Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Monday 19th April 2021
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 19/04/21
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Central Bank Governor Must Tell Nigerians If N60billion Was Printed Or Not, Wike Backs Obaseki
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State says the claim by his Edo state counterpart, Godwin Obaseki that the Nigerian Government printed about N60 billion to share to the federating units in March cannot be regarded as spurious.
The governor has therefore challenged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to unequivocally declare if money was printed or not.
Wike stated this while briefing journalists shortly after he attended a private function in Abuja on Sunday.
He said, “Obaseki was in APC (All Progressives Congress), so he understands them. So, Obaseki couldn’t have come from the blue to say they printed N60 billion. He knows them.”
Wike said it was regrettable that instead of the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele to address the issue raised by Governor Obaseki, he opted to issue a veiled threat to states to pay back bailout loans given to them by the federal government.
“Instead of answering the question he (Godwin Emefiele) said governors have to pay back the bailout loan. Bailout is a loan, if you want to take it, go and take it. But answer the question whether money was printed or not printed,” Wike said.
Obaseki had painted a gloomy picture of Nigeria’s economic state, saying it was in financial trouble.Recently as the Edo state transition committee stakeholders’ engagement, the governor claimed the government printed N60 billion to distribute to state and local governments as allocations.
“When we got FAAC for March, the federal government printed additional N50-N60 billion to top up for us to share,” he had said.
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E2%80%93-pdp DSS Must Investigate Isa Pantami Over Taliban, Al-Qaeda Links – PDP
Isa Pantami
The Peoples Democratic Party has urged the Department of State Services (DSS) to immediately invite the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, for questioning and investigation over alleged affiliations with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
The party’s position was contained in a statement signed by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan on Sunday.
Isa Pantami
“Our party’s position is predicated on the heightening concerns in the public space and in the international arena of possible compromises by the communications minister, who has access to sensitive government documents and information, in addition to data of all individuals, including high profile personalities in the public and private sectors as well as the traditional and faith-based circles.
“The PDP is particularly worried about allegations in the public suggesting that the minister compromised the National Identification Number (NIN) registration exercise by giving room for the registration of aliens and invaders from other countries as our citizens.
“The party tasks the DSS to investigate the allegation, which has created apprehension, particularly given the rise in banditry and other terrorist activities in our country.
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#PantamiResign Trends On Twitter As Nigerians Call For Sacking Of Minister Over Pro-terrorism Comments
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“The PDP urges Nigerians to remain at alert and very sensitive to their environment, while not hesitating in providing useful information to our security agencies in the interest of our nation,” the statement read.
On Saturday, the embattled minister, however, denied having any ties with terrorist groups or ethnic and religious bigotry, saying he employed more Christians than muslims as members of his staff.
Pantami, a Muslim cleric, said he had never had issues with his Christian aides, friends and associates of many years.
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FLASHBACK: We Are All Happy When Unbelievers Are Killed—Minister Pantami
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He had stated this in an interview with Peoples Gazette on Friday evening, amidst the raging controversies of recent reports that the minister is linked to terrorist groups going by his past controversial Islamic teachings.
“My personal driver is Mai Keffi, a practising Christian. I also have a Christian, Ms Nwosu, as my secretary and Dr Femi, also a Christian, as my technical adviser.
“If I did not like Christians or I did not see them as my brothers and sisters, I would not have been working with them for so long. I employed more Christians than Muslims on my staff because I believe in merit and competence over ethnic or tribal sentiments.
“I have never condoned terrorism and I reject any affiliation to terror groups. I have long preached peaceful coexistence amongst people of every faith and ethnicity,” he had stated.
The minister has come under public pressure to resign after audio and video recordings of his controversial comments alongside excerpts of an academic paper that explored his preachings across northern parts of the country between the early and mid-2000s were published.
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E2%80%93-lai-mohammed-tells-religious Encourage Inter-Ethnic Marriages To Prevent Secession – Lai Mohammed Tells Religious, Traditional Leaders
Lai Mohammed
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has urged religious and traditional rulers to encourage inter-ethnic marriages in order to douse the tension of secession.
The minister added that those who support separation and secession will be the first to run away when any problem starts.
Lai Mohammed
Mohammed, who spoke on Sunday in Lagos when he appeared on Bond FM radio programme, “Ibi Abasede”, urged Nigerians not to listen to promoters of secession.
He added that the Nigerian government was working hard to improve national security and prevent all secession tendencies.
He said, “That we have ethnicity issues; it is not new. Indigenous People of Biafra, Boko Haram and farmer-herders clashes are not new; all we must do is to look for the way forward. We are aware of them, the government is working. Secession is not the way out of our challenges. You don’t cure headache by beheading the patient. The things that unite us in Nigeria are more than what separate us.
“Religious leaders and traditional leaders are to encourage what the constitution says about inter-ethnic marriages to forestall secession. Those who support separation and secession will be the first to run away when any problem starts.
“We should not listen to them as many of them have about four passports of other countries,” he said.
According to him, if the children of the poor are hungry and not educated, the rich will not be able to sleep.
He added that the meeting also recommended the recruitment of more policemen and more training for security personnel.
“The stakeholders also recommended that security operatives be equipped with modern equipment to boost efficiency necessary to win the trust and confidence of the people,” he said.
Mohammed said the stakeholders recommended state police and the need for the National Assembly and state assemblies to support it “because all security is local”. He added that the meeting also recommended that traditional leaders should be encouraged to perform their assigned roles in line with the 1979 constitution.
He said the group also recommended giving autonomy to local governments and allowing their statutory allocations to go directly to them for security, education and infrastructural development at the grassroots.
“The stakeholders also recommended the establishment of ranches and grazing reserves with necessary amenities such as water, education and healthcare facilities for humans and livestocks,” Mohammed further said.
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E2%80%99s-corpse-disappears-mortuary-during-burial-cross-river Lawyer’s Corpse Disappears From Mortuary During Burial In Cross River
There was confusion in Owakande 2 in the Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State following the disappearance of the body of a lawyer, Mr Egbara Owan, which was scheduled for interment at the weekend.
According to Vanguard, the programme for interment of the man had begun with a lying-in-state at the Obubra Magistrate Court on Saturday but family members and sympathisers who gathered there had to disperse when an ambulance sent to the local mortuary to take the corpse for the ceremony returned without the corpse.
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“Apparently someone had gone to the mortuary to remove the corpse and when the family went there yesterday, Saturday, to remove the body, it was nowhere to be found, a source from the area, James Okpa said.
He said the morticians could not explain who removed the body and investigation had been launched by community elders to find out what happened to the corpse.
“The family seems to be in disagreement on the date for the burial but it is not known who took away the corpse,” he added.
He said the police had not been invited into the matter yet because it was still seen as a family issue.
“The matter is being handled internally first but from what the elders are saying, if by next week the body is not located the police would be contacted,” he said.
The deceased was a member of the Cross River State Judicial Service Commission.
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Over 100 Houses Destroyed, Scores Killed In Benue Tanker Fire
File Photo
Over 100 houses have been razed, scores killed and many declared missing after a tanker conveying petroleum products exploded at Oshigbudu in the Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State.
A source in the area told Vanguard that the tanker laden with petrol was travelling from Oweto and heading towards Otukpo when the driver lost control of the truck and it fell over, spilling its content at the Oshigbudu/Obagaji junction.
File Photo
He said, “The whole thing happened suddenly and when the truck fell, the petrol spilled into people’s houses and a nearby petrol station and there was a huge explosion.
“Many houses are presently on fire and most of those living in those houses did not escape because of the manner the accident happened.”
Confirming the development, Vice Chairman of Agatu LGA, Mr, John Ikwulono said the accident occurred around noon.
Ikwulono said, “It was a tanker explosion and over 100 houses in the community have been burnt down and many lives have lost been lost. Though we cannot place a figure on the number of deaths, they are actually many. The truth is that the death toll will be massive because you know that in a house you might have up to 10 persons if not more than that.
“And the houses that were burnt down are more than 100. So in each of the houses, there must be a human being living or staying there. There is no way a house can be completely empty on a Sunday like this. So we have a huge crisis in our hands at the moment.
“We are calling on non-governmental organisations and public-spirited individuals, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to come to the aid of the people.
“The survivors are presently homeless and have lost all their property. Food will also be an issue for them because without a house how do you get food to eat. We are faced with a big challenge. The injured need help and the dead have to be evacuated without delay, so it is a very serious situation for us at the moment.
“I have already started seeing some of the burnt corpses and none of them can be identified.”
Ikwulono lamented that the locals were battling with the inferno with water and detergent “but their effort is not making any impact though the nearest fire service station is in Otukpo and we were told that the truck in Otukpo is broken down.”
When contacted, the State Fire Service Director, Engineer Donald Ikyaaza, said he just received the report but explained that the area (Oshigbudu) “is very far from the state capital.”
He stated that the department did not have a substation in Otukpo, but noted that the fire service in Otukpo was owned by the federal government.
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Defence Minister, Chief Of Defence Staff, Other Service Chiefs Storm Maiduguri Over Terrorist Activities
The Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (rtd), on Sunday, arrived in Maiduguri on an assessment visit, accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor and the other service chiefs.
The minister and his team were at the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri, where the Theatre Commander, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the sustained commitment shown to the operations of the theatre by the minister, chief of defence staff and service chiefs.
He said the troops were grateful for the minister’s visit to interact with them, noting that immediately after their appointments, the service chiefs, led by the chief of defence staff, visited the theatre and had been doing so regularly.
Yahaya explained that apart from collective visits by the service chiefs, led by chief of defence staff, the service chiefs also visited individually to ensure smooth operations.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the minister and his team had a closed-door meeting with component commanders at the theatre headquarters during the visit.
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E2%80%99re-enemies-your-people-if-you-participate-2023-elections%E2%80%94secession-agitators-tell You’re Enemies Of Your People If You Participate In 2023 Elections—Secession Agitators Tell Southern, Middle Belt Politicians
The Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination (NINAS) has called on Nigerian politicians in the South and Middle Belt of the country not to participate in the 2023 general elections.
NINAS stated that any attempt by political leaders from the regions to participate in the forthcoming elections would be tantamount to working as the enemies of their indigenous peoples oppressed by the present government.
The group revealed this during the World Press Conference on Saturday, tagged: ‘Constitutional force majeure – activating people’s power’.
While delivering the speech, Otunba Sade Odukoya of the Ilana Omo Oodua, said the political class from the regions should not coerce the masses into voting under the current 1999 constitution of Nigeria.
She faulted the political leaders for their failure to honour the request of the NINAS for consultations with the people having given them 30 days.
“As Nigeria continues to wobble in the throes of what seems its sure demise as one political union, we welcome you warmly to this very important milestone carefully programmed advancement of the objectives of the December 16, 2021, Constitutional Force Majeure Proclamation of a sovereignty dispute arising from grave constitutional grievances of the constituent components of Nigeria that must now be addressed by the operators of the Nigerian state,” she started.
Odukoya stated further that Nigerian politicians in the two regions failed in actively considering the proposals submitted by the group, “despite frenzied attempts by agents of the Federal Government of Nigeria to rush to the National Assembly for amendments to the fraudulent 1999 constitution on provisions touching directly upon many of the grave constitutional grievances raised in the union dispute proclamation of December 16, 2020.
“It is in this regard that NINAS is now informing the political merchants of the South and Middle-Belt across all the political parties in Nigeria, that any decision by them or their political parties to go to another round of national elections in 2023 will be interpreted as a clear-minded choice to help the enemy preserve 1999 constitution and this will mean sabotaging the self-redemption initiative of their own people and the alliance.
“NINAS strongly advises the political parties and political merchants in the alliance territories not to put themselves on a head-collision with the peoples of the territories in their quest for self-preservation via Self-Determination.”
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Confusion As Wife, Others Find Auchi Polytechnic Dean Dead In Office
The Dean of Students, Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi in Edo State, Dr Shola Eshiobo, was on Sunday found dead in his office after he reportedly went to the office and did not return.
According to Vanguard, the wife of the deceased alerted their neighbours and family members that her husband did not return home after he left for the office on Saturday.
A source said, “He left home on Saturday afternoon that he was going to the office to attend to some official matter. He normally goes to the office when he has so much in his hands to do. At about 9 pm when he was not yet back home, the wife started calling his line but there was no response and the call was not returned. She tried until late (at night), still no response.
“Early on Sunday morning, she raised the alarm and told people around that the husband went to the office on Saturday but did not return.
”They went to the office, they saw his vehicle at the car park but when they got to his office, they saw him dead in his office.”
The source said although no foul play was suspected, an autopsy will be carried out to ascertain the cause of his death.
“The corpse has been deposited at the mortuary,” the source said.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of Auchi Polytechnic, Mr Mustapha Oshiobugie, who confirmed the incident, described it as unfortunate.
He said, “We heard about the unfortunate incident this morning (Sunday) and we quickly contacted the Chief Security Officer on the development and the body has been taken to the morgue.
”We cannot say much for now but I believe a post mortem will reveal cause of death,” he said.
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Stop Punishing Innocent People In Benue For Killing Of Soldiers By Bandits, ACF Tells Nigerian Army
Chief of Army Staff Major General Ibrahim Attahiru
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has asked the Nigerian Government, Army and security agencies to stop the fresh bout of killings in parts of Benue State.
The ACF on Sunday added that the security agencies, community leaders and the state government must fish out the criminals involved in the killings, including of the 12 soldiers last week, and punish them.
Chief of Army Staff Major General Ibrahim Attahiru
The ACF in a release signed by its National Chairman, Audu Ogbe, told the Nigerian Army that punishing “poor, innocent people who have nothing to do with the killing of soldiers in Konshisha is unfair and not the best way to go.”
The forum said, “We were attending the National Working Committee and National Executive Council meetings of the ACF in Kaduna when news started trickling in of another round of bloodshed in Benue.
“We hesitated to issue a statement, hoping to get full details before going into it. For now we have been informed by army headquarters that soldiers on stabilising operations in the state code-named operation Whirl Stroke were ambushed. Ten of the soldiers and one officer who had their weapons seized, were brutally murdered and their bodies set ablaze by the bandits who mounted the ambush.
“We at the ACF do not subscribe to such lawlessness and barbarism. We condemn the actions of the bandits without reservations. There was no need killing members of the Nigerian army who were merely on a mission to keep the peace.
“As dastardly as the actions of the bandits is, we find the reaction of the army out of proportion. A petition, signed by Gabriel Suswam who represents the area in the Senate to the army headquarters, says the army is on a revenge mission in which villagers whose home are far away from the troubled area in Konshisha Local Government Area are being bombed with helicopter gunboats.
“We believe that as wrong and criminal as the actions of the bandits are, the army should not use a sledgehammer to kill a fly. We call on the security agents and community leaders and the state government to fish out the criminals and punish them. Punishing poor, innocent people who have nothing to do with the killing of soldiers in Konshisha is unfair and not the best way to go.
“The ACF calls for restraint on both sides in this crisis so that more innocent blood will not be shed.”
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SERAP Writes Buhari, Seeks Probe Of Missing N106billion in 149 Ministries, Departments, Agencies
President Muhammadu Buhari
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to “direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, and appropriate anti-corruption agencies to investigate allegations that N106 billion of public funds are missing from 149 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), as documented in the 2018 annual audited report by the Auditor-General of the Federation.”
SERAP said, “Anyone suspected to be responsible should face prosecution as appropriate, if there is sufficient admissible evidence, and any missing public funds should be fully recovered.”
President Muhammadu Buhari
SERAP also urged the President “to direct Mrs Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning to create a system of public announcements to name and shame the indicted 149 MDAs, including those that reportedly failed to remit over N55 billion of their revenue; awarded contracts of over N18 billion for services not rendered; and spent over N23 billion without any supporting documents.”
In a letter dated April 17, 2021, and signed by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said, “The reported missing public funds reflect the failure of the indicted MDAs to ensure strict compliance with transparency and accountability rules and regulations, and the failure of leadership of the MDAs to foster institutions that uphold the rule of law and human rights.”
It continued, “Recovering the alleged missing public funds would reduce the pressure on the Federal Government to borrow more money to fund the budget, enable the authorities to meet the country’s human rights obligation to progressively realise Nigerians’ rights to quality health care and education, as well as reduce the growing level of public debts.”
The letter reads in part; “SERAP urges you to ask Mrs Ahmed and Mr Ahmed Idris, the Accountant-General of the Federation to explain why they allegedly failed to ensure strict compliance with relevant legislation, rules and regulations across all MDAs, despite the warning and recommendations by the Auditor-General.
“SERAP also urges you to direct Mrs Ahmed to publish full details of the yearly budgets of all MDAs, and issue regular updates that accurately detail their expenditures, including by making any such information easily accessible in a form that can be understood by the public.
“The Auditor-General stated that the alleged infractions by the 149 MDAs could have been prevented if the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, and the Accountant General of the Federation had heeded his warning to ensure strict compliance with relevant legislation, rules and regulations across all MDAs.
“SERAP is concerned that the alleged missing public funds have hampered the ability of the MDAs to meet the needs of average citizens, as the missing funds could have helped your government to invest in key public goods and services, and to improve access of Nigerians to these services.
“Investigating and prosecuting the alleged grand corruption documented by the Auditor-General would improve the chances of success of your government’s oft-repeated commitment to fight corruption and end the impunity of perpetrators. It will improve the integrity of MDAs, as well as serve the public interest.
“Any failure to promptly investigate the allegations and prosecute suspected perpetrators would breach Nigeria’s anti-corruption legislation, and the country’s international anti-corruption obligations.”
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