Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has urged the Federal Government to grant licences to responsible citizens to carry sophisticated weapons such as AK47 to deter criminals from attacking innocent and helpless Nigerians.

He said the policy should be backed by a strict legal framework to prevent illegal possession of arms by the citizenry without exception.

These were some of the submissions contained in the paper Governor Ortom presented Wednesday during the virtual meeting convened by Centre for Values in Leadership, CVL, in collaboration with Nigeria Governors’ Forum(NGF).

In the paper titled ‘Insecurity and Governance Challenges in the New Normal’, the Governor said governments at all levels must come to terms with the fact that insecurity was a real threat to development of the country and be willing to sincerely tackle the menace.

He also recommended adequate funding of security agencies and continuous training of their personnel to enable them be abreast of global dynamics in the fight against insecurity.

The Governor urged the Federal Government to embrace ranching as it was the global best practice of animal husbandry and enact a law to end open grazing, which often comes with attacks on farming communities by armed herdsmen militia.

Ortom also advocated improved educational standards and enhanced public enlightenment campaigns to give the people, particularly youths the needed orientation to shun negative acts and become more patriotic.

He called for the repositioning of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency through training, funding and logistics to successfully confront drug barons and peddlers; a move he said would stop illegal drugs from entering and circulating in the country.

Ortom also recommended that the embargo on employment be lifted and more job opportunities created to take Nigerian youths from the streets.

He tasked the federal, state and local governments to show greater commitment to developing the agricultural value chain to generate more jobs for Nigerians.

Governor Ortom concluded his presentation by stating that Benue State has made significant contributions to national development and as the food basket of the nation, if the state was threatened by insecurity, the negative impact would be on the entire country.

He, therefore, solicited the support of all stakeholders in tackling security challenges and pledged the resolve of his administration to ensure the safety of lives and property.

In a bid to curb the lingering attacks an killing in southern Kaduna, the Military has deployed special operation forces towards securing the lives and properties in the area. 

The special Task Force, Operation Safe Heaven (OPSH), maintaining peace in Pleateau, Bauchi as well as part of the southern Kaduna were deployed to the joint operations area covering the various flash points. 

Coordinator Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, who disclosed this during the weekly news conference in Abuja, explained that the move was expected to achieve the desired results with the provision of credible and actionable intelligence specifically from the primary sources.

He, however, to this end he urged residents in the area not to panic but rather cooperate with the security agencies by availing them the required information that would be useful to achieve the collective objective of curbing the criminal activities from the area.

Also speaking on the warning earlier sounded by the United States of America African Command (US AFRICOM) on the infiltration of the Islamic state in Syria (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda in some parts of the country, Enenche said the security agencies were ahead of the evolving security challenges, adding that the Forces were not taking the warning signals for granted. 

“sequel to the warning by US AFRICOM that extremists have begun deploying several strategies to silently re-establish themselves across some regions in Africa including the West Africa sub-region, the Armed Forces of Nigeria and all the relevant security agencies is leaving nothing to chance.

“Consequently, actions in place in this regard are being reviewed to handle this all-important intelligence appropriately. I am directed to assure the general public that this is not a one-off but continuous effort as it were to ensure that the security agencies are ahead of this evolving security challenge”. 

On operations in the North West Zone of the country, the Coordinator said troops of Operation Hadarin Daji have continued the aggressive clearance operations in the entire zone. 

 He said “for the past one month, we have witnessed downward trend in the activities of armed bandits and cattle rustlers in the general areas of Katsina, Kebbi, Zamfara, Sokoto and adjoining states.

“Most of these criminal elements have been decimated. Gradually there is restoration of human activities in the zone. Farmers have returned to their farms while other economic activities have picked up across the zone. 

“The troops have continued to dominate the general area with clearance patrols, aggressive fighting patrols and confidence-building patrols. Enenche added. 

The Coordinator also spoke on the alleged report that troops deployed to fight insurgency in Baga areas of Borno State were dealing in livestock and farming and dismissed the allegations saying that “in line with military procedures, it was investigated and found to be baseless”

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SWITZERLAND, AUGUST 14 – Businessday newspaper has apologised to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo over the publication of a report wrongly alleging his involvement in an illegal N10bn withdrawal from the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

In a statement published on its online platform, Businessday said that the story failed to meet its editorial standards and acknowledged that it was baseless, unfounded and unsupported by any factual substance.

“We hereby convey our sincere, profound and unstinted apology for allowing our newspaper to be used as a platform by which the said news item was conveyed. The said publication is highly regretted by us and we urge our esteemed readers and the general public not to ascribe or attach our reputation for disseminating accurate information that we expect the public to trust to it,” the statement partly reads.

The report was also published by The Sun newspaper, which the vice president has threatened to sue to court if it does not retract the story and tender an apology within seven days.

Read the full statement below:

“On 9th August 2020, businessday.ng published a story titled “Ex APC spokesman asks Buhari to probe Osinbajo, AuGF over alleged N10bn withdrawal from TSA.”

“That story failed to meet the editorial standards of Business Day Newspaper, as we have since discovered that the story was baseless, unfounded and unsupported by any factual substance.

“We have already disabled the links to the story and hereby retract it completely and unreservedly.

“Business Day apologises to His Excellency, Professor Yemi Osinbajo SAN, the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, his family, friends, colleagues and well-wishers for the unwarranted inconvenience and embarrassment the publication has occasioned.

“We hold the Vice President in very high esteem and appreciate his enormous worthy and enviable achievements in the private sector as a respected Professor of Law – of multiple decades standing and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, amongst others; and the worthy and enviable strides he has made in public service as the former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Lagos and presently Vice President of Nigeria.

“We hereby convey our sincere, profound and unstinted apology for allowing our newspaper to be used as a platform by which the said news item was conveyed. The said publication is highly regretted by us and we urge our esteemed readers and the general public not to ascribe or attach our reputation for disseminating accurate information that we expect the public to trust to it.

“A letter conveying our unreserved apology has since been sent to the Vice President.”

The Board of the National Broadcasting Commission has distanced itself from the six edition of the NBC code announced by the commission in June.
The Board said the new broadcasting code was singlehandedly reviewed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed without consulting any member of the Board.

Ikra Bilbis, the Chairman of the NBC Board disclosed this on Thursday, August 13, 2020, during a press conference in Abuja.

Bilbis said the procedure for the NBC code review, which usually involves staff of the NBC, former DGs, retired Directors and all other relevant stakeholders in broadcasting was flouted by the minister.

He said, “The minister’s version of the revised code does not meet any known criteria of due process and inclusiveness of stakeholders.”

Bilbis further said that Mohammed sidelined the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria, Independent Broadcast Association of Nigeria, private media outfits, broadcasters, notable media intellectuals, communication experts, digital team and the academia and singlehandedly carried out the review.

According to the Board Chairman, the sixth edition of the NBC code was borne out of observations made by members of the Federal Executive Council to Mohammed at one of their meetings in 2019.

The FEC members were said to have expressed worry about the divisive broadcasts engaged in by some broadcast media before, during and after the 2019 general elections, and also urged the NBC to strengthen its operations to avert future recurrence.

Bilbis said instead of directing appropriate authorities to act on the observation, the minister went ahead to review the broadcasting code all alone.

He said, “This noble observation of Mr. President was unfortunately misunderstood by the minister of information. Instead of studying and following the law, relevant rules and regulations, and direct the appropriate authorities as stipulated by the law to act on, he erroneously embarked on the review alone.

“From the history, traditions and the convention of the NBC, no Minister of Information has ever interfered in any NBC Code review. After the 2019 presentation of the 6th code (which is the present one), the minister has acted alone with just a handful of his loyalists who have written a new NB Code that has created uproar in the industry, threatening to destroy investments and lead to job losses.

“The NBC Code is a regulatory framework put together jointly by stakeholders to guide their operations in the industry. It is therefore not a unilateral government instrument and is already covered by law hence, not requiring any further Presidential approval. This might be the reason why till date the Hon. Minister cannot show us a copy of the Presidential approval.

“President Buhari is a stickler for due process and he always insists on organisations doing the right thing. The Minister’s version of the revised code does not meet any known criteria of due process and inclusiveness of stakeholders.”

source: https://www.gistmania.com/talk/topic,469967.0.html

The action plan was presented at the virtual meeting of the FEC that was presided by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, August 12, 2020.

While paving a way for gender responsive climate change initiatives in the country, the National Action Plan is expected to provide guidance to the implementation of different environment and climate change actions to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government at all levels, including the private sector.

The National Action Plan is the outcome of a collaboration involving the Department of Climate Change of the Federal Ministry of Environment, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Women Environment Programme (WEP) and Both Ends.

environewsnigeria

The Unity Bank Plc admitted on Thursday that the $2.2 million received from former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr Bello Adoke SAN, was for repayment of a N300M naira he obtained from the bank.

Former Acting Managing Director of he bank Mr Rislanudeen Mohammed made the confirmation at the federal high court in Abuja during the ongoing trial of Adoke and oil magnate Alhaji Aliyu Abubakar on alleged corruption changes.

This is coming as trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, warned reporters to stop linking the trial with Malabu Oil issue, adding that they have access to court records and should ask if they need clarification.

Adoke and the businessman, Abubakar are standing trial on a 14 count amended criminal charge bordering on alleged money laundering and corruption preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Mohammed, a second witness of the EFCC in his evidence told the court how Adoke obtained a loan of N300M from the bank and the efforts he made to ensure Adoke repaid the loan.

He said that the loan was finally liquidated when Adoke handed over to him a sum of $2.2 million and that when converted to naira, it exceeded the principal loan amount.

The EFCC witness further disclosed that the former AGF collected the balance and closed the account after the bank deducted all necessary interest regarding the transaction.

Under cross examination by Adoke’s lawyer, Chief Kanu Agabi SAN, the witness admitted accepting $2.2 million dollars on behalf of the bank to liquidate the loan.

He further stated that the $2.2 million was not a proceed of crime because it was in repayment of a loan Adoke obtained from the bank.

“I received the money as an agent of the bank. The money is not available to be confiscated because it is not a proceed of crime.

“I have no reason to believe it is a proceed of crime. The money is not in Adoke’s account because it belongs to the bank”, he said.

The witness further told the court that collecting the money from Adoke’s house did not in anyway constitute an offence because he acted as an agent of the bank.

Testifying further, the witness said upon the full payment of the loan, the title deed used as security by the bank was released by the bank to the second defendant as an indication that the loan has been fully defrayed.

Earlier, the first prosecution witness, a Manager in charge of foreign exchange trade at the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Clement Osagie, tendered foreign exchange transaction rates covering August, September and October, 2013 and was admitted as exhibits.

Under cross examination by Olalekan Ojo SAN, lawyer to the second defendant, the witness who stated that the documents tendered were generated from the electronic system of the CBN, said he was not a personnel of the Information Technology (IT) department of the CBN.

Answering a question, Osagie said that the CBN’s licenced Bureau de Change (BdC) operators file report of transactions in CBN forex which are kept by the Trade and Exchange department but he cannot talk on the activities of the BdC.

While admitting that he does not know the defendants in the case, he disclosed that his statement to the EFCC was made after the last court’s proceedings, adding that, “I thought I would just come and tender the documents before the court and go”.

Trial however has been adjourned to September 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 for continuation of cross examination of the second prosecution witness.

Director-General of Nigerian Copyright Commission, Mr John Asein, has replied his detractors and accusers, who alleged that he was keeping another employment and drawing salaries from both ends long after his retirement.

The NCC boss was accused of keeping the position of the Executive Director of Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria, a collective management organisation regulated by the commission, a practice, which outrightly violates the public service rules and the code of conduct for public officers.

The economic confidential search further reveals that contrary to the said allegations, Mr Asein had on January 15, 2019 formally resigned from REPRONIG through a letter addressed to Chairman of the Board, Prof Olu Obafemi.

Further investigation reveals that in accepting Asein’s resignation, Obafemi appealed to him to continue rendering a free service of assisting REPRONG in the collection and disbursements of incoming funds as pro-bono project coordinator to receive and distribute project funds to the beneficiary partners.

Meanwhile, in an official memo written to the Board and sighted by Economic Confidential, Mr Asein among other things said the board could not meet because the Chairman of Copyright Commission, Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, said he was waiting for a formal report of an investigation by the Federal Ministry of Justice on a petition of conflict of interest against the DG.

The DG NCC’s memo to Jaja further reads, “ With due respect, I wish to note that while the Chairman has repeatedly drawn the attention of the board members to a petition against me, he is not placing the matter before the board to determine the next line of action. Rather, the Chairman has severally by-passed the supervisory Ministry and the Board to initiate his own petitions based on the documents he claimed to have ‘received’”

He also said that he was aware that the Chairman in the month of May 2020 again wrote to the DSS office and he has since lodged a report of the development with the parent ministry of justice.

According to him, he has no doubt that the same letters must have gone to the presidency as well as security and anti-corruption agencies in line with the proclamation of Chief Tony Okoroji at a press conference that he held at COSON House, Ikeja, Lagos on March 10, 2020.

The memo to the Board Chairman further stated that on or about Sunday, February 2nd, 2020, the Chairman of the Board called him to tell him that based on damning petitions from stakeholders, the minister was considering suspending him from office. He said in view of his reputation and goodwill, he should not risk having Chief Okoroji go public and smear his reputation and suggested he should instead consider putting in a letter of resignation to avoid embarrassment that would follow a ministerial action, only to discover later that the minister’s intended actions were not true.

In the said memo, the DG also said the Chairman had reached out to the various in-house unions in the commission with a view to obtaining information from them or instigating them against management all in a bid to have him removed from office as D-G and to reverse the decision to audit the accounts of COSON.

Checks also reveal that the DG of NCC in the memo accused the Chairman of plagiarising his manuscript sent to him in the course of his duties with him. He said In August 2019, the Chairman published a book: Compendium of Nigerian Copyright Law Reports 2019. He noted that two cases out of the 6 cases in that publication were plagiarized from the manuscript he had emailed to him on June 23, 2019. He said rather than own up to the infraction, even though he was willing to overlook it, the Chairman treated him with disdain and brushed the matter aside and later threatening further action against him.

Meanwhile, Asein told the Board members that intelligence report indicate that high-profile pirates have resolved to mobilize all resources available to support the ongoing fight against the commission in the hope that they can work together to remove him from office.