All Posts in "Day: May 10, 2022"

Bamise: BRT Driver Took Permission To Eat, But Didn’t Return  -Supervisor 

Mr Kayode Aluko, one of the Fleet operational managers at the Lagos Bus Services limited,  on Tuesday  told a Lagos High Court  how the driver, of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Andrew Ominnikoron, the alleged rape and murder suspect of Oluwabamise Ayanwole, ran away after they got the information of what had happened.

He  said that he had given an instruction to his officers who received the information of the incident that when the defendant comes he should see him for some interrogation on a missing person in his bus.

Aluko,who is the second witness,in his evidence said that the defendant was employed in September, 2021.

He told the court  that when the defendant came to the office, the officer from the outsourcing company he met told him, to see him, but that Ominnikoron, told them that he was going to eat, but never returned.

The witness gave details of how the defendant was employed by the Lagos Bus Services limited, from an outsourcing company called Excel.

He told the court  that the three rape incidents and the murder of Oluwabamise Ayanwole, was never reported by the defendant, until February 28, after the deceased family reported the case to them.

Aluko said ” The incident of November 25, 2021, the December 29, 2021 and February 28, 2022, were never reported by the defendant and the model of bus he drove on the three occasions is Ashok Layland”.

The witness who was led in evidence in chief by the Director of Public Prosecution DPP, Dr Babajide Martins, said they have monitoring unit that monitors the movement of the driver’s route.

Aluko testified that on February, 28, at about 3pm, the elder brother of the missing lady (Bamise) was at their gate and he was having some challenges with their security guy at the gate asked them to report to the incident at a nearby police station.

He said: ” When I heard the argument I asked the security to let him in and when I listened to them, they showed me a voice note and a video from the elder brother’s phone. In the video that I saw, it displayed my bus with number 240257 and the other voice more of two ladies and in their conversation there was an expression of fear from the lady inside the bus to the other friend.

” This was on a Monday and the incident occurred on Saturday. I said I will do whatever I can to help them. That night I took my car with four other personnel from the outsourcing company and went to Ogolonto at Ikorodu where he(defendant) said he lives.On getting there we didn’t see him, we called him several times, he didn’t respond but suddenly he called back the out sourcing representative that brought him that he was in an hospital, but we couldn’t locate him at his residence or hospital,” the witness said.

He further testified that there are phone number available to the drivers, which are phone numbers of the marketers, maintenance, depot officers, station officers and as well as his given to the drivers to call and report any incident.

The witness said :” On November 25, 2021, Andrew Ominnikoron, was the driver that drove Bus no. 240271 and he was on pm shift. Pm shifts starts at 1 o’clock and ends at 10pm. On December, 29, 2021, the same bus was also allotted to the defendant and he was also on pm shift and he was number 19, that was allotted that day and his route is Ajah- Oshodi.

“On February, 26, 2022, Andrew Ominnikoron, was allotted a bus with number 240257, he was equally on pm shift, from 1pm to 19pm, he was number eight on the allotted bus. The procedure is the same for Am and Pm. Am starts at 5am.We have two captains (drivers) for each bus. Once a driver resumes in the morning, he will write down his name, and the allotted bus the following details will be documented before moving out, the fuel level, the odometer and then sign.

The defense counsel Abayomi Omotubora, cross- examined the first prosecution witness MaryJane Odezulu, on the evidence she gave on Monday.

When asked how she was raped after she was pushed down by the defendant, she said he shifted her pant and defiled  her.

Asked if she used the N3000 that the defendant sent to her account, she testified that after withdrawing the money,  she gave it to beggars at Ajah, on her way to work the following day.

Justice Sherifay  Sonaike adjourned the case till June 1, for continuation of trial. The five count amended charge was read to the defendant and he took his plea.

Ominnikoron is facing a five-count charge bordering on rape, conspiracy, felony, sexual assault, and murder preferred against him by the Lagos state government.

The prosecution said that the defendant on November 25, 2021, allegedly raped a 29 year -old lady Nneka Maryjane Odezulu, without her consent.

admin by — May 10, 2022 in Crime/Metro 0
Oyo Returns History To Public Schools Curriculum 

The Oyo State Government has directed all public primary schools in the State to immediately implement the teaching of History as an independent subject.

This is expected  to start from third term of the 2021/2022 academic session,according to the  Executive Chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Nureni Aderemi Adeniran .

Adeniran, who commended the massive turnout of pupils in public primary schools, said reintroduction of History is in line with the new education policy of the state government.

He applauded the leadership of Universal Basic Education Commission, Abuja for the technical support received, as well as the supply of textbooks.

Dr. Adeniran said over 4,950 history textbooks are being distributed to public primary schools state-wide, adding that this will give pupils a proper understanding of the Nation’s history.

He hinted that the curriculum would enable pupils to appreciate history as an instrument of national integration, adding that it would allow students to know the history of the country.

Adeniran expressed optimism that the curriculum would equip the younger generations with the knowledge of the past.x

admin by — May 10, 2022 in Education 0
Another Fuel Scarcity Looms-Marketers

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria says another round of fuel scarcity looms in Nigeria.

The embattled marketers echoed that the looming scarcity would be the worst in the history of the country.

The IPMAN chairman in Kano State, Bashir Danmalam, who echoed this at a press conference  in Kano State,implored  the Federal Government to prevail on the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to pay its members their outstanding bridging claims amounting to over N500 billion.

According to him,the failure of the NMDPRA to pay the the bridging claims, otherwise known as transportation claims, had forced many of its members out of business as they couldn’t transport the commodity due to high cost of diesel.

He  bemoaned the non-payment of the claims by NMDPRA for over eight months had crippled the businesses of many of their members as they couldn’t transport the commodity even though it was available.

“NMDPRA is responsible for the payment of bridging claims otherwise known as transportation claims.For failure of the NMDPRA to pay the outstanding claims for about nine months, many marketers cannot transport the product because their funds are not being paid. Despite the high price of diesel, they manage to supply the petroleum products nationwide.

“The resurfacing of fuel queues in Abuja is just a tip of the iceberg with regard to the petroleum scarcity.Out of 100 per cent, only five per cent of the marketers can supply the petroleum products because of the failure of NMDPRA to pay them.”

He noted that after the amalgamation of DPR, PEF, and PPRA to NMDPRA, the agency had paid them only two times.

Danmalam, therefore, called on the Federal Government to intervene before the situation degenerated into a serious fuel crisis and spread to other parts of the country.

“As leaders, we have to come out to say the truth because our members are suffering from the failure of the agency to pay the fund. This Petroleum Equalisation Fund is our own money we contribute to each litre. This agency is doing more harm than good to us,” Danmalam said.

He said Nigerians should not blame their members for the fuel scarcity but rather ascribe it to NMDPRA.

admin by — May 10, 2022 in Oil&Gas 0
Global LNG Demand To Hit 436m Tonnes in 2022 -Report

Oslo-based consultancy Rystad Energy,has said global liquefied natural gas  demand is expected to hit 436 million tonnes in 2022, outpacing the available supply of just 410 million tonnes.

It said in a statement that  a perfect winter storm may be forming for Europe as the continent seeks to limit Russian gas flows.

Rystad said the supply imbalance and high prices will set the scene for the most bullish environment for LNG projects in more than a decade, although supply from these projects will only arrive and provide relief from after 2024.

The firm said the European Union’s REPowerEU plan had set an ambitious target to reduce dependence on Russian gas by 66% within this year, an aim that will clash with the EU’s goal of replenishing gas storage to 80% of capacity by Nov 1.

Rystad said that by shunning Russian gas, Europe had destabilised the entire global LNG market that began the year with a precarious balance after a tumultuous 2021.

It said the decision to sharply reduce reliance on Russian gas and LNG from current levels of between 30% and 40% will transform the global LNG market, resulting in a steep increase in energy-security based European LNG demand that current and under-development projects will not be able to supply.

Rystad senior analyst for gas and LNG Kaushal Ramesh said there simply is not enough LNG around to meet demand.

“In the short term, this will make for a hard winter in Europe. For producers, it suggests the next LNG boom is here, but it will arrive too late to meet the sharp spike in demand.The stage is set for a sustained supply deficit, high prices, extreme volatility, bullish markets and heightened LNG geopolitics,” he said.

Rystad said Mexico is well positioned for Asian exports due to geographical proximity and non-dependence on transit through the Panama Canal, and appears to be gaining momentum among Asian buyers.

It said at the same time, higher prices will slow Asian LNG demand growth in the medium term, which means the continent will remain dependent on fuel oil and coal.

In some scenarios, it said Asian LNG demand may be permanently dented, and deployment of renewables accelerated.

admin by — May 10, 2022 in Oil&Gas 0
God Told Me  I’m The Real Change Nigeria Needs -Ohuabunwa

Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, a presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Demicratic Party (PDP) and former chairman of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) has said that his contest for the number position in the land was divinely ordained.
 that poverty has destroyed the country but God has told him there will be a rebirth of a new Nigeria.
He spoke  during a meeting with Lagos PDP delegates to the national convention, noted that he has been desirous of a prosperous Nigeria but stated that in July 2019 after a three hours conversation with God it became clear to him that the change that  he was expecting may not happen if he didn’t  throw his hat into the it.
“I was told to go and tell Nigerians that we should birth a new nation called new Nigeria, a country that will look different from the country that we have, the country that will be globally competitive, a county that will be a first world,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria is faced with injustice, corruption and poverty, pointing out that poverty is destroying Nigeria.
He maintained that the new Nigeria will be a nation that everyone will be happy to belong to.
He added:””It will be a nation that is truly united, a nation that we will all be proud of. 53 percent of Nigerians don’t have jobs and we are witnessing the greatest level of insecurity as never happened before.
“I am the only candidate that has travelled the 36 states of the federation twice. I have gone as far as Sokoto, Kebbi, Yobe, Benue States by road. If you look at my profile you will discover that none of the other aspirants have that and I have the capacity to lead this country out of the doldrums,” he said.
Responding to  question of speculation that his party may want the presidency to go to the North, Ohuabunwa said, “Time has past when you think that delegates are slaves when somebody will take a decision  for others.
“The party is free to take a decision that it will not regret. Any decision that they want to take they should consider the consequences but I tell you something that when the chips are down it is the delegates cross the 36 states of the federation that will determine who emerges the candidate. It is not the chairman in Abuja that will determine who emerges.
He urges the delegates to pray and by the leading of God they will decide who to vote for.
“It is a very significant year for us. I will say that my chances are high because I didnt come with any baggage.  I came with fresh idea. I came with vision and I came with competence going by my career and antecedents.
“All of us know that we have been a third world for 61 years, under developed, developing, yet countries that were the same status with us are all emerging nations, industrialized nations, and examples are Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, China and India. We were in the same status in the 70’s and 60’s but they have become powerful industrialized nations and we haven’t  emerged,” Ohuabunwa said.
admin by — May 10, 2022 in Politics 0
35,000 Died,2.5m Displaced  In Terrorist Attacks In North-East

A study conducted to assess the level of impact insecurity has brought on the Nigerian state has revealed that approximately 35,000 people have died, including over 2.5million persons displaced both within and the Lake Chad Basin.

This was contained in the Nextier Violent Conflict Database, the Council on Foreign Relations’ Nigeria Security Tracker, and funded by the Managing Conflict in Northeast Nigeria (MCN)

The data also shows that between January and March 2022, the North East region recorded 23 violent conflict incidents resulting in 172 deaths and 23 kidnap victims.

The study noted that the northeast  faced extreme terrorist violence for over twelve years, with several communities in the region experiencing terror attacks that have degraded livelihood opportunities, exacerbated poor services and deepened the humanitarian crisis.

“The Council on Foreign Relations’ Nigeria Security Tracker, notes that about 35,000 people have died from the ongoing crisis. Over 2.5 million people are displaced within the region and in the Lake Chad Basin. These Data from Nextier Violent Conflict Database show that between January and March 2022, the region recorded 23 violent conflict incidents resulting in 172 deaths and 23 kidnap victims.

“Compared to the same period in 2021, the region recorded 35 percent more violent incidents, a 91 percent increase in deaths, and a 109 percent increase in the number of kidnap victims.  This violence trend may endure as many of the region’s population are vulnerable to new attacks despite the counter-terrorism measures of the Nigerian government and her Lake Chad Basin neighbours,”the study revealed.

The report also noted that trailing the northeast’s terrorist attacks are the displacement and humanitarian woes.

It said due  to the backlash, internally displaced persons (IDPs) seek refuge in displacement camps where basic services are sparse, coupled with limited opportunities for livelihood and self-sufficiency.

“The humanitarian crises spill beyond the IDP camps to include communities, where large populations struggle due to depleted livelihood sources, destroyed infrastructure, bodily harm, limited access to and availability of external support. Such host communities are often hostile to the IDPs, given that available resources cannot meet the needs of both groups.

“Furthermore, beyond the communities that have been sacked by violence, other residents face the direct and indirect impact of the northeast violence.

“Women, girls, and boys significantly populate refuge sites in Nigeria’s conflict-impacted northeast and beyond it. These demographics’ vulnerabilities are deepened by the continuance of terror, prolonged displacement periods and humanitarian crises.

“Besides, most violent conflicts affect women and girls differently. For instance, women and girls in the northeast are often kidnapped, sexually violated, forced into marriages, or turned into suicide bombers. Young boys are victims of these challenges as their vulnerability predisposes them to the antics of jihadist groups.

“Furthermore, boys in this situation are also recruited by self-defence militias. In 2018, the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) reported that a local militia fighting Boko Haram insurgents released about 833 child soldiers in northeast Nigeria. According to UNICEF, the released children were among the nearly 1,500 boys and girls recruited by vigilante militias,”the report further revealed.

According to the report facilitators, the Nigerian government and its development partners have strived to assist the afflicted populations, especially deploying efforts to return and resettle millions of the displaced population.

Highlighting other efforts of the Nigerian government, the study said it opened an amnesty window in 2016 for low-risk repentant insurgents, including the Nigerian military’s Operation Safe Corridor (OSC) which manages this programme as a counter-insurgency approach to deplete terrorist organisations in the northeast and broader Lake Chad Basin.

The study observed that reintegrating processed participants of the programme proved difficult as many communities say they do not want them back.

It report noted, “The conflict in the northeast and its aftermath have depleted social cohesion. Multiple subsets of the population have been created as a result. Fostering social cohesion between the groups has been difficult for the Nigerian government.

“For instance, several intervention programmes in the region have a social cohesion component, given the subject matter’s relevance to community resilience and stabilisation. Social cohesion is also relevant to preventing and managing internal conflicts such as the indigene-settler dichotomy, IDPs versus host communities, repentant insurgents, and host communities. These scenarios require a more robust and all-inclusive engagement to salvage multidimensional challenges.

“The development challenges in the northeast region are significant but not intractable.  The Nigerian government must encourage its development partners to support intrinsic community efforts geared towards resilience. Nextier recently completed a study on community conflict resilience in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states”.

admin by — May 10, 2022 in News 0
 Senate Amends Electoral Act, Makes Elected Govt  Officials Party Delegates

The Senate, on Tuesday, hurriedly amended the 2022 Electoral Act, No. 13, to allow the President, Vice President, and other elected government functionaries to participate and vote in conventions, congresses or meetings of political parties.

It also empowered both Chambers of the National Assembly two days to finish work on the bill before assent by President Muhammadu Buhari.

During plenary,President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan,explained that “Our expectation is that the National Assembly – the two chambers – would finish with the processing of the amendment of this bill, between today (in the Senate) and tomorrow (in the House of Representatives), and then the Executive will do the assent.”

He said the  amendment became imperative in view of the deficiency created by the provision of section 84(8) of the extant Act.

He added:“The amended Electoral Act of 2022 that we passed this year, has a deficiency that was never intended and that deficiency will deny all statutory delegates in all political parties from participation in congresses and conventions.

“And, therefore, such a major and unintended clause has to be amended before the party primaries starts in the next eight days. This is an emergency legislation, so to speak.

He also emphasized the import of the amendment, adding that it enables “every statutory delegate to participate in the party primaries right from the beginning that will start on the 18th of May, 2022.

“So, this is an emergency effort to ensure that nobody is denied his or her rightful opportunity as a delegate, especially the statutory delegates, and these are those who are elected.

“These are the President, Vice President, members of the National Assembly, Governors, Members of the State Houses of Assembly, Chairmen of Council and their Councilors, National Working Committee Members of all the political parties and so on.

“This is a fundamental effort to ensure that we address this within the week, so that by next week, the Electoral Act, 2022 (amended version), will be very salutary for us to start our party primaries.”

The amendment if assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari, will extend further, same rights to members of the National Assembly, Governors and their deputies, Members of the State Houses of Assembly, Chairmen of Councils, Councilors and members of National Working Committee of political parties.

Categorizing those affected as ‘statutory delegates,’ the Bill was sponsored by the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta Central).

It also scaled first, second and third readings at plenary, and was passed by the chamber after consideration by the committee.

In his argument, the sponsor of the bill,Senator Omo-Agege,said that the bill seeks to amend the provision of section 84(8) of the Electoral Act.

He explained that the provisions of the section “does not provide for the participation of what is generally known as ‘statutory delegates’ in the conventions, congresses or meetings of political parties.”

“The extant section only clearly provides for the participation of elected delegates in the conventions, congresses or meetings of political parties held to nominate candidates of political parties. This is an unintended error, and we can only correct it with this amendment now before us”, the Deputy Senate President said.

admin by — May 10, 2022 in Politics 0