imagination of best seller absurdist novelists and comedians. In a well choreographed events after events, we see a nation on implosion suicide hastened by “accelerated decomposition.”
Day-in, day-out, we see a government with energetic authoritarianism in the execution of presidential powers that leads to abandonment of civil rights and rule of law. Nigeria is in advanced state of political and moral decay. It is becoming more and more certain that with the present central government, Nigeria as a nation will never be able to extricate itself from impending destruction and disintegration.
The high priest in Aso Rock pardoned Boko Haram ”repented” terrorists and asked them to sin no more. They have been rehabilitated and integrated into civil society with full honors and benefits. For example, there is foreign scholarship awaiting them to study at any country and at any university of their choice. In another bizarre statement, the high priest argued and defended the criminal jumbo salaries and perks of federal legislators saying they are underpaid for the highly demanding work of the nation they do “behind the scenes.”
As Nigeria sinks deeper and deeper into 15th century primitive recklessness, the citizens display signs of exhaustion, fatigue, and hopelessness as they watch the ruling elites turn Nigeria into a lawless gangland. Like strangers in a strange land they keep asking themselves in hush tones: “Is this Nigeria we grew up?”
Nigeria suffers from untamed corruption, high income disparity, uneven economic development, heightened and frightened economic decline. Our culture is deprived of innovation, creativity, and invention. Our public colleges and universities rank at the bottom compared with the rest of the world. Our economic and political systems stress division rather than unity.
Ethnic rivalry and acrimonious rancor coupled with religion remain dominant curses that give rise to identity grievance, vengeance, potential conflict, accelerated social discord, and economic inequality which make for compulsory national fragility. The signs are not good. The ruling class has completely lost it. Visibility of a better or improved future is zero. It’s going to get worse in the years ahead. It’s sheer madness to continue with a dysfunctional, disunited, and jagajaga one Nigeria. The solution is simple: let’s separate progressive Yoruba nation from Hausa/Fulani reactionary feudalists. Let’s part ways!
Trillions of Naira meant for economic development flee our shores. Great number of Nigerians have lost the identity of Nigeria as home. They have been forced to pitch their tent in a contemporary hell. They have become shell-shocked refugees in every direction both at home and abroad. The situation is best advertised by the ruling native tyrants through their unwillingness, hypocrisy, and cowardice to openly acknowledge that Nigeria as one nation had expired longest time. Nigeria in all honesty is the god that failed in Africa!
The formular for national economic development and peace are: innovation, investment, and prosperity for the next two generations, inclusive political institutions, functional central government, and a respect for the rule of law. Instead, Nigeria is bleeding profusely from authoritarian leadership, polarized and fractured citizens, failed institutions that fail to provide social, economic, and political opportunities to Nigerians. It’s no surprise that citizens of civilised and functioning democracies live longer, are wealthier, more educated, more informed, and more innovative, than citizens of a failed Nigerian state.
History informs us that nations rise and fall. With all the obvious indices of failed state, Nigeria has fallen. Nigeria is on progressive march towards disintegration. It’s too late to halt the advancement to separation. This is a blessing in disguise. Let’s all embrace the opportunity. Let’s part ways from a barren and backward union. It’s not working. It will never work. And we shall live happily ever!
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Bayo Oluwasanmi
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EFCC Hands Over Recovered N263m To Kwara Government
The Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday handed over N263,327,800 (Two hundred and sixty-three million, three hundred and twenty-seven thousand, eight hundred naira only) to the Kwara State Government.
The money, which was recovered by the EFCC, was handed over to the state governor, Abdulrahaman Abdul-Razak, by Head of the Zone, Isyaku Sharu, in Ilorin, the state capital.
Sharu revealed that the money was recovered from suspected looters of the state’s treasury.
He said, “The money was siphoned from KWIRS and 16 local government areas of the state.”
He further explained that about N5bn was siphoned from KWIRS and shared in the ratio of 30/70 per cent by some notable individuals in the state through their cronies.
He said, “We have 48 convictions and the worth of recovered assets both at interim and final forfeiture is in excess of N8.5bn.
“The mandate given to the commission is to conduct holistic and all-inclusive clean up of fraud and pen robbery, and we will not relent in doing this.”
Receiving the recovered fund, Governor Abdul-Razak promised to utilise the money judiciously.
He said, “The money I received today is N263,327,800, while the last recovered fund was N210m.
“This fund will be used to augment the budget, social development and the remaining will be used for paying state government debt to federal government on the SME programme.”
He further revealed that the previous administration in the state took a loan of N2bn from the Federal Government to implement SME programmes but nothing was accounted for, as most of it was basically stolen.
Recall that the Ilorin Zonal Office had in October last year handed over N112m recovered from looters of the state’s treasury and handed over the Kwara Government.
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Ondo Court To Deliver Judgment On AAUA Tuition Increment In May
The Ondo State High Court, Akure, will on May 18, 2020 rule on the suit filed to challenge the increment of tuition for students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko.
Three rights lawyers, Vincent Adodo, Joshua Sebiotimo and Myson Nejo, had dragged the authorities of AAUA to court in an application with suit no: AK/49M/2019, to challenge the increment.
The lawyers are seeking six reliefs on the suits while arguing that the increment was a violation of the rights to education of those affected as guaranteed by section 10 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap A9 Laws of the Federation 2004.
The applicants are also seeking an order of the court directing the respondents to revert to the schedule of fees for the 2017/2018 session.
The lawyers also want the court to direct the governor of Ondo State to forward a bill to the Ondo State House of Assembly for the establishment of a Tertiary Trust Fund for indigent students of Ondo.
In 2018, the Governing Council of AAUA had implemented an increment of tuition across faculties and course levels. Recall that SaharaReporters had also reported how the increment of tuition had led to protests among students of the university aggrieved by the decision of management.
At the resumed hearing of the case, counsel to the applicants, Akinware Olanrewaju, moved the application while drawing the attention of the court to the responses on preliminary objections filed by respondents.
The counsel also pleaded with the court to grant the six reliefs sought by the applicants.
The respondents, who had earlier moved their preliminary objection, adopted their counter affidavits and asked the court to dismiss the suit.
But after the whole argument before the court, Justice B.F Adeyeye thereafter adjourned the case until May 18 to deliver judgment on the matter.
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