Global Naija Info

L-R: Mr. Lekan Okediji, Mrs Tope Akomolafe, Dr. Benson Oke and Mr. Aruna Ayodeji in group picture during the training on Tuesday. The Lagos State Government has moved to minimise waste, error and increase productivity in public service by engaging civil servants on ISO International standard training. Speaking at a three-day specialized training for civil servants on Tuesday in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Benson Oke said the ISO International Standard ensured that products and services were safe, reliable and of good quality. “For business and government, they are strategic tools that reduce costs by minimizing waste and error and increasing productivity. They help government to access new markets, level the playing field for developing countries and facilitate free and fair global trade. “In this era of severe global financial constraints, there is an urgent need for government to be shrewd and methodical in expendi

Brazillians mourning the deceased The football world has rallied around a Brazilian club caught in a deadly plane crash in Colombia. Only six of the 77 people on board the charter plane, carrying members of the Chapecoense team, survived the crash. The team were flying to what was billed as the biggest match in their history – the final of the Copa Sudamericana. Their opponents, Colombian team Atletico Nacional, have offered to concede the game to ensure Chapecoense are declared the champions. In a tweet, the club also asked that fans to turn up to their stadium at the time which the game was scheduled, dressed in white. In a joint statement, Brazilian first division football teams have offered to lend players to Chapecoense free of charge, and asked the league to protect the club from relegation for the next three years. Several leading footballers, from Barcelona stars Lionel Messi and Neymar, to Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, have also paid tribute to the players, who had

Ambode presenting the 2017 budget to the House of Assembly *Roads, Education, Health get huge allocation *LIRS to rake N360 billion from tax *N164.9 billion from Federal Allocation *Estimated revenue: N642.849 billion Roads, education and transportation top the list of allocation from Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s 2017 budget of N812.99 billion. In the budget presented to the House of Assembly on Tuesday, road infrastructure got the highest allocation with N138.249 billion, followed by education, which got N92.400bn and health, N57.290bn. Also, Transportation got N51.376bn in the budget, while housing received N50.290bn. Others are: Water, N18.181bn; Tourism, N20.247bn; Agriculture and Food Security, N4.795bn; Environment, N38.129bn; Sports Development, N9.457bn; Commerce and Industry, N6.177bn; Wealth and Employment Creation, N6.250 billion; Women Affairs, N2.193bn; and Social Development, N2.698bn; Governance, N11.098bn; Science and Technology, N11.006bn and Security, Law and

Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia A Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday cautioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the manner in which it carried out its probe of Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia. Delivering judgement in a N50 million fundamental rights suit filed by Ajumogobia against the EFCC, the trial judge, Justice Muslim Hassan, urged the EFCC to be professional in the discharge of its duties. It will be recalled that Ofili-Ajumogobia, in the fundamental rights enforcement suit, is seeking among other things, an order of the court declaring her continued detention by the EFCC as illegal. While noting that the EFCC was vested with powers to arrest and detain any citizen suspected to have committed an offence, Hassan said that such powers must be exercised with caution. The judge questioned the rationale behind the revocation of the administrative bail granted to Ofili-Ajumogobia by the EFCC on Oct. 22, when she did not pose a flight risk. He said: “The respondent

Nigerian Soldiers The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has said that troops have commenced advancing into Sambisa Forest, one of the major enclaves of Boko Haram terrorists. Buratai disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja while unveiling packs of bottle water provided through private initiative in appreciation of troops fighting the terrorists in the region. According to the Army Chief, the advancement is an onslaught to finally flush out remnants of insurgents from the forest and rescue all those abducted in that area. He added: “This year (2016), the whole Army Headquarters will be moving into the North East to celebrate Christmas and New Year with our troops.’’ Buratai described the bottle water initiative for free distribution to troops as “quite historic and the first of its kind.’’ He said: “The scheme involves branding 50cl bottle water with the image of the Nigerian soldier. “It has the Nigerian army logo and that of stakeholders and partners from the private sec

Magistrate-court Four unemployed men, who allegedly stole items worth N196,500 from a passer-by, were on Tuesday brought before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court, Lagos. The accused – Mufato Nola, 28, Isaac Umukoro, 18, Lucky Abuah, 25; and Olayinka Ayinde, 21, are standing trial on a three-count charge of stealing, conspiracy and breach of peace. The prosecutor, Sgt. Okete Ejime, told the court that the accused committed the offences on Nov. 28, at about 1:00 a.m., at Law School Junction on Ozumba Mbadiwe Road, Victoria Island, Lagos. Ejime said that the accused waylaid the complainant, Mr Tony Ebi and stole one I-phone worth N190,000 and two Catholic Rosaries worth N6,500 from him. He said that the accused also conducted themselves in a manner likely to cause breach of peace, “by hiding under the bridge, in a criminal hideout with the intention to commit crimes’’. The prosecutor said the offences contravened Sections 166 (b), 285 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Nigerian-Senate The Senate has approved President Muhammadu Buhari’s request to amend the 2016 budget by re-assigning N180.8 billion to critical recurrent and capital items. The Senate’s approval followed the presentation of the report of the Committee on Appropriations led by Danjuma Goje on Tuesday PREMIUM TIMES reports.

brazilian-team-plane-crash Colombian authorities on Tuesday said three footballers from Brazil’s Chapecoense soccer team, survived a plane crash that killed 76 people. Players Alan Luciano Ruschel, Marcos Danilo Padilha and Jacson Ragnar Follmann were listed as survivors in a statement from the disaster management agency. The disaster management agency said that passengers Rafael Correa Gobbato and Ximena Suarez also survived. The agency added that all five were being treated at hospitals near the crash site. Plane carrying Brazilian football team crashes in Colombia The crash site is in a mountainous area outside the Colombian city of Medellin, the destination of the chartered plane as the Brazilian football team is expected to take part in a Wednesday game. Reports say authorities and rescuers were immediately activated but poor weather conditions made the crash site only accessible only by road. The South American soccer federation cancelled all activities until further not

Malam Nasir El-Rufai, Kaduna State Governor Following persistent attacks on villages bordering the Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya by unknown gunmen, authorities of the institution have suspended academic activities indefinitely. A statement issued on Tuesday by the Public Relations Officer of the college, Danlami Aduwu, said the suspension of academic activities was informed by the need to safeguard the lives and properties of staffers and students. The statement directed staffers and students to vacate the campus. It further urged all staffers to report to the temporary site of the institution at Kafanchan. All staffers and students of the college have since deserted the Gidan Waya campus in fear of losing their lives. It will be recalled that villages surrounding the institution such as Godogodo, Pasakori, Mile One and Tudun Wada, were serially attacked by unknown gun men.

FILE PHOTO: Lightweight boxers, Nurudeen “Prince” Fatai and Oto “Joe Boy” Joseph daring each other ahead of the national lightweight championship clash on 1st May The quartet of Olaide “Fijaborn” Fijabi, Stanley “Edo Boy” Eribo, Oto “Joe Boy” Joseph and Waidi “Skoro” Usman will be the leading names at the tenth edition of GOtv Boxing Night 10 scheduled to hold on 26 December at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos. This was announced on Tuesday at a press conference addressed by the organisers in Lagos. GOtv Boxing Night 10, explained the organisers, is a milestone edition, being the tenth of the event. For occasion, seven bouts, including the African Boxing Union (ABU) welterweight title bout and the West African Boxing Union light welterweight title duel, have been scheduled. The ABU title will see Nigeria’s Stanley “Edo Boy” Eribo, national champion, take on Meshack “Smart Boy” Mwankemwa, Tanzanian national champion, for the vacant title. The sub-regional tit

fake-products Police have shut down 4,500 websites selling fake goods as part of a worldwide crackdown on trademark piracy, European law enforcement agency Europol reported on Tuesday. The operation, which was carried out jointly by Europol, Interpol and U.S. legal authorities, targeted websites in 27 countries. Investigators focused their efforts on online shops selling luxury goods, sportswear, replacement parts, medicines and cosmetics. “The internet was increasingly being used to sell fake products. “These products might look like bargains, but they can pose a real threat to the safety and security of consumers,’’ Europol wrote. The agencies have also launched a media campaign to educate consumers.

wole-soyinka-centre for investigative journalism The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) will honour Kabiru Yusuf, Chairman, Trust Media Limited, at its 11th Award for Investigative Reporting, scheduled for Dec. 9. Also to be honoured with the Lifetime award for Journalistic Excellence and Anti-Corruption Defender is the Public and Private Development Centre, (PPDC). A statement by Motunrayo Alaka, Coordinator,WSCIJ, on Tuesday in Abuja said that the event would hold in Lagos. Alaka said Yusuf was selected for the award because of his commitment to media excellence as evidenced in the operations of Trust Limited, publishers of Daily Trust, Weekly Trust and Sunday Trust. She said the company was also being honoured for the uniqueness of its Hausa language Aminiya Newspaper and the company’s new pan-African magazine, Kilimanjaro. She said that PPDC, an NGO established to increase the participation of citizens in governance, would be honoured for its advocacy

abortion A 19-year-old man, Olamilekan Yusuf, was on Tuesday arraigned in Lagos for allegedly procuring abortion drugs for his 14-year-old girl friend. Yusuf, who resides at Turner Eradiri Str., Ajegunle, Lagos, is facing one count charge of procurement of abortion drugs at an Apapa Magistrates’ Court. The Prosecutor, Sgt. Olusegun Kokoye, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Oct. 27 at his residence. He alleged that the accused, who was having affair with the 14-year-old girl, had slept with her on several occasions. kosoye said that the accused and his lover were neighbours. “When the accused discovered that his girlfriend was pregnant, he convinced her to take abortion drugs, since they were not both ready to cater for a child at young age. “The young girl started having severe stomach pains after taking the abortion drugs and she was also bleeding. “The parents of the 14-year-old girl discovered that their daughter was acting strange and was also in so

FILE PHOTO: A herdsman in Nigeria The Jigawa Government is to set up a taskforce, known as Grazing Reserve Rangers, to check the incessant clashes between farmers and herdsmen in the state. Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan, the Deputy Governor of the state, who is also the Chairman of the state’s Farmers/Herdsmen Conflict Resolution Committee, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse on Tuesday. Hassan explained that the government had been empowered by the state’s farmers/herdsmen’s law to establish the task force to guard grazing reserves. He said the rangers would restrict herdsmen to using cattle routes and the places designated for grazing. According to him, the State Government will train the task force members on how to perform their jobs and ensure that they are given necessary logistics. The deputy governor also disclosed that the government had started discussing with Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to help in the train

FILE PHOTO: Post Utme candidates writing exams. Prof. Olurotimi Ajayi, the Vice-Chancellor, Crawford University, Igbesa, Ogun, on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to review its cancellation of the Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (post-UTME). Ajayi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the cancellation of the Post-UTME and its subsequent replacement with screening might not help the university system. The Federal Government had on June 1, scrapped the Post-UTME for candidates seeking admission into higher institutions. The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, said that there was no need for another examination to be conducted by universities after the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examinations. “The whole idea of the Post-UTME examinations is not about money generation but about standards. “Over time, the examinations have shown that intending students that claimed JAMB marks cannot defend those marks, which is not th

Gov Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos state The Lagos State House of Assembly has on monday November, 28 approved death sentence for kidnappers, whose victims died in their custody. The bill was sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa and it prescribes life sentence to kidnappers, whose victims did not die in their custody. The bill states that any person, who kidnaps, abducts, detains, captures or takes another person by any means or tricks with intent to demand ransom or do anything against his/her will, commits an offence, and liable on conviction to death sentence. The bill, which criminalised attempt to kidnap, also stipulated life imprisonment for anyone who makes attempt to kidnap another person. Also, the bill is against false representation to release a kidnapped or abducted person. This attracts seven years imprisonment.

The Braillian Chapecoense team A plane carrying 81 people, including a top Brazilian football team, has crashed on its approach to the city of Medellin in Colombia. Police say five people survived the crash but the rest of those on board died. The chartered aircraft, flying from Brazil via Bolivia, was carrying members of the Chapecoense team. The team was due to play in the final of the Copa Sudamericana, against Medellin team Atletico Nacional. The first leg of the final of the cup, South America’s second most important club competition, was scheduled for Wednesday, but has now been suspended. The match was seen as the biggest in the history of the relatively small club, which entered Brazil’s top division for the first time in 2014. The South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) said it was suspending “all activities”. The plane crash Chapecoense issued a brief statement saying: “May God be with our athletes, officials, journalists and other guests travelling with

Thai-new-king The Thai parliament on Tuesday said Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is to become the king of Thailand. Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, President of the National Legislative Assembly, said late King Bhumibol Adulyadej had designated Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn as his heir apparent. Accordingly, the parliament formally invited the crown prince to be proclaimed as the king. At the end of the meeting, all members of the parliament stood up and hailed together “long live the new King’’. Deeply-revered Adulyadej died on Oct. 13 at the age of 88 after years of illness. Vajiralongkorn, 64, was appointed the crown prince by his father in 1972. According to established procedure, the crown prince still needs to accept the invitation in order for him to be formally proclaimed as the king. Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said earlier that they expected an audience with the prince within the next one to two days. Once proclaimed king, the crown prince would become Ki

retired-police-officers Retired Police Officers of Nigeria (REPON) has appealed to the Federal Government to enable its members to continue to access healthcare delivery through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). Retired CSP Ado Ibrahim, the REPON Chairman in Gombe State, made the call in Gombe on Tuesday. Ibrahim said that following their retirement their files were removed by the NHIS at various health facilities. He said that the retirees needed to continue to enjoy the NHIS scheme because a lot of them had challenges of high blood pressure and diabetes, among others illnesses. “We did not benefit from the NHIS when we were in service because of the nature of our job. We were not stationed in one place. “Now it is time that we are supposed to enjoy it; even because of our contribution to the nation, and they remove our files,” the REPON chairman said. Ibrahim also urged the federal government to come to their aid by reviewing the welfare package of their members i

children Stakeholders on child protection in Gombe State have called on Nigerians to join hands in exposing any adult caught violating the rights of children. Some of the stakeholders made the appeal on Tuesday at a three-day Child Protection System Strengthening (CPSS) meeting in Gombe. The meeting was at the instance of the United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bauchi Field Office, with support from European Union (EU), United Nations (UN) and other international organisations. Mr Maina Bonus of Elshadai Skills Development Organisation said that shielding perpetrators of violence against children would do more harm than good for the society. He said that the future of children in the state could be guaranteed only if those involved in such immoral act were exposed and eventually brought to book. “We should not have silent camps when any form of violence is being meted on children in our community. “When it happens, we should try our best to expose them because that is the

An unnamed young woman reportedly died twice recently in Orimedu area of Ajegunle community, Ogijo, Ogun State. ‘Orimedu tailor’ as she was fondly called was nursing a two-month-old baby before her death on Friday 25th Nov. According to an eyewitness report, ‘Orimedu tailor’ was reported to have been ill before the unfortunate event. She reportedly slumped and died while at her shop, her neighbours raised an alarm and people gathered at her shop to sympathize with her family for the untimely loss. Miss Blessing Musa who recounted the incident with PM News correspondent said once Orimedu tailor passed on, her pastors from the Redeemed Christian Church of God where she worshipped came to her shop and prayed severely for her. In her words, Blessing said, “Last Friday, Orimedu tailor who had been sick for some days, but was getting better after taking some medications, slumped and died few minutes after she arrived her shop. “People around began to cry and some of her family members

lace-material A Tinubu Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday granted N20,000 bail to a 31-year-old man, Tunde Ayinla, who allegedly stole a bundle of lace material valued at N100,000. The accused, who was brought before the court on one-count charge of stealing, pleaded not guilty to stealing from the shop at Oshodi Market in Lagos. The Prosecutor, Insp. Richard Odigie, had told the court that the accused committed the offence on Sept. 8 at about 11.30 a.m. at Oshodi Market, Lagos. He said that the accused entered into a shop belonging to one Mrs Olaide Ojetekun pretending to be a customer and stole a bundle of lace material valued at N100, 000. He alleged that Ayinla was sighted by the sales girl in the shop who ordered the accused to open his bag for search. The offence contravened Section 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011, the prosecutor said. The Magistrate, Mrs F.O. Ikobayo, granted the accused N20,000 bail with two sureties in like sum. The case is adjourned to Dec.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday presented the 2017 budget of N812.99 billion to the State House of Assembly for approval. The budget, tagged: “Golden Jubilee Budget” is N150.4 billion higher than the 2016 budget which stood at N662.58 billion The 2017 budget has a Capital Expenditure of N512.46 billion and a Recurrent Expenditure of N300 billion. The Capital and recurrent ratio of the budget stood at 63:37. The governor said a large chunk of the budget would be expended on road construction and rehabilitation, health, among others. Ambode recalled that his administration budgeted N662.58 billion in 2016 and that the budget, as at October 2016 performed to about 77.5 percent, which is equivalent to N350 billion. -Kazeem Ugbodaga Details soon…

philippine-blast Nine members of the military were wounded, including seven from the country’s elite Presidential Security Group (PSG), in a roadside explosion in southern Philippines on Tuesday. Military spokesman Restituto Padilla said the attack occurred in Marawi City in Lanao del Sur province. He said that the troops were part of an advance party ahead of the visit of President Rodrigo Duterte to the area, which might not go ahead now for security reasons. “They (troops) were heading towards the military headquarters when they were hit by a roadside explosion caused by an improvised explosive,’’ Padilla said, adding that one PSG member and another soldier were seriously injured. Padilla said a presidential chopper airlifted five soldiers to a hospital in the nearby city of Cagayan de Oro. The military said the attack might be related to the ongoing conflict between troops and the Maute terrorist group who have occupied the centre of the nearby town of Butig since Thursday.

President Muhammadu Buhari President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday assured that his administration’s reforms would ensure that Nigerians who spent the “productive years of their lives serving the nation” would not experience difficulties in getting their pensions. A statement by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said Buhari gave the assurance at a meeting with Sharon Ikeazor, the Executive Secretary, Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) at the State House, Abuja. The statement said the President directed a speedy completion of the ongoing nationwide verification of pensioners. “President Buhari stressed that the exercise was necessary because the success of the administration’s goal of putting in place an efficient pension scheme hinged on the availability of a reliable database.” In a presentation to the President, Ikeazor said the PTAD management was determined to restore dignity to pensioners by protecting their fu

L-R: Andrei Niyutin, Prince Gbolahan Lawal, Sinon Walley,Arc Foluso Adebayo Dipe and Guillenette Jaffrin in group picture after the meeting Kazeem Ugbodaga The Lagos State Government is partnering with the World Bank to deliver qualitative and affordable housing units to residents of Lagos in order to bridge the housing deficit. Officials of the World Bank paid a visit on the Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Prince Gbolahan Lawal on Monday to brainstorm on the areas the bank could partner with Lagos in delivering affordable houses to the masses. Lead Financial Sector Specialist, World Bank, Sinon Walley who led the team said the state government could leverage on the pension funds to deliver affordable houses to people in their old age. According to him, “Pension funds have long liability because this fund is meant for people in their old age. Housing is a perfect match for that because it is a long term investment. It is also contributing to other sector of the economy. “L

Dr Olufemi Onanuga Kazeem Ugbodaga The Lagos State Government on Monday said it has shut 13 health facilities across the state over quackery. The government also vowed to clampdown on more hospitals in order to guarantee safety of lives of the residents. Speaking at the ‎8th stakeholders meeting of the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency, HEFAMAA activities, held at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria on Monday, Executive Secretary of HEFAMAA, Dr Mabel Adjekughele, said that out of the 463 health facilities inspected by the agency recently, 13 of them were shut over non-compliance with the regulatory standard. According to her, the number of petitions received by the agency had also increased to 22‎, attributing the rise in the petitions to the increased awareness among the residents and the demand for quality health services by the health care providers. Adjekughele urged residents to assist the government by exposing other su

Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia The Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos on Monday heard a witness describe how foreign currency was moved from Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia chambers and deposited into her account in Diamond Bank. The witness, Mr Ademola Oshodi, was testifying at the ongoing trial of Ofili-Ajumogobia, a serving Justice of the Federal High Court, and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), alongside Mr Godwin Obla. The duo, who are being tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged corruption, have been jointly charged with two counts of perverting the course of justice. Obla was charged with additional two-counts of offering gratification in the sum of N5 million to Ofili-Ajumogobia, a public official while carrying out her duties as a judge. Ofili-Ajumogobia, however, faces a 26-count charge of unlawful enrichment, taking property by a public officer, corruption by a public officer, forgery and giving false information to an official of the EFCC. The