Tuesday 18 April 2023 Fuel subsidy: FG begins 40% pay rise for workers April ending PDP govs demand Adamawa REC’s trial, Binani sues INEC Melaye’s emergence as gov candidate dangerous, says ex-deputy gov House leadership: Opposition sings discordant tunes, APC woos minority caucus Lagos bishop accused of raping pastors arraigned Flight disruptions as aviation unions begin 2-day warning strike Gowon leads prayer rally in Umuahia to herald Otti’s take-over 2 aides killed, 3 policemen hospitalised as kidnappers abduct SAN in Rivers Kidnapper buries 3-year-old boy alive after collecting ransom Area Boys attack NDLEA operatives, foil arrest of suspected drug dealer Court Refuses To Lift Abure’s Suspension As LP National Chairman JAMB Extends 2023 Direct Entry Registration NLC Officials Storm LP Secretariat In Solidarity With Abure Nnamdi Kanu’s Lawyer Raises Alarm Over His Health Comply with Disability Act when deploying ad hoc staff for elections, analyst tells INEC FG approves use of groundbreaking Oxford malaria vaccine AMCON takes over Glano Nigeria’s assets over N2.4bn debt NCDC reports over 1,000 cholera cases in three months | Cross River, Ebonyi top list Oral Cancers Kill 764 Nigerians Annually – FG Many Killed, Houses Burnt In Plateau Village Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court has refused to vacate an interim order restraining the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Mr Julius Abure, the National Secretary, Farouk Ibrahim and two others from parading themselves as leaders of the party. He rather fixed April 20 to take all applications in respect of the case amidst a call by counsel of the embattled national officers of the party to have the matter heard speedily. The counsel to Abure, Alex Ejesieme, had prayed the court to vacate the interim order and restore a semblance of sanity after a takeover of the Labour Party national secretariat by another faction. The senior lawyer said the division in the party following the interim order has worsened to the point that four groups in the Imo State chapter of the Labour Party held parallel primaries. Justice Muazu by way of intervention however ordered all parties in the suit to ensure speedy filing of their processes for a speedy hearing of the case.

  The federal government has appealed to aviation workers to cancel the ongoing strike action, promising that their demands will be met soon. TheCable had reported that the aviation workers commenced a strike on Monday, blocking access roads to both the international and domestic wings of the Murtala Muhammed Airports in Lagos. Prior to Monday’s event, the unions had issued a warning on their plans to embark on a two-day strike over failure of the federal government to respond to certain requests, which includes the improvement of working conditions and entitlements. Speaking in a statement on Monday, Oluseyi Odutayo, head of press and public relations of the ministry of aviation, said before commencing the strike, the unions should have met with the management of agencies for alternative accommodation to all affected offices. He said the strike was unnecessary as it will increase the hardship “on our citizens, affect flight schedules, lead to economic losses and negatively impact our rating globally”. Odutayo asked the aggrieved workers to sheathe their swords and contribute their quota to make the country’s aviation industry the hub of Africa. “On the concession of airports, the unions are aware of global practices and for the aviation industry in Nigeria to be the hub in Africa, the concession is the way to improve infrastructure and make our airports economically viable as this is without loss of jobs,” the spokesperson said.   “On conditions of service in some of the agencies, it is a work in progress. The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission is already carrying out assessments and will soon conclude. “The unions should also note, if they are not already aware, that the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage has been finalised and is about to be paid anytime soon. We have always conveyed this information in the several conversations and meetings held with the unions.” Odutayo said the management of the ministry of aviation is open to continuous engagement with the unions to improve their welfare. But he said this could only be done in an atmosphere of peace and mutual respect. “Let me reiterate that while we are appealing to the unions to sheath the sword; the management will seriously view any behaviour by any union that is likely to lead to a breakdown of law and order at our airports,” he said. “The ministry wishes to appeal to the unions to call off the strike and join hands with management to make the aviation industry a hub in Africa.”

  The Lagos State Government has arraigned the founder of I Reign Christian Ministry, Bishop Oluwafeyiropo Daniel for allegedly raping two of his church members (names withheld). He was arraigned before Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court sitting in Ikeja. According to the prosecution, the defendant allegedly committed the offences sometime in June 2020 in Ikota Villa Estate, Lekki, Lagos, and the offences contravene Sections 260 (2) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015. The clergyman pleaded not guilty to the charge against him and his counsel, Olukunle Oyewole subsequently asked the court to grant him bail. While moving the arguments for bail, the defence counsel urged the court to grant bail to the defendant on liberal terms. Oyewole argued that the defendant had been on police administrative bail since May 20, 2022, and had made himself available to the police. “My lord, the defendant was not informed on the day the matter came up for the first time before this court. “The defendant is a well-known religious leader and he has shown by his actions that he will not jump bail. ADVERTISEMENT “The offence for which he is charged is a bailable offence and he has credible sureties that can stand for him,” the lawyer said. The lead prosecution counsel for the state, Mr Babajide Boye, had however urged the court to refuse the bail application of the defendant. Boye argued that the offence was a serious one and that the likelihood of conviction might put the defendant at flight risk. “There is also the possibility of the defendant interfering with the prosecution witnesses. He is a bishop of so many branches and if granted bail, he may use his position to influence the prosecution witnesses as he is regarded as a man of authority who has the possibility of committing the same crime. “We urge the court to deny the defendant bail because he has failed to provide the court exceptional circumstances to grant him bail,” the prosecutor submitted. After listening to both parties, Justice Oshodi admitted the clergyman to bail in the sum of N20 million bail with two sureties in like sum. He said one of the sureties must be the owner of a landed property in Lagos State and the property must be enough to cover the bail sum. “The original document of the landed property must also be submitted to the chief registrar of Lagos State,” the court held. Other conditions of bail include that the sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and must have paid three years’ tax payment to the Lagos State Government. The judge also ordered the defendant to deposit his international passport with the chief registrar of the court while ordering an accelerated hearing of the case. Pending the perfection of these bail conditions, the court ordered the remand of a clergyman at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre. Justice Rahman then adjourned till May 9 for trial. Before Monday’s arraignment, legal advice issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dr. Babajide Martins disclosed that, “after a consideration of the facts available in the duplicate case file, the office of the DPP is of the view that there exists prima facie, offence of Rape under Section 260 of the Criminal Law, Ch C17, Vol.3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015 against the Suspect Oluwafeyiropo Daniel.” Excerpts of the legal advice also said, “Facts from the duplicate case file reveal that the suspect – Oluwafeyiropo Daniel is a pastor and the Founder of I Reign Christian Ministry, that he had a church branch in Akungba Akoko where he had young people as Pastors and Assistant Pastors. “It is also revealed that Oluwafeyiropo Daniel invites the branch pastors and assistants to his house from time for one reason or the other. “The Complainant was an assistant Pastor at the Akungba branch who Oluwafeyiropo Daniel took advantage of whenever she visits his Ikota residence. It is revealed that Oluwafeyiropo Daniel having presented himself as his victim’s spiritual father whom they must be loyal to and must never hide anything from him including their body lures the complainant and his other victims into having sexual intercourse with him. “Although Oluwafeyiropo Daniel denied all allegations and states that he had never at any time assaulted the complainant or any of his other victims, the evidence of the victims in the duplicate case file is cogent, direct and unequivocal and is sufficient evidence against Oluwafeyiropo Daniel. “In the light of the foregoing, this office shall prosecute Oluwafeyiropo Daniel for the offence of Rape under Sections 260 of the Criminal Law, Cap C17, Vol.3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015.”

  The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) says it has taken possession of assets belonging to Glano Nigeria Limited over an indebtedness valued at N2.4 billion. In a statement on Monday, Jude Nwauzor, head of corporate communications department of AMCON, said the takeover followed the order of a federal high court in Lagos. Consequently, he said the corporation took possession of the company’s property, located in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, on April 6, 2023. Nwauzor said AMCON, which is established to recover bad debt on behalf of the federal government, had been in “an endless court battle with Glano and its promoters since 2016 but had waited patiently till 2018”.   The spokesperson said the court finally decided to back AMCON’s takeover of Glano, having looked at the case in its entirety — especially regarding efforts AMCON made to “resolve the loan amicably without cooperation from the obligor”. “In compliance with the enforcement order, AMCON on Thursday, April 6, 2023, took effective possession of Glano Nigeria Limited’s property located at no. 22 Woji road Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, which had been under the management of Sterling Law Alliance since 2019,” he said. “Apart from granting AMCON possession of the property situate at no. 22 Woji road Port Harcourt, the court also ordered AMCON to take all necessary steps required to realise the assets of the obligor within the judicial division, by seizing and taking any money bank notes, cheques, bills of exchange, promissory note, and all forms of bonds of security for money, with a view to realising the huge outstanding debt.   “The case of Glano Nigeria Limited and its promoter has been a protracted issue because the loan was purchased during the third phase of eligible bank assets (EBA) from United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc way back in 2013. Since then, AMCON has offered the obligor a good measure of olive branches, and explored all avenues to resolve the matter amicably, but the obligor and his company, Glano Nigeria Limited, remained recalcitrant and unwilling to repay the huge debt to the corporation.” Nwauzor added that the enforcement was carried out in “a seamless manner”, especially as the court had also directed the Nigerian police force, officials of the court, and other security agencies to assist the corporation in securing the assets.

  Prince Mandela Umegborogu, one of the lawyers of the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has bitterly complained over the alleged relocation of a tuberculosis inmate near Kanu’s cell at the Abuja headquarters of the Department of State Services, DSS. Kanu’s lawyer who spoke with Vanguard after a routine visit to the IPOB Leader on Monday expressed deep worry over the grave health implications of having a tuberculosis patient in one’s environment. He said that Kanu was highly enraged about the sad development which he alleged could be a deliberate attempt to infest him with an infectious disease. ” I met with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu today (Monday) at the DSS headquarters in Abuja, and he was complaining to me that they brought somebody suffering from tuberculosis close to his cell block. ” The patient, Emeribe Uduma was arrested in Ohafia on September 15, 2022 , and handed over to the DSS which brought him to Abuja. “Onyendu ( Kanu) complained to me that that boy was suffering from tuberculosis and that he was moved near his cell block so that he would infest him and others with tuberculosis. ” You know that tuberculosis is very infectious. Do they want to infest him so he will die in detention? ” Onyendu also told me that he ( Kanu) was yesterday ( Sunday) bleeding from his nose. He requires serious attention by his personal physician.” The lawyer further said that when DSS officials came to fetch Kanu after their meeting, he raised the same complaint before them but they denied having any tuberculosis inmates around the facility. ” When we finished discussing and some DSS personnel came to take him back to his cell he raised the matter before them. ” He told them that it is immoral and inhuman to do certain things even if it’s an order from above. He told them to have a sense of their own and refuse to obey instructions that are inhuman and illegal. ” I also confronted them and told them it was wrong to bring a tuberculosis patient close to people especially those in confinement where you don’t have ventilation. But they said they had tested everybody and nobody had tuberculosis but Onyendu told them it’s a lie”. Reacting to the development, Kanu’s family has called on the international community to prevail on the Nigeria Authorities not to allow Kanu to die in detention. The family which spoke through Prince Emmanuel Kanu expressed worry over the development and renewed the call for his release in compliance with various court orders. ” They should bear in mind that Kanu is an innocent man who has been set free by the Court. Any plan to bring him down through infectious disease should be dropped. The international community should prevail on Nigeria to ensure nothing happens to him”. Meanwhile, efforts to reach the DSS were unsuccessful as the secret police Spokesman could not be accessed as at the time of filing this report.

Police in Katsina say they have arrested a 30-year-old Abubakar Abdulaziz, for abducting and burying alive a 3-year-old child, in the Musawa Local Government Area of the state, after demanding a ransom of N800,000. In a statement by the police spokesman, Chief Superintendent, CSP, Gambo Isah, the incident occurred on March 23, when the suspect was said to have “trespassed into the residence of one Adamu Alhassan of Bacirawa Village, in Musawa Local Government Area, Katsina State, while he was asleep, and kidnapped his three-year-old son to an unknown destination”. Isah added that the suspect then dropped a letter, directing the father of the child to pay a ransom of 800 thousand Naira, and provided a contact phone number. The police image maker further said the father made the contact, negotiated, and paid the sum of 150 thousand Naira to secure the release of his child but to no avail until he reported the case to the police. Isah added that, upon receipt of the report, detectives immediately swung into action and succeeded in arresting the suspect. He said, during the investigation, the suspect confessed to the commission of the offence, saying he buried the child alive after receiving the ransom.

  British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under investigation by the parliamentary watchdog over a possible failure to declare shares his wife holds in an agency benefiting from a recent budget, an official said Monday. Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg on Thursday launched the probe into shares Akshata Murty holds in childcare agency “Koru Kids”, his office said. The rules demand that “members must always be open and frank in declaring any relevant interest in any proceeding of the House or its committees.” Sunak’s office said the prime minister was “happy to assist the Commissioner to clarify how this has been transparently declared as a Ministerial interest.” BREAKING: INEC suspends Adamawa REC for declaring Binani winner Tinubu micromanages team more than Buhari – Fashola Sunak did not mention Murty’s shares in the firm at a recent committee hearing. Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt in March announced a pilot of incentive payments for childminders joining the profession, which doubles if workers sign up through one of six agencies, including Koru Kids. Sunak had promised “integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level” when he came to power in October after the short reign of Liz Truss and the scandal-tainted premiership of Boris Johnson. He has since received a police fine for not wearing a seatbelt on top of another for breaching lockdown rules when he was finance minister under Johnson. Murty is the daughter of the co-founder of Indian IT giant Infosys and her wealth is estimated at around $700 million. Sunak has previously been criticised when it emerged that Murty had so-called “non-dom” status and did not declare earnings from her dividends in Infosys for UK tax purposes. Murty later said she would include them after a furore. Critics, including the main opposition Labour party, have said the privately wealthy Sunak, who worked in finance before entering politics, is out of touch with ordinary voters struggling with rising costs.

  Aviation workers, on Monday, blocked access roads to both the international and domestic wings of the Murtala Muhammed Airports in Lagos, in protest of poor working conditions and entitlements. The situation has led to serious gridlock along Airport Road in the Ikeja axis of Lagos, with the entrance of the Murtala Muhammed Airports Terminal Two (MMA2) being mostly affected. An airport official told TheCable that while entry roads have been blocked, airlines’ flights operations are still going on as scheduled. “Airports are not closed. Flights are boarding as scheduled,” the source said. “Passengers are not prevented from coming in and out either. Only access road was blocked against vehicular movement.” Last week, aviation unions announced plans to embark on a warning strike over the failure of the federal government to meet their demands minimum wage and other sundry issues. The unions involved are the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), and the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP). Others are the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreation Services Employees. Specifically, the workers are demanding the approval and implementation of the agreement condition of service, (CoS) as agreed between them and the Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), and the office of the head of civil service of the federation. Others are the non-implementation of minimum wage consequential adjustments and arrears for the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, (NiMet) since 2019 and the planned demolition exercise of all the agency buildings in Lagos by the minister of aviation for an airport city project. Speaking on Monday at MMA2, Abdulrasaq Saidu, secretary general of ANAP, said it was high time the government adhered to their terms. He said the unions were tired of the non-responsiveness of the federal government to their grievances. According to Saidu, workers in the aviation sector have had to go through several challenges which had lingered for the past seven years. “For the past seven years, it is time to free the aviation workers from the yoke of imperialism, bad governance and too much corruption in the industry without addressing workers’ welfare,” he told TheCable. “So today, we say, enough is enough and that is why we have this strike. The strike continues tomorrow even if the security authorities get involved. We have no arms, we are civil.” Earlier on Monday, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) chapter, advised travellers and stakeholders to make contingency plans to avoid missing their appointments.

  The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has approved the R21 malaria vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this on Monday at a press briefing in Abuja. This makes Nigeria the second country to approve the new malaria vaccine developed at the University of Oxford, after Ghana. Prof Adeyeye said the vaccine is indicated for the prevention of clinical malaria in children from 5 months to 36 months of age. She said the country expects to get at least 100,000 doses of the vaccine in donations soon before the market authorisation will start making other arrangements with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency. Adeyeye said “NAFDAC in exercising its mandate as stipulated by its enabling law, NAFDAC Act CapN1, LFN 2004 is granting registration approval for R21 Malaria Vaccine (Recombinant, Adjuvanted) manufactured by Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. “The Marketing Authorization Holder is Fidson Healthcare Ltd in line with the Agency’s Drug and Related Products Registration Regulation 2021. “The R21 Malaria vaccine is an adjuvanted protein vaccine presented as a sterile solution. A dose which is 0.5ml is composed of R21 Malaria antigen 5µg and Matrix-M1 50µg as an adjuvant filled in a vial as a ready-to-use liquid formulation for intramuscular injection. “The vaccine is indicated for the prevention of clinical malaria in children from 5 months to 36 months of age. The storage temperature of the vaccine is 2-8 °C.” She said the dossier of the vaccine was subjected to independent review at two levels. She said the dossier was reviewed by NAFDAC’s Vaccine Advisory Committee independently using standards of the World Health Organisation across relevant domains, in addition to the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human use guidelines, European Medicines Agency guidelines, scientific rigour on the vaccine and the context of malaria and specifically to Nigeria and best research and manufacturing governance. “NEVAC members reviewed all sections independently using best review practices and met physically in plenary to assess and debate the reviews by sections, raised queries, and made recommendations accordingly. “Overall, the assessment was scored as adequate -fully compliant with standards, and the report was submitted to the Director General. “The review of NAFDAC’s Committee has always been guided by the same international standards and best practices with the same modality of an independent review by members followed by long hours of plenary where a rigorous assessment of each review took place. The Committee also independently scored the assessment as satisfactory and forwarded it to the Director General.” According to her, the R21 malaria vaccine dossier complied substantially with the best international standards with which the dossier was benched-marked. She said the Joint Review Committee concluded that the data on the R21 Malaria vaccine were robust and met the criteria for efficacy, safety, and quality. It was also adjudged that the vaccine’s known and potential benefits outweigh its known and potential risks, thereby supporting the manufacturer’s recommended use. “The Joint Review Committee recognised the importance of an effective malaria vaccine (with 75 per cent protection) as an additional interventional tool, as a critical need in Nigeria with the highest malaria burden. “The Joint Review Committee also recommended additional phase four clinical trial, pharmacovigilance study in-country in the implementation given the peculiarity and heterogeneous nature of malaria in Nigeria. “The Joint Review Committee was also interested in reviewing data of the human-malaria parasite dynamics of the 25 per cent not covered to understand issues bothering on non-protection that could inform further research. “A provisional approval of the R21 Malaria Vaccine was recommended and this shall be done in line with the WHO’s Malaria Vaccine Implementation Guideline,” she noted. The PUNCH reports that four African countries accounted for just over half of all malaria deaths worldwide – Nigeria (31.3%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.6%), United Republic of Tanzania (4.1%) and Niger (3.9%). In Nigeria, 97 per cent of the population are at risk of malaria.