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Former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida, has called for urgent steps to be taken in addressing the numerous security challenges confronting the nation . He was particularly worried about the current bloodshed in some parts of the country . “We have witnessed so much bloodshed through communal clashes and conflicts that need urgent actions to stop them now,” he said. The former leader also urged members of the Armed Forces and security agencies to remain apolitical, neutral and focus on the ethics of discipline which is the hallmark of their profession. Leaders at all levels of governance were also not exempted as Babangida admonished them to serve as national vanguards in resolving the various conflicts affecting the nation’s security. He added, “As people, we should inculcate our cultural values, that promote good conduct, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence. We should eschew hate speeches, discrimination and other vices that trigger senseless violence and bloodshed...

The Kaduna State Government has given the 21,000 teachers who did not pass the recent competence test another opportunity for consideration. They have been told they can reapply for job in the course of ongoing recruitment exercise.  About 12,000 of the sacked teachers were said to have reapplied while the remaining are yet to do so. While answering questions during a meeting with the chairmen of the 23 local government councils and their education secretaries in Kaduna, Governor Nasir El-Rufai explained that SUBEB had a programme of continuous recruitment and as such would give every willing teacher a chance to apply and be considered for recruitment.   The meeting was informed that many teachers who did not apply anew or were dissuaded by their union from taking the recruitment test, were requesting a second chance.  “We are not interested in pushing anyone away,” the governor said. “We are pushing bad people away so that good ones can come ...

The FCT Police Command has arrested a 37-year-old woman for allegedly impersonating the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, to solicit for contracts and financial assistance. Parading the suspect yesterday, the commissioner of police for FCT, Sadiq Bello said the suspect, Aisha Muhammed Bello, was arrested on January 10 at Fadama III Project office, Maitama, Abuja, following a report that she contacted the coordinator of the project that she wanted assistance in her capacity as the First Lady. “Upon her arrest, a phone and a newly acquired Airtel SIM card registered in the name of Aisha Buhari, First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was recovered from the suspect,” he said. Bello said the woman, a mother of four from Plateau State, while pretending to be the wife of the president would contact unsuspecting members of the public, especially heads of government establishments, for contracts and financial assistance. He said “investigation is on-going with a ...

The Senate has given the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mr Ibrahim Idris 14 days ultimatum to arrest and investigate the perpetrators of Benue killings. This position was sequel to the consideration of a report of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the Review of the Current Security Infrastructure in Nigeria. The committee had on Friday last week, visited Benue to ascertain the level of killings in the state. The report was presented by Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Ahmed Lawan during plenary on Tuesday. He said the recommendations of the committee included re-examining, revamping and reinventing the nation’s security architecture and infrastructure in order to ensure that no community or entity was left unsecured and unsafe. Lawan who is also the Senate Leader said other recommendations are for the Senate to convene as a matter of utmost urgency a national security summit. He said the committee recommended that government should examine the recurring viole...

The Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has urged the Federal Government to shelve the planned introduction of ‘grazing colonies’ in the interest of peace and cohesion. This is contained in a statement jointly signed by the President of the CBCN and Archbishop of Jos Ignatius Kaigama and the Bishop of Gboko Most Rev. William Avenya. The conference also bemoaned the rising cases of kidnapping and other criminality across the country urging government to act fast and decisively too. “It would be stressing the obvious to state that a better alternative to open grazing should be sought rather than introducing “grazing colonies” in the country. Government should rather encourage cattle owners to establish ranches in line with international best practice,” the conference said. The Bishops said the country appears to be under siege from many forces with innocent citizens in different communities across the nation brutally attacked and their sources of livelihood...

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has congratulated Otunba Gani Adams on his installation as the Aare Ona Kakanfo of the Yoruba race. This ia according to a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Tuesday in Abuja. Ologbondiyan said the choice of Adams for the position was a mark of the confidence reposed in him by the Yoruba race due to his contributions toward the protection and advancement of the rights of the masses. He urged the new Aare Ona Kakanfo to see his selection among 25 other candidates as an act of God. Ologbondiyan advised him to use the position to propagate and promote the unity and growth of the country. The PDP national Publicity secretary also urged him to use the position to defend the course of the down-trodden, not only in Yoruba land but also across the nation.

The Federal Government has pledged to secure the release of 368 inmates in Kano prisons as part of its ongoing prisons decongestion programme across the country. Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami‎ disclosed this on Tuesday in Kano when members of the National Stakeholders Committee on Prisons Decongestion paid a courtesy visit to Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano state. ‎Malami thanked the governor for leading the campaign on prisons decongestion, stating that Kano is the first state in the country to champion the course, by releasing several inmates. He noted that the governor had pardoned 500 inmates during the President’s visit to Kano, and now additional 368 are set for release, with the state government paying their fines.   Earlier, the chairman of the committee and the FCT Chief Judge urged all stakeholders to accord the issue of prison decongestion priority in order to carter for the downtrodden in the society. Gov. Abdullahi Gandu...

Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has urged the Federal Government to transfer the management of prisons to states. Ganduje, who spoke in Kano on Tuesday, said that the measure would ensure “a permanent solution” to prison congestion. The News Agency 0f Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ganduje made the request when the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, led the Prison Reform and Decongestion Committee on a courtesy visit to him. “A permanent solution to the issue of prison congestion will be to transfer the prisons to the states. “If the administration of the prisons is under the states, governors will have free access to the prisons and determine what to do based on their actual realities,” he said. He said that the Kano government would soon forward a memorandum to the National Assembly on the need for a constitutional review to allow the transfer of prisons to the states.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara has expressed determination of the House to unravel the lingering fuel scarcity and the alleged re-introduction of fuel subsidy in the country. Dogara said this while welcoming members of the House of Representatives from the Christmas and New Year break. He urged the lawmakers to work assiduously toward addressing the economic and security challenges confronting the country. “Indeed at no time in the recent past has the nation’s peace and unity been so vigorously and persistently challenged,’’ he said. While describing the problems as daunting, Dogara said that the unending fuel shortage recorded in the country in Dec. 2017, reached an unbearable level. “The House expects that with the cooperation given to the executive arm to increase fuel price from N87 per liter to N145, based on the assurances, fuel scarcity ought to be a thing of the past. “We were also assured that fuel subsidy had come to an e...

Sokoto state has appointed its first female professor as commissioner, alongside the younger brother of its former governor. Professor Aishat Madawaki and the younger brother of the former Governor of the state was sworn into the cabinet alongside two special advisers, one permanent secretary and four director generals. Governor Aminu Tambuwal said Madawaki was chosen in order for the state to tap from her academic experience. He also swore in the chairman  of Wamakko local government, Bello Kyamba. Kyamba, formerly the vice chairman of the council, replaced Ahmed Kalambaina who was recently elected into the National Assembly following the death of demise of Abdullahi Wamakko. Speaking, Tambuwal said, "We will continue to do our best in the insrest of the state and its citizenry," he added. He said that the new commissioners were appointed to fill in the vacuum created by the demise of the former Commissioner of Science and Technology, Nasir Zarumai who died a...

Many in Bauchi are spending days on queue to register in the ongoing continued voter registration, Daily Trust has found. Findings at a centre located in Bauchi metropolis revealed that some people sleep over at the gates of the centre for days to get registered. When our reporter visited the centre on Tuesday, he saw a lot of people mostly women at the gate of the registration centre. One of the women who spoke to our correspondent said that she was given the form to fill about three days ago but she has not submitted because of the number of the people coming to the centre every day. "I am here since 6:00 am but they have not collected our forms. I am going to pray and stay back for a while but I don't think I will get registered today," she said. Another woman who spoke to our reporter on telephone, Nafi Faruq said that she had been going to the centre for over a month but she has not been registered.  "I cannot register for the exercise ...

A property allegedly belonging to a former first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan was on Tuesday demolished by the FCT Development Control Department. The building, which is inside A. Aruera – Reachout Foundation/Women For Change and Development Initiative, is situated on Shehu Yar’Adua Way along Mabushi–Kado–Life Camp Expressway, Abuja. Mr Emmanuel Anene, a Lawyer with E.A. Ezugwu and Associates told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the issue of the building is still pending before the Federal High Courts in Lagos and Abuja. “Sometime before, people from Development Control came to the site, alleging that there was no approval for the building. “We met them at their office and showed them the approval, which they accepted. We thought that the matter was over. “They had earlier gone to court with application for forfeiture of the property to the government which they failed to achieve at the Lagos High Court. “So we were surprised that a team came in this aft...

One person has been confirmed dead and two others, including a police officer, injured in a fresh clash between two rival Islamic sects in Munya Local Government Area of Niger State. Eyewitnesses said the clash broke out between the Darikah and Izala Islamic sects over the timing of the observance of the Juma’at prayer and decision of the Izala to have a separate prayer ground in the community. The ensuing disagreement was said to have led to the use of dangerous weapons by parties in the conflict. The Police in the state confirmed the incident to reporters, that men of the force deployed to the area to quell possible crisis were attacked by a mob who were armed with machetes and other weapons. The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abubakar Dan-Ina said 28 persons have been arrested while an investigation into the root cause of the clash is still ongoing. Meanwhile, normalcy has since returned to the area and the people are going about their lawful businesses.  ...

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has called on the non teaching labour unions of universities not to harass or intimidate its members. The National President of the union, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos. Ogunyemi was speaking against the backdrop of the recent protest embarked upon by the three non teaching labour unions of the University of Lagos, which resulted in the harassment of his members.. The striking unions comprises of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT). Unions under the aegis of the Joint Actions Committee (JAC) are currently on what they had described as ‘total, comprehensive and indefinite’ strike. Ogunyemi said that it had come to the notice of the union that some of his members were attacked and injured by members of the striki...

Pupils of public primary schools in Kaduna state and their parents have appealed to the striking teachers to call off the ongoing strike in the interest of the children who are left stranded.  Primary and secondary school teachers in Kaduna state had on January 8, 2018 embarked on an indefinite strike action to express their grievances over the sack of about 22,000 teachers who allegedly failed a primary four test conducted to test their competency by the state government. Since the strike began children attending public schools have not been going to school while their colleagues in the private schools are progressing academically.  A seven-year-old pupil attending LEA primary school, Trikania, Musa Lawal who was found roaming the street at school time expressed sadness over the strike embarked upon by the teachers, saying, “I wish my parents had money to send me to a private school so that I don’t have to suffer for the disagreement between government and...