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Court remands 80-year-old Oyo PDP leader over Aborode’s Death
An 80-year-old chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Igangan, simply identified as Pa Olawuwo, has been arraigned in court over the killing of Dr Fatai Aborode.
Our correspondent gathered on Thursday that Olawuwo was arrested and taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department Iyaganku in Ibadan.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Oyo State, Mr. Olugbenga Fadeyi, told our correspondent on Friday that the suspect had been arraigned and the court remanded him in police custody.
He said this in terse reply to an inquiry sent to him by our correspondent.
The PPRO said, “Yes, he has been charged to court and remanded in Police custody.”
Sources told our correspondent that the octogenarian politician and Aborode were from the same constituency and some of his followers who went to where he was detained were not allowed to see him.
March 19, 2021
Insecurity: IGP accuses states of non-cooperation
Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu on Thursday accused states of not fully cooperating with the Federal Government in the battle against insecurity.
He canvassed “community participation” through the involvement of traditional rulers to secure the country from all forms of criminality.
According to him, security should not be left entirely in the hands of security agents.

Adamu spoke during the third Quarterly Meeting of Secretaries to State Governments (SSGs) in Abuja, coordinated by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha.
The IG said: “We are not getting the maximum cooperation we are supposed to get at the state level. And we believe that the SSGs should be conscious of security in their states.
“When they are able to galvanise all the stakeholders and different structures that can enhance the security of their states, we would have relative peace in terms of insecurity.
“If SSGs are not coordinating activities within the states in these areas I don’t think there is anybody that can do it.”
Niger State SSG Ahmed Ibrahim Matane said the state is under policed. According to him, there are only 86 policemen posted to Rafi Local Government, where banditry is prevalent.
Mustapha and National Security Adviser (NSA) Babagana Monguno expressed the same position that traditional rulers should be involved in the security architecture.
Mustapha said: “Governments at all levels have been doing their utmost best to address these challenges. However, its persistence calls for approaches that are more than the conventional and normal.
“We need to involve all arms of government, all apparatus of government and most importantly, those that have relationship directly with the rural communities and the citizenry.
“It is, therefore, in line with the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari, with support from all governors, that this forum should bring to bear its coordinating and monitoring role at all levels for a holistic approach to a resolution of these problems.
“To enable us learn from a practical experience of dealing with the issue of banditry, we have requested one of our members to share with us so that others with similar experiences can also exchange notes and by the end of the day, we leave with practical steps and strategies to curtail this menace.
“We all know that these criminal elements have turned our hitherto pristine forest reserves into an operational base and hide-out from which most of their activities are launched and sustained.
“Of course, we will still need our forests and other protected areas for the services they provide, especially as foreign exchange earners, sources of job creation, guaranteeing availability of soil nutrients and water for food security.
“They also serve as carbon sinks for addressing climate change and providing clement environment for a healthy living,” he explained.”
Mustapha added: “Nigeria has been confronted with an inexplicable escalation of violence resulting in insecurity across the nation.
Monguno said: “If you disengage community leaders, you will not have the type of intelligence you need.
“Right now, security agencies do not work together as closely as expected. We have been trying to ensure unity of purpose, unity of operation”.
“Whether we like it or not, in Nigeria, we fundamentally rely on traditional institutions. They are essential to security and if they do not carry the kind of authority they ought to, we cannot recalibrate the entire political structure.
“Leave out our traditional rulers, you will begin to see all kinds of leaders of various sects filling the vacuum because their traditional rulers have been taken away from what they are supposed to do and coordinate.
“It is not to give people traditional titles alone. Traditional rulers must be fully engaged to support our efforts.”
Monguno explained that the meeting, which wasvirtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, took short presentations from Niger, Taraba, Oyo, Plateau, Imo and Akwa-Ibom SSGs, who shared experiences from their states.
March 19, 2021
DPR Seals Filling Stations Selling Petrol Above Approved Price In Imo
The Department of Petroleum Resources has sealed some petrol stations in Imo State, south-east Nigeria.
On Friday, the Zonal Controller of DPR in Imo, Roseline Wilki, led a team of officials on a routine monitoring exercise in Owerri, the state capital.
During the operation, some filling stations were sealed for selling Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, above the authorised pump price.
“We are here to ensure that there is quality, to ensure availability of the product, and to ensure that you don’t have adulterated product and that there is no hoarding,” Wilki told reporters at one of the filling stations sealed.
She added, “We are here to ensure that the operators are selling within the government approved pump price.
“We will definitely sanction those that are not selling within the (government approved) pump price and for the adulteration; we will make sure that they (consumers) get the right product.”
Wilki explained that the need to monitor some petrol stations became necessary because of the outcry over the increase in the price of petrol.
She stated that the action of the erring independent marketers was against the directive of the Federal Government on the sale of the product.
The DPR zonal controller urged the residents in the state to disregard any rumour of an increase in the pump price of petrol.
She also advised them to report any independent marketer who sells above the normal pump price to the department and warned operators against hoarding and quality delivery.
Wilki said, “Right from the depot, we are going to do carriages inspection and ensure that products that are being loaded are within the correct spec.
“They (residents) should not rely on black market products because wherever they find that there are issues, they should not hesitate to report to the department, and we have offices in almost every state of the Federation.”
March 19, 2021
NSCIA Will Not Force Anyone To Take AstraZeneca Vaccine, Says Sultan
The Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) says it will not force anyone in the country to take the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
The Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Council, His Eminence Sa’ad Abubakar, stated this at a meeting on Friday in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
He spoke at a meeting with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire; and the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib.
According to the Sultan, the NSCIA has endorsed the vaccine but it will not decide for anyone whether or not to take the jab.
As controversies over the effectiveness of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines continue, the Nigerian authorities decided to meet with Muslim scholars and imams led by the Sultan to seek their support.
In his remarks, Mustapha who is also the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, announced that the task force was working to begin vaccination of religious and traditional leaders.
He explained that this was aimed at boosting the confidence of the public and commended the Muslim scholars and imams for their support to the government in the management of the virus.
Ehanire, on his part, reiterated that the AstraZeneca vaccine was safe and those who have already been vaccinated, including himself, have yet to report any side effect.
According to him, the involvement of religious leaders is to speed up the administration of the vaccines, considering the impact of the disease on the Nigerian population.
For the NPHCDA chief, the government decided to convene the meeting in order to clear the air on the lingering controversy and commence mass vaccination.
He noted that the European Union Medicines Council had also reversed its initial decision to stop the use of the vaccine and said that it was safe for use.
March 19, 2021
COVID-19 Vaccine: Ogun sets up vaccination centre for journalists
As frontline workers, journalists in Ogun State will start receiving the Astrazeneca Covid-19 vaccine at the NUJ Secretariat, Iwe-Iroyin, Abeokuta.
A statement by the Chief of Staff to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Kunle Somorin, said the vaccination for journalists will start on Friday, March 19.
Somorin noted that Gov Abiodun had decided to treat journalists specially because their profession exposes them so much to the deadly virus.
He likened pressmen to health workers and security agents, who he said were always on the road when other people stay at home, especially during lockdown.
However, it was disclosed that only journalists who have registered for the vaccine online would be attended to by health workers, from 10am to 5pm on Friday at Iwe-Iroyin.
Somorin added that a print out of the online registration details would be required for record purposes.
March 19, 2021
Gov Masari gives reason Nigeria is attractive to bandits, kidnappers
Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has said Nigeria is economically attractive to kidnappers and bandtry in the Sahel region of Africa.
Masari explained that kidnappers find Nigeria attractive because the country is the richest country in the Sahel region of Africa.
He spoke during his appearance on Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today.
The governor stressed that banditry and kidnapping pays more in Nigeria than other countries of the Sahel region.
Masari said: “There are kidnappers, there are bandits around but look at the whole world and look at the position of Nigeria in the Sahelian region. Are we not the richest? So, the attraction even for kidnappers to come to Nigeria is there.
“If you kidnap somebody in Mali, where are you going to get thousands? If I kidnap you in Nigeria, I get millions. So, all of us will have to rise to the occasion.
“In my state, the bandits kidnapped four relatives of very senior government officials. When they cannot get anything to sustain themselves, they resort to high-profile kidnappings for money in cities and towns. That is something we must work hard to stop.”
Banditry and kidnapping have worsened in the North, with students and residents being their target.
Zamfara, Niger, Kebbi and Kaduna States have been the most affected by banditry, while other regions of Nigeria have also experienced kidnapping.
March 19, 2021
Doctors threatens strike over non-paying of dead members’ insurance
The National Association of Resident Doctors says the families of frontline doctors, who died of COVID-19, have been abandoned despite N500bn released by the Federal Government last year for the COVID-19 response.
The National President of NARD, Dr. Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, said this during an interview.
Recall that the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, had, at a press briefing on April 4, 2020, said the Federal Government was working with stakeholders to structure medical and life insurance for health workers involved in the war against COVID-19 in Nigeria.
Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, had said, “In recognition of the danger to which our frontline health workers are exposed, the government is working with other stakeholders to structure medical and life insurance cover for their protection.”
Also, as part of the government’s response to COVID-19, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, had on April 7, 2020 announced the establishment of a N500bn COVID-19 crisis intervention fund.
The money, which was approved in tranches of N213.9bn and N286bn, was expected to fund the upgrade of health facilities, the Special Public Work Programmes being implemented by the National Directorate of Employment and other interventions.
Ahmed had said, “President Buhari has approved the establishment of a N500bn COVID-19 Crisis Intervention Fund. It will involve drawing much-needed cash resources from various special funds and accounts, in consultation with and with the approval of the National Assembly.
“The N500 billion is proposed to be utilised to upgrade healthcare facilities as earlier identified by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 approved by President Buhari. The fund is also to finance Federal Government’s interventions to support states in improving healthcare facilities.
But on Thursday, NARD, which is the umbrella body for all doctors undergoing residency training, said at least 17 of its members had died of COVID-19 while their families were not given any insurance claim.
The NARD President, therefore, stated that the body would be embarking on an indefinite strike beginning from March 31, 2021.
He said, “The families of doctors who died of COVID-19 have not been paid. They have been left behind and their families are struggling. Resident doctors under GIMFIS (Government Integrated Financial Management Information System; an IT-based system for budgeting and accounting) haven’t been paid in over three months and you are trying to curb brain drain?
“About 3,824 of our doctors were exposed to COVID-19 while 1, 600 were infected. About 17 died. The government said a premium would be paid, however, as we speak, nothing has been done. No family member has been given anything and they claim all doctors have been insured.
“I believe it is lip service. My predecessor in NARD met with ministers like Festus Keyamo, Olorunnimbe Mamora, Osagie Ehanire and Chris Ngige. They said we have been insured. They come to the table, make negotiations and then abandon them.”
March 19, 2021
Hijab Controversy: Kwara Govt Directs Principals To Resume
Following the clash over the wearing of hijab in some schools in Ilorin, the Kwara State Government has directed principals, teachers, and staff of ten schools recently shut down over the matter to report at their respective schools tomorrow.
In a statement Thursday, the government explained that the resumption became necessary in order to prepare the final year students for their external examinations.
The government warned that any staff that fails to report to duty will face the full wrath of the law as it will not condone any act of insubordination.
It also advised stakeholders against taken laws into their hands, stressing that peace meetings will continue between the government and stakeholders.
The Kwara government said it regrets the inconveniences the shutdown might have caused the students, saying the action was taken in the interest of peace.
March 19, 2021
PHC Mobilises Councillors For COVID-19 Vaccine Immunization Campaign In Kogi
By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
Despite the non observation of COVID-19 protocol in Kogi state, the Executive Director Kogi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Abubakar Yakubu has called for the Vaccine Immunization Campaign at the grassroot level in the state.
The Executive Director made the call when the Forum of Supervisory Councillors for Health in the state paid him a solidarity visit in Lokoja.
He called on the supervisory Councillors for Health in the 21 Local Government Areas of the state to take the COVID-19 Vaccine Immunization Campaign to their respective Local Government Areas for effective vaccination
Dr. Abubakar who said the COVID-19 Vaccine is safe and posed no threat to human health said there was need for mobilization for effective vaccination.
According to him, the vaccine would be administered on whoever wishes to take as no one would be forced nor prevented from taking the Vaccine.
“The Vaccine is meant to reduce the spread of the virus as it boost ones immunity against the disease, saying that regulatory bodies like WHO and NAFDAC have certified the vaccine for human consumption.”
The Executive Director who underscored the importance of the Forum to the delivery of Health Care services in the state said the Agency would work in synergy with the Forum for effective supervision of Health Programs at the Local Government Level.
In his address, the Chairman Forum of Supervisory Councillors for Health in Kogi State, Hon. Abrahim Attairu thanked the Director for the reception, noting that the Forum would work with the Agency for an effective Primary Health Care services in the state.
March 19, 2021
Food Insecurity Looms In Kogi – INGRA
By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
The Executive Director of Initiative for Grassroot Advancement Commitment to Rural Development (INGRA), Mr. Hamza Aliyu on Thursday cried out over looming Food Insecurity in Kogi State.
This was contained in a press statement issued in Lokoja on Thursday by Mr. Aliyu who lamented over the high levels of unemployment and under employment, especially among the youth which can ultimately result in crisis and violence.
He, however, enjoined the state government to put in resources in financing the Agriculture sector so as to avert the pending social upheaval in the state.
“For the second time in a row, Kogi State is among the leading states in terms of high cost of food items despite the 70% farming population”
“The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report for February showed that the consumer price index, (CPI) which measures inflation increased by 17.33 percent (year-on-year) in February 2021. This is 0.86 percent points higher than the rate recorded in January 2021 (16.47) percent.”
“The CPI measures the average change over time in prices of goods and services consumed by people for day-to-day living all Items Inflation in January 2021, all items inflation on year on year basis was highest in Kogi (21.38%), Oyo (20.17%) and Bauchi (19.52%), while Kwara (13.96%), Abuja (12.96%) and Cross River (12.22%) recorded the slowest rise in headline Year on Year inflation.
Food inflation”
“In January 2021, Kogi recorded the highest food inflation on a year on year basis with (26.64%), Oyo (23.69%) and River (23.49%), while Ondo (17.20%), Abuja (16.73%) and Bauchi (16.37%) recorded the slowest rise. Some of the reasons for this increase was said to be the rise in the cost of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS). But this does not tell the whole story as the rates are different from State to State.”
He said that he observed that the cost of basic staple foods like Yams, Garri, Vegetables and meat etc has been on the upward trend in the state especially in the State Capital saying is worrisome considering that Kogi State is an Agrarian State.
He therefore advised the State Government to stop paying lip service to the issues of food Security and its effect on the general Insecurity of the State adding that Statistics showed that Kogi State is unable to feed itself and depends on food from other states.
March 19, 2021