Sahara Reporters Latest News Wednesday 16th October 2019
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 16/10/19
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Backlash Greets NIMC Announcement Of N5000 For National ID Renewal
Nigerians on various social media platforms on Tuesday condemned the National Identity Management Commission for announcing that citizens would be required to pay N5000 for renewal of National Identity cards.
Despite claiming that the money charged would enable it make the item available all the time, citizens didn’t buy the idea, describing it as a fraudulent means to extort the populace.
One Twitter user, Olajide Obe, said, “Wait, so National ID card will be expiring too? But will we ever collect these cards?
“I’ve enrolled since 2014, five years ago! Does it take a decade to produce a National ID card?”
Another Twitter user, Chris Olu-Crown, said he registered since 2013 and had yet to receive his as well.
Another user named Samuel Mbagwe, said, “November would make it four years since I went through hell to register for this ‘ticket to heaven’ at Alausa NIMC office.
“It’s taking eternity to produce because bribery isn’t involved. Allow bribes and you will have it in less than 48 hours.”
Commenting on the situation, another Twitter user, Wale Adetona, said the idea of paying for National ID card was not good.
He said, “Whoever brought up this idea of renewing National ID didn’t think it through. Do US citizens renew their Social Security Number?”
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E2%80%99s-future-group-says Almajiris, A Big Threat To Nigeria’s Future, Group Says
The Guardian Nigeria
A group, ‘Almajiri is also a child’, has said that abandoned children in the Northern part of Nigeria roaming the streets without any formal education were a big threat to the country’s future.
According to the organisation, without integrating such children known as Almajiris in Nigeria’s formal education system, the war against terrorism may not end in the near future.
The call follows the discovery of two centres in Kaduna and Katsina states where young boys in care of Islamic teachers known as mallams in local Hausa parlance, are chained and tortured in unkempt environments.
Convener of the group, Iliyasu Usman, said, “Against the backdrop of this grave danger, we engaged critical stakeholders on the need to find solution to the menace because if Almajiris are not accommodated in the formal education system, they will remain a big threat to Nigeria’s future.”
Also adding his voice to the debate, Vice President, Security, American University of Nigeria, Lionel Rawlings, said, “Government and indeed the society have a great responsibility of taking these children off the street and giving them basic education.”
According to a UNICEF report, Adamawa State alone is home to over 200, 000 Almajiris, while Nigeria has 9.5 million of these children at the moment – making up 72 percent of the country’s 13.2 million out of school children.
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Lecturers In Ondo College Call Off Strike Action
Aggrieved lecturers of Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo State, have called off their one-week-old strike action, SaharaReporters has learnt.
The strike was called off after an expansive meeting between the protesting lecturers and the college’s management.
At the meeting held on Tuesday, the lecturers agreed to resume back to work after some of their demands were met by the management.
A source at the meeting, told SaharaReporters that members of the governing council of the college were able to intervene over the lingering demands.
The source said, “We (lecturers) have decided to call off our strike action shortly after a meeting with the institution’s management and members of the Governing Council Board.
“The management, through the board, was able to show some willingness and understanding to our plight and demands.
“So, we have agreed to work things out and resume back to work in the interest of students.”
As at the time of this report, it was not clear which of the demands of the protesting lecturers were met by the management.
Meanwhile, students of the college have been instructed to resume for academic activities.
Provost of the institution, Samuel Akintunde, gave the instruction in a circular issued shortly after the meeting with the lecturers.
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Court Fixes October 21 For Hearing On Sowore’s Bail Variation Application
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has fixed October 21, 2019 for the hearing of the application filed by pro-democracy campaigner and Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, and co-defendant, Olawale Bakare popularly known as Mandate for variation of their bail conditions.
The activists were granted bail in a ruling by the court on October 4, 2019 but with stringent conditions.
Their lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), had approached the court for an adjustment in the bail conditions to what his clients could meet.
The judge granted Sowore bail in the sum of N100m with two sureties in like sum.
Justice Ojukwu also barred him from travelling outside Abuja, in addition to asking him to deposit N50m in the account of the court as security.
She granted Bakare bail in the sum of N50m with a surety in like sum.
He was barred from travelling out of his base in Osogbo, Osun State, except while coming for trial in Abuja.
The trial judge also barred the two men from talking to the press and participating in any form of protest pending the conclusion of their trial.
Sowore and Bakare are still being held in the custody of Department of State Services as a result of their inability to meet the bail conditions.
Sowore was arrested by the DSS in Lagos on August 3, 2019 for calling on Nigerians to take to the streets in peaceful demonstrations to express their displeasure over the poor state of governance in the country.
On September 30, Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had granted him bail and ordered the DSS to release him after he met the condition given by depositing his international passport with the court.
But despite that ruling, President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime refused to free him, attracting condemnation from across the world.
The government is charging Sowore for acts of money laundering, insulting Buhari and planning to bring down his government – charges the pro-democracy campaigner vehemently denies and that had been described by legal practitioners across and beyond Nigeria as laughable and baseless.
The matter was adjourned to November 6, 7 and 8 for accelerated trial by the court.
ACTIVISM
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Soldiers Killed By Boko Haram Buried In Maiduguri, Says Senator Ndume
Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Ali Ndume, on Tuesday said that 840 Nigerian soldiers killed by Boko Haram terrorists from 2013 till date were buried in the military cemetery located in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Ndume disclosed that the figure did not include other soldiers killed by the insurgents and buried in other military cemeteries located in other parts of the North-East geopolitical zone.
The senator denied reports of mass burial of soldiers killed by the terrorists.
He also said the Senate panel was already investigating allegations that some non-governmental agencies operating in the North-East were providing useful information to Boko Haram leaders.
Boko Haram
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There Is No Hunger In Nigeria, Agriculture Minister Claims
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sani Nanono, has said that there is no hunger in Nigeria as widely claimed, adding that food is fairly cheap to buy in the country.
Nanono, who spoke on Monday at a briefing to mark the 2019 World Food Day in Abuja, said Nigeria had attained self-sufficiency and would feed its neighbours with ease.
He said, “I think we are producing enough to feed ourselves. I think there is no hunger in Nigeria; there could be inconveniences.
“When people talk about hunger in this government, I just laugh.
“In this country, it is fairly cheap to buy food.
“That’s the basis for the closure of the border and I think Nigeria tried to make these neighbouring countries understand our predicament but to no avail.
“So long as these countries bordering us will not respect Nigerian stand on food importation, the borders will remain closed.”
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EFCC Releases 13 Out Of 94 Suspected Internet Fraudsters Arrested In Osogbo Nightclub
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibadan Zonal Office, has freed 13 of the 94 suspected Internet fraudsters arrested in Osogbo, Osun State, on Monday.
It was earlier reported that about 94 suspects were arrested on Sunday night after operatives of the agency raided night clubs in Osogbo and Iwo towns in the state.
During the raid, 19 exotic cars and over 100 phones were recovered from the suspects.
However, after preliminary investigation was conducted, the 13 persons were released.
While speaking with Channels Television, Deputy Chief Detective Superintendent of the EFCC in the state, Mr Bright Igeleke, said the latest arrests was an indication of the resolve of the commission to rid the country of economic and financial crimes.
He also confirmed that about 152 convictions had been made on Internet fraud and related offences.
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Nigeria Breaching AfCFTA By Closing Border, Says Shehu Sani
Former lawmaker, Shehu Sani, has described the move by the Nigerian Government to close all land borders as a breach of international trade protocols.In July 2019, Nigeria became the 53rd country to join the African Continental Free Trade Area after President Muhammadu Buhari signed the agreement in Niamey, Niger Republic.The agreement is to help make exports cheaper and give easier entry to other markets.In a post on Twitter, Sani said, “Whatever is the economic importance or exigencies of land border closure, it openly violates the ECOWAS protocols and stand against the AfCFTA Agreement.”
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Lagos Residents Attack Petrol Tanker, Scoop Free Fuel
Residents of Mile 2 area of Lagos State has attacked a petrol-laden tanker, causing it to spill its content.
Following this incident, residents scooped free petrol from the 33,000-litre tanker despite the danger of such action.
According to a video shared by a Twitter user, thugs hit the tanker with iron rods as it passed through the area, leading to the damage and spillage of petrol on the road.
The incident has caused panic across the area with many scared of a fire outbreak in case of an explosion. VIDEO: Nigerians collecting leaking fuel in Lagos @followlasg @lasemasocial pic.twitter.com/4V78vPZ9fM— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) October 15, 2019
Oil
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Ita-Giwa Commends Senate for Revisiting Anti-sexual Harassment Bill
Former Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters and leader of the Bakassi people, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, has reiterated the need to speed up the deliberation and passage of the new anti-sexual harrassment bill by the upper arm of the Nigerian legislature.
Her call follows an investigative documentary by BBC Africa Eye exposing how university lecturers in Nigeria and Ghana were using their positions to demand s** from female students in return for academic favours.
According to Ita-Giwa, sexual harassment against women must be immediately tackled in the society.
In a statement, the former lawmaker commended the Senate for revisiting the issue and identifying with victims of sexual harrassment.
She opined that harassment against students or workers was unacceptable as the country’s educational system and workplaces had become theatres of abuses.
She said, “It’s time again to stand up against the ills of sexual harrassment.
“I have always advocated for this and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to ensure the bill is speedily passed for Presidential assent.”We can’t continue to fold our arms while we watch animalistic individuals abuse our girls and women in whatever guise.
“The law must be used to checkmate and prosecute them in order to serve as deterrent to others who may be concieving same.
“I urge victims to stand up and report all cases while I advise that they shouldn’t be stigmatised in any form.”
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