A total of 14 bodies have been recovered while six are still missing in Tuesday’s boat mishap in the Koko/Besse Local Government Area of Kebbi. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the boat was conveying about 100 rice farmers to Samanaji, a riverside community when it capsised. Already 80 people were rescued alive while the search for the six missing persons has continued. Gov. Atiku Bagudu, accompanied by Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami were in the community on Thursday to commiserate with them over the accident. Bagudu warned boat operators to avoid night journeys and overloading, and observe safety measures at all times. He prayed for those who died and their families to bear the loss with fortitude. The governor commended those who rendered assistance towards the rescue of the boat passengers and the ongoing search for the missing ones. “I am here with a top delegation to condole with you over the unfortunate boat mishap. “We pray to God to forgive all who lost their lives and we pray for the recovery of the missing ones,” he said. Earlier, the Chairman of the council, Alhaji Yahaya Bello thanked the governor for the attention and care shown to the relatives of the victims. Bello said that search and rescue operations were still ongoing in the area to see if more persons would be found. The chairman commended the APC gubernatorial candidate, Dr Nasir Idris, for donating N5 million to the families of the deceased. NAN reports that the District Head of Dutsinmari, Alhaji MuAllayidi Usman, received the governor and appreciated him for the condolence visit. The governor’s delegation includes former Governor Saidu Dakingari, APC governorship candidate, Dr Nasir Idris and the Speaker of the state Assembly, Alhaji Abubakar Lolo, among others.

  The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) at registration areas/wards across the country would commence on Friday. In a statement by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye on Thursday in Abuja, the commission said that the collection at ward level would end on Jan. 15. Okoye urged all registered voters yet to collect their voter’s cards to use the opportunity to do so. “The devolution of PVC collection to the wards commences tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 6 2023, and all validly registered voters who are yet to collect their PVCs are encouraged to seize the opportunity of the devolution to the wards to do so. “After Jan. 15, the exercise will revert to the Local Government Offices of the Commission until Jan. 22. “All eligible and valid registrants can collect their PVCs from 9am to 3pm daily, including Saturdays and Sundays. “All those that applied for replacement of lost, damaged, or defaced PVCs can collect their PVCs at the Registration Area/wards during this period and the same thing applies to those that registered prior to the 2019 general election and are yet to collect their cards. “The PVCs of those that applied for transfer are available for collection in the Local Governments and Registration Areas where they intend to vote and not in the State or Local Government where they carried out the transfer.” Okoye said that INEC appreciated the patience and understanding of Nigerians who trooped to its various Local Government Offices to collect their PVCs. He said that in making the cards available for collection, INEC was also working to ensure that the process was simple and hitch-free for Nigerians. It would be recalled that the commission held a retreat in Lagos with all the Administrative Secretaries and Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) from the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory from Nov. 28, 2022, to Dec. 2, 2022. INEC at the retreat finalised the procedure and the timetable for the collection of PVCs and consequently the collection of PVCs commenced in all the 774 local government offices of the commission throughout the Federation. The commission also resolved that collection of PVCs should begin in the 8,809 Registration Areas/Wards from Friday, Jan. 6 to Sunday, Jan. 15.

  Eight suspects, including a couple, are currently explaining to the Police in Ogun State how they lured, killed, butchered and sold the body the parts and organs of a female friend. They told the Police that after killing her, they cut off the head, legs and the two hands, which they sold to ready buyers. “We sold the legs for N30,000, while the heart was sold for N50,000 to Akeem Bello,” they told the Police. They also drained her blood into a container. hitches However, the person that bought the head is still at large. The suspects Taiwo Olutufese Ajalorun and Salawa Oyenusi Ajalorun are the couple involved in the kidnapping, killing and dismembering of 26-year-old mother of two, Oyindamola Adeyemi. The other suspects are Lukman Oladele, Kayode Ibrahim, Bello Akeem, Alebiosu Adebayo, Fatai Rasheed and Fatai Jimoh. According to Abimbola Oyeyemi, Ogun State Police Command spokesman on Wednesday, late Adeyemi’s neighbour, Ojo Omolara, lodged a report at Obalende Divisional headquarters, Ijebu-Ode. She told the Police that her neighbour, Adeyemi, left home since the morning of Wednesday 28th of December 2022. She added that Oyindamola did not return home and her phone had since been switched off. They drained her blood The police spokesman said: “Since it was not 24 hours yet, she was advised to come back later. “But the following day, been 29th of December 2022, while a team from Obalende Division were on routine patrol, the dismembered body of a lady was discovered by the road side and it was taken to a mortuary. “Fortunately, the mortuary is a stone throw from the house of the deceased and one of the mortuary workers, who knew about the missing person, called the attention of her family to come and have a look at the body brought by the Police. “On getting there, Omolara was able to identify the body by the bra and underwear, since her head was already chopped off. “Having identified the body, the DPO Obalende Division, SP Murphy Salami, mobilised his crack detectives and embarked on a technical and intelligence-based investigation, which led them to Taiwo Olutufese Ajalorun, a herbalist in whose possession the deceased’s phone was recovered. “He was promptly arrested, and a search warrant was duly executed in his house, where a container full of human blood, later discovered to be that of the deceased, was recovered. “His arrest led to the apprehension of his friend, Lukman Oladele, in whose house the legs of the deceased were also recovered. “They both made confessional statements which led to the arrest of other suspects who are buyers of the different parts. How they killed her “On interrogation, Taiwo Olutufese Ajalorun and Lukman Oladele confessed that the deceased was lured to the house of Taiwo, who happened to be her man friend. “As soon as the victim entered, she was pinned down by both Taiwo Olutufese and Lukman Oladele and they subsequently strangled her. “After killing her, they cut off the head, legs and the two hands which they sold to buyers to be used for money making rituals. “According to them, the legs of the deceased were sold for N30,000, the heart for N50,000 to Akeem Bello, while the person who bought the head is still at large. “The suspects confessed further that the victim was the third persons they had killed in such gruesome manner.”

  Decades after mental health regulatory reforms have languished in the legislative chambers with failed attempts at overhaul in 2003 and 2013; President Muhammadu Buhari has finally signed into law the Mental Health Bill harmonised by both Houses of Assembly in 2021. The signing which seems to be a parting gift to Nigerians from the president is also the 1st Mental Health Act/ Law post Independence and will also replaced the Lunacy Act of 1958. It could be recalled that in 2019, the mental health legislation was advanced, with the Senate passing it for second reading and holding public hearings in 2020. On the 28th of November, 2022, the National Assembly passed the National Mental Health Bill, 2021, and forwarded it to President Buhari for consideration and assent last week, according to a memorandum by the Clerk to the National Assembly. Confirming the signing to Vanguard, the President of the Association of Psychiatrists of Nigeria, APN, Prof Taiwo Obindo described it as a great relief. This is a victory for Mental Health Care and practice in this nation. “A final culmination to over two decades of several efforts by the Association of Psychiatrists of Nigeria now has an Act/Law on Mental Health governance and we are now part of the global space with best global practice,” he stated. Also, speaking, immediate past President of APN, Prof Taiwo Shielk expressed gratitude to God Almighty that the Mental Health Bill has been signed into law by The President and Commander In Chief of FRN. Congratulations to APN for our tenacity and advocacy for the voiceless. “Our profound gratitude to Senator Dr. Ibrahim Oloriegbe, Senator Ahmad Abubakar, Dr. Ibrahim Gambari (COS), CBM International, Johnson & Johnson and all our partners. After several attempts, by His Grace we finally reached the milestone. We pray that The Lord will reward all those who contributed to the success of this project.” According to psychiatrists, the law will help replace the Lunacy Act of 1958, which practitioners condemn as outdated and inhumane. Some provisions of the National Mental Health Bill include creating a Department of Mental Health Services in the Federal Ministry of Health and a Mental Health Fund. It will help to establish human rights protections for those with mental health conditions, such as banning discrimination in housing, employment, medical, and other social services. Improving care by guaranteeing those receiving treatments have the right to participate in formulating their medical plans and eliminating forced treatment, seclusion, and other methods of restraint in facilities, additionally, expanding community-based coverage. The law will also address the way and manner mentally ill populations are to be catered for without stigma or discrimination and also form global best practices in enshrining the human right of the mentally ill, how care can be accessed, and outlawing chaining or other forms of coercion. The law, among other benefits, will help in making access to care for the mentally ill easier and ensuring that the human rights of the mentally ill are enforced. It will also help in regulating the activities of mental health practitioners and eliminates stigma and discrimination. It will also help in addressing the issue of funding for mental health care in Nigeria.

  Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has promised to convert Nigerian Internet fraudsters known as Yahoo boys to technology experts. He noted this during his campaign rally in Benin, the Edo State capital, yesterday. Tinubu, who flew into the ancient city from Kano where his campaign train berthed on Wednesday, urged a huge crowd of supporters at the University of Benin Sports Complex, Ugbowo, to vote for him, if they wanted to be rich. The former Lagos State governor also canvassed reparation by some European nations for returned Benin artefacts. Besides, he criticised former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar, accusing them of focusing on personal comfort instead of developing the country when they were in power between 1999 and 2007. He faulted Obasanjo’s endorsement of the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, saying he (Obi) “could not tackle erosion menace in the Southeast state of Anambra” where served as governor for eight years. Describing himself as a knowledgeable man, the APC candidate, said industrial and technology hubs would be created to make the youths become instruments for development. His words: ”I will convert Yahoo boys and make them useful by converting their talents and intellects to produce chips for industries. We can defeat poverty, ignorance and homelessness. We have the knowledge, we have the brain to do it. Trust me. I am an expert in finding the way where there is no way. I found a way to tame the Atlantic in Lagos and turn it to money- making machine. “Sociologically, we can make mountains, we can climb Kilimanjaro, we can defeat poverty. We will break the shackle of poverty, ignorance and homelessness.” Tinubu accused Obasanjo and the past PDP government of failing to provide electricity for Nigerians “to make even popcorn “ after spending $16 billion on the power sector. He said: “I brought Enron to solve electricity problem and help Lagos economy, but Obasanjo and PDP frustrated it. They punished me and Lagos people and even began deducting our money. “I created local governments in Lagos to accelerate development and create employment for our people, but Obasanjo seized our allocation and punished us for that. That was wickedness and such a man said he endorsed a man for you to vote as President. “Can you follow such a man? Can Obasanjo recommend a leader to anyone in Nigeria? A man who does not know the way cannot show the way.” The APC standard bearer, who also said that Atiku was unfit to be president, accused Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki and his allies of ordering the removal of his billboards. He said: “Show me a better job that Atiku did before. You cannot find it. He is not the smartest customs officer. A customs officer, who cannot define the ethics of the civil service. A civil servant, who said selling cars is where he made his money, but does not know that the only thing that civil servants can do is agriculture, not dealing in or smuggling cars. That is a disqualification. He (Atiku) is not fit to be president.” On the returned artefacts, Tinubu said: “Edo people, prosperity has come, happiness has come, hope is back in your homes, knowledge is back in your community. I am happy about the returned artefacts. They are bringing our artefacts. I support the Oba of Benin who said our heritage must come back, but I disagree with the Europeans. “They have used our artefacts for exhibitions and tourism for decades in their museums to make money. They should not just send them back without money. When I become President, I will ask them to pay us restitution. I will contribute to the building of the museum in Benin.” Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje hailed the crowd at the Sports Centre assured that the 19 Northern states would massively vote for Tinubu. A former National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, described Tinubu as a president in waiting, who believes in the unity of Nigeria.

  In the first quarter 2022, the 11 electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) failed to remit N69.94 billion to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET) and the Market Operator (MO), The Nation learnt on Thursday. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) broke the news in its Q1 2022 report, which our correspondent obtained in Abuja. The report recalled that due to the absence of cost reflective tariffs across all DisCos, the government was saddled with a subsidy obligation of N38.27 billion over the three months of Q1 2022 which translates to N12.76 billion per month. According to the commission, combined Minimum Remittance Order (MRO) adjusted invoices from NBET & MO to DisCos in 2022/Q1 was M205.63billion (N164.86 billion for NBET and N40.77 billion for MO) for generation cost as well as transmission and administrative services. NERC however said: “Out of this amount, the DisCos collectively remitted a total of N135.69 billion (N109.96 billion for NBET and N25.73 billion for MO), creating a total deficit of N69.94 billion and translating to a remittance performance of 65.99% during the quarter.” The report explained that in the absence of cost-reflective tariffs, the Government undertakes to cover the resultant gap (between the cost-reflective and allowed tariff) in the form of tariff shortfall funding. This funding, it said, is applied to the NBET invoices that are to be paid by DisCos. It added that the amount to be covered by the DisCo is based on the allowed tariff determined by the Commission and set out as their Minimum Remittance Obligation (MRO) in the periodic Multi Year Tarrif Orders (MYTOs) issued by the Commission. In the quarter under review, NERC said no payment was made by the special customer (Ajaokuta Steel Co. Ltd and the host community) in respect of the ₦0.38 billion and ₦0.07 billion market invoices issued by NBET and MO respectively in 2022/Q1. The report noted that in the same period, bilateral customers; Paras-SBEE, Transcorp-SBEE, and Mainstream-NIGERLEC received invoices of $2.72 million, $2.74 million and $4.61 million from the MO and each remitted $2.72 million (100%), $2.74 million (100%), and $4.52 million (98%) respectively. According to the commission, Odukpani-CEET received an invoice of $3.42 million from the MO during the period but no payment was made by this customer.