Politics

Ondo Govt Imposes 24-Hour In Ode, Isinigbo.

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Ondo State Government has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Ode, Isinigbo communities following the escalation of violent clashes in the communities located in Akure North Local Government Area. The curfew takes is to hold with immediate effect.

This was announced in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo.

He added that the state governor Rotimi Akeredolu equally ordered a massive manhunt for perpetrators of the despicable violence just as investigations are already on to unravel the real cause(s) of same.

With respect to the curfew, security agencies have been directed to ensure total compliance with the order. For emphasis, both Ode and Isinigbo communities have been closed down for any unathourised human movement and activity until further notice.

Politics, World News

Edo chief blinded by tear gas seeks compensation.

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A 70-year-old Edo chief, Clement Garuba, has urged the state panel of inquiry for into police brutality to compel the police to compensate him after tear gas left him blind on January 13 this year.

Garuba stated that life had been difficult for him since he became blind due to the negligence of the police officers.

He said, “We were having a meeting in our village in Ekpesa community, in the Akoko-Edo Local Government Area when some policemen stormed the gathering and shot tear gas into my eyes.
“The police also arrested my fellow chiefs and I and took us to the station where we were detained for three days.

“Before the incidents, I was seeing with my two eyes, going to the farm and taking care of my nine children and my wife but now, I can’t. I am suffering.”

He said he decided to approach the panel for compensation, as well as invite the police officers who detained him and his fellow chiefs, so that they could face the full wrath of the law.

Lifestyle, Politics

Ex AGF Mohammed Adoke granted permission by court to travel for Medical check-up.

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The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday granted permission to a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), to travel for a medical check-up at the United Arab Emirate, where he was in exile for about five years.

Adoke had fled to the UAE shortly after leaving office in 2015.

He returned to the country and was immediately arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as he arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on December 19, 2019.

He has since been facing multiple charges, including money laundering, before various courts which had ordered the seizure of his passport as a bail condition.

Ruling on Adoke’s application for permission to travel to the UAE on Friday, Justice Ekwo ordered the release of his passport to enable him to travel to the foreign land on health grounds from December 15 and return on or before January 10, 2021, Punch reports.

Already, his trial alongside a businessman, Aliyu Abubakar, has been scheduled to resume before the court on January 11.

In granting Adoke’s request on Friday, Justice Ekwo rejected the objection raised by the prosecuting counsel, Bala Sanga.

The judge upheld the contention of Adoke’s lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN), saying such application was within the discretion of the court to grant.

He said the application was granted allowing the ex-AGF to travel to UAE on health grounds.

The EFCC accused Adoke and Abubakar of using large sums of money, which allegedly formed part of their unlawful activities, and accepting the amounts exceeding stated threshold outside a financial institution in violation of the money laundering law.

Politics, World News

FG Reveals First Beneficiaries Of 20m Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine In 2021.

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The federal government has said health workers and vulnerable citizens will be the first beneficiaries of the 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to be delivered to the country in early next year.

The development was confirmed in a statement by the executive secretary of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, during the presidential task force on COVID-19 press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, December 10.

Shuaibu stated yesterday that Nigeria is a member of COVAX, an international coalition under the WHO umbrella, adding that upon arrival of the vaccines, it will first be given to workers in the health sector and vulnerable citizens.

He said; “We are on course to access safe vaccine in the first quarter of 2021. We will be leveraging on the polio platform to ensure effective delivery of vaccines to our vulnerable population.
We have established a supra-ministerial advisory committee to ensure a seamless administration. A technical group meets every week and has devised a risk communication plan to deliver safe vaccines to Nigerians.”

In another news earlier, Naija News reported that the federal government of Nigeria has put all COVID-19 isolation centres nationwide on a re-opening alert over the recent increases in daily records of Coronavirus infection.
The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, made this known on Thursday while speaking at the presidential task force on COVID-19 briefing.

Politics

#ASUU spent 1,500 days on strike in 21 years.

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The academic Staff Union of Universities has spent 1,500 days or 4.09 years on strike since the return to democracy in1999, findings by a newspaper suggest.

This implies that about 19.5 per cent of every academic year is spent on strike.

According to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, about 94 per cent of students attend Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions. However, most students spend more than the necessary time in school due to the usual clash between the government and lecturers.

For example, in 1992, during the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, a decree was promulgated which made strikes by teachers a treasonable felony.

The lecturers stuck to their guns and the Babangida junta bowed to pressure.

However, findings shows that the advent of civilian rule seems not to have improved tertiary education in Nigeria going by the frequency of strikes.

In 1999, the same year President Olusegun Obasanjo was inaugurated, ASUU spent 150 days on strike and in 2001, the union spent 90 days on strike largely due to the sacking of some lecturers at the University of Ilorin.
In 2003, ASUU embarked on a strike that lasted for six months and spilled to 2004.

Earlier in 2003, students had witnessed interruptions of their academic calendar due to a strike which was called by the Nigeria Labour Congress under the leadership of Adams Oshiomhole over the increment in petrol price by the Olusegun Obasanjo government from N26 to N44.

Between 2005 and 2006, ASUU spent only 10 days on strike but in 2007, the union embarked on strike for 90 days and then for one week in 2008. However, the strikes became more frequent from 2009.

In 2009, the union embarked on a strike that lasted for 120 days from June to October.

The government, in a bid to end the protracted strike, made several agreements with the lecturers’ union some of which included salary increments, improved funding for universities and amending the Pension Act such that the retirement age of professors would be put at 70.

However, nine months after the 2009 agreement, the South-East zone of ASUU embarked on a strike.

The schools that were affected include Ebonyi State University, Abia State University, Anambra State University, Enugu State University of Technology and Evans Enwerem University.

The strike, which affected over 250,000 students, started on July 22, 2010 and ended on January 18, 2011.

The reason for the strike was the refusal of the South-East governors to commit to the agreement made between the Federal Government and ASUU regarding salary increment.
Although the strike was not nationwide, it was given full support by the national body of ASUU, led by its then President, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie.

Between 2011 and 2012, ASUU embarked on a nationwide strike that lasted for 90 days due to the refusal of the Federal Government to review the retirement age.

On July 1, 2013, the union again embarked on an industrial action because of the government’s failure to release special funds for universities as stated in the 2009 agreement.

Tensions heightened when the then acting Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, threatened to sack all lecturers if they refused to return to work.

The government eventually bowed to pressure and released $1.3bn into a fund at the Central Bank of Nigeria. The strike was eventually called off on December 17, 2013, after five months and 263 days.

There was respite in 2014, 2015 and 2016 as no major ASUU strikes occurred across the country except a seven-day warning strike in 2016.
However, on August 17, 2017, ASUU embarked on a strike that lasted for 35 days due to the government’s failure to honour the agreements of 2009.

Similarly, on November 4, 2018, ASUU again embarked on a strike that lasted till February 7, 2019, a total of 95 days.

On March 23, 2020, ASUU embarked on an indefinite strike, the same week in which the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), imposed a lockdown to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Federal Government and ASUU have been at loggerheads over the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, a platform which the Federal Government said all lecturers must be registered on or they would not be paid a salary.

However, ASUU opposed IPPIS and insisted that lecturers would rather use the University Transparency and Accountability Solution.
When contacted on the telephone, ASUU President, Prof. Abiodun Ogunyemi, said the union had been doing well to put the government on its toes.

He said if not for ASUU, Nigerian public universities would have been worse than public primary and secondary schools.

Ogunyemi stated that it was through ASUU’s protests that TETFund was born.

Ogunyemi stated, “If you are looking at the negative side of the strikes, you should also look at the positive sides. If not for ASUU, there would be no TETFund. TETFund has been funding infrastructure and capital development both at federal and state levels with grants from TETFUND.”

Politics

Hoodlums Brutalise Dana Pilot While Jogging In Abuja.

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Abuja is gradually becoming a hub of street urchins and hoodlums who attack passersby and vulnerable pedestrians with dangerous objects to rob them of their valuables.

Hoodlums have attacked a Dana Air Pilot, Captain Edward Johnson, while he was jogging in his residential area in Abuja, inflicting deep cuts on his face and body.

The incident occurred on Thursday morning during which the hoodlums, whose identities had yet to be known, also collected his phone.

After inflicting cuts on him, they ran away while Johnson was rushed to a hospital where he could be stabilised.

A source revealed , “Captain Edward Johnson was attacked early this morning while jogging. He had with him his phone, which he was using to record the distance covered. This was also taken away by the hoodlums.

“I have spoken with the wife. She told me he is in stable condition now. It happened in Abuja this morning. He is a Dana Air employee in Kaduna.”

Abuja is gradually becoming a hub of street urchins and hoodlums who attack passersby and vulnerable pedestrians with dangerous objects to rob them of their valuables.

The police recently said that bag snatching, one-chance robbery and car snatching were among the commonest crimes in the Federal Capital Territory.

Politics

PDP Reps Tell President Buhari To Ignore Malami, Honour Summon.

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The caucus described as “reckless” the claims by the Attorney General that by inviting Mr President to address Nigerians, the House of Representatives overstepped its bounds.

President Muhammadu Buhari was advised on Thursday by the minority caucus in the House of Representatives to disregard the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and appear before the House as soon as possible.

The caucus, in a statement signed by the minority leader, Ndudi Elumelu, criticised the statement by the AGF that the National Assembly lacks constitutional powers to summon the president to address it on the deteriorating insecurity and killings.

He said the claim by the Attorney General was unlawful and reckless. “We as lawmakers, therefore, urge President Buhari not to allow officials like Abubakar Malami to ridicule his office and further alienate him from Nigerians”. 

“Mr President, having agreed to appear before the House and given that the constitution backs the invitation, should take steps to honour the invitation and not allow himself to be distracted by persons who have demonstrated that they do not wish the nation well,” he stated. 

The opposition leader noted that the same section 218 cited by the Attorney General as well as sections 88 and 89 grant the National Assembly the powers to request Mr President’s attention on his handling of security and operations of the armed forces. 

“Section 89 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended empowers the Senate or the House of Representatives or a committee appointed in accordance with Section 62 of the Constitution, to procure evidence, written or oral, and to ‘summon any person in Nigeria to give evidence at any place,” he stated. 

Elumelu said that President Buhari, in response to the constitutional invitation, had already agreed to appear before the House to address Nigerians. 

“Mr. President’s apparent backward steps on the invitation just because handlers like Abubakar Malami, are afraid of the people, puts him in very bad light before Nigerians and the world,” the caucus states. 

The caucus described as “reckless” the claims by the Attorney General that by inviting Mr President to address Nigerians, the House of Representatives overstepped its bounds. 

“Indeed, as lawmakers, we are surprised that an individual who calls himself a Senior Advocate of Nigerian and who sits in office as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation can reason in such a manner.” 

According to the lawmakers, “the fundamental reason for the existence of any government is the security of life and property and such is directly vested on the President as the commander-in-chief. 

“Today Nigerians are killed, kidnapped, and maimed every day in all parts of our country. Nigerians live in constant fear, and they are asking questions; they seek reassurances, which only Mr President can offer. 

“As elected representatives of the Nigerian people, members of the House of Representatives are mandated by law to ask questions on the state of the nation, especially on issues of security, and that informed the invitation to President Buhari. 

“It is therefore sad and a great disservice to the nation and the President that the only opportunity Mr President had to remedy his name by addressing Nigerians through their elected representatives is being thwarted by individuals pursuing their selfish interest not the interest of Mr President or that of the Nigerians people,” the lawmakers stated. 

The caucus further expressed concerns over the interest and roles being played by the likes of Abubakar Malami, to frustrate efforts to tackle insecurity in the country.

Politics, World News

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris named Time Person of the Year.

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New York(CNN Business)Time magazine has named Joe Biden and Kamala Harris 2020’s Person of the Year.

The two made history on November 7 when they beat Donald Trump in a bitter election that put him in a small club of presidents who served only one term. Harris on that day became the country’s first female, first Black and first South Asian vice president-elect.

“For changing the American story, for showing that the forces of empathy are greater than the furies of division, for sharing a vision of healing in a grieving world, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are TIME’s 2020 Person of the Year,” wrote Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal.

Zoom CEO Eric Yuan was named Businessperson of the Year. The video chat service spiked in popularity amid a health crisis that forced people to work and learn from home.

In the category of Guardians of the Year, Time named activists Assa Traoré, Porche Bennett-Bey and racial-justice organizers; frontline health workers fighting the pandemic; and Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Time magazine’s tradition of singling out an especially influential person started in 1927, launching as Man of the Year. The name was later changed to Person of the Year, which is bestowed on an individual, a group, a movement or an idea that had the most influence in the past year. In 2006, Time named “You” as Person of the Year to recognize the millions of people who contribute to content on the internet. Not everyone who made the cut wielded positive influence. Adolf Hitler, for example, was Man of the Year in 1938. In 2019, Time picked young climate activist, Greta Thunberg.

The shortlist unveiled earlier Thursday was a clear reflection of the year’s most dramatic events. Biden, Trump, Frontline Health Care Workers and Dr. Fauci and the Movement for Racial Justice were all major characters in a tumultuous year that included a deadly pandemic, social unrest over racial injustices and a contentious election.

NBA star LeBron James was named Athlete of the Year and Korean pop group BTS was Entertainer of the Year, both of which were revealed on NBC’s “Today” show Thursday morning. The Person of the Year was introduced in a special prime time broadcast on the network, marking the first time that NBC has partnered with the magazine’s Emmy-winning Time Studios on coverage of this scale for Person of the Year.

Actors Issa Rae and Matthew McConaughey kicked off the hour-long, star-studded event that included appearances by Vanessa Bryant, John Cena, Yo Yo Ma, BTS and H.E.R. Bruce Springsteen presented the Person of the Year.

Time expanded its Person of the Year franchise last year by introducing four additional categories including Businessperson of the Year. The decision came after Salesforce (CRM) CEO Marc Benioff and his wife Lynne Benioff bought Time in 2018 from magazine conglomerate Meredith Corp (MDP), which had acquired Time Inc. in 2017.

Time’s cover for Athlete of the Year features a painting of LeBron James by 14-year-old Tyler Gordon

The TV event is the third such broadcast partnership for Time Studios this year. In place of its annual TIME100 gala, Time revealed its list of the 100 most influential people in September with a TV special on ABC. Last week, Time named its first-ever Kid of the Year on a TV special that aired on Nickelodeon and CBS.

Politics, World News

UK Places Travel Ban On Gambia’s Ex-president Jammeh, Wife, Freezes Assets.

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The former dictator, whose election defeat to Adama Barrow in December 2016 forced him to flee, was one of three from the West African nation on an updated list targeting ten people across the globe.

Britain on Thursday slapped sanctions on The Gambia’s former president Yahya Jammeh as it widened travel bans and economic sanctions for human rights abuses worldwide, AFP reports.

The former dictator, whose election defeat to Adama Barrow in December 2016 forced him to flee, was one of three from the West African nation on an updated list targeting ten people across the globe.

Jammeh, his wife Zineb, and the former director-general of the country’s National Intelligence Agency, Yankuba Badjie, are all now subject to asset freezes and a UK travel ban.

London said Jammeh was behind “inciting, promoting, ordering and being directly involved in extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, kidnappings, torture, rape, as well as wider human rights violations” after he seized power in a coup in 1994.

Zineb Jammeh was sanctioned for the same reason, and for using charities as a cover for the illicit transfer of funds between herself and her husband. Both are already under similar sanctions from the United States.

Others on the list include three members of the Venezuelan military, and the speaker of the parliament of the Russian region of Chechnya as well as the region’s Terek Special Rapid Response Unit.

It is accused of extrajudicial killings and torture, and a crackdown on gay men that drew international condemnation.

In Pakistan, Anwar Ahmed Khan, a former Karachi police “encounter specialist” suspected of being behind more than 190 “hits” that led to more than 400 deaths, also faces restrictions.

“Today’s sanctions send a clear message to human rights violations that the UK will hold them to account,” said UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

Britain, which left the European Union in January, introduced its own sanctions regime in July, identifying 49 “notorious” individuals and organisations accused of human rights abuses.

The first included 25 Russians allegedly involved in the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, and 20 Saudis suspected of involvement in the death of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko was sanctioned in September in response to the disputed recent elections and crackdown on protesters.

There are now 65 people on the UK sanctions list and three organisations.

The government is coming under pressure to impose similar sanctions on Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam over abuses by the police against pro-democracy protesters, AFP reports.

Politics

Those Who Supported Buhari In 2015 Should Apologise For Misleading Nigerians – Ayodele Fayose

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According to Fayose, the President showed the sign of ‘a dictator’ by shunning the invitation extended to him by the legislative arm of government over the insecurity challenges in the country.

A former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has slammed President Muhammadu Buhari over his failure to appear before the House of Representatives on Thursday.

According to Fayose, the President showed the sign of ‘a dictator’ by shunning the invitation extended to him by the legislative arm of government over the insecurity challenges in the country.

“I said on December 1, that President Buhari wouldn’t honour the House of Reps’ invitation on the worsening security situation in the country. Truly he didn’t.”

“With a democratically elected President who does not have regard for other arms of government, how else do you describe a dictator?” The ex-Ekiti State governor wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

He added that those who supported Buhari’s ascension to power in 2015 should “publicly apologise for misleading Nigerians”.

Nigerian media had reported that the House of Representatives led by the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, last week, invited Buhari over the rising insecurity and the killing of over 43 farmers by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State.

An aide to the President, Lauretta Onochie, had also revealed that Buhari would appear before a joint session of the National Assembly on Thursday. However, reports began to filter in on Tuesday that the President had decided not to attend the meeting any longer.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), also said Wednesday that the National Assembly lacked the power to invite the President to speak on security matters.

As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency has yet to offer any explanation for Buhari’s absence at today’s House sitting.

Politics, World News

Biden will have White House disinfected after Trump leaves.

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With President-elect Joe Biden set to be sworn into office in 41 days, precautions are being taken to prevent any infections among new White House staff.

Dozens of cases have been tied to the White House or people who spent time near President Trump over the past several months.The General Services Administration will deploy a team to “thoroughly clean and disinfect” every part of the White House before Biden settles into the Oval Office, Politico reports.A private contractor will also provide “disinfectant misting services” to remove any lingering droplets.

The White House will be thoroughly disinfected following President Trump’s exit in January and before the incoming Biden administration moves in to prevent the spread of coronavirus. 

The Trump administration has seen its fair share of COVID-19 infections as it has continued to hold events amid a global pandemic that often disregard its own public health guidance on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  

Our country is in a historic fight against the Coronavirus. Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.

Dozens of cases have been tied to the White House or people who spent time near President Trump over the past several months, including members of Trump’s family, campaign, administration and staff. The president himself announced in October he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19, and he was treated at Walter Reed Medical Center. 

The virus that causes COVID-19 mostly spreads through respiratory droplets or small particles produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, talks or breathes. Droplets can also land on surfaces and objects and be transferred by touch, although it’s not the primary way the virus spreads, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The virus can survive on surfaces for hours and possibly days. 

With President-elect Joe Biden set to be sworn into office in 41 days, precautions are being taken to prevent any infections among the new White House staff. 

The General Services Administration will deploy a team that will “thoroughly clean and disinfect” every part of the White House touched by human hands, including furniture, doorknobs, handrails and light switches, before Biden settles into the Oval Office, Politico reports. 

A private contractor will also provide “disinfectant misting services” to remove any lingering droplets. 

The Biden team also plans to have a skeleton staff working onsite with the majority of staff working remotely from home. 

Biden has made an effort to strictly adhere to public health guidelines outlined by the CDC over the course of the campaign and following his victory in the presidential election. He has consistently stressed the importance of social distancing and mask-wearing to the public as the outbreak in the U.S. continues to rage on. 

Politics

Polytechnic student bags jail term over Internet scam.

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Polytechnic student bags jail term over Internet scam. The convict, Oladipo Opeyemi Juwon, was asked by the judge to forfeit his mobile phones and restitute his victims.

A student of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State, Oladipo Opeyemi Juwon, was on Thursday, sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment by Mahmood Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin over his involvement in an internet scam. This was contained in a statement issued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC).

Mr Oladipo was arraigned by the Ilorin Zonal Office of the anti-graft agency on a three-count charge bordering on cheating and attempt to cheat contrary to and punishable under Section 324 of Penal Code Law of Kwara State.

Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Oladipo Opeyemi Juwon, sometime in the month of March 2019, in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did cheat by personation by portraying yourself as a white female named Frank Tinna via your email address franktinna66@gmail.com to one Bernard Fontenot and induced him to send you the sum of $235 United States Dollars vide gift cards a representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 324 of the Penal Code and punishable under the same Section of the Law.”

The EFCC stated that Mr Oladipo pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him. Following his plea, Enoch Onyedikachi, an operative of the EFCC, was called into the witness box to review the facts of the case.

Mr Onyedikachi, while being led in evidence by counsel to the EFCC, Andrew Akoja, told the court how the crime was perpetuated.

On the 7th of September, 2020, the EFCC, Ilorin Zonal Office received anonymous petition from some concerned citizens in Offa about the activities of some internet fraudsters in the area. The Commission swiftly placed surveillance on the area.

Consequently, on the 14th of September, we raided the place leading to the arrest of the defendant and other suspects. Upon arrest, we recovered an iPhone from the defendant.

Polytechnic student bags jail term over Internet scam. The convict, Oladipo Opeyemi Juwon, was asked by the judge to forfeit his mobile phones and restitute his victims

A student of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State, Oladipo Opeyemi Juwon, was on Thursday, sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment by Mahmood Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin over his involvement in an internet scam.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC).

Mr Oladipo was arraigned by the Ilorin Zonal Office of the anti-graft agency on a three-count charge bordering on cheating and attempt to cheat contrary to and punishable under Section 324 of Penal Code Law of Kwara State.

Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Oladipo Opeyemi Juwon, sometime in the month of March 2019, in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did cheat by personation by portraying yourself as a white female named Frank Tinna via your email address franktinna66@gmail.com to one Bernard Fontenot and induced him to send you the sum of $235 United States Dollars vide gift cards a representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 324 of the Penal Code and punishable under the same Section of the Law.”

The EFCC stated that Mr Oladipo pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him.

Following his plea, Enoch Onyedikachi, an operative of the EFCC, was called into the witness box to review the facts of the case.

Mr Onyedikachi, while being led in evidence by counsel to the EFCC, Andrew Akoja, told the court how the crime was perpetuated.

On the 7th of September, 2020, the EFCC, Ilorin Zonal Office received anonymous petition from some concerned citizens in Offa about the activities of some internet fraudsters in the area. The Commission swiftly placed surveillance on the area.

“Consequently, on the 14th of September, we raided the place leading to the arrest of the defendant and other suspects. Upon arrest, we recovered an iPhone from the defendant.

“The defendant was brought to our Office on the 15th of September, 2020. We gave him a computer attestation form, which he filled. We analysed his phone and email address. Our findings revealed that the defendant was into internet fraud; a fact he admitted to in writing”.

In his judgment, Mr Abdulgafar said: “I have considered the totality of the evidence placed before me; the plea of the defendant; the exhibits tendered; the uncontradicted and unchallenged testimonies of the sole prosecution witness, Enoch Onyedikachi, I hold the view that the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubts.”

The judge said further: “This court finds you, Oladipo Opeyemi Juwon, guilty as charged. I hereby sentence you to three months imprisonment on count 1 with option of fine of N100,000 (one hundred thousand naira only).

Three months’ imprisonment on count two with option of fine of N100,000 (one hundred thousand naira) and three months imprisonment on count three with N50,000 (fifty thousand naira) as option of fine”.

According to the judge, the sentence would commence on the 23rd of December, 2020 in view of the ongoing examinations at the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, involving the convict,” the commission noted. The judge also ordered the convict to forfeit his mobile phones and restitute his victims.

Politics, World News

Kamala Harris’s husband Doug Emhoff to join Georgetown faculty.

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Incoming second gentleman Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, is set to join the faculty of Georgetown Law in January.

The law school, the nation’s largest, announced that Emhoff will serve as a distinguished visitor from practice, “drawing in part on his deep expertise in media and entertainment matters to teach related coursework, starting with ‘Entertainment Law Disputes’ in the upcoming spring semester.” He will also serve as a distinguished fellow of Georgetown Law’s Institute for Technology Law and Policy.

“I am delighted that Douglas Emhoff will be joining our faculty,” said Georgetown Law Dean William M. Treanor. “Doug is one of the nation’s leading intellectual property and business litigators, and he has a strong commitment to social justice. I know our students will greatly benefit from his experience and insight, and I am eagerly looking forward to his arrival.” 

Emhoff is an entertainment litigator with decades of legal experience. He became a partner at DLA Piper in 2017, though he took a leave of absence from the firm after Harris was tapped as President-elect Joe Biden’s running mate and will permanently leave the firm prior to Inauguration Day.
“I’ve long wanted to teach and serve the next generation of young lawyers,” Emhoff said. “I couldn’t be more excited to join the Georgetown community.” 

The Biden transition did not respond to a request for comment regarding the Emhoff’s role. 

Emhoff will not be the only White House spouse to hold a teaching job during the new administration. Biden’s wife, Jill Biden, is set to continue teaching classes at Northern Virginia Community College.

Politics

Buhari Plots Forceful Retirement Of “Southern” Police AIG To Clear Path For Another IGP From North

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After being handicapped by law from using an unqualified AIG from the North to replace Adamu, Buhari has decided to promote several commissioners to the position of AIG hurriedly. The law requires that an IG can only be appointed from a position no less than AIG, i.e., only a DIG or an AIG could be made an IG.

President Muhammadu Buhari has engineered a desperate and sectional move to hedge out yet another southerner from clinching a crucial federal position under his administration, all aimed at elongating the Northern grip on the nation’s security architecture.

According to Peoples Gazette, a deep-laid plot to suddenly promote Moses Jitoboh, an Assistant Inspector-General of police from Bayelsa, to a higher rank of Deputy Inspector-General has been uncovered, despite having nine service years remaining and currently not the most-senior AIG from the South-South.

Section Seven of the Nigeria Police Act 2020 (PDF) has positioned Jitoboh, 50, as the only qualified officer to become the next Inspector-General out of all the 24 AIGs currently in the Nigeria Police Force.

The presidency-induced promotion scheme, if allowed to stand, will all but guarantee Jitoboh’s elimination from consideration as the next police Inspector-General; while clearing a dubious path for another northerner to take over from Mohammed Adamu.

At least four sources at the Force Headquarters, Police Service Commission and the State House told the newspaper that President Buhari was part of the strategy to forcibly promote Jitoboh to DIG to make his enduring stay in the police untenable beyond February 1, 2021 — when all his DIG peers will retire with Adamu.

To advance the plan, a Deputy Inspector-General has summarily retired from service under apparently puzzling but undisclosed circumstances.

Michael Ogbizi, from Cross River, handed in his early retirement filings late November, even though he had barely two months left to properly retire alongside Adamu and other colleagues from the 1986 course.

Following Ogbizi’s exit, Adamu swiftly requested for Jitoboh’s annual performance evaluation results (APER) to recommend him for urgent promotion to DIG. Extant police leadership order requires a deputy inspector-general from each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones to make up the police management team.

The Peoples Gazette’s findings showed that none of the six DIGs representing the six geopolitical zones in the police management structure is eligible for appointment as IG, having fallen short of the required years of service mandated by law.

The police service records showed that two of the DIGs — Celestine Okoye (Southeast) and Lawal Shehu (Northwest) are due for retirement in December 2020, while Aminchi Samaila Baraya (Northeast), Anthony Ogbizi Michael (South-South) and Adeleye Olusola (Southwest) will retire alongside IG Adamu (Northcentral) in February 2021. DIG Sanusi Lemu (Northcentral) is expected to proceed on retirement in January 2023.

The most-recent police staff list (PDF) obtained by the newspaper showed that there are 24 general duty officers in the rank of AIG. Previously, either of the 24 officers could have been appointed as IG by the President.

But the new police law signed by Buhari in September 2020 mandated that only an officer with at least four more service years’ grace could be appointed as IG.

Twenty-three of the 24 AIGs are up for retirement between January 8, 2021, and March 1, 2023, either based on enlistment or age. Only Jitoboh, the youngest of them all, has more than eight years left in service — twice the legal requirement.

Jitoboh’s status should have triggered his preparation to take charge of police affairs from Adamu, a Muslim northerner from Nasarawa, in two months.

But the President and his associates are loath to accept a Christian southerner of Ijaw extraction with the potential to lead the police for nine years — and are now racing to circumvent the law and pave the way for four northern Commissioners of Police to be the only available candidates for the top law enforcement officer.

After being handicapped by law from using an unqualified AIG from the North to replace Adamu, Buhari has decided to promote several commissioners to the position of AIG hurriedly. The law requires that an IG can only be appointed from a position no less than AIG, i.e., only a DIG or an AIG could be made an IG.

Recent administrations have, however, adopted the convention of appointing IGs from AIGs. Senior ranking officers (DIGs) are summarily sacrificed when a junior colleague is appointed in furtherance of the controversial practice.

There are currently 89 officers in the rank of the commissioner in the police, but only 20-24 of them can be promoted as AIGs to replace the current 24 AIGs. They will either be promoted as DIGs or forced to retire alongside Adamu in February.

But out of the 24 commissioners that the presidency is looking to promote to AIG, only four of them have at least four years left in service. And all the four are northerners.

They are Hafiz Inuwa from Jigawa (Northwest, retiring 2024); Dasuki Galandachi from Kano (Northwest, retiring 2025); Habu Sani Ahmadu from Sokoto (Northwest, retiring 2025) and Bala Ciroma from Yobe (Northeast, retiring 2025).

After resolving that only Northern police Commissioners will meet the legal requirements to become IG out of the 24 potential commissioners to be promoted to AIG, the presidency then sought to finalise Jitoboh’s promotion as DIG forthwith, police sources said.

Buhari’s associates quickly found an ally in Ogbizi, who agreed to proceed on retirement to create an excuse for promoting Jitoboh to become the new DIG for the South-South.

Ogbizi’s sudden decision to initiate his voluntary retirement in late November, when he could have just waited for additional two months when he would be officially due to retire, has continued to unsettle senior police officers from the South.

“We are still shocked that he agreed to such a desperate plot to deprive another officer of his region the opportunity of being the next IG,” a police chief told Peoples Gazette under anonymity over the weekend, adding that officers are still seething about the “messy plots.”

Following Ogbizi’s retirement, Adamu on November 26 asked Jitoboh to forward his annual performance results for 2018 and 2019 within a week, according to a memo obtained by the Gazette.

The Force Headquarters is now preparing to forward Jitoboh’s records to the Police Service Commission to approve his promotion as DIG.

But Jitoboh is not the most-senior AIG from the South-South. Austin Agbonlahor from Edo is scheduled for retirement in August 2021 and should have been the one promoted to replace Ogbizi in the police management team, staff records showed.

The newspaper learnt that the President told Ogbizi that he would be made the next chairman of the EFCC if he agreed to go along with the plan.

A PSC source said the presidency had already informed the commission to expedite Jitoboh’s promotion. But the official said the process would be stalled because there was no basis to circumvent the law to prevent the officer from becoming the next IG.

Quite frankly, we have no basis for ignoring the law because we want to prevent one man from attaining a position in the police,” a PSC official said. “The fight is currently being fought from within.”

A presidency source confirmed that two meetings had been held over the past week on who would be the next IG, and it was concluded that Jitoboh should be frustrated from getting the position in favour of Galandachi.

“I can confirm that Dasuki Galadanchi is the first option of the president to become the next IG,” the presidency source said under anonymity to comment on an internal matter.

President Buhari’s strong stance against the emergence of Jitoboh follows his pattern of nepotistic appointments into top positions, said police reform activist Okechukwu Nwanguma — considering that northerners appointed by Buhari currently fills top military and national security positions.

“The president must immediately withdraw from this plot, and the police council should also immediately reject it,” Nwanguma said. “An IG whose loyalty would be to the law and the people rather than to one man that created a path for him to emerge.”

Nwanguma described Buhari as a ‘dyed-in-the-wool sectionalist’, calling on him to ensure compliance with the law he signed and allow Jitoboh to be elevated to the top police job.

Despite glaring evidence, the President has frequently denied allegations of being sectional, often citing his appointment of ministers from southern states without noting that it is a constitutional requirement for all states to have at least one minister in the federal cabinet.

Yet in 2017, Buhari declined to appoint Walter Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria, despite a looming constitutional crisis. But when he fell ill and was flown to London for extended medical treatment, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo quickly moved to avert the crisis by forwarding Onnoghen’s name to the Senate for confirmation.

Barely two years later, Buhari ultimately plotted the inglorious ouster of Mr Onnoghen, a southern Christian, expectedly sourcing his replacement from the North.

In 2018, Buhari oversaw the infamous removal and controversial replacement of Matthew Seiyefa, a former acting Director-General of the State Security Service from Bayelsa. After seeing that the senior positions from which he could appoint the next SSS DG were occupied by southerners, Buhari ignored them to name Yusuf Bichi from Kano, years after he retired from service.

Last year, Azuka Azinge was removed from office as registrar-general of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) on allegations of false assets filings. Azinge was subsequently replaced with a Northerner and was never prosecuted to the purported allegations.

Ex-PenCom chief Chinelo Anohu was similarly booted out of the office and her position immediately ceded to the North.

Business, Politics

FG announces reduction in fuel price from #168 to N162.44 per litre.

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The Federal Government has announced a reduction in the pump price of premium motor spirit, otherwise known as petrol, from N168 to N162.44 per litre with effect from December 14.

The product presently dispenses at N168, following the decision of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company to increase the ex-depot price of petrol from N147.67 per litre to N155.17 per litre in November. The ex-depot price is the price at which the product is sold by the PPMC to marketers at the depots.

The minister said a technical committee has been set up to ensure price stability in the industry.
Ngige stated that the committee, which will report back to the larger house on January 25, will appraise the market forces and other things that would ensure stability in the industry.

He said, “Our discussion was fruitful and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation which is the major importer and marketers of petroleum products and customers have agreed that there will be a slide down of the pump price of PMS and that the price cut will get us about N5 per litre and that the price cut will take effect from next Monday, a week today.”

Ngige explained that the price reduction was not meant to suspend deregulation because it did not affect the price of crude oil but on areas where the NNPC as the main importer had agreed that it could cut costs like freight and demurrage costs.

He said the new price slash was a product of a joint committee of NNPC and labour representatives, which looked into ways of cutting costs.

On the aspect of electricity tariff, both sides agreed to wait till the next meeting date on January 25 to enable the special committee dealing with complaints to conclude their deliberations.

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr Ayuba Wabba, collaborated the position of the minister, saying that the agreement was reached by both sides.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, disclosed this at the end of a meeting with labour leaders which began around 9 pm on Monday and ended at 1:30 am on Tuesday.

Politics

45-year-old New NANS President, Asefon, Kicks Against #EndSARS Protest.

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Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the new NANS President said the association does not recognise the #EndSARS movement because it does not have a leader.

  The newly-elected President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Sunday Asefon, has condemned the #EndSARS movement, aimed at ending police brutality across the country.

Asefon, 45, said the #EndSARS protest would not solve the problem of police brutality because the Inspector-General of Police had dissolved the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit.

In October, youths across the country took to the streets to condemn  human rights abuses by members of SARS.
The protest was later hijacked by hoodlums which led to the loss of lives and property.

This followed the killing of an unconfirmed number of youths by men of the Nigerian Army who invaded the Lekki Toll Plaza in Lagos and shot some of the protesters.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the new NANS President said the association does not recognise the #EndSARS movement because it does not have a leader.

“Any protest that is faceless, NANS under my watch will not be a party to it,” he said.

Asefon said leaders of the association would be meeting the Nigerian government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) towards ending the eight-month-old strike by university lecturers.

He said he would be consulting with the representatives of the two feuding parties to find common ground to end the prolonged strike.

“I am convinced that this high-level consultation will yield a positive result, and we will not have to resort to mobilising students to mount any protest to this ridiculous long stay at home.

“NANS, under my watch, will not be complicit to such an unending strike and never again will Nigerian students have to stay home this long,” he said in a statement.

Politics, Videos

Abia state governor suspends chief of staff for spraying Indaboski in his office.

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Abia state governor has suspended chief of staff for spraying clergyman, Odumeje Indaboski, money in his office.

His suspension is contained in a statement released by the Secretary to the state government, Barrister Chris Ezem. It state the following;

” Abia state governor , Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has directed the immediate suspension from office of the chief of staff to the governor, Dr ACB Agbazuere. The permanent secretary,government house, Mr Alozie odoemelam, will perform the duties of the office of chief of staff until further notice”.

Thank you

Barr Chris Ezem

Secretary to the state government

06/12/2020

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIfQBkUDtwW/?igshid=1fpqfk5t4bl5v

Politics

Nigerians Facing Hardship Caused By #EndSARS Protest, COVID19- Rauf Aregbesola.

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According to the minister, the just concluded #The EndSARS protest, which gripped the whole country, has caused a lot of suffering to the people.

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has said President Muhammadu Buhari is aware of the current hardship Nigerians are facing.

According to the minister, the just concluded #EndSARS protest, which gripped the whole country, has caused a lot of suffering to the people.

Recall that thousands of Nigerians held the #EndSARS campaign in October, taking to the streets to protest police brutality.

The protests resulted in the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad unit of the police.

Speaking at the commissioning of a central mosque built by Ta’Awunu Islamic group in Iwo, Osun State, on Saturday, Aregbesola said, “The President is aware of the hardship facing the citizens of the country. This was caused by the pandemic and the #EndSARS protests which erupted in many states of the federation. The president is doing all his best, and I can assure you that very soon, all will be well and we will be happy again.

“My reasons for coming to the state is in two folds; #EndSARS and to remind us that Coronavirus is still very much with us. We can’t afford to return to when the virus was at its peak in the country. That is why we must observe social distancing and use our face masks always. Cases are still being recorded every day.

“During this festive period, we must be cautious. We should obey the holy prophet’s teachings that say, ‘When there is an epidemic somewhere, we should not live there, and those outside should not join until the epidemic is over.’ We must take responsibilities for our lives.”

 

Politics, World News

Alex Azar calls Biden claim on Covid19 vaccine plan ‘nonsense’.

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Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said President-elect Joe Biden’s statement that there “is not plan” to deliver a vaccine for the coronavirus to people across the country “nonsense” during an appearance Sunday on “Fox News Sunday.”

“With all respect that’s just nonsense, we have comprehensive plans from the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] working with 64 public health jurisdictions across the country,” Azar said after Fox’s Chris Wallace played a clip of Biden making the remark.

“There is no detailed plan, that we’ve seen anyway, as to how you get the vaccine out of a container, into an injection syringe, into somebody’s arm,” Biden said in the clip shown by Wallace. 

Azar added that the administration was “leveraging our retail pharmacies, our public health departments, our community health centers,” to get a vaccine out.

He said the rollout was “being micromanaged and controlled by the United States military” as well as the private sector.

“We’re leveraging the systems that are known and that work within the United States,” he said.

The Washington Post reported Sunday that the number of vaccines being delivered by the end of year is now expected to fall far short of promises from the Trump administration that hundreds of millions of doses would come by the end of 2020. 

Azar said he had also said tens of millions of doses would be delivered by the end of the year and that he had been consistent. He also said career scientists were working to make sure no “red flags” were found on the vaccines, but that he was hopeful approvals could be given in days, and that the vaccines could then be delivered across the country quickly. 

Azar went on to say the vaccines represent “the light at the end of the tunnel” and are “why we need people to hang in there” as far as mitigation efforts such as mask-wearing anf social distancing.

Both Pfizer and Moderna are set to submit their vaccines for emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration in the next two weeks. Azar said the first doses could be distributed within days of committee approval.

“Those bright days are ahead and want everyone to be there to get their vaccinations,” he added.

The Hill has reached out to the Biden transition team for comment.

Politics

President Buhari speaks on Bye-Election results, tells APC what to do

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Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari has issued a statement on the recent bye-elections organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC on saturday.

The President disclosed that the results of the exercise show that his party, the All progressives Congress, APC remains the party of the people.

“Results coming from the states of the long list of bye-elections show definitely that our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), remains the chosen party of Nigerians. We do not take this confidence of the people for granted and we will not fail them.” the statement read.

“Nigerians who appreciate the efforts of the administration in making life better for all citizens, especially under an economy facing the severest test from the global Coronavirus pandemic will not be disappointed.”

“We thank them immensely for their trust in the party and government. We equally thank the Interim Management Committee of the party under the capable leadership of His Excellency Mai Mala Buni, the Governor of Yobe State, the Progressive Governors Forum under Governor Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi State, all our governors, parliamentarians, state, local government and ward level APC chapters and the entire ranks of the membership for this brave and impressionable performance.”

“While congratulating the successful candidates, President Muhammadu Buhari in particular, is very pleased with the election outcomes and urges the party to uphold the spirit of hard work, unity, progress, cooperation that forms the bedrock of these victories.”

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