Flowerbud News

Author: Ibrahim Abusadiq

  • Phone seller drags friend to court over Samsung Galaxy J5 cell phone

    A phone seller, Aminu Sani, on Friday prayed a Sharia Court ll, sitting in Magajin Gari, Kaduna State to recover N35,000 from his friend, Abdulrahman Musa.

    Sani, who sells phones at Royal market, Kaduna, told the court that he sold Musa  a Samsung Galaxy J5 cell phone for  N35,000.

    He told that he sent the phone to Musa through his brother, after he promised send him the money.

    ”It is four months now and  I am yet to get my money. My friend has been ignoring my calls. I am praying the court to recover my money”, Sani said.

    The Defendant, Musa, who resides at Lafia road, Kaduna, denied that he has been ignoring Musa’s calls.

    He also denied that the phone he got from his friend was a Samsung Galaxy J5 cell phone.

    The Judge, Murtala Nasir, adjourned the case until Sept.  16 for the police to produce a report o their investigations and further hearing.

    NAN

  • Court orders AGF, EFCC to respect status quo over Yari’s assets

    The Federal High Court Abuja, on Friday, ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes impression (EFCC) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) to respect the status quo on their plans to confiscate the assets and property belonging to the immediate-past Governor of Zamfara, Abdulazeez Yari.

    Justice Nkeonye Maha, in a ruling in an ex-parte application for interim injunctions brought by Yari’s Counsel, Mahmud Magaji, SAN, also adjourned the matter until Sept. 5 for further hearing.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Yari, through his lawyer, urged the court to restrain the EFCC and AGF from interfering with his enjoyment of the rights enshrined in Sections 34, 35, 37, 41 and 43 of the Constitution.

    Magaji prayed the court to stop the anti-graft agency from either inviting or arresting the former governor pending the determination of the substantive suit.

    NAN

  • Nigeria can generate huge Forex from processing Indian hemp oil — Agro Economist

    An Agro-Economist, Dr Victor Iyama, says Nigeria can generate foreign exchange by producing Indian hemp which abounds in the country for the international market rather than destroying large farms of the herb.

    Iyama told members of the Food and Agriculture Writers Organisation of Nigeria (FAWON) at a stakeholders meeting in Lagos that processing hemp oil was capable of generating huge forex.

    Iyama, who is also the National President of the Federation of Agricultural Commodity Associations of Nigeria (FACAN), said that Nigeria had failed to harness all the wealth that was available.

    “The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) goes about destroying hemp farms and they are happy, a country that has no dollar goes about every day destroying dollars and you say you are working, which work?

    “When we can easily take only three months to grown hemp. A litre of hemp oil is sold for 12,000 dollars, a litre of your fuel is N145 or 200 which is about a dollar.

    “We have hemp in abundance here, just three months and dollars is real. All we need is adequate regulation of the production process,’’ he said.

    Iyama noted that nothing stops NDLEA from being posted to these farms where the processing machines would be put up and then monitor it.

    “If you see anybody taking it out of that place, arrest him, we do things in this country by starting to run without crawling and without walking.

    “Everybody is shouting China today, did China get to this place by starting from the top? No, you have to be able to face the reality, this country is blessed, in fact over blessed.

    “People want to look at those who have gone into space, what have they achieved in the space, before going into space you must be able to provide simple basic things of life for your society; food, shelter, electricity mainly and water.

    “Go to countries like Malaysia, China that is the first thing you do as a country. We are not a poor country, it is just unfortunate that we have failed to harness all the wealth that we have been given, the best wealth any country can have in this world is land and we have land in abundance.’’

    Iyama added: “Tell me which country will have the kind of land we have and be importing food. We have too many things fishery, snailry, just name it.

    “That is why I said to get over 100 billion dollars from agriculture annually is not an exaggeration, because I know how much is being made even from ordinary snail.

    “There is a lot, but a lot of infrastructure has to be put in place and that is why I said that the key thing first is for us to fix our infrastructure, especially electricity because by the time you manufacture and you want to ship things out,’’ Iyama noted.

    According to Iyama, who is also a cocoa and oil palm producer, the manufacturing sector will continue face challenges if the electricity problem is not addressed.

    NAN

  • FIB opens investigation against ex-Chief of Naval Staff over alleged 3 bank accounts

    By Martins Odeh

    The Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) Unit of the Nigeria Police Force says it has opened investigation against on a former Chief of Naval Staff, retired Vice-Admiral Jubril Usman over alleged proxy ownership of three bank accounts.

    DCP Mr Ben Okolo, disclosed this in response to a petition filed by the Executive Secretary of Anti-Corruption and Research Based Data Initiative (ARDI),  obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.

    The reply to the petition dated Aug. 20, with number: CR:3000/FIB/TE/FHQ/ABJ/VOl.22/933, was addressed to the Executive Secretary of the ARDI.

    NAN recalls that the anti-corruption organization, has acted as a whistle-blower to expose graft, including the case of Justice Walter Onnoghen, a former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).

    The FIB letter was titled: “Investigation Activities: Re: Petition Against Former Chief of Naval Staff, retired Vice Admiral Jubril Usman , For Suspected Illegal Ownership and Control by Proxy Of At Least Three (3) Zenith Bank Accounts Containing Funds Suspected To Be Proceeds Of Corruption’’.

    The letter reads in part: “I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your petition, dated July 29,  on the above subject matter and to inform you that investigation into the case has commenced.

    “Accept the warm regards of the Assistant Inspector General of Police (FIB) please’’.

    Usman is currently standing trial on allegation of N600 million fraud before Justice A.S. Umar at the Federal Capital Territory  High Court.

    Usman, a member of the All Progressive Congress was disqualified from contesting the Governorship ticket of the party in the forthcoming Kogi governorship election.

    NAN

  • N-Power: FG empowers 11, 000 graduates with N8.94bn in Plateau

    The Federal Government has empowered more than 11, 000 graduates in Plateau State with N8.94 billion under the N-Power programme.

    Dr Sumaye Hamza, the Executive Assistant to Gov. Simon Lalong on Social Investment Program (SIP), disclosed this on Tuesday in her opening remarks at a 4-Day Sensitisation Workshop organised for N-Agro beneficiaries in Plateau.

    Hamza, who is also the state Programme Focal Person on National Social Investment programme (NSIP), said the amount did not include N-power Build where skills were provided as well as start-up tools and monthly stipends to over 900 youths.

    According to her, some of the components of the NSIP initiated by President Muhammudu Buhari administration and supported by Gov. Lalong include: Job creation, Home grown school feeding, Conditional Cash Transfer and Enterprise Empowerment Programme.

    “Government is committed to ensuring that the citizens of Nigeria are supported to boost Agricultural activities and subsequently get out of poverty.

    “This is the more reason why the programme seeks to also boost productivity especially amongst the marginalised and vulnerable women and youths.

    “It also aims at stimulating economic activities, creates jobs, improve livelihood and reduce inequality and gender stability in communities.

    “The more than 11, 000 N-Power graduates in Plateau are benefiting in the area of NTech, NHealth and NAgro right from inception from the N8.94 billion injected by the government in the state.’’

    The focal person tasked the 200 participants of the workshop to be attentive, idealistic and focused to launch themselves into self-reliance and be employers of labour.

    She also urged the participants to emulate the conveyor of the workshop, Mr Badi Emmanuel of GIZ Nigeria, whom she described as a “motivator and role model” to be committed, determined and focused beneficiaries.

    Earlier, Emmanuel, the workshop conveyor, said that the workshop was to sensitise the N-power Volunteers Start-ups under GIZ designated to Green Innovation centers for food and Agricultural sector.

    “This workshop is to ginger you, therefore, you should endeavour to share your experiences with each other to be equipped in self-economic decision making and understand the context of start-ups,’’ he said.

    NAN

  • Picketing on South African companies in Nigeria will not stop xenophobic attacks – activist

    A human rights activist, Mr Alexander Orji, has urged Nigerians to stop picketing South African companies in Nigeria.

    He said picketing would not stop the killing of Nigerians in South Africa, but worsen the rivalry among citizens of the two nations.

    Orji, Director-General of Centre for Protection of Nigerians in Diaspora, made the appeal following threats of attack on South African businesses in Nigeria by the National  Associations of Nigerian Students (NANS).

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the association, had on Aug. 8 in Yola, Adamawa State, picketed South African businesses, warning them to leave the country within seven days.

    Also, the students association in Ogun State have picketed South African companies such as MTN, DSTV and Stanbic Bank.

    Orji said that there was a lot of risk in picketing and this would not favour anyone, while violence had never settled any dispute, but ignited the fire.

    He said that violence on South African companies could not be the right approach as it would not stop the killings, but rather add to the sufferings of Nigerians there who were mostly  employees.

    “Although  Xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa is very wrong and condemnable, the picketing approach is also very condemnable.

    “Do not forget that  their presence has brought solutions to many gap in goods and services where Nigerians are the employees, doing that will leave some youths jobless.

    “Picketing of South African businesses may be tantamount to theft in the name of trying to destroy properties because while doing that miscreants and thugs can use the opportunity to cart away valuables and most times, lives are lost.

    “Why most people believe in protest, whether peaceful or not, but I think the best way to resolve issues is peaceful means or roundtable dialogue.

    “We need each other, which is why Nigerians leave their country for another, this is because we need something from them and they too do same,” Orji said.

    He said a roundtable by the two countries would be the best approach to bring normalcy to the issue.

    “We, therefore, urge the National Association of Nigerian Students not to adopt violence or  take laws into their hands as these can be hijacked by unscrupulous elements and cause harm beyond repairs, especially to our people and land.

    “Sometimes, chanting war songs does not make one victorious,” he said.

    NAN

  • 30 per cent of children in the north-west out of school, UNICEF says

    Alhaji Muntaka Muktar, Field officer, United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF), has said that more than 30 per cent of children that should be in school in six states of the north-west are not in the classes.

    Muktar spoke on Tuesday in Kano at a Media Dialogue on School-based management committees organised by UNICEF.

    He listed the states to include Niger, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi, leaving out Kaduna, one of the states in that geo-political zone..

    “Primary education is officially free and compulsory, but the reality is different. Nationwide, about 10.5 million of the country’s children, aged 5-14, are not in school.

    “Our records show that only  61 per cent of 6-11 year-olds regularly attend primary school, while only 35.6 per cent of children aged 36-59 months receive early childhood education.”

    Muktar explained that states in the north-east and north-west had a female primary net attendance rates of 47.7 percent and 47.3 percent respectively, meaning that more than half of the girls are not in school.

    He blamed the education deprivation in northern Nigeria on economic barriers and socio-cultural norms and practices that discourage formal education, especially for girls.

    The UN official said that UNICEF had consistently campaigned against situations that deny children the right to education, and regretted that most government-funded schools had practically collapsed over the years because of poor funding.

    “Because the public schools have collapsed, children from poor homes with nowhere to go are left on the streets,” he said.

    He said that UNICEF’s interventions had gone beyond providing funds and other interventions to providing technical support and the improvement of the capacity of implementing partners in ministries, departments and agencies.

    The field officer advised the state governments to tap from UNICEF’s available expertise in different areas affecting the growth, protection and development of children, urging policy makers to come up with a child protection intervention for implementation.

    “UNICEF has deployed child protection specialists to the state to assist in that regard; government must take full advantage of that,” he said.

    NAN

  • Pension verification; Business centre operators make brisk business in Enugu

    By Stanley Nwanosike
    Business centre operators, who have photocopy machines, are currently making brisk business in two centres where Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) pension verification is ongoing in Enugu.

    A Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who is monitoring developments at the centres on Tuesday, observed that many of the retired senior citizens being verified throng photocopy centres to duplicate most of their credentials as demanded by PTAD.

    NAN recalls that PTAD commenced a hitch-free biometric verification of retired civil servants, who served in federal agencies, corporations and institutions, in two centres in Enugu metropolis on Monday.

    A business centre operator, Mrs Ngozi Okenwa, said that business of making photocopies had improved, adding that she made over N6,000 alone from making photocopies on Monday.

    Okenwa, whose business centre is located at the Good Shepherd Cathedral Hall, one of the centres for the verification, said that her experience today (Tuesday),  was same as Monday.

    “It seems today, I will make more sales since the number of customers for photocopy duplicates keep increasing and I have been attending to them since morning,”she said.

    Another business centre operator, Mr Chibuike Onyema, said that the gain of over N7,500 he made from making photocopies on Monday was unprecedented in his two-year experience.

    Onyema, whose business centre is close to Ingrace Event Centre, another venue of the verification in Enugu, said that he had to temporarily engage his brother to assist him today [Tuesday].

    “Since 8 a.m. all we have been doing is to attend to elderly people that came to duplicate their documents.

    “Although, it is a bit stressful not sitting for over five hours now but the profit from this endeavor is worth it,”he said.

    NAN learnt that the ongoing nationwide exercise was to enable PTAD to have a comprehensive, accurate and reliable database for pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme.

    The database would also be used to address some irregularities in the system, including ghost worker syndrome, duplicate payments, over and under payments, among other needs.

    It was also learnt that 270 agencies, including universities, tertiary institutions , health institutions and the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria, were expected to be covered by the exercise.

    Other agencies included are: Nigeria Railway Corporation, Nigeria Postal Service, Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria, Nigeria Aviation Handling Company, Nigerian National Shipping Line and Assurance Bank, among others.

    NAN

  • Recycling company transforms waste into domestic use in Kaduna

    By Hassana Yakubu

    The Chairman, Shehu Plastic & Company Nigeria, Alhaji Shehu Usman, on Tuesday said the Company had transformed many Kaduna Street waste to useful domestic materials through recycling.

    Usman said this when African Climate Reporters paid a courtesy visit to the recycling plant in Kaduna, Kaduna State.

    According to him, waste recycling is a major component of waste management that involves the conversion of waste to reusable products for both domestic and office use.

    ”This is one of the biggest recycling plants in the North where plastic bottles, rubber and other waste materials are collected and transformed to various domestic uses.

    ”We buy these plastic bottles, rubbers and other waste materials from scavengers and waste commercial sellers and transform them to various uses.

    ”The machines grind the waste materials into pieces, after which we take the pieces to where they design new products.

    ”The pieces are turned into buckets, cups, rubber kettles and basins which can be used for domestic purposes and even in the gardens,” he said.

    Shehu said that the company transformed about five tonnes of plastic rubber waste to useful domestic materials monthly, adding that the finished products were sold in Kaduna and other parts of the country.

    He said that waste recycling helped in “conserving natural resources, save the environment from pollution and other environmental challenges.”

    The Chairman maintained that recycling was an alternative to conventional waste disposal and help to lower greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

    He stated that recycling was an important business in developed countries, adding that it was only of recent that African countries were coming up with plans to recycle waste.

    According to Shehu,  recycling helps in cleaning the environment and also generates income for many unemployed youths engaged in the business.

    Shehu said that there were shortage of recycling companies in the region, adding that epileptic power supply and insecurity were crippling development of many companies in the North.

    He said that dirty environment affect the standard of living, aesthetic sensibilities and health of the people as well as the quality of their lives.

    Shehu said that producing new products from recycled materials was a cost effective way of managing production cost.

    Dr Piman Hoffman, the Director African Climate Reporters, said that the Federal Government should encourage more recycling companies across the country.

    He said that these would help in tackling waste causing various diseases and other environmental challenges in the society.

    According to him, the economy also benefits from recycling as it reduces the cost to clear dump sites.

    He stated that government could save additional millions of naira when such dump sites were reserved for other revenue generating purposes.

    Hoffman said that there was need to support recycling companies financially, adding that residents could also benefit by selling recycling materials to cover the cost of disposing waste.

    NAN