SUPREME COURT BARS RIVERS APC CHAIRMAN, FLAG-AMACHREE, FROM FOREIGN MEDICAL TRIP

Ojukaye Flag-Amachree

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a motion by the chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, Ojukaye Flag-Amachree, asking to be allowed to travel to Dubai for medical check-up.

Flag-Amachree is standing trial on allegation of murder of a man during the 2015 election in Asari-Toru Local Government Area of the state.

Giving his ruling, Justice Inyang Okoro held that the application lacked merit, adding that the applicant was being prosecuted for a murder case.

Okoro noted that the “medical update letter,” dated December 15, 2016, had no connection with the type 2 diabetes melitus which Flag-Amachree claimed he had.

Also, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, who presided over the panel, expressed worry why Flag-Amachree’s trial had not commenced fully after 25 adjournments.

The CJN said from the records of the court, Flag-Amachree had not appeared in court all the while.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that Flag-Amachree’s five charges bordering on the alleged murder of Iminabo Dokubo and attempted murder of Ipalibo Jackson is pending at the High Court in Port Harcourt.

The applicant had approached the court with a motion on notice pursuant to sections 33, 36(5) and (6), and Section 41 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

Flag-Amachree had sought an order granting him leave to travel to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to enable him meet up with the medical appointment scheduled with Dr. George Davis.

He had also prayed for the release of his passport with issuance No. A04003142, deposited with the registrar of the Court of Appeal as part of the conditions of the bail granted him,

The applicant was, however, refused bail on May 26, 2016 by a High Court in Port Harcourt, but had the decision set aside on November 24, 2016 by the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt.

Flag-Amachree stated that following his detention and subsequent release by the appellate court, his health had deteriorated, leading to his collapse and resuscitation on various occasions both in and out of prison.

The applicant averred that the Saudi German Hospital had agreed to treat him and therefore scheduled an appointment with him for February 16, 2016 at Dubai, UAE.

Flag-Amachree said he could not meet the appointment, as his passport had been with the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt.

He stated that a similar application had earlier been filed at the Court of Appeal on January 24, 2017 but was struck out on February 28 of the same year.

(NAN)

HOW WIFE DESTROYED WEDDING PICTURES BEFORE KILLING HUSBAND

Udeme Otike-Odibi and her late husband's wedding photo

A house help and a prosecution witness in an ongoing trial of a female lawyer, Udeme Otike-Odibi, who allegedly murdered her  husband, told a Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere how she found the couple’s wedding pictures torn and thrown in the dustbin months before he was murdered.

The house help, Blessing Austin, while giving her evidence told the court that in December, 2017, when she went to clean the deceased and defendant’s room, she saw the couple’s wedding picture turn and thrown into the dust bin, so she packed and threw it away.

Udeme, 48, is facing a two-count charge of murder and misconduct with regard to a corpse.

She was arraigned on June 13, by the Lagos State Government and she had pleaded not guilty to the offences and was remanded at Kirikiri prison.

The prosecutor during arraignment told the court that Udeme committed the alleged offences on May 3, at Diamond Estate, Sangotedo, Lekki, Lagos.

The prosecution said that Udeme stabbed her husband and mutilated his corpse by cutting off his genitals.

The offences committed are Punishable Under Sections 165 (b) and 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Led in evidence by Titilayo Shitta-Bey, the Director of Public Prosecution DPP, Blessing said: “On December 4, 2017, she travelled outside the country and came back in April, during Easter, since she came back her character changed towards her husband, she wasn’t cooking for her husband, she cooks only her food and her husband buys his own food.

“I normally clean the deceased and defendant’s house twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays adding that her resumption time was 8 am and closes at 8pm.

“On 28 of April when I came to clean their house, I heard when Udeme, started quarreling with her husband that why did he send his daughter to school outside the country, my madam, later told my oga that he should lower his voice that I was downstairs, so I could no longer hear their argument when they loved their voice,” Austin said.

DEDUCT TITHES FROM WORKER’S SALARY AND FORWARD TO CHURCH - BISHOP TELLS GOVT.

Most Reverend Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, a Catholic Archbishop of Kampala, Uganda, has proposed that the central government deducts 10% from the monthly salaries of workers, and forward the deductions directly to the church.

He stated this at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Rubaga during mass, according to Citizen TV. He said non-payment of tithes affects project development in the church.

His words: “Whenever we ask for tithe, everyone gives only what they have at that time. But the Bible says a tenth of whatever you earn belongs to the church.
Give me your support as I front this proposal because it is good for us.

Aren’t you tired of putting money in the baskets all the time?” Lwanga said he wanted Uganda to toe the line of Germany, where citizens who are registered as Catholics, Protestants or Jews have a church tax (Kirchensteuer) of 8 to 9% deducted from their annual income.

The church tax is collected by the government and channeled to the respective faiths.

“I was told Germans make agreements with their government to deduct monthly tithe from their salaries and forward it to the church and this money they use to build and renovate their churches,” he added.

'N30,000 MINIMUM WAGE WILL CAUSE INFLATION' – UMAHI

The Governor of Ebonyi State and Chairman of the Southeast Governors’ Forum, David Umahi has raised alarm over the new minimum wage of N30,000.00, warning that the new pay rise could trigger off hyper inflation in the country.

Umahi, who gave the warning while inaugurating his campaign organisation, the Divine Mandate Organisation, said, “we are approaching this issue of minimum wage wrongly.”

He noted that the N30,000 new minimum wage was not enough to carter for workers’ welfare, urging civil servants to look beyond the new pay rise.

“If what we are being told is correct and some states are using up to 90 per cent of their resources to pay salaries, if what we are told is correct that ASUU is going on strike because ASUU is saying that the budget for education is only 7 per cent against 20 per cent. So, if you put these two sections together, it is 110 per cent. We are just talking about this section alone- education, other sectors are there, health, security votes, water, light and so on. We are just talking of education and workers’ salaries alone.

“The two cannot mix; they cannot work until we are able to sit down and think how we can run this country. I do not believe that all the resources of this nation are correctly collected. I believe that if we collect in honesty the resources of this country, we will have enough to take care of our workers and we will have enough to take care of our heath, education and others.

“Civil servants should look beyond minimum wage component. Even the minimum wage of 30,000d what can it do? It will cause inflation and that inflation is going to sweep out whatever gain you think you have.

“Till we sit down in this country and look at all sides and agree that this is how we are going to do it otherwise, we will ground this country”, he stated.

Umahi, however, said he was not afraid to contest with the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

“If I were in the opposition, I will be afraid to say I am contesting election because considering the type of structure we have on ground, no ordinary man will be able to build it. It is God and Holy Spirit that made it possible.

“The people that say they are contesting election, some of them cannot define budget, they don’t even know what GDP is. They make promises like making a cross without ground,” he said.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday declared his government’s readiness to work towards implementing the new national minimum wage agreed by the tripartite committee.

Buhari gave the assurance shortly after receiving the report of the National Minimum Wage Committee set up to recommend a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers on 27th November 2017.

“I want to assure you all that we will immediately put in place the necessary machinery that will close out these open areas. Our plan is to transmit the Executive Bill to the National Assembly for passage within the shortest possible time. I am fully committed to having a new National Minimum Wage Act in the very near future,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has declared that the federal government has a cordial working relationship with labour unions in the country.

Mohammed, who said this in Abuja Tuesday, said the federal government and the organised labour had been able to amicably address the recent stalemate arising from the implementation of a new minimum wage for workers.

FAKE ARMY GENERAL WHO SPONSORS BOKO HARAM

     FAKE ARMY GENERAL

 Another suspected Boko Haram sponsor, Aliyu Hussaini, who has also been parading himself as a Army brigadier general has been arrested. 

The Nigerian Army in a statement on Tuesday said that Hussaini was arrested by soldiers of the 33rd Artillery Brigade in Bauchi State during a raid. 

The fake Army General, Aliyu Hussaini, the statement read, “The 33 Artillery Brigade, Nigerian Army, has recorded another landmark success in the ongoing Operation Zaman Lafiyah as troops of the brigade recently arrested one Aliyu Hussaini, popularly known as Colonel, a suspected Boko Haram terrorist and an Impostor who has been parading himself as a Brigadier-General in the Nigerian Army. 

“The troops, who were acting on a tip-off, said Aliyu Hussaini was a sponsor and also a member of the Boko Haram terrorist organisation. They carried out a raid operation, which led to the successful arrest of Aliyu and another suspected Boko Haram member, one Ibrahim Mohammed, who is also known as Yuram. 

“It was later gathered that Aliyu had been defrauding innocent citizens (with the claim) that he was a general in the Nigerian Army.” The military had earlier today announced the arrest a financier of the terror group in Bama, Borno State. It was reported that the sum of one million naira and other items were found on the suspect.

BREAKING: PRESIDENT BUHARI ENDORSES N30,000 MINIMUM WAGE

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday endorsed N30,000 as the new national minimum wage.

He said this while receiving the report of the Tripartite Committee on the Review of National Minimum Wage at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The report was submitted by the committee’s chairman, Amal Pepple.

Buhari has also promised to send a bill to the National Assembly to effect the change from N18,000 to N30,000.

BREAKING: BUHARI RECEIVES MINIMUM WAGE TRIPARTITE COMMITTEE REPORT

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday received report of the Tripartite Committee on the Review of National Minimum Wage at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.  The report was submitted by the committee’s chairman, Amal Pepple.

The committee which recommended N30,000 as the new national minimum wage also submitted a draft bill that will be sent to the National Assembly.  

BENUE FAMILY TRAGEDY: PUNCH, SUN REPORTER ATTACKED

The family of Nicholas Adetsav, who was allegedly killed by his wife, on Monday attacked and molested the correspondents of The PUNCH and The SUNnewspapers, John Charles and Mrs Rose Ejembi, respectively.

A house wife, Mrs Rachael Adetsav, was reported to have killed her husband, three children and later stabbed herself to death on Friday night.

The two reporters had gone to follow up on the story when they were attacked by the family members of the late Nicholas at the Makurdi Local Government Secretariat.

The reporters had earlier visited the residence of the deceased family, the school where the children were attending and later proceeded to the local government secretariat where both the husband and wife were working before their death.

At the secretariat, some of colleagues and friends of the deceased, who spoke with the reporters, stated that members of the Adetsav family were also around and in a meeting with officials of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees.

After their meeting with the NULGE Secretary, Mandu Igber, the reporters approached the women, who were identified as members of the Adetsav family for audience, when one of them flared up and heaped insults on the reporters for writing rubbish about their family.

All efforts to calm her down were rebuffed as the woman insisted that she would not interact with any reporter. She added that journalists were the architect of the misinformation and negative impression the public was having about the family in respect to the incident.

Other family members surged towards the reporters, while one of them dispossessed the PUNCHman of his gadget while trying to escape the mob action.

However, some members of staff of the local government whisked The SUN correspondent through a window to the vigilante office, while the family members held the PUNCHman hostage until he was also rescued by the NULGE officials.

WITHDRAW FROM POLITICS OR BE WITHDRAWN, GOV. WIKE WARNS MONARCHS IN RIVERS

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike

Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike, yesterday warned traditional rulers in Rivers State to desist from what he described as involvement in politics, saying he would not hesitate to move against any monarch found to be partisan.

He also said traditional rulers would be held responsible for the conduct of operatives of  the newly constituted Rivers State Neighbourhood Safety Agency.

Wike, at the 108 and 109 general sessions of Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers in Port Harcourt, also said the security outfit would soon become operational.

In addition, he cautioned the monarchs against being partisan, adding that partisanship would reduce their relevance in the society.

His words:  “The Neighborhood Watch arrangement will soon be fully operational to complement efforts of federal security agencies in the detection and prevention of crime in our neighbourhoods.

“Let me remind you that the corps members were recruited based on your attestations to their character and suitability. Consequently, we will hold you accountable for the performance of the corps and the success of the scheme in your local government areas, communities, and neighbourhoods.

“If you don’t respect your stool, you will have challenges. Withdraw yourselves from playing politics. If you don’t withdraw yourselves, I will withdraw you. If you take sides, I will also take sides.

“We expect political parties to play by the rules and embark on peaceful, issue-based campaigns.”

But you must be on the watch to ensure no person or entity violates the peace of your communities under the guise of political campaigns.

“At the end of the campaigns the votes of our people are very important and we expect the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct free, fair and credible general elections that will enable our people to freely determine their political direction and destiny.

“It is time you lend your voices more forcefully to the neglect of the state by the Federal Government, the devastation of our environment by the oil companies, the grand fraud and deception on the Ogoni cleanup and the call for economic justice and fiscal federation”

Chairman of Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, King Dandeson Douglas Jaja appealed to the federal government to revive ports in Rivers to create employment opportunities for the youths.

ITF TRAINS NO FEWER THAN 120 PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED ENTREPRENEURS

No fewer than 120 physically challenged persons have benefited from the skills training and empowerment programme of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) across the country.

The director general of ITF, Sir Joseph Ari said that the programme is part of the 2018 implementable programmes aimed at equipping many Nigerians with skills for employability and entrepreneurship in line with the policy direction of President Muhammad Buhari’s administration.

The director general who was represented by the deputy director, ITF, Martins Shepga said the objective is to provide technical and vocational training to disabled Nigerians in different trades and crafts, adding that nine out of every 10 persons with disability in the country live below the poverty line.

“In most societies including Nigeria, any major disability renders an individual more vulnerable to poverty in view of several factors-some of which are cultural while others stem from the absence of policies that would have ensured that they thrive as any normal person.

“ We believed that equipping the physically challenged people with skills will strengthen them socially and economically”, he said.

According to him, the training commenced in August this year with 120 participants drawn from Bayelsa, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Osun, Plateau and Taraba.

He said the participants were trained in foot-wear making, phone repairs, lady’s wig cap making and manual clothes design and embroidery.

Nicodemus Hananiya who is one of the 20 beneficiaries in Kaduna State promised to contribute his quota to the economic development of the country.

While encouraging the beneficiaries to make use of the opportunity, the District Head of Doka, Bala Tijjani said they must develop the habit of giving back to the society.

ITF also presented startup packs to the beneficiaries to enable them start business immediately.