News 14 NOA seeks eradication of terminally-ill persons from Nigerian roads Gbarabe Kpokan Saturday
ÏÏÏ
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has called on corporate bodies and wellmeaning Nigerians to move against terminally-ill persons parading Nigerian roads, claiming to be care-givers seeking money from people. The Rivers State Director of the Agency, Mr. Oliver Wolugbom, who handed down the call in Port Harcourt during a one day seminar organised by the agency, in collaboration with the daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent De Paul and the catholic Diocese of Port Harcourt, said that the position was necessary since the practice further exposes the ill persons to more health hazards, exploitations by their so called care giver and dehumanization. Commending the Daughters of Charity of the Catholic Church, who from the burden of their heart over the years have initiated the partnership process with the National Orientation Agency, as well as the relevant stakeholders, Wolugbom expressed the believe that if a formidable and desirable public and private partnership is built, our roads and streets will be free of the menace.
Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Armsgate: Fani-Kayode to remain in EFCC custody for 3 weeks Titilope Joseph
ÏÏÏA Lagos Magistrate court,
sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday, granted an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) seeking to remand former spokesman for the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation in the 2015 general election, Mr. Femi Fani Kayode on alleged N1.4bn fraud. Chief Magistrate Osunsanmi granted the remand application after she had listened to the argument of counsel representing the anti-graft agency, Mr. A. N. Anana and Fani Kayode’s counsel, Wale Balogun. In its argument, the EFCC had stated that the remand application dated 10th of May,
2016, was pursuant to section 261 of Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJL, 2011, of Lagos State, was to remand Fani-Kayode, who appeared in court in a white Kaftan and slippers, pending when he will be properly be arraigned at the appropriate Court. “I urge your Lordship to remand the defendant because if he is not remanded, he may likely tamper with the investigation which is on-going” Anana said. Responding to EFCC’s remand application, counsel to Fanikayode, Balogun, argued that the anti-graft application’s move was to breach his constitutional rights, adding that the defendant had been granted an administrative bail by the EFCC but was never allow to leave
even after he had met the bail condition. He also informed the court the anti-graft agency had gotten the same order of remand before an Abuja Chief Magistrate court. He, therefore, urged the court to disregard the EFCC’s remand application against his client. However, Chief Magistrate Osunsanmi dismissed Kayode’s application holding to the fact that he failed to exhibit any document before the court to show that the former Minister of Aviation has been charged before any court for the alleged offence. She, therefore, ordered that Fani Kayode be remanded at the EFCC’s custody for 21 days pending when he will be arraigned at the appropriate court.
L-R: Chairman, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, Mr. Debo Adeniran; Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Ibe kachikwu and Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammed at the interactive session on issues arising from recent increase in the pump price of petroleum in Lagos… on Monday.
FG requires $166bn for energy, transport infrastructure
Henry Omunu Abuja
ÏÏÏThe
Federal Government on Monday, said that the country would require a $166 billion financial outlay over the next five years if the country’s energy and transport infrastructure needs are to be met. Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, disclosed this while speaking at the public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Land and Transport, on two bills seeking to establish the Nigerian Railway Authority and the National Transport Commission. The minister said that based on the huge financial requirement, the Buhari administra-
tion had entered into an agreement with General Electric for the commercialisation of the Lagos-Kano railway project. “Besides privatisation, government also realised a monumental infrastructure deficit hitch as at 2015 stood at over $3.05 trillion in 30 years, or $166 billion in five years with energy and transport infrastructure taking more than 50 per cent of that need. “Transport infrastructure alone needs a whopping $50.9 billion in five years to cover the current gap in the sector, an average of $10.2 billion per year. Currently, the ratio of funding in the sector between the public and private is 9:1. This constituted a major disincentive to private sector participation in the
industry. “In addition, it is considered imperative to intimate this committee that full government ownership and management of these agencies had inherent restrictions for third party funding, undue government interferences, burdensome bureaucratic structures, and over bloated work force amongst others,” the minister said. Amaechi added that privatisation of the railway would conflict with public interest, stating that “governments all over the world have realised that it is not best suited in ownership and management of businesses and as such consider it imperative to shift from purely government to Public Private Partnership (PPP)”.
Declaring the public hearing open, Speaker Yakubu Dogara urged that the Nigerian Railway Authority bill which spells out the operations and regulatory framework for the railway sector should be thoroughly examined by all stakeholders. The Speaker said that an efficient rail system is a much safer and cheaper mode of transporting goods, services and persons across the length and breadth of Nigeria, adding that “it will reduce drastically the damage done to our roads and highways by heavy duty trucks. “Rail transportation also provides a strong foundation for industrial activities in any economy as the haulage of raw materials can be effectively undertaken though the railways.”
Arase, IG
We paid ransom for our release, says Kwara APC chair Kehinde Akinpelu Ilorin
ÏÏÏThe
Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State, Hon. Ishola Balogun Fulani, who was kidnapped by Fulani gunmen last Friday alongside the party’s Secretary, Chief Sunday Bode Adekanye, on Sunday, recounted their ordeal at the den of their abductors. Balogun-Fulani, while speaking with newsmen at the palace of Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, shortly after a visit of appreciation to the monarch, said they paid ransom before they were freed by the kidnappers. The APC chairman who was silent on amount paid, however, confirmed the gunmen demanded N40m and N30m from him and his secretary. He said that all the effort by security operatives sent by Commissioners of Police in Kogi and Niger States and even the deployment of helicopter by the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, yielded no result while they were held in the bush.
Strike: Ekiti workers defy resumption order Gbenga Sodeinde Ado Ekiti
ÏÏÏMost civil servants in Ekiti
state, on Monday, failed to resume work despite directive by the National Secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to that effect, even with indication that another round of strike action loom in Ekiti state over salary arrears and deduction. Our Correspondent who monitored the workers’ resumption observed that only a few workers reported for work as most offices remained desolate as at 10:00am. The low turnout of state workers may not be unconnected with last Tuesday’s ultimatum given to the state government by the leadership of the local chapter of the labour unions to pay workers’ salaries arrears and deductions. Ekiti state government is currently owing workers five months’ salary as well as December deductions payable to cooperatives.