Mr. Ayo Owolabi, father to Channels Television reporter, Precious Owolabi, killed by stray bullet during the Shi’ites, police clash last Monday, has demanded a probe of Garki Hospital over alleged poor handling of the emergency.
Precious Owalbi alongside a senior police officer was killed during the Shiites and Police clash
Speaking on Sunday during a condolence visit to the family by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in Kaduna, Owolabi blamed the doctor, who was supposed to perform surgery on his son, for being absent after he was initially stabilised.
The Vice President was accompanied by Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Ibrahim Shuaibu, top security chiefs and traditional leaders, to the family.
“There is nothing anyone can do in a situation like this. One has to take it as one of those challenges of life. I felt pained.
“The only thing that made me sad outside the event was that, when I learnt about what happened immediately after he was shot.
“He was taken to the first hospital where they said they could not handle his case and was referred to Garki hospital where he was attended to and was stabilised.
“But the doctor, who was supposed to do surgery on him, was far away. Possibly if he was available, the boy’s life would have been saved and that would have saved us from this agony we found ourselves in for the past one week.
“I would have loved to find out why the doctor was not around. And what step has the management of that hospital taken on that doctor’s action.
“I saw the boy in a video sitting down, holding his tommy and bleeding. But the doctor to do the surgery was nowhere to be found,” Owolabi said.
Precious Owolabi has been buried in Wusasa cemetery, Zaria in Kaduna state.
Osinbajo, during the visit to the family, described the death as great loss to the nation and a national tragedy that would never be forgotten in history, The Nations reports.
Former Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Alhaji Abdul Rafiu Ogunleye, is dead.
Alh Abdul Rafiu Ogunleye was deputy governor during the administration of Chief Olusegun Osoba.
He died Monday morning at his home town, Itele, Ijebu, at the age of 79.
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has expressed sorrow over the demise.
Abiodun, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Kunle Somorin, described Alhaji Ogunleye as an astute administrator and a politician per excellent, who contributed immensely to the socio-economic and political development of Ogun State.
The Governor attributed the development currently being enjoyed by the people to the efforts of people like the deceased, who worked tirelessly to ensure that the State attains its current status.
He said he had hoped that the former Deputy Governor would live longer so that his administration “would continue to tap from his wealth of experience for the benefit of the people of the State”.
Abiodun urged the family to take consolation in the fact that Alhaji Ogunleye lived an impactful life that benefited thousands of people, praying Almighty Allah to give them the fortitude to bear the loss and grant him repose in Aljanna Firdaus.
Cross River State Governor, Prof Ben Ayade has declared Tuesday, July 30th 2019, as Public Holiday to enable people of Cross River plant one million trees in the State.
A press statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ayade stated, “This is to remind Cross Riverians and all those who reside or do business in the state, that tomorrow, Tuesday July 30th, 2019 has been declared a public holiday by His Excellency, Senator (Professor) Ben Ayade.
“The holiday is to encourage every Cross Riverian and residents of the state to take part in the Green Carnival during which about one million trees will be planted” he said.
Consequently, the Chief Press Secretary explained that individuals, schools, homes, churches, mosques, ministries, government agencies and departments, banks, hospitals and all business premises must plant trees tomorrow.
There are indications that all is not well in the South-West chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the ministerial list submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari to the Senate last week.
A credible source in the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party said Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a national leader of the party, failed in his bid to ensure that his allies and foot soldiers made the list despite several efforts he made to get them into the president’s cabinet.
He said contrary to the impression being created that many of the nominees from the South-West are Tinubu’s choice who may be crucial to his rumoured 2023 presidential ambition, most of them are not his recommendations.
According to him, “I think the president really meant what he said when he promised to appoint only people he knows. He was indirectly saying that he will not allow some power brokers foist their loyalists on him like they did in 2015. One of those affected is Asiwaju Bola Tinubu whose nominees were rejected by the president.
“In Ekiti, what many did not know that it was Governor Kayode Fayemi that nominated Otunba Niyi Adebayo. Because of his relationship with Tinubu, many thought it was Tinubu that nominated him, but the truth is that Tinubu actually submitted the name of Dele Alake, who served as commissioner for information under him but it was rejected.
“In Lagos, Tinubu also wanted Yemi Cardoso, a former commissioner for budget and economic planning, but the president settled for Olorunimbe Mamora while also retaining Babatunde Fashola.
“Despite winning Ogun State for APC despite the strong resistance from the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), the president also snubbed Tinubu who wanted Wale Edun, a former commissioner for finance during his tenure as governor of Lagos, but settled for Lekan Adegbite, a loyalist of Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
“The same also applies to Oyo State where Tinubu nominated Abiola Ajimobi, the immediate past governor of the state, but President Buhari settled for Sunday Dare, an executive commissioner (stakeholder management) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Though Dare is one of Tinubu’s boys, the impression in the presidency is that he is more of a technocrat and will not have the kind of political influence someone like Ajimobi will have.
“He didn’t even nominate Rauf Aregbesola, former governor of Osun State. So, I think people are wrong if they say Asiwaju Tinubu’s loyalists dominated the list. The development is already unsettling leaders of the South-West APC but they are trying to manage it so as not to create the impression that things have fallen apart and the centre can no longer hold for them”, he said.
However, speaking with Daily Independent, an official of the South-West APC, said those insinuating that most of the appointees are not Tinubu’s loyalists are displaying ignorance as majority of them are his allies.
He also said rather than bother about who nominated who, Tinubu’s major interest is the national outlook and is pleased as long as the nominees have capacity to deliver and assist the president and the party to deliver on their promises to Nigerians.
He said, “If they are saying most of those names are not Asiwaju Tinubu’s nominees, are they his allies or not? In any case, what Tinubu is concerned about is the national outlook.
“These nominees who are currently being screened by the Senate, are they good choices? Do they have the capacity to deliver and assist the president in his next level agenda? If they have the capacity to deliver, then Asiwaju Tinubu has no problem with that.
“If you go to Benue, is George Akume not Tinubu’s ally? If you go to Kwara, are you saying Lai Mohammed and Gbemi Saraki who both played a leading role in the ‘O To Gee’ political revolution, are they not Tinubu’a allies? Go to Sokoto today, the ministerial nominee, Maigarai Dingyadi, is a close associate of Ibrahim Wamakko, who is also Tinubu’s ally. Go to Zamfara, the ministerial nominee, Sadiya Umar Faruk, played a key role in the merger of APC, are they now saying she is not Tinubu’s ally?
“Those saying Tinubu was sidelined are just displaying crass ignorance. If you go to Ekiti and you say Otunba Niyi Adebayo was nominated by Governor Fayemi, is Adebayo not an ally of Asiwaju? Have they forgotten that Tinubu helped in facilitating his emergence as the Deputy National Chairman of APC?
“If you go to Oyo and say Tinubu played no role in the emergence of Sunday Dare, have they forgotten that Dare is Tinubu’s immediate past Chief of Staff and media adviser, who highly regards Asiwaju more or less as his own political godfather?
“So, those are the issues but like I said, to Tinubu, what is important is that he is pleased with the nominees as long as they are competent and will assist the president in delivering on his agenda”
The Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, says to stop the farmer-herder violent crisis in Nigeria, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration should ban herdsmen from taking their cattle to the southern region of the country for grazing.
He stated this at a wedding ceremony of the son of Senator Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya — Ibrahim Khalil — in Sokoto State on Saturday.
“There is no better way to improve their lives if you don’t prevent their migration from the North to the Central and Southern parts of Nigeria. That movement should be banned, otherwise the Fulani would continue to suffer and the security problem in the country would continue,” the governor said.
Ganduje added: “We cannot ask a state to implement Ruga where the indigenes are not Fulani. It is for states that can cater to the Fulani and improve their herdsmanship.
“That is why we are developing grazing area or Ruga in Kano State so that the Fulani can be in one place, they can be educated and enjoy all the social services like other people of the state, including health, justice and security. So that the type of herdsmanship they are doing will be improved and they can produce more cows, more milk and prosper economically.”
The African Action Congress (AAC) has reaffirmed Mr Omoyele Sowore as its National Chairman, while expelling Mr Leonard Ezenwa, former Treasurer and Secretary of the party.
Mr Joshua Adeoye, AAC Deputy National Secretary, read the resolution after an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party on Saturday in Abuja.
Sowore is the National Chairman and the 2019 Presidential candidate of AAC, while Malcolm Fabiyi is the Deputy National Chairman of the party and both were suspended by Ezenwa’s faction.
Adeoye said allegations against Sowore leading to his purported expulsion from the party were manufactured, adding that there was no case of financial impropriety against him.
Adeoye noted that Sowore as a candidate declared campaign money, adding that he carried the people along as money was being spent up to the end of the campaign.
“The NEC outrightly rejects, cancels, reverses and totally repudiates the purported suspension of Sowore and Fabiyi from their offices.
“The NEC hereby affirms and reinstates Sowore as the one and only national chairman of AAC and Fabiyi as the deputy national chairman of the party.
He said that all actions carried out by Ezenwa in the name of AAC including documents signed or authored by him ” are dismissed, set aside and nullified forthwith”.
According to him, Ezenwa’s expulsion followed his failure to appear before the NEC to defend himself in line with article 80 of AAC constitution which found him guilty of the alleged offence.
The highest decision making body of the party called for immediate arrest and prosecution of Ezenwa for alleged forgery and perjury among others criminal acts.
AAC had been involved in leadership crisis leading to the removal of its presidential candidate by a Federal High Court in Abuja for alleged financial impropriety.
Mr Inibehe Effiong, the National Legal Adviser of the party, however, said the party was not joined in the case filed by Ezenwa, adding that the person who also filed the case at the FCT High court was still unknown.
Mr Murtala Adamu, Niger state Chairman moved for adoption of the resolution of the NEC, while Mr Rotimi Ogunlana, Chairman, Oyo state seconded the resolution.
IN 2017, Mrs. Agatha Goma spoke briefly and aptly about her personality in an interview. She said: “My personality is one that doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer and I’m always out to get the job done. I believe in excellence and always strive to get it at all times.”
But when death struck on July 14, 2019, it broke the resolve and will of the young woman to say “yes” to life. Nobody saw it coming. It was indeed a dark Sunday. The way and manner Goma, a go-getter, succumbed to death by breathing her last shows the inevitability of death and its superiority over mortar humans.
The news of her death came like a bolt from the blue. Like a gas emission that begins slowly and eventually saturates the air, the news of Goma’s surprising departure started like a rumour and became a reality as it travelled with the speed of light. It was a mixed feeling. Most people doubted the veracity of the report, some took it with unusual tranquility while others screamed indisbelief.
But the energetic Goma is no more. The politician and pastor died in her sleep shortly after returning from a church service. She laid in a couch and eventually stopped breathing. All the medical interventions failed to resuscitate her.
Her church members gathered and on top of their voices interceded God, but Goma could not wake up. She is still in that posture sleeping without pulse. The death of Goma is a big blow to Bayelsa State, especially to women. She was a model of womanhood and an epitome of excellence. Goma showed resilience, doggedness and determination.
The Police Public Relations Officer,(PPRO) for the command, DSP Abdullahi Haruna, made disclosure in Kano on Saturday.
He said the killing followed exchange of gun battle between Puff-Adder Operatives and armed robbers.
Haruna said that on July 26 at about 3:40 a.m, team of policemen of Operation Puff-Adder attached to Police Area Command Rano were alerted that a gang of four armed robbers attacked residents of Rano.
He said that police immediately rushed to the scene where they engaged the armed robbers in a gun duel.
Haruna said in the process, the Puff-Adder Operatives with superior gunfire gunned down one of the gang while the remaining three escaped into the nearby thick forest.
“On hot chase, the robbers abandoned a locally made pistol with three rounds of live cartridges,”he said.
Haruna notedd that the gang had been terrorising Rano, Kibiya, Bunkure, Tudun Wada along Falgore Forest Axis for a while.
He said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Ahmed Iliyasu,had directed that the three fleeing suspects be tracked on time, identified and arrested.
The PPRO said that Iliyasu also directed that exhibits or arms in the possession of the gang be recovered.
Haruna called on the good citizens of the state to continue to cooperate with the Police for prompt information and intelligence reports on any form of crime and across the state for quick and timely response.
Former Education Minister and Vice-President of the World Bank’s Africa division, Oby Ezekwesili and other Nigerians expressed concerns about the addition of milk to planned to list of items banned from accessing the official foreign exchange market.
It would be recalled that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had disclosed its plan to add milk and other dairy products to the list of restricted products on the foreign exchange market
CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele had said that the restriction was to boost local production of dairy products and increase investment in ranches within the country.
He noted that Nigeria currently spends about 1.2 billion to 1.5 billion dollars annually on milk importation.
Ezekwesili in a series of tweets on her official and verified twitter handle described the CBN action as Policies borne out of vindictiveness.
She said, “Nothing more perverse of Political Leaders and Policy Makers as Policies borne out of Vindictiveness. It appears from what the CBN said on the #MilkBanPolicy that it is a case of: “You folks rejected RUGA, here is your punishment.” What a BIG SHAME that would be.
“Often I read or hear Nigerians say: “We have good policies/laws. Our problem is lack of implementation”. How wrong they are! The bane of our failure to achieve sustained economic growth that reduced Poverty in other countries is actually, BAD…..dangerous Policies/Laws.”
“Milk consumption by Nigerians: 1.7 Million milk production in Nigeria: 600,000 tonnes. When #MilkBanPolicy happens, to avoid Scarcity which Prices Milk up and out of the reach of the Poor, Nigeria needs to immediately triple current production of milk.”
“Nigeria has the highest number of children less than 5 years with chronic malnutrition (stunting or low height-for-age) in sub-Saharan Africa at more than 11.7 million, according to the most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) (National Population Commission)”
“Child Poverty is even worst in a country that holds the ignoble record of being the World’s Capital of Extremely Poor People; our President should be fleeing from Policies that escalate Poverty. The CBN #MilkBanPolicy is dangerous. Dangerous for the Poor.
Also Kalu Aja, a financial planning expert on his twitter handle said a ban on forex for milk imports will make milk become more expensive locally.
He said, “Most of the cows in Nigeria processed for beef are imported. Nigeria also imports raw hides, leather and fur skins. From 2014 to 2017, Nigeria spent N1.3t on live animal imports.”
“Banning imported milk is a policy known as import substitution. I support import substitution. Imported beef is banned in Nigeria, but live cattle imports are not. An equitable policy is to ban all imports of cattle dead or alive and cattle by-products.”
“If milk is banned, will baby milk be also banned.”
“Just like banning Rice, a ban on forex for milk imports will make milk become more expensive locally. As long as local supply cannot meet local demand, there will be imports. Nigeria has no cold chain thus a ban on milk means bulk of milk produced will be powdered.”
Also an economist, Tunji Andrews on official and verified Twitter handle, said what a FX ban will do, is take away the last source of fortified nutrition from poor Nigerian children.
“So, I’ll say it, so that it’ll be on record that it was said With Nigeria’s stunting rate at 43.6%, wasting at 10.8% and underweight children at 31.5%, the CBN’s plan to ban FX for milk importation is a bad idea. This could threaten our future, while we are concerned about now”.
On Monday, the UK’s Conservative Party elected Boris Johnson to become the party’s leader and also the next prime minister.
Johnson defeated Jeremy Hunt, UK’s Foreign Minister, with 92,153 votes compared to his rival’s 46,656 votes to take over N0. 10 Downing Street.
Here are a few things to know about the new PM.
1. Boris Johnson was born Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson on June 19, 1964.
2. He has been married twice and currently lives with his partner, Carrie Symonds.
3. Johnson was a former mayor of London.
4. According to FullFact, a non-governmental organisation, Johnson’s annual salary is $187,033 (or £150,402).
5. Johnson was a journalist before he became a politician.
6. American President Donald Trump, while congratulating Johnson, called him, UK’s Trump. He said, “They call him Britain Trump — that’s a good thing. They like me over there, that’s what they wanted, what they need.”
7. Johnson is pro-Brexit, but he left Theresa May’s cabinet, over her handling of the Brexit process. He has however said he is determined to bring Britain out of the EU by “October 31st, do or die…come what may.”
8. He is the son of a diplomat and an artist.
9. Johnson attended Eton, and later Oxford, where he studied Classics.
10. As a mayor of London, Johnson banned alcohol on the London Underground.
