Ekiti NURTW member to die by hanging for killing colleague

An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti, on Tuesday, sentenced a member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in the state, Abednego Ajibola, to death by hanging for killing his colleague during a disagreement over whose turn it was to pick passangers.

Justice Lekan Ogunmoye found 40-year-old Ajibola guilty of causing the death of one Ojo Ogunsakin, 42, at the Akure Garage, along the Ikere Road in Ado Ekiti on March 10, 2017, contrary to Section 316 of the Criminal Code Cap C16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.

“The ingredients of the offence of murder have been established against the accused person and he is convicted accordingly. The accused person is hereby sentenced to death by hanging on the neck till he will be dead. May the Almighty God have mercy on his soul,” the judge ruled.

To establish the case, the prosecution counsel, Mr Gbemiga Adaramola, called six witnesses, including the Investigating Police Officer, Sergeant Kamaru Momoh; the wife of the deceased, Mrs Ogunsakin; and Dr. J. A. Omotayo of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, who conducted the post-mortem examination on the corpse of the deceased.

The defence counsel, Mr Kayode Oyeyemi, called two witnesses and the convict in order to convince the court of Ajibola’s innocence.

In his statement to the police, Ajibola had said a brawl broke out between him and the deceased on the loading arrangement on the fateful day.

The convict said the deceased slapped him, which provoked him to retaliate by attacking him with a stone, which led to his death as confirmed by other witnesses.

Order military to release your credentials, Nigerians tell Buhari

Nigerians have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to order the Secretary of the Military Board to release his certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

INEC had on Thursday published a list of over 70 candidates, who are participating in the 2019 presidential elections and their credentials.

However, Buhari failed to attach necessary documents to his presidential bid sent to INEC by his party, the All Progressives Congress, insisting that they were in the custody of the military.

In the affidavit which he swore to, Buhari said, “I am the above-named person and the deponent of this affidavit herein. All my academic qualification documents as filled in my Presidential form, APC/001/2015 are currently with the Secretary of the Military Board as of the time of this affidavit.”

Ex-President Obasanjo gets office, resumes work at National Open University

- Olusegun Obasanjo finally got an office at the National Open University, Abeokuta study centre - Obasanjo, a former president, attended to two final year students assigned to him - He was appointed an academic counsel for the students of the institution Nigeria’s former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has finally resumed as a facilitator and academic counsel for students of the National Open University (NOUN) which he established while in office. Obasanjo started work on Thursday July 5, at the university’s study centre in Abeokuta, He was pictured meeting with a two final-year 

undergraduate students of Christian Theology, Elijah Egehedi-Oke and Toriola Abigael, assigned to him by the university for supervision. Obasanjo attending to two of the students assigned to him at the university. Credit: NAN Obasanjo recently bagged a PhD on Christian Theology from the tertiary institution making him the first PhD holder from the university. Seers  reported that Olusegun Obasanjo assumed office as a facilitator at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), as he inspected his office space at the Abeokuta Study Centre on Tuesday, July 3. This was disclosed in a statement by the institution’s director, media and publicity, Ibrahim Sheme. The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Abdalla Uba Adamu, had earlier appointed the former president as a facilitator after he bagged a PhD in Christian Theology in January from the institution.

Southeast, southsouth governors meet, make fresh demands on federal government

- Governors from southeast and southsouth met in a closed door meeting in Uyo - At the meeting which was held in Uyo, over the weekend, the governors made a list of demands 

- They appealed to the federal government to increase revenue allocation to states in the zones Southeast and southsouth governors recently met to discuss the need for the federal government to increase revenue allocation to states in the zones. NAIJ.com gathers that the governors urged the federal government to increase the allocation to reflect the current prices of crude oil in the international market. According to a report by Vanguard, the demand was contained in a comminuque released by the governors after the meeting which was held over the weekend in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom state.

 - Lai Mohammed declares The communique read: “Worried about the abysmal state of road infrastructure in the zones, The Forum proposed that the federal government relinquishes all ‘federal’ roads to states where such roads are located and facilitate legislation that would ease concession of the roads. “In the interim, the forum appeals to the federal government to intervene urgently to improve on the current state of some critical infrastructural facilities located in the zone. Some of these facilities include: The Port Harcourt International Airport; the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar; the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, Sam Mbakwe International Airport; and several other roads located in the zone. 

“The forum noted the rather shoddy approach to infrastructural development by some intervention agencies of the federal government operating in the regions and appealed to the federal government to urge these agencies to liaise with the respective state governments in the identification and execution of infrastructural projects. “The forum believes that this approach will ensure that the projects carried out by the intervention agencies are in sync with the developmental agenda of the respective states and will lead to better standards of project execution.” 

 Governors in attendance at the meeting were; Owelle Rochas Okorocha of Imo state; Nyesom Wike of Rivers state; Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state; Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta state; Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state; Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state; while deputy governors Professor Ivara Esu of Cross River and Dr Nkem Okeke of Anambra states represented their bosses. Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that senators from southern part of Nigeria, on Friday, November 24, met in Calabar, Cross River state, for a 2-day conference on national unity and restructuring. According to a report by Punch, the conference, tagged "National Unity and Restructuring" was headed by deputy Senate president, Ike Ekweremadu.

Amina Mohammed denies involvement in $300m scam as minister

- Mrs Mohammed said as minister under President Buhari, she tried to fight against graft in the environment ministry

- She explains that she believes in protecting the environment

Mrs Amina Mohammed, the deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, has denied any involvement in a $300 million timber scandal as reported recently.

Speaking with The Cable, Mohammed denied the allegation as she explained that her she worked to end the illegal export of the hardwood used for rosewood furniture in China.

“No permits were backdated or illegally signed by me. We are therefore appalled if any legally obtained or forged certificates were used by unscrupulous rosewood traders to circumvent exportation procedures.

“Not only do I decry fraud and corruption, we also categorically reject any allegations of corruption or coercion in our effort to better address illegal logging and exportation.

“I categorically deny receiving any bribe. It has never been in my character. I never demanded neither did I collect any bribe, either cash or material,” she said.

“One of the first issues I had to deal with was deforestation. It was a huge concern as Nigeria was losing its forest cover at an alarming rate.

“For me, protecting the environment is sacrosanct. When I was minister, one of my first acts was to tackle illegal logging. What I found on ground was alarming,” she added.

There were claims Amina was involved in the illegal export of African rosewood from Nigeria to China in a trade deal.

The earlier reports quoted the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) as releasing a documentary video which indicted her.

News earlier reported that Amina Mohammed was linked to a bribery and illicit trade scandal.

According to Premium Times, Mrs Mohammed was alleged to have authorised export of endangered timber, rosewood, to China in her last days as Nigeria’s minister for environment.

What is working well and what needs improvement in Nigeria? -

Sergeant Adebayo dies after gun battle with suspected kidnappers in Delta state

Sergeant Adebayo dies after gun battle with suspected kidnappers in Delta state

Sergeant Agunbiade Adebayo dies while receiving treatment at DELSUTH - Operatives of the inspector general of police Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT) arrest two militants suspected to be involved in the kidnap and killing of a British hostage One of the police officers involved in a gun battle with a gang reported to have kidnapped four British missionaries in Delta state, has died of gunshot wounds he suffered during the encounter. 

    The officer, Sergeant Agunbiade Adebayo, was part of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), tasked with cracking cases of high profile kidnapping in the county. Vanguard reports that the deceased officer was shot in the stomach during the gun battle in Sapele and was receiving medical attention at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH) Oghara before had died. He had previously undergone surgery on Thursday, November 9, and had received four pints of blood. Adebayo was reported to be recuperating after the operation but died on Friday, November 10. 

The state police public relations officer, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, who conformed the death said the late officer died at about 11am on Friday. News had earlier reported that operatives of the inspector general of police Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT) arrested two militants suspected to be involved in the kidnap and killing of British hostages. Ian Squire and other British missionaries providing free healthcare to Niger Delta people when they were kidnapped. While Squire was killed, David Donovan, his wife, Shirley and Alanna Carson, were freed on November 6, after an undisclosed amount was paid to the militant as ransom, having spent 24 days in captivity. 

Editor’s note: The President Muhammadu Buhari administration has come under criticism especially from his supporters who feel he has disappointed them. In this opinion by Abba Mahmoud, he lamented that the president does not seem t be in charge of the country as there is no clear path being taken. 

      This is not the Buhari we knew There is confusion everywhere. The government lacks direction. There is no clear policy on anything be it economic, security, foreign, aviation, environment or any other issue of importance. Everyone is virtually doing what he or she likes with nobody to call anyone to order. 

     President Buhari is not in touch with the party that gave him a platform to contest and come to power, even though last week he suddenly realize that he needs the party which necessitated his caucus and NEC meeting almost belatedly. He appears not be in charge of anything, even admitting that he gave directive for boards to be reconstituted since October 2015 but that directive is yet to be carried out! He appears to not only over delegate his presidential powers but apparently abdicates his responsibility too. 

Obviously, this is not the Buhari we knew. Soon after he was sworn in as President, General OlusegunObasanjo released his first appointments on the same day of May 29, 1999. And no one could fault Obasanjo’s choice of key aides: General Mohammed as Chief of Staff; General Gusau as NSA; Chief Ekaette as SGF; Col. Areh as DGSSS, among others. Buhari took three months to appoint his own aides and ended up appointing some of the worst officials in Nigeria’s history. 

It took 166 days for Buhari to form his cabinet. Does it mean for more than ten years that he was contesting to be president he did not have a plan let alone a team to help him carry out his plan? Clearly, this is not the Buhari we knew. General Buhari was voted for, basically to do two things: fight insecurity and fight corruption. There is an appreciable progress with regard to fighting the Boko Haram insurgency no doubt but the level of kidnappings and killings going on across Nigeria is simply scandalous. It is not restricted to the highways anymore. Last two weeks, a brother of the Chief of Staff to the governor of Kaduna state was kidnapped right inside Zaria city. And no one has yet been held responsible to account for this high level of insecurity.

 Indeed, this is not the Buhari we knew. With regard to the fight against corruption, it is simply funny that the only place that was investigated in the last two and a half year is the Office of the NSA. The Ministry of Petroleum, where Buhari is the Minister and where most of the past corruption was perpetrated has been shield from investigation by those around Buhari. The CBN, the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the SGF are yet to be held accountable for their past misdeeds. All the billionaires created by the last regime are still keeping their loot, or even making laws for us as legislators thanks to those shielding them in this dispensation.

 In fact, this is not the Buhari we knew. Since he joined partisan politics, Buhari’s main political base has been Kano which has been consistently voting for Buhari. In 2015, Kano was delivered one hundred percent to the APC thanks to the consistency and commitment of Senator, then Governor, RabiuKwankwaso and his associates. Buhari did not find it necessary to visit Kano since he became President. Kano is the oldest and second largest commercial centre in Nigeria. The city’s market got burnt but no one commiserated with them let alone gave them any support from the Buhari-led federal government. Truly, this is not the Buhari we knew. Almost three years into this administration’s tenure, many, indeed most parastatals are still being run by those appointed by the last administration. No less a person than Col Hameed Ali, the CG of Customs had to say recently that 50 percent of Buhari’s government is PDP. Boards are yet to be constituted for almost all the federal agencies. Is it that the President doesn’t know or doesn’t care? For over two years even ambassadors to various countries are just reporting. What does it take to make appointments in Nigeria, a country that is full of talents across virtually local government in the country? Really, this is not the Buhari we knew. President Buhari swore to an Oath of Office holding the Qur’an “to do good to all manner of people, without fear or favour, affection or ill will”. Two years on, the Lagos-Ibadan expressway is the best road in Africa while the Abuja-Kano expressway built by President Babangida thirty years ago is still a death trap even though one minister collected N1.8 billion to “repair” the Abuja-Kaduna segment when the Abuja Airport runway was being repaired. Buhari has identified those he appears to favour and he has chosen those he cannot sack, apparently because he fears them, all contrary to his oath of office. 

This is not the Buhari we knew. As a General who served in one of the most national of institutions, the Nigerian Army, we expected Buhari to create a national platform where every section of Nigeria will feel a sense of belonging. Instead, this is one of the most exclusive governments in the history of Nigeria. From Jigawa state, for instance, virtually every appointee is from Kazaure – INEC National Commissioner; DG, NYSC; SCOP; Ambassador; and Minister are all from that single town. Is the President not aware of this? This is not the Buhari we knew. Buhari came with a pan-Nigeria mandate enjoying enormous goodwill across Nigeria and indeed around the world. From that national, in fact international pedestal, Buhari’s constituency is now the two to five people who appear to exclusively have his ears. 

The party is aggrieved; chieftains like Tinubu are alienated; the National Assembly is feeling side- lined; in fact everyone is feeling marginalized. His government is a disappointment to Nigerians; a disgrace to those who insisted on him, particularly northerners; and indeed a disaster to the Africans who saw in him a hope which has now been dashed. This is not the Buhari we knew. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigeria’s #1 news app The wife of the President had reason to complain in public about the cabal that caged her husband; many well-meaning individuals both high and low have been complaining too. 

The verdict is that President Buhari is surrounded by very bad people who are destroying him, his government and even the country he loves so much. Is it that the President does not know or is not listening? We really love Buhari and we want him to succeed. That is why we have to complain loudly, before it is too late so that he can take necessary actions immediately. The verdict of history awaits him and he should know that. After all, history is on the side of the oppressed. Read