Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Friday 17th January 2020
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 17/01/20
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UPDATE: NAPTIP To ‘Look Into’ Video Of Ladies Trafficked To Lebanon Begging Nigerian Embassy To Repatriate Them
Julie Oka-Donli
Julie Oka-Donli
SaharaReporters Media
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has promised to look into a video showing Nigerian ladies trafficked to Lebanon pleading to return home.
Director General of NAPTIP, Dame Julie Oka-Donli, revealed to SaharaReporters that the agency will look into it.
In a chat with our correspondent, she said the agency was not aware of the incident at the Nigerian Embassy in Lebanon.
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Ladies Trafficked To Lebanon Begs To Return Home After Nigerian Embassy Rejects Them
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She stated that the agency was working to return all Nigerians trafficked from the country.
She said, “I have not seen the video in question, all I know is that we have rescued two victims from Lebanon.
“One is now with us and the one whose video went viral is expected back in a day or two.”
SaharaReporters had published a report of some Nigerian ladies trafficked to Lebanon for s** work begging the Nigerian Government to help return them back to the country.
The ladies in the video alleged that they escaped from their homes and went to the Nigerian Embassy in Lebanon but Nigerians working at the embassy sent them out
The ladies said they were taken to the Arabian country and made to work as slaves and prostitutes.
They cried out after they got information that the Nigerian Government helped a lady escape Lebanon and reunited her with her family in Nigeria.
According to Chief Executive Officer of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Nigerian Embassy in Lebanon has since taken up the care of the affected ladies.
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Government Has Stopped Investigation To Find My Daughter’s Killers, Says Fasoranti
Pa Rebuen Fasoranti
Pa Rebuen Fasoranti
Reuben Fasoranti, leader of Afenifere, has accused the Nigerian Government of abandoning the case of the killing of his daughter, Mrs Funke Olakunrin.
Olakunrin, 58, was killed in July 2019 by gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen while trying to escape kidnap on the Benin-Ore Expressway on her way to Lagos.
Pa Fasoranti explained that the investigation to unravel the killers of his daughter in order to bring the perpetrators to book has been deliberately halted by the Presidency.
He expressed his feelings while speaking with journalists in Akure, Ondo State, on Thursday.
According to him, security agencies have been informing the family that “authorities” from above have asked them to stop further investigation into the case till another notice.
He said, “The case of my daughter, they normally should have done something very quickly, but the police said they were asked not to do it.
“We were very enthusiastic that the police would do something about it, we asked the police to do something about it but they came back to tell us they were asked not to do it. They told us they were asked to stop.
“Nigerian Government said the investigation should not be done. I wouldn’t know why they said that but I was very disappointed and embarrassed myself.
“As family members, we feel very bad and hopeless because there is nothing we can do and I got in touch with the Presidency but got a definite no; that is very disturbing.
“If a Head of State can say a thing like that, knowing fully well that the lady was killed without any defence, he should know our feeling about it.”
Spokesperson for the police in Ondo, Femi Joseph, could not be reached for comments on the issue when contacted by our correspondent as his telephone numbers failed to connect.
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Ladies Trafficked To Lebanon Begs To Return Home After Nigerian Embassy Rejects Them
Some Nigerian ladies trafficked to Lebanon for slavery have urged the Nigerian Government to help return them back to Nigeria.
The ladies in a video alleged that they escaped from their homes and went to the Nigerian Embassy in Lebanon but Nigerians working at the embassy sent them out.
The ladies said they were taken to the Arabian country and made to work as slaves.
The ladies cried out after they got information that the Nigerian Government helped a lady escape Lebanon and reunited her with her family in Nigeria.
The ladies are pleading to the government to free them from their paymasters (agents) and repatriate them to Nigeria.
In videos sighted by SaharaReporters, the ladies were talking to a top official of the country’s embassy in Lebanon and pleading with him to allow them stay in the embassy but their pleas were ignored.
One of the ladies said she had been homeless since December 15, 2019 when she ran away from her master.
The ladies narrated that they were condemned to constant flogging.
“I have nowhere to go, maybe we can sleep here (pointing to the floor),” one of the ladies said.
“I have money with my agent and my phone is with him. They used to collect our salaries and phone.
“Sir, we all have proofs, the place cannot be easy for us and we will leave. Now that the embassy has asked us to leave, we don’t know where to go to and we don’t have anywhere to go,” another lady said pleading with a top official at the embassy.
Stranded with no hope of accommodation in the country, the ladies pleaded to all Nigerians and President Muhammadu Buhari to help them leave Lebanon.
“Dear Nigerians, we need your help, we need your assistance. We are facing a lot of things in Lebanon and we tried to rescue ourselves.
“We ran to Nigerian Embassy for assistance but unfortunately they said we should go out.
“This is our representative in Lebanon, they said there is no way we can stay that we should go out.
“There is nowhere we are going; we don’t have anywhere to stay. There is no food, there is nothing; please help and assist.
“We are begging everybody, most especially President Buhari, please help us, we need your help, we are stranded here in Nigerian Embassy in Lebanon,” the ladies pleaded.
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E2%80%93miyetti-allah Amotekun Is Illegal, Will Ruin South-West 2023 Presidency Chances –Miyetti Allah
Miyetti Allah group
Miyetti Allah group
Miyetti Allah Kaute Hore, the Fulani socio-cultural organisation, has said that governors in Nigeria’s South-West must give up the new community security outfit if it must clinch the presidency in 2023.
The group said the new outfit aimed at curbing insecurity in the South-Western region was illegal.
Alhassan Saleh, National Secretary of the group, made the disclosure in an interview with PUNCH.
He said, “This Amotekun scheme is political and is not the solution to the problem of insecurity.
“What South-West governors should have done is to continue to push for state police. Where did they expect to get the funding from at a time some of them are struggling to pay salaries?
“It is best they give up on this idea because it may affect the chances of the South-West to produce the president in 2023.
“The thinking is that if the South-West, a major stakeholder in this government, can be toying with this idea now, they may do worse when they get to power.
“We are in agreement with the AGF that Amotekun is illegal. In fact, we are unhappy that it took the AGF this long to react.”
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Nigeria, Five Other West African Countries Condemn Renaming Of CFA Franc To ECO
Nigeria and five other English-speaking West African countries have condemned the decision of their French-speaking neighbours to rename the CFA Franc as ECO.
The condemnation was issued at the end of a West African Monetary Zone meeting of ministers of finance and governors of central banks on Thursday in Abuja.
The countries that participated in the meeting are Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
The statement reads, “WAMZ Convergence Council wishes to emphasise that this action is inconsistent with the decision of the Authority of the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS for the adoption of the ECO as the name of an independent ECOWAS single currency
“WAMZ Convergence Council wishes to reiterate the need for all ECOWAS member countries to implement the decision of the Authority of the Heads of State and Government towards the implementation of the revised roadmap of the ECOWAS single currency programme.
“WAMZ Convergence Council would be recommending an extraordinary summit of the Authority of the Heads of State and Government of the WAMZ member states will be convened soon to discuss this matter and other related issues.”
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Nigeria’s Ex-Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Accuses Former Gotel CEO Of Stealing Salaries Of Expatriate Staff After SaharaReporters’ Story
A former Vice-President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has blamed a man named John Chiaiheman for the unpaid salaries of foreign staff hired as consultants for his media outfit, Gotel.
Atiku’s position followed an exclusive report by SaharaReporters on January 9, 2020 exposing how Gotel failed to expatriate workers for several months in breach of their contract.
The affected workers are international broadcast journalists drawn from CNN, NPR, CNBC and other reputable networks, according to the report.
The workers revealed that they left Nigeria hapless and with only promissory notes instead of monies owed them by Gotel.
The affected persons include David Guinan, Ebong Udoma, William Chu, Devon Petley, Susie Iliyan, Teddy Vuong, Hannington Osodo, Kostas Sergiadis and Richard Spiropoulos.
They were all hired between late 2014 and early 2015 by Atiku’s company based in Yola, Adamawa State, SaharaReporters’ story revealed.
But in a statement through his media team, Atiku blamed Chiaiheman for the non-payment of the expatriate workers.
The statement reads, “For the avoidance of doubt, the funds dedicated to the payment of salaries of staff, both local and expatriates that were engaged by Chiamehen himself were made available to him. All those concerned are advised to contact Mr Chiamehen accordingly.
“To retool its operations, Gotel had in 2013 hired one Mr John Chiahemen to lead the planning, design, build-out and rollout of TV Gotel Africa to be based in Abuja.
“To this end, Chiamehen was given a free hand by the founder and board of the company to run the affairs of Gotel.
“Requisite resources as requested by Chiamehen were made available. On his own part, Chiamehen had committed to a revenue profile of N150m, among others.
“But by 2016, there were concerns that the Chiamehen management was only long in promises and short in performance, prompting the then board to empanel an ad-hoc visitation committee to examine the state of the company. The findings of that committee were damning.
“Consequently, the committee recommended the need for a comprehensive audit of the company. The audit revealed serious fiduciary infractions by the Chiamehen led management.
“Further to the audit report, a board meeting was convened to consider the auditor’s report.
“However, before that meeting, Mr John Chiamehen bolted and has refused to make himself available to account for the huge resources put in his charge.
“On December 14, 2016, a formal petition on alleged breach of trust, fraud and misappropriation of funds against the former managing director was filed at the FCIID (Interpol) for investigation.
“Mr Chiamehen is encouraged to make himself available to give account of all monies put in his charge during his tenure as MD/CEO of Gotel.”
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Nigerian Students Demand Reversal Of Tuition Fee Increment In Tertiary Institutions
Students under the auspices of the National Association of Nigerian Students, South-West (Zone D), have called on the federal and state governments to reverse the increase in tuition fee of some tertiary institutions in the country.
The students, who lamented recent increment in fees at Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo State, and Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, posited that state governments were trying to price education out of the reach of the common man.
In the statement jointly signed by Kowe Odunayo Amos, Coordinator, NANS Zone D; Giwa Yisa Temitope, Secretary-General, and Kazeem Olalekan Israel, PRO, the students held that the excuse given by the institutions that students had to pay more to fund the institution was untenable and cannot stand the test of logic.
The statement reads, “The increment, especially in Ekiti State University, mean that some students will be paying over N200,000 as fees. This is sheer show of insensitivity to the plight of the Nigerian masses.
“Over the years, many workers have had to experience months of non-payment of salaries and in some cases paltry payment has been the order. How then do they expect students to afford such fees?
“This unjust increment is coming at a critical point where all indexes are in the negative; all statistics to measure the social and economic growth are not indicating anything good.
“If we are to go by the new N30,000 minimum wage, how many months’ earning can meet the outrageous fees the administrators of EKSU and ACE, Ondo, intend to force down the throat of innocent students.
“We hereby demand the immediate reversal of these callous increment.
“We charge Nigerian students, civil society organisations, the labour movement, the entire NANS structures and the masses to join us as we struggle to ensure the reversal of the increment in Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti and Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo.
“We must make it known that we stand firmly on the traditional demand of NANS for free and quality education at all levels.
“Any government that cannot ensure the provision of free and quality and other social benefits, does not deserve to be a government because government exist for the state and not the state for government.”
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President Buhari Appoints Kingsley Obiora As Central Bank Deputy Governor
Pulseng
Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, has nominated Dr Kingsley Obiora as deputy governor of Central Bank of Nigeria.
In a statement, Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, on Thursday said the nominee’s name had already been forwarded to the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, for confirmation by the upper legislative chamber.
It reads, “President Muhammadu Buhari has sent the name of Dr Kingsley Obiora to the Senate for confirmation as deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“In a letter to President of the Senate, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, President Buhari said the nomination was in accordance with the provision of Section 8(1) (2) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (Establishment) Act 2007.
“Dr Obiora, upon confirmation by the Senate, replaces Dr Joseph Nnanna, who retires on February 2, 2020.”
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Bandits Attack Polio Vaccination Centre, Kill Two Health Workers In Zamfara
Bandits in Zamfara have killed two health workers supervising a polio vaccination round in the state, according to a report by PUNCH.
The attack is said to have happened in Makosa Village, a precinct of Zurmi Local Government Area.
An eye witness said the bandits stormed the village at noon and went straight to the primary health care centre, where the vaccination was going on.
“They asked everyone to submit their belongings but the health workers, Lawali Suleiman and Liyu Mohammed, were shot for failing to comply.
“After robbing the people of their belongings, the bandits also carted away their animals,” the source said.
The police spokesperson in Zamfara confirmed the killing saying, “Those who launched the attack are part of the recalcitrant bandits who stormed the village with the intention of committing robbery.
“The information we received was that the two health workers lost their lives because they didn’t surrender their handsets to the hoodlums who in turn became angry and killed them.”
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Bauchi Students March In Honour Of Tafawa Balewa, Ask Buhari To Immortalise Him
Students in Bauchi State embarked on a march to remember the life and values of late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.
The students held that Balewa, who was the first Prime Minister of Nigeria, rendered a selfless service to the country and deserved to be recognised and immortalised.
They asked President Muhammadu Buhari to declare January 15 the day he died as a public holiday.
The march held in his honour kicked-off from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium down to his residence.
The students also visited his tomb where a wreath was laid in his honour.
“We march on the street of Bauchi to remember and mourn with the families of late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.
“We observed prayers for the legend and also called upon the attention of all Nigerian leaders to emulate from his good legacies.
“We are requesting the Federal Government to declare January 15 a public holiday in honour of the legacies he left.
“We want all stakeholders in Bauchi State, North-East and the country at large to Support Education Under the new initiative of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Memorial Students’ Trust Fund (ATBMSTF),” said National President of National Union of Bauchi State Students, Adamu Musa Kaloma.
Kaloma explained that the trust fund is aimed at helping those from underprivileged families in Bauchi State.
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