Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Sunday 13th September 2020
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 13/09/20
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Nigeria’s Chief Of Army Staff, Buratai, Instructs Troops To Be Ruthless With Bandits In Katsina, North-West
Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai
Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, has charged troops of Operation Sahel Sanity to deal with bandits and other criminals ruthlessly.
Buratai reiterated this when he visited the Army Super Camp Four, Faskari, Katsina State, which is the operational base of the troops in the North-West.
Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai.
Daily Post
He said the army was ever determined to fish out and kill bandits, who have been terrorising the people until the country was completely rid of banditry.
Buratai appealed to the general public to stop shielding suspected criminals, saying they would one day turn against the very people shielding them.
He said, “Criminals are within the very people seeking for protection and they have cousins, sisters, brothers and other relatives because they are not falling from the skies. The sooner people stop shielding these criminals, the better we get all the security challenges in our societies resolved.
“Notwithstanding, we have improved in the art of our intelligence gathering and people are becoming more supportive. That is why we were able to make dozens of arrests of the suspected criminals.
“If the people are in doubt as to whether they should exposed the criminals living among them, they should feel free. The criminals will turn against their brothers and acquaintances one day. They (criminals) move around and for our societies to be secured, they should be exposed.”
Military
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Policeman Broke Into My House, Stole N280,000, Says Barber
A barber, who identified himself as Otighan Sam, has accused a policeman attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Rivers State of breaking into his house on Friday around 12 midnight, destroying his properties, and stealing his N280,000.
The incident happened at No 23 Nnewi Street, Mile 1 Diobu, Port Harcourt, a report by PUNCH said.
Sam said he managed to escape when the policeman first broke into his neighbour’s house demanding to be shown his (Sam’s) apartment as he cocked his gun.
The barber said he saw the SARS officer with two rifles; a pistol and an AK47, adding that he was accompanied by two armed men.Sam said the policeman was probably after him because he had earlier refused to pay for drinks he (policeman) and some of his friends consumed at a bar.
He said, “A SARS officer armed with a pistol and an AK47, accompanied by two boys with machetes came to my house around 12 midnight, broke into my neighbours’ house and started beating him and asking where my room was.
“Upon seeing what was happening, I managed to run away because the officer was really drunk and was cocking his gun and threatening to shoot if they did not show him my room. When the officer and his boys got to my room, they ransacked the entire house, destroyed my properties, and took away my N280,000.
“The policeman’s name is Usman, my only offence was that I refused to pay for drinks he drank alongside his friends because I did not have money.”
The barber said he had reported the incident to the Mile One Police Division and the indicted cop had been invited for questioning.
When contacted, spokesperson for the police in the state, Nnamdi Omoni, said he was yet to be briefed about the incident.
Police
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NDDC Scholars Accuse Agency Of Deliberately Omitting Them From Payment
About 94 Nigerians students studying in the foreign countries under the Niger Delta Development Commission scholarship scheme have accused the agency of deliberately refusing to pay them.
Recall that after agitation and protests from the students in the United Kingdom, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered that the NDDC pay all the students.
The commission paid arrears of 2016 and 2019 sets with the 2018 scholarship beneficiaries — 40 PHD and 54 MSC – left out.
The commission’s head of Corporate Affairs, Charles Odili, said the NDCC was verifying the status of the students and will pay them.
Odili on Friday described the students as “hirelings, most of whom are masquerading as the commission’s scholars”, adding that they were part of a campaign orchestrated by powerful individuals against the agency.
Reacting, the students condemned the statement by Odili, saying the NDDC could verify their scholarship status on their portal, which is accessible by the management.
They accused the commission of handpicking those to pay while leaving them out from the President’s directive to pay all scholars.
“In other words, the NDDC selectively handpicked those it paid without any defined criteria and is refusing to pay fees, grants, and upkeep of 2018 scholars for no justifiable reason whatsoever. By this, we perceived some level of nepotism and sentimental undertone displaced by the NDDC.
“This came a rude shock to us because historical, the NDDC before now had always paid the fees and upkeep of scholars in the order in which they were incurred, that is, from the earliest to the latest.
“While it is unclear why an entire cohort of scholars have been excluded from recent payments and with the rumour mill running about the said scholars being selectively victimized for protesting against the delay in their due payment remittances, media houses and NDDC began to front the information to the well-meaning public that the NDDC has made all outstanding payments to foreign postgraduate scholars.
“It is NOT true that NDDC has paid all its scholars because as of date, the NDDC has not made payments to any of the outstanding scholars from the 2018 scholarship cohort (amongst which are masters and PhD Scholars),” they said.
The scholars urged the Presidency and National Assembly to mandate the NDDC to ensure payment of 2018 set as they were at risk of forfeiting their certificates.
They added, “With these, we wish to draw the attention of the Presidency and the National Assembly to the fact that the NDDC and its management are openly refusing to comply with the directive of President Buhari to pay all outstanding fees and upkeep stipends of all scholars without fail.
“We, therefore, implore the NDDC to live up to their responsibility and fully comply with the President’s directive to pay all outstanding scholarship fees and upkeep allowance. We further implore the NDDC to do the needful and refrain from further bringing the name of the country into disrepute.”
The 2018 foreign scholars have been plagued by hardship caused by the refusal of the NDDC to make payments as at when due.
Two of the students had their studentship in the University of Coventry and University of Leeds revoked last year because the NDDC failed to pay their registration fees.
Many of them were logged out of their school portals.
They told SaharaReporters that they were unsure of where meals would come from.
They also said their academic transcripts have been seized due to the non-payment of their tuition.
Education
Niger Delta
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Coalition For Revolution Pushes For Slash In Benefits Of Politicians
The Coalition for Revolution has called for a slash in the benefit and allowances of politicians in Nigeria.
CORE also lamented the unequal distribution of wealth in Nigeria, positing that politicians were deliberately impoverishing the masses.
The group condemned the latest increase in the price of petrol and electricity tariff.
In a statement jointly signed by Baba Aye and Gbenga Komolafe, Co-conveners of CORE, the group held that the country refused to pay N30,000 minimum but pay millions to politicians monthly.
CORE said, “Nigerian lawmakers are the richest anywhere in the world. 109 senators receive N47bn and 360 members of the house of representatives on their own part receive N108bn every year as their monthly emoluments!
“The presidency collects N241.8bn annually as security vote. Governors, local government chairmen and many other executives also collect security votes.
“On top of all these, they still enrich themselves through corruption. According to EFCC, HEDA and Oxfam, these people at the top have stolen N267trn since 1960! In the last ten years alone, they have stolen N89trn!
“But to even pay N30,000 for workers its a problem. Tens of thousands of workers have been sacked by many companies. Informal workplaces and houses are being destroyed. How do they want us to pay more for fuel, electricity etc? They want to kill us with sufferhead — we must fight back to defend our lives and the lives of our children born and yet unborn.”
The group urged Nigerians to unite and join its nationwide mass action on October 1.
CORE is not only demanding for an immediate reversal of fuel pump price, electricity tariff and all other anti-poor people policies but also asked that no elected or senior appointed public officer must earn more than the average worker.
“No more pensions for governors, lawmakers, and other elected public officials
“Cancellation of security votes by the presidency, governors, LGA chairmen etc.
“Guaranteed decent work and income with unemployment benefit for those looking for jobs.
“Provision of cash grants and for poor traders, artisans and other informal workers
“Provision of decent housing and potable water for everybody – stop all demolitions
“Free and qualitative public education and healthcare for all,” CORE demanded.
ACTIVISM
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E2%80%99s-health Shiite Group Raises Fresh Concerns Over El-Zakzaky, Wife’s Health
The Academic Forum of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria has expressed concern over the deteriorating health of leader of the group, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, and his wife, Zeenat.
The group said information at its disposal revealed that bullets lodged in El-Zakzazy’s skull and body during the December 2015 clash with soldiers were threatening his life.
Abdullahi Muhammad Musa, spokesperson for the AFIM, said the Nigerian Government had prevented physicians from providing medical help for the Islamic cleric.
He also claimed that a team of Indian doctors that came to Nigeria for the investigation and review of his case were refused access to him.
He said, “Available information reaching us revealed that the health condition of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky and his wife Malama Zeenah Ibraheem is seriously deteriorating.
“Our concern over the deteriorating health of Sheikh Zakzaky is growing, as a person of his critical condition is not supposed to remain in incarceration. How on earth will he continue to be in prison with bullet shrapnel causing more harm to an already worsening situation. This is not implausible that there are some sinister motives behind the Regimes insistence on keeping him in the highly congested jail in Kaduna. How else can the actions of the regime be explained.
“Take for instance the aborted trip to India. From the beginning, after the travel permit was granted by a court, moves were made by the government to frustrate it. If not for Sheikh Zakzaky’s family members who dug in their heels to ensure that the trip actually took place. In agreement with the court order, and of course presidential approval, for the journey, the government was to only supervise. However, instead of doing what it was supposed to, the government wanted to seize control of the trip, and started issuing commands and orders: ranging from an insistence that half a dozen security operatives, including a police doctor accompany them, to restraining the number of family members who could join them, to sabotaging the whole trip. This among other things amounted to compromising of the Sheikh’s and his wifes health and security.
“Therefore, as the Sheikh arrived in India on 13th August, 2019, he was welcomed into a tight and hostile security dragnet in addition to the deceitful reception at the airport and the hospital concourse which culminated in the refusal to allow his personal physicians access to him. Even the team of doctors that came to Nigeria for the investigation and review of his case were refused access to him. Instead they were substituted with very unusual set of unfamiliar doctors that acted in ways that caused the sheikh and his wife to become suspicious.
“On return, before long, the Buhari regime, defied all odds and transferred the seriously ailing Sheikh and his wife to the unhealthy prison in Kaduna where doctors lack proper access and even facilities to handle their cases. The regime was keen on putting finishing touches to what it had started by whatever means possible. Since it could not achieve it through the barrel of a gun, it was deemed achievable with the connivance of conscienceless, unruly elements. When it did not work out to their expectation, prison became the last resort. This contempt for his critical health condition is of course a cause for suspicion, as sinister motives perhaps lie in there.
“It is obvious that the Sheikh’s critical health condition has not been given the attention it so requires. Otherwise, it would not have got to this. If criminals and those who continue to loot and pillage the country dry receive special treatments, how will Sheikh Zakzaky remain incarcerated despite the brutalities against him. Six of his nine children were murdered in cold blood, his residence set ablaze and demolished, over a thousand of his followers massacred.
“His wife suffers from severe arthritis in her knee joints, which her doctors have said can only be treated with knee replacement surgery since at least three years ago. She also has loose fragments of bullet pieces in her abdominal area which cause a large number of episodes of periodic life-threatening complications with her organs, the wheel chair bound mother of nine is hypertensive. Even one of the ailments suffered by either of them constitutes a very serious medical emergency, let alone a combination of all of them. It should be noted that the Sheikh has already suffered two strokes while in detention. Both Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife need urgent and critical interventions to salvage their health.
“In view of the deteriorating health condition of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky (H) and his wife Malama Zeenah Ibraheem, we are demanding for unconditional release of the couple.”
Human Rights
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Former NDDC MD Forfeits N250m To Nigerian Government
A former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission has been ordered by a Federal High Court in Lagos to forfeit the sum of N250m to the Nigerian Government.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission disclosed this in a statement, adding that Justice R.M Aikawa gave the order.
The name of the former MD and contractor was, however, not mentioned.
The EFCC said the order followed an application for final forfeiture of the fund by the Lagos Zonal Office of the agency after it found out that the fund was suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity.
The commission also said the contractor with the NDDC received the funds for a purported contract and transferred N250m suspected as kickbacks to a real estate company for the acquisition of a property in favour of the former MD of the NDDC.
Joined as respondents are Diamond Head Ventures and Dev. Company Ltd.
In granting the interim forfeiture order, the judge directed interested parties to show cause why the money should not be permanently forfeited to the government.
The NDDC had in the past few months been enmeshed in alleged financial recklessness.
Corruption
Niger Delta
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National Assembly Postpones Resumption Of Plenary For Two Weeks
Nigeria’s National Assembly has postponed its resumption to September 29.
The lawmakers embarked on eight weeks of recess that is to elapse on September 15.
The lawmakers have now added two weeks to their recess.
Ojo Olatunde Amos, Acting Clerk to the National Assembly, announced this on Saturday.
He said, “This is to inform all distinguished senators and honourable members of the National Assembly that the resumption of plenary sessions earlier scheduled for Tuesday, 15th September, 2020 is hereby rescheduled for Tuesday 29th September, 2020.
“We regret any inconveniences caused by this change of date.”
The recess by the lawmakers had generated uproar with rights activists frowning at the timing of the recess.
The Convener, Free Nigerian Movement, Raphael Adebayo, told SaharaReporters that the lawmakers were entitled to go on recess as enshrined in their standing rules but described it as untimely.
He said the lawmakers ought to have considered some significant bills that required attention before embarking on the vacation.
Also, the Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, said members of the National Assembly must develop a framework for constituency engagement and consultation to ensure full participation of the electorate in legislative activities.
Rafsanjani said the delay in the passage of PIB would expose the nation’s oil and gas sector to recurring lapses and monumental loss of revenue.
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Notorious Kidnapper, Armed Robber Arrested By Police In Rivers State
A notorious kidnapper and armed robber in Rivers State, Honest Digbara widely known as Bobisky, has been arrested by the police in the state.
The hoodlum, who had been on the police watchlist and declared wanted by the state government with a bounty of N30m on his head was said to have been arrested on Saturday, sparking wild jubilation among residents of the state.
Digbara was arrested during a sting operation by the Rivers Police Command in Korokoro community under Tai Local Government Area of the state.
Bobisky was linked to a lot of crimes in many parts of the state before he was arrested.
CRIME
Police
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PDP Lawmakers Sue Malami, Mohammed, NBC Over New Broadcasting Code
The Peoples Democratic Party members in the House of Representatives have sued the National Broadcasting Commission and Abubakar Malami, Attorney-General of the Federation, over the recently amended broadcasting code.
Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture; was also named as defendant in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1136/2020, according to PUNCH.
The suit was reportedly filed by one Francis Obalim, who deposed a 15-paragraph affidavit and a written address on behalf of the PDP lawmakers.
The code was launched in Lagos on August 4 despite opposition by stakeholders in the industry.
The PDP also on August 7, 2020, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, faulted the reviewed code especially where violators are liable to a fine of N5m as against the previous fine of N500,000.
Some of the amendments to the code are the restriction of exclusive contents on platforms and broadcast content having 75 per cent input from Nigerians.
In the suit, the opposition lawmakers argued that the amended code was a breach of the constitution because it “unlawfully creates offences of hate speech and fake news and to prescribe penalties for them, whereas the said offences are not prescribed by any written law in force”.
The lawmakers asked the court to determine whether by the provisions of section 36 (12) of the constitution, the amended 6th broadcasting code enacted/issued by the first defendant (Information Minister), which created the purported offences of “hate speech and fake news” and correspondingly purported to have imposed penalties, is not unconstitutional, null and void.
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N-Power Volunteers At Crossroads By Mathew Africa
The social investment program created by the Federal Government in 2016 with the primary aim of reducing poverty is gradually experiencing a downturn. From delay in inhumane stipends that can’t meet daily obligations of the volunteers to undefined or uncertain exit package plan for the N-Power beneficiaries among others.
On the 24th February, 2020, Ogun State N-Power beneficiaries trooped to the streets on a two day protest to drive to the seat of government their demand for basic human rights or economic security and certainty.
After four years and two years of hardwork, endurance, commitment, dedication, endurance and service to primary and secondary school pupils and students, health centers and farmlands by Batch A and B respectively, the government whose serial negligence in rewarding values thrown this nation into instability, is at it again talking disengagement of volunteers.A system that economically segregates the child of the nobody is creating a society divided into two. That of the nobody and that of the somebody. A society where hardwork, diligence is thrown into the dustbin.
The primary aim of any responsible government is to provide security and economic security where people can work and earn decent living and live life not the one that’s greasing an opportunistic few for the next election.
We face security threats today due to economic injustice and inequality. So the country is wounded and paying the supreme price the with the lives of the powerless. Some politicians can no longer visit their hometown. Abuja is their new hometown.
As a matter of emergency, the government (state and federal) ought to have made the platform an employment pool where graduates from different fields are drawn to fill vacant positions in ministeries and private firms instead of giving slots to politicians as an investment for next election.
Primary school and secondary school pupils can attest to the passion invested by N-Power volunteers in impacting them with knowledge so far so good even when stipends were unpaid for three months in 2019 and later paid by December.
This testimonial of sacrifice and service should have been considered before now because another fact according to Senior Special Adviser to the President on job creation is that there is shortage of teachers in state schools across the nation, a verifiable fact.
According to him, “What we have found out is that they are filling a lot of gaps in some places like schools, where they do not have enough teachers.In some schools where the N-Power are posted to, you discovered that it is only the principal and some NYSC members that are teaching students, the Npower teachers have helped to compliment their efforts.”
Also in Ekiti, a 34-year-old veteran teacher revealed that, “If not all of them, a majority of the N-Power teachers have mastery of the subject matter. They have not been found wanting also in the theoretical aspect of teaching. Especially the way they make use of teaching aid in classes; and that is actually very impressive.
“There is one of them who is a Physics teacher now, we have to keep deploying from one class to the other just because we don’t have adequate teachers to cover those classes.
“The one that is taking Christian Religious Knowledge is a born teacher, who is very efficient and very punctual in her classes.”In far away Kano, Haliru Inuwa, principal of Government Secondary School, Daurawa, said the eight N-Power teachers deployed to his school since December 2016 have been the saving grace for him and his students.
“We have eight beneficiaries of N-Power posted to my school here,” he said.
“Most of them are handling core science subjects which most of the schools in Kano state are lacking generally. Yes, subjects like Mathematics, English etc. To our surprise, and against the earlier concern raised that they might not perform well in teaching, the N-Power volunteer teachers are not only committed to their teaching, but are also punctual,” he added.
With stakeholders attesting to an excellent service by N-Power beneficiaries with sense of duty, shouldn’t any responsible state government put a process in motion for a permanent absorption of these indefatigable volunteers? Over the last two years Lagos State have recruited not less than twice, thousands of teachers, yet there are still shortage of teachers such that the vacuum are being complimented by these unappreciated volunteers, infact their hardwork ad service cannot be overemphasised because they worked even more than they are paid for.
So, also Federal Government have recruited their loved ones into CBN, NNPC, National Assembly and other ministries without any consideration for those who have served this country diligently and passionately as volunteers.
The best to think of is to disengage them. If the reward for hardwork is disengagement then our nation is promoting negative ideals and values. And that will hunt them later.
Our leaders sit down in their offices and step on the hardwork of these young men and women. And allocate slots to their friends and families. They prefer party politics of recruitment. We the people own the state and we the people are the government not some politicians.
Since the coming of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management there has been no love lost between her and the volunteers.
From months of stipend delays to months of outstanding allowances . The minister never stopped using the media to spin the narrative of her disdain for youths whose hardwork can never be deleted through her encyclopedia of lies.
I don’t know if the honorable minister has a degree in propaganda because she seem to love that art alot and her moves are deft and inhumane.
We have heard from a time when she said she has paid stipends but alert refused to drop for anyone. Volunteers were fooled by her media statement to continuous media statement giving empty assurance.
She at one point had to pay on Sunday before appearing before house committee on poverty alleviation for hearing on unpaid stipends. Most questions asked by the lawmakers were thrown to her subordinate on the seat for answers when she couldn’t answer them.
Most times when asked by media on the delayed payment she would say she has signed for payment that it’s now in accountant generals office for payments. That payments most times can be in months. So who is decieving who ? The honorable minister or the “victim” Accountant-General who has never made any clarification on such statement by the minister.
Recently, she asked the focal persons from each state to collate N-Power volunteers data for transition plan. But as we speak there is no official communication to back that up but what we have is volunteers creating a data collection platform to collate data.
And no official statement from state focal persons to corroborate the media directive the minister gave as regards collation of data. Another question is don’t they have our data before now?
How have they been paying us if they need to collate our data again? What happened to our existing data that they have with them that they now need a new one for transition plan?
There is a propaganda story that she is to test run 200,000 for the transition plan out of 500,000. Initially, we heard 2000 but today it’s now gone up to 200,000. Who will save our government officials from lies.
As I write, thousands of people are being owed. July stipends unpaid. Her response so far is that” the office of the Accountant-General is the last authority responsible for the release of their stipends. However, all is being done to get them paid.”
Is she and her staff not receiving their salary?
Somedays ago she said she was celebrating one year in office, a celebration of lackluster performance or wickedness or lies?
The two main tiers of government: federal and state governments, who directly benefitted from the valuable and priceless services of this young aspiring Nigerians should search deep within their conscience, dig for empathy compassion and kindness and make a decisive decision, popular or unpopular in keeping their promises of creating millions of jobs yearly and also fulfilling the fundamental human right of dignity and decent life by giving permanent jobs to Volunteers and grants to those who may wish to start their own business.
Honorable minister, please find joy in showing quality and visionary leadership such that history will judge you Fairly. What Volunteers are asking for is fairness not privilege.
After all, unemployment is man made and the solution too will come from social justice.
Overcoming poverty and unemployment is possible if we put our selfishness and greed aside.
For any country to be great, it has to be compassionate.
Mathew Africa writes from Lagos
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