Sahara Reporters Latest News Friday 27th September 2019
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 27/09/19
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target=_blank>BREAKING: Falana Tackles DSS Over Claim Of Not Receiving Court Order On Sowore’s Bail, Provides Evidence
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has rubbished claims by the Department of State Services that it did not receive copies of a Federal High Court order directing it to immediately release pro-democracy campaigner and Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore.
Responding to a statement credited to the spokesperson for the DSS, Dr Peter Afunnaya, Falana said that one Ayuba Adam of the agency’s Legal Service Department received the said court order on September 25, 2019 at exactly 10:08am.
The popular lawyer wondered why the government was misleading the public rather than release Sowore, who had promptly fulfilled his bail condition in line with the court order.
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E2%80%99s-president-ramaphosa-tells target=_blank>No Nigerian Killed In Latest Xenophobic Attack, South Africa’s President, Ramaphosa Tells Obasanjo
President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, has told former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, that no Nigerian was killed in the latest xenophobic attacks in the country.
Obasanjo, who was in South Africa to launch a book he co-authored, met Ramaphosa and discussed the xenophobic attacks and other issues affecting the two countries.
Spokesperson for Ramaphosa, Khusela Diko, said the two leaders also used the opportunity to reflect on recent events in Africa.
Diko said, “The leaders engaged on misconceptions created about the situation in South Africa that gave the impression that Nigerian nationals in particular had been victimised.
“No loss of life was reported among Nigerian nationals in South Africa during this period.
“Former President Obasanjo expressed his sincere appreciation of President Ramaphosa’s recent appointment of a team of Special Envoys who have in the past few days visited a number of African states to deliver a message from the President regarding the incidents of violence.”
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E2%80%99t-invite-anarchy-nigeria-aac-warns-buhari target=_blank>Sowore: Don’t Invite Anarchy In Nigeria, AAC Warns Buhari
The African Action Congress has called on President Muhammadu Buhari not to allow the country to descend into a state of lawlessness as a result of flagrant disobedience to court order.
National Organising Secretary of the party, Oshiokhue Ikpeminoghena, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja.
He condemned the refusal of the Department of State Services to release its National Chairman, Omoyele Sowore.
Ikpeminoghena said the refusal of the Nigerian Government in complying with the Federal High Court order on Tuesday directing the immediate release of Sowore on bail by the DSS as an invitation to uprising.
He said, “We are law abiding citizens but every reasonable Nigerian should let the government know that they are inviting anarchy and we pray that we don’t get to that stage.”
He said that the party would call for an emergency meeting and make public its plan towards addressing this issue more critically.
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E2%80%99-base-training-camp-borno target=_blank>NAF Destroys Terrorists’ Base, Training Camp In Borno
The Nigerian Air Force has destroyed a major Islamic State of West Africa Province logistics base and training camp at Kusuma, Borno State.
The aircraft detailed by the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole on Wednesday attacked the location following intelligence reports that a section of the settlement was serving as a training camp for the terrorists.
Spokesperson for the Air Force, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, confirmed this in a statement, adding that some buildings within the camp were being used to store fuel, arms and ammunition as well as other logistics supplies.
He said, “The airstrike was executed after credible intelligence reports had established that a section of the settlement was serving as a training camp for the terrorists, while some buildings within the camp were being used to store their fuel, arms and ammunition as well as other logistics supplies.
“The pre-attack surveillance showed scores of fighters attempting to flee the location upon hearing the sound of the attack aircraft.
“They were engaged by the attack aircraft in successive passes, neutralising many of them.
“The terrorists’ logistics supply store, which was also hit, was seen engulfed in flames due to the raid.”
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E2%80%98unwholesome-contents%E2%80%99 target=_blank>NBC Cautions BBNaija Against ‘Unwholesome Contents’
The National Broadcasting Commission has sanctioned about 45 broadcasting stations and cautioned producers of the reality television programme, Big Brother Naija against broadcasting “unwholesome contents” in the country.
The broadcast stations were sanctioned for allegedly breaching NBC’s code.
Director-General of NBC, Mallam Ishaq Kawu disclosed this while addressing journalists in Abuja.
He said the contraventions included breaches of the rules on hate speech, abusive, obscene and vulgar lyrics including inflammatory broadcast.
He said, “Thus as many as 45 stations were fined, the second quarter indicates that the trend has continued among certain stations especially in political programmes.
“Therefore 20 stations were fined in the 2nd Quarter, for breaching provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code on hate speech.
“Other breaches were in the area of obscene and vulgar lyrics – a total of 10 stations were fined for infractions related to use of vulgar lyrics and obscene content.
“It is worth mentioning that the programme Big Brother Naija was cautioned against unwholesome content on its broadcast.”
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target=_blank>$9.6bn Judgment: UK Court Grants Conditional Stay Of Execution
A court in London, United Kingdom, on Thursday granted Nigeria’s request to stay execution of the $9.6bn judgment it delivered in favour of Process and Industrial Developments earlier in August.
Giving a condition for the new order, the court asked the Nigerian Government to deposit $200m into the court’s account within 60 days for the stay of execution to take effect.
Recall that the Irish firm was awarded the sum of $9.6bn in damages against Nigeria following a failed gas supply contract between the two parties.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), while confirming the stay of execution, said, “Application for leave to appeal against the award and enforcement of the award is granted.”
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target=_blank>Sowore: Your Refusal To Obey Court Orders Tantamount To Defecation On Constitution, Shehu Sani Tells Buhari
A former federal lawmaker and Executive Director, Centre for Peace and Development, Shehu Sani, has described the refusal of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to obey court orders as an affront on the constitution.
Sani said this in a press statement on Thursday in Abuja while reacting to the continued detention of pro-democracy campaigner and Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, by the Department of State Services despite a Federal High Court in Abuja ordering his immediate release on bail on Tuesday.
According to Sani, this type of disrespect the law is tantamount to desecration of the constitution that legitimised its existence.
He said, “When a democratic government disrespects the law, it defecates on the constitution that legitimises its existence.
“When court orders are disrespected, the laws of the land is desecrated and justice is incinerated.”
Speaking further, Sani pointed that disrespect for court orders would compel citizens to resist the law, something he describes as an invitation to anarchy.
He added, “Any citizen of a democratic state held in captivity against the law of his country is a hostage of an autocratic power.
“If Sowore has broken any law, let the scale of justice determine his fate and not the machete of power.”
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target=_blank>Prosecution Closes Case In Danish Citizen’s Murder Trial
The Lagos State Government has concluded its evidence in the ongoing trial of Danish citizen, Peter Nielsen, who is standing trial before Justice Okikiolu Ighile in Igbosere Division of Lagos High Court.
Neilsen is being prosecuted by the state for allegedly murdering his wife, Zainab, and their three-year-old daughter, Petra.
At the resumed hearing on September 20, 2019, the prosecution led by Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Titilayo Shitta-Bey, concluded their case.
The defendant’s team led by Mr Olasupo Shasore (SAN) had taken the last prosecution witness, Dr Idem Somiari, on a train of cross-extermination.
The state’s ninth witness was examined and cross-examined for over three days.
Dr Somiari under cross-extermination by Shasore on Friday stated that the defendant’s DNA was found in the apartment and on the nightie of his deceased wife.
He testified further that the defendant’s DNA was not found anywhere on the body of his deceased daughter, nor in the kitchen where the bodies of both victims were discovered.
The expert however, stated that he found the DNA of an unknown female in the kitchen.
When confronted that the crime scene investigation and forensic DNA analysis was deliberately aimed at gathering evidence and arriving at results showing that the defendant was guilty of the murder, Dr Somiari denied it.
Dr Somiari was also unable to account for the number of people that had access to the crime scene in the period between the discovery of the bodies and the examination of the crime scene by forensic experts.
The prosecution witness also informed the court that samples for DNA analysis were only taken from three occupants of the apartment; the defendant and the two deceased persons even though six people lived in the apartment at the time of the murder.
The prosecution has now closed its case and the court has adjourned the matter until October 25, 2019 for continuation of trial.
It is expected that the defence would open its case on that day.
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target=_blank>Now That El-Rufai Has Sent His Child To Public School By Olabisi Deji-Folutile
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, dominated the media space on Monday as he enrolled his six-year-old son, Abubakar, in the state’s 62-year-old Capital School, Malali. Capital School is one of the legacies of the late Premier, Sir Ahmadu Bello. The governor was the first to break the news on the state government’s Twitterhandle @GovKaduna before one of his aides, Samuel Aruwan, confirmed the report.
El-Rufai, had in a state broadcast in December 2017, promised to enrol his child in a public school when he turned six. He had expressed his determination to fix public education and raise their standards so that private education would become only a luxury. El-Rufai’s action is bound to generate some media buzz especially in a country where children of wealthy politicians attend elitist schools, so the media could be pardoned for the generous space given to the story.
However, looking at el-Rufai’s little kid, who is being robbed of the opportunity of starting his formal education in a standard school where learning could be an experience and not a task, one is moved to pity the innocent child. It is unfortunate that the boy has become a victim of a political exigency that he had no idea of its genesis.
Don’t get me wrong. This is not in any way insinuating that those kids in Kaduna’s Capital School are lesser human beings than the governor’s son. My point is that there is also nothing wrong in a child having a good start in a standard school especially when his parents can afford it. Even billionaire couple, Bill and Melinda Gates, recently traced their success in life to being born in a wealthy country to white, well-off parents that sent them to excellent schools. Let’s face it, how many people would sincerely love to send their kids to Nigeria’s public schools if they have a choice?
We know that public schools in sane climes are as good, if not better than some of their private contemporaries. In Finland, for example, private schools get the same funds as public schools, and are required to provide the same services. Hence, standard is the same. It is, however, a different scenario in Nigeria as most public schools in the country are in ruins as a result of years of government neglect.
What is more tragic about the fanfare that accompanied Abubakar’s enrolment in a public school is the false impression being created. It is being wrongly assumed that a governor’s son attending a public school is equivalent to the governor’s commitment to lifting public schools or a proof that the public school system is working. That is why I think the governor should be reminded that Nigerians are not against him giving his child the best education money could buy, all they are simply interested in is for the children of the ordinary Nigerians to have access to quality basic education, too.
As it is, the governor has failed to even impress the critical elements in the society especially those that knew that a huge sum of N195m went into renovating Capital School ahead of Abubakar’s enrolment. Nigerians are not fooled. Perhaps, it would have made greater sense if the governor had enrolled his son in one of Kaduna schools where children still sit on the floor or learn under trees. That could probably have won him some admirers. It could also have reinforced the message that he is truly identifying with his people in their plight. Spending N195m to renovate a school when thousands of others are in need, and sending one’s child to that same renovated school, to me, is a poor publicity stunt.
In case the governor does not know, it is not a sin for a father to send his child to a good school. An obvious aberration is when someone entrusted with the job of providing good schools for the citizens, fails to do so, and then sends his own children to better schools that majority of the citizenry cannot afford. It is also wrong for children to suffer the consequence of bad governance when their counterparts elsewhere are enjoying the benefits of good governance. It doesn’t matter if the victim is a governor’s son or the child of a peasant. In other words, a governor would still have been held responsible even if his own child gets substandard education in a public school because every child has a right to quality education.
Now that el-Rufai has enrolled his son in a public school, the least expected of him is to see to how the 4,264 public pre-primary and primary schools, 429 junior secondary schools, and 341 secondary schools in Kaduna State would be up to the standard of Capital School that his son now attends.
As of 2017, only 4,624 public primary schools’ classrooms out of the total 21,133 in Kaduna State were in good condition going by the report of the 2016/2017 Annual School Census of the state schools. Likewise, only 983 classrooms out of the 3,097 in the state public senior secondary schools are in good condition, 937 need minor repairs while 1,051 are in bad shape. The schools lack facilities. All the primary schools in the 23 local government areas in Kaduna State, for example, have just 403 computers and it is almost certain that these computers are used in the offices and not in classrooms.
It is hard to imagine that all the public primary schools in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of the state could boast of just 10 computers. The Giwa LG schools have just nine. Jaba and Jemaya LGs have four each. Kauru local government schools don’t even have any computer at all while all the public primary schools in Kudan and Lere local governments make use of just two computers.
In Kaduna State, one teacher still attends to 116 students in the 21st century. There is also the problem of overcrowded classrooms. In Igabi Local Government Area of the state, for example, there are 30,251 students to 214 classrooms, making a class to have an average of 141 pupils, according to the report on the state of schools in the state. In the same vein, about 3,145 public primary schools in Kaduna State do not have access to water and 4,060 of them have no source of power. These are just a few of the gloomy statistics in the state’s education sector and areas craving for genuine urgent attention.
So, if el-Rufai truly means well, he should embark on a holistic reform in the state public schools instead of the current drama and political stunts built around registering a child in a public school. Today, people talk about Finland and the quality of education in that county. But, it didn’t happen by accident. The country took a decision to reform its system. Can anyone ever imagine that there was a time that Finland’s education system was characterised by a few high-performing and many low-performing schools? The country took a decision to address its problems and the results are there for all to see.
In fairness to el-Rufai, the Kaduna State Government has commissioned a needs assessment study on its public primary and secondary schools. But that is just the starting point. Besides, people in the state are yet to feel the import of that assignment two years after. The governor should go into action. Nigerians would be happy to see pictures of pupils in Kaduna learning in classrooms and not under trees. They would want to see pupils sit on chairs and not on floors. They would also like to see well-furnished and better equipped schools manned by qualified teachers. Such pictures would be better appreciated than that of a governor carrying his child on his laps on a first day in a public school. It is only when the governor provides the conducive environment required for learning in all the public schools in the state that he could truly be commended for doing a fantastic job.
Olabisi Deji-Folutile, a member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, wrote in via bisideji@yahoo.co.uk
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Don’t Cross Into America Illegally, Trump Warns Nigerians, Others
President of United State of America, Donald Trump, has warned illegal immigrants from around the world including Nigeria not to attempt crossing into the US without the right documents.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, Trump said, “We have taken very unprecedented action to stop the flow of illegal immigration.
“To anyone considering crossing our borders illegally, please hear these words: Do not pay the smugglers. Do not pay the coyotes. Do not put yourself in danger.
“Do not put your children in danger because if you make it here, you will not be allowed in.
“You will be promptly returned home. You will not be released into our country as long as I am the President of the United States.”
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