Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Friday 31st January 2020
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 31/01/20
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BREAKING: Boko Haram Terrorists Attack Troops In Borno
Troops fighting Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State are currently under attack in Damasak area of the state.
Sources, who spoke with SaharaReporters, said there is heavy gunfight currently ongoing.
The area was attacked on Thursday, sources said.
“Pray for our troops in Damasak. They are presently under attack by Boko Haram.
“An attack was repelled yesterday in the same location only for Boko Haram to relaunch attack this evening. We pray our troops stand this one,” one of the sources said.
Increased attack by insurgents have been recorded in the area in recent times.
The electric company serving Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, said that Boko Haram attacks on transmission lines had cut off the state from the national grid.
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Thugs Attack LASEMA Officials After Extinguishing Ketu Fire
Some thugs have attacked officials of the Lagos State Emergency Agency trying to put out the fire that erupted in a building at Ketu.
After successfully putting out the fire, thugs moved in to attack the officials.
Public Affairs Officer of the Lagos State Emergency Agency, Nosa Okunbor, said the officials were forced to leave the area after escaping being lynched.
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Again, PDP Protest Removal Of Ihedioha In Imo
Members of the Peoples Democratic Party in Imo State have embarked on another protest to continue to express their dissatisfaction at the removal of Emeka Ihedioha as governor of the state.
Members of the party had a few days ago stormed the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to protest the removal of Ihedioha.
At the protest on Thursday, the protesters stormed the state capital, urging the Supreme Court to reverse the judgment.
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BREAKING: PDP Members Protest At Supreme Court Over Imo Election Verdict
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Addressing journalists at the protest scene, former Secretary to the Government of Imo State, Uche Onyeagucha, posited that the apex court had brought shame to the judicial system of the country through the ruling.
He said, “The justices of the Supreme Court brought shame to themselves; they brought shame to the judiciary in Nigeria and they brought shame to the people of Nigeria. Wherever they are now, they are ashamed of themselves.
“But, we’re giving them the opportunity by this rally to clean themselves. They have to go back and reverse themselves.
“They have to bring back justice to the people of Imo State who actually voted for Emeka Ihedioha during the 2019 election.”
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BREAKING: Many Injured As Truck Conveying PDP Protesters In Abuja Tumbles
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BREAKING: Shehu Sani Reunites With Family After Perfecting Bail Condition
Shehu Sani, a former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, has reunited with his family in Abuja after perfecting his bail condition on Thursday evening, SaharaReporters can confirm.
The lawmaker, who spoke with SaharaReporters shortly after his release, said he was grateful to Nigerians for their support and prayers while in detention.
Sani was admitted to bail on Monday by Justice Inyan Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in the sum of N10m with one surety, who must have a landed property within the Federal Capital Territory.
He was also asked to deposit his international passport with the court registrar.
Sani was alleged to have demanded $20,000 from a car dealer, Alhaji Sani Dauda to shield him from EFCC investigation.
Sani had on December 31, 2019 honoured the invitation of EFCC over the allegations and was detained since that period.
He was charged on a two-count charge bordering on advanced free fraud and bribery with the intention to bribe the EFCC Chairman.
He pleaded not guilty to the two charges.
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HAPPENING NOW: Panic As Fire Guts Building In Lagos Community
There is currently panic at a section of Ketu, a suburb in Lagos after fire gutted a building.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained as residents of the building scampered for safety.
Officials of the Federal Fire Service are yet to get to the location as at the time of filing this report.
“Please we need serious help. Houses are at risk as the fire is spreading towards other houses,” an eyewitness told SaharaReporters.
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Nigerian Senate Probes NNPC Over $396m Spent On Refineries’ Maintenance
The Nigerian Senate on Thursday resolved to probe the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation over $396m expended on maintenance of refineries in the country between 2013 and 2015.
Accordingly, the Senate mandated the Committee on Petroleum Downstream, Upstream and Gas to carry out a holistic investigation on the expenditures and the current state of the refineries as well as convoke a stakeholders conference with the aim of finding ways to revamp them.
The decision to investigate spendings on maintenance of refineries by the corporation was reached after consideration of a motion brought to the floor by Senator Yusuf A. Yusuf (APC, Taraba Central).
The lawmaker noted that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has four refineries: two in Port-Harcourt (PHRC) and one each in Kaduna (KRPC) and Warri (WRPC).
According to him, the refineries were established to adequately supply and serve needs for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK), Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO), High Pour Fuel Oil (HPFO) and Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK) for both local consumption and exports.
He said, “The country through NNPC has in the past 25 years spent billions of US dollars in maintenance of the refineries, the latest being over $396m spent between 2013 and 2015 without meaningful result.
“The refineries have remained in moribund state in the last 15-20 years and is almost reaching total collapse due to lack of proposer maintenance of the facilities with a poor average capacity utilization hovering between fifteen per cent and twenty-five per cent per annum.
“Despite the huge spending on turn-around maintenance of refineries, NNPC recently announced a cumulative loss of N123.25bn in 10 months (January to October, 2019), putting the total revenue of facilities at N68.82bn, while total expenses incurred was N192.1bn within the same period.
“Such huge wastage and slippages amidst the nation’s tight economy, if not addressed, may lead the country back to recession.”
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BREAKING: Soldiers Beat, Kill Man After Accusing Him Of Stealing Car Battery
Soldiers of 7 Division of Nigerian Army attached to Wolf Officer Mess, GRA, Maiduguri, Borno State, have beaten and killed a young man, Opowgu Peter, after falsely accusing him of stealing generator battery.According to an eyewitness, the incident occurred on Sunday evening at the Wolf Mess when Peter’s car refused to start and then he removed that of a generator around to start his car and returned it immediately.
Peter was however, accused of stealing the battery by the military men.
He was brutalized and left for the dead.
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How Nigerian Police Tortured, Killed Rivers Auto Repairer, Chima Ikwunado, After Extorting Him, Illegally Detained Four Others
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The victim eventually died on Wednesday morning at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
Three soldiers are said to have been arrested over the incident.
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NABTEB Boss, Prof Isiugo-Abanihe, Enmeshed In Corruption Scandal
Ifeoma Isiugo-Abanihe
Ifeoma Isiugo-Abanihe
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The National Business and Technical Examinations Board under the leadership of Prof Ifeoma Isiugo-Abanihe, who was formerly at the Institute of Education, University of Ibadan, has been embroiled in corruption heist presently threatening the existence of the education agency.
Prof Isiugo-Abanihe, who was appointed in 2016 as Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of NABTEB when Dr Aworanti was sacked from the agency, has been entangled in a web of corruption since she assumed office.
NABTEB, which has its headquarters in Benin, Edo State, also has offices across all states of Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory.
NABTEB is constitutionally vested with the power to oversee all technical and business examinations across the country.
Prof Isiugo-Abanihe has been roundly accused of high handedness, violation of due process in award of contracts and subversion of civil service rules in employment of staffers.
Her recklessness bothers on over-invoicing, using fictitious names for contracts and sundry corruption sleaze, which earlier pitched Prof Leonard Shigba, the former Board Chairman against her.
Investigation revealed that Prof Isiugo-Abanihe used her connections at the Federal Ministry of Education to have Shigba removed as NABTEB’s Board Chairman and demoted and subsequently sacked from the university where he was teaching in Bayelsa State for daring to revamp and reposition the troubled NABTEB.
Our findings unearthed how Prof Isiugo-Abanihe insisted, prevented and blocked all efforts to have a new board chairman in place who would have been overseeing the approval of contacts before they are awarded to contractors. Besides, she has been accused of appointing staffers illegally without required qualifications with falsified dates of birth. Most of the newly employed staffers came from Imo State but they were advised by Prof Isiugo-Abanihe to change their states of origin to reflect federal character equilibrium in accordance to the Nigerian constitution.
One of such illegal appointment is that of her nephew Mr Chidi. Following a protest, Prof Isiugo-Abanihe quickly transferred Chidi whose certificate is allegedly questionable to Ebonyi State office as a level 7 cadre officer. Up till now, Chidi had refused to honour the transfer out of Abuja office. Also charges of irregularities in the placement of the newly employed staffers abound against the registrar.
For example, there are doctorate staffers, who are placed on level 9 step 5 and level 9 step 3, at the time the registrar places Masters degree holder on the same levels with Ph.D holders on 9 step 3 level because the person in question, Mr Onuegbu Vincent Onyeka, is her son in law. This is even when other Masters degree holders are placed on level 8 step 1. Yet, Onuegbu Vincent Onyeka only came to NABTEB with a part time experience from a private company.
The most traumatising of it all, according to a senior staffer, who is shy of the prints is the case of Dr Obina Okpara, the Director of Examination Administration.
“Dr Obina transferred his service from another establishment. He started work in the former establishment in 1984.
“Upon transfer to NABTEB, Dr Obina with a Master degree at the time was placed as a deputy director due to the purported transfer of service. He rose to the position of a director.
“Dr Obina was expected to have retired on October 31, 2019 but he is still serving because the registrar is covering up for him since they are both from Imo State,” he lamented.
The explanation given following the resistance from staffers is that Dr Obina secured a fresh appointment with NABTEB when his transfer of service from an unknown establishment didn’t work out.
Findings had revealed from the standard civil service rules that no one has ever been appointed or employed directly to the position of deputy directorship with a Master’s degree.
Former Director of Administration, Mallam Bello, now retired had earlier rejected Dr Obina’s plea to alter the documents to reflect a fresh appointment, but the registrar crippled the agitation and influenced Bello’s successor, Mr James Pamni to accept Dr Obina’s plea. It was reported that Mr Pamni threatened members of staff to keep mute on the issue or face disciplinary action.
Further investigation into the alleged graft of Prof Isiugo-Abanihe’s administration shows that she has been keeping the official vehicles of the examination agency to herself, especially the newly acquired vehicles like the 2018 Prado Jeep, which sources hinted had been enlisted for sale. It was disclosed that the registrar was mad at the agency’s officials when she discovered that the said Prado Jeep was registered in the NABTEB’s name, instead of her name as personal property.
The management and members of staff are in agreement that the registrar had been short-changing even the drivers of the Board without paying them the actual amount of their night allowances. For instance, it was alleged that anytime she makes herself available for five days for examination monitoring out of 24 days, she merely pays the drivers for only five days and take the money for the remaining 19 days because the money is paid into her bank account directly by the agency.
Sensing that her stewardship of the agency was under scrutiny and being investigated, Prof Isiugo-Abanihe, swiftly made available 10 nights’ allowances to the drivers for the month of January, 2020 alone.
In spite of the obvious contravention of the rules of the civil service, Prof Isiugo-Abanihe is yet lobbying vigorously for a second term of another four years.
She allegedly boasted to members of staff that the new Minister of State for Education, Hon Emeka Nwajiuba, was from the same state as herself and that he would ensure she retains her office.
Recently Prof Isiugo-Abanine gave employment to the younger sister of the Minister of State for Education without due process.
Efforts to have the registrar’s side of the story proved abortive as she bluntly refused to respond to a text message sent to her by our correspondent.
However, Public Relations Officer of NABTEB, Mr Uchechuwu Olisa, said the allegations against Prof Isiugo-Abanihe were baseless and a calculated attempt to smear her image.
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E2%80%93nesg Thirty Five Per Cent Of Nigerians To Slip Into Poverty –NESG
The Nigeria Economic Summit Group has said that 35 per cent of Nigerians might slip into poverty except government addresses the growing rate of unemployment in the country.
The group also said that the rate of unemployment could hit 16 per cent by 2030.
The NESG also projected that the service sector share could hit 54 per cent.
These micro and macroeconomic projections were contained in the group’s 2020 macro-economic outlook published on Wednesday.
It noted that Nigeria’s economy remained fragile despite the modest recovery it recorded over the past two years.
The NESG stressed the urgent need for the government to adopt appropriate policy measures to deal with the challenges of burgeoning population and rural-urban drift of millions of Nigerians.
It said Nigeria’s economy would record a 6.4 per cent growth by 2030 if current challenges facing business were frontally tackled by government.
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Company Demands Apology Over Invasion Of Premises By ICPC Operatives
Pinnacle Communications Limited has demanded an official apology from the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission over an invasion of its office by operatives of the commission.
Some operatives of the ICPC had stormed the Abuja office of the company over an alleged tax evasion offence after receiving a request from the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
In its reply to the ICPC, Pinnacle condemned the position of the anti-graft agency, stating that the company does not evade tax.
Referring to an earlier statement by the ICPC, Abayomi Oyelola, Solicitor to Pinnacle, said that the responses were grossly inaccurate, misleading and aimed to hurt Pinnacle’s image.
Oyelola added that it was clear that the commission’s operatives did not stumble on the firm’s property as claimed but rather intentionally invaded Pinnacle.
Oyelola said, “Since the companies mentioned in the ICPC responses are different from Pinnacle and plots quoted different from that of Pinnacle, there was no reason, whatsoever, for the operatives to violently insist on gaining entrance into the building to effect an arrest and seal the firm.
“From the foregoing therefore, it is obvious that Mr Akeem Lawal, on behalf of ICPC either did not get his facts rights or he is being mischievous and so he is the one who has acted in bad faith and not Pinnacle Communications or Abayomi Oyelola.
“We therefore encourage the commission, since it has admitted the invasion, to tender an apology as Pinnacle Communications demands.”
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