Category: General News

The Nigerian Union South Africa (NUSA) has called for speedy implementation of the 10-year validity period for Nigerian passport recently approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The President of the union, Mr Adetola Olubajo, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja that the development was welcomed and a right measure.

Adetola, who commended President Buhari for the initiative called for safeguards against exploitation of Nigerians most especially those in the Diaspora, saying there was the need for proper monitoring.

According to him, the development will make Nigeria be on the same page with other countries.

“Concrete measures should also be put in place to avoid ripping off Nigerians most especially those of us in Diaspora,” he said.

He noted that the approval was an answer to the prayers of the union.

He said that NUSA had in the past written to the Federal Government to extend the validity period of the passport to 10 years.

Olubajo explained that the union also made representation for the extension of the validity period of passport to President Buhari during his state visit to South Africa in 2015.

According to him, NUSA made representation for the extension of the validity period of passport during the visit of former Comptroller General (CG) of NIS, Mr Martin Abeshi, to Johannesburg

“The union also presented the issue during the state visit of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

“It is with great pleasure and jubilation that we received the news on the development from CG of NIS, Mr Muhammad Babandede,” he said.

NAN reports that Babandede, on July 26 announced that President Buhari had approved the extension of validity of Nigeria’s international passport from five to 10 years.

He said that with the approval, the Federal Government could now enter bilateral agreement with other countries for 10 years visa.

The CG said that this would mean less work for the service and that the people will have to pay more.

“President has approved a lot of reforms; one of the reforms is 10 years validity for the passport for adults from the age of 18 upward.

“This is great news for Nigerians in the Diaspora, because they have been yearning for this.

“The National Assembly had submitted proposal several times that the passport should be 10 years like other countries of the world, the president has approved that,” Babandede said.

The CG also noted that in the past months there had been issues with shortage of the booklet, but that has been sorted out.

He said that the best solution was to produce the passport here in the country and the NIS is working on the process.

“Passport has to be produced in Nigeria, there will be a passport factory in Nigeria,” Babandede said. (NAN)

President Muhammadu Buhari will on Sunday depart Abuja for Lome, Republic of Togo, to participate in two high-level meetings.

A statement by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Saturday, said President Buhari would on arrival have an interactive session at the Nigerian embassy with the Nigerian community based in Togo.

According to him, the President, on Monday, will attend the Joint ECOWAS/ECCAS Summit which will deliberate on common security threats to countries in West Africa and members of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

Shehu explained that the meeting was being convened with a view to forging concerted strategies in tackling the menace of terrorism, trans-border crimes and other forms of violent extremism.

It would be recalled that President Buhari had expressed support for the proposed ECOWAS/ECCAS Summit when he received the current Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Faure Gnassingbe of Togo on June 29, in Katsina.

Shehu stated that, while in Lome, the Nigerian delegation would also participate in a meeting on a Single Currency for ECOWAS with the deadline of 2020.

“Being the largest economy not only in West Africa but also on the continent, Nigeria’s leadership role in this sub-regional aspiration cannot be over-emphasised,’’ he noted.

According to the presidential aide, on Tuesday, President Buhari will join other leaders of the sub-region for the 53^rd Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

He said: “This session will be dominated by the political and security situations in Guinea Bissau, Mali and Togo; institutional reforms of the ECOWAS Commission to enhance its effectiveness; illegal migration of Africans to Europe; and the worrisome violent clashes between herders and farmers, among other issues.

“At the end of the session, a new Chair of the ECOWAS Authority is expected to take over from the incumbent and host.’’

The statement said President Buhari would be accompanied by Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River and Gov. Abubakar Bello of  Niger.

Others are Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali; Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun; Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau and Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno; the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin; the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Abubakar; and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, are also in the President’s delegation. (NAN)

The Centre for Qur’anic Studies, Bayero University Kano (BUK) on Saturday graduated 200 Qur’anic memorisers.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Director of the Centre, Dr Muhammad Babangida said the graduates had also been trained on how to operate computer as well as on basic Arithmetic and English language.

He said they had also undergone special training with a view to improving their knowledge on Qur’anic Science.

“With the certificate given to them, they can teach the Qur’an even in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries or nations,” Babangida said.

He called on the graduates who are referred to as ‘Alarammomi’ to make the best use of the knowledge they acquired to improve their socio-economic status.

Earlier, VC of the university, Prof. Muhammad Bello urged state governments in the country to employ the graduates in public schools to increase the number of Qur’anic memorisers in their respective states.

He also called on local councils in Kano state to sponsor students to further their studies to promote Qur’anic memorisation in the state.

He commended late Isyaku Rabiu a foremost businessman for establishing the centre and urged other wealthy individuals to emulate him by investing their wealth towards the development of both Islamic and Western education.(NAN)

President of the Senate Dr Bukola Saraki, said invitation by the Police to him in connection with investigation into Offa robbery was an afterthought designed to achieve political purpose.

Saraki said in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, that he had it on good authority that the Police had already decided on the suspects to arraign in court in Ilorin, Kwara.

He said that the turn around to invite him was a ploy to score cheap political points.

“I have been reliably informed that the police invitation was planned by the Inspector- General to stop alleged plan by some senators and House of Representatives members from defecting from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“It was also said that if I was detained between Tuesday and Wednesday, that will abort the so-called defection plan.

“While I continue to maintain that the issue of my position on the 2019 elections is not a personal decision for me alone to make, it should be noted that all these concoctions and evil plot cannot deter me.

“Those behind this fresh assault will fail as I have nothing to do with the robbery incident or any criminal matter for that matter.

“I am aware that following a request made by the Police on June 13, 2018 to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), he had written a legal advice dated June 22, 2018.

“In the advice, he stated that for the Senate President and the Kwara State Governor, this office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged office and the suspects”.

He lamented that, “the Police have obviously corrupted and politicised their investigations into the Offa robbery incident.

“They have turned it into an instrument for the party in power to suppress perceived opponents, blackmailing people from freely choosing which platform on which they want to pursue their ambition.

“They are harassing the people whose exit from APC would harm the chances of the party in the forthcoming elections.

“I want to make it apparent that I have no hand in either the robbery incident or any criminal activity.

“The Police in their haste to embarrass me sent the invitation to me at 8 p.m. and requested that I report to the station by 8 a.m. tomorrow morning.

“This obviously demonstrated their desperation as I do not see why they are now in a hurry.”

Saraki added that the police also stated “in today’s letter that because in my response of June 7, 2018 to their own letter written on June 4, 2018, I stated that I was responding simply to the contents of the letter.

“They said that the full text of the statement made by the arrested suspects which they claimed indicted me was not made available to me they were now including the suspects’ statements in the current letter.

“Yet, instead of including the suspects’ statements, they only attached two copies of my own letter to the invitation. No suspect’s statement was made available.

“This plot aimed at compelling me and my associates to stay in a party where members are criminalised without just cause, where injustice is perpetrated at the highest level and where there is no respect for constitutionalism is an exercise in futility.

“It will fail. Once again, my confidence in God and our judicial system remains intact and unshaken. The truth shall also prevail in this case,” he said. (NAN)

Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commissions (NCC) says the commission has been able to prioritise youth empowerment through the deployment of information communication tools, especially in tertiary institutions.

Danbatta said this when members of the African Achievers Award presented the commission with an award in Abuja.

According to him, the Digital Association Programme for Tertiary Institutions is one of the organisation’s interventions to build human capacity in the universities.

“It is a programme to educate students on how they can leverage the power of information in content delivery in the university.

“This is consistent with the digital transformation that is going on all over the world and Nigeria cannot be an exception.

“We are deploying information and communication technology in key sectors of the economy including education, in order to encourage informed learning and teaching.

Danbatta said that the commission had made several efforts to protect Nigerians from being shorted changed, adding that the efforts had helped to transform the telecom industry in the country.

“The basis for the recognition is based on the way the organisation has empowered and protected the consumer with our eight point agenda which is all about empowering and protecting the consumer.

“We are doing this by engaging the consumers directly in programmes like consumer town hall meetings.

“Through the 2017 campaign as the year of the telecom consumers, and consumer parliament, we have remarkable results arising from these campaigns,’’ he said.

He said the level of awareness of the “Do Not Disturb’ (DND), facility by activating the number 2442 had climbed from half a million before the commission started to close to 10 million.

The executive vice chairman said that the level of resolution of complaints through the NCC team resolution mechanism available on the commission’s website had been most effective.

Earlier, Mr Tonye Idaminabo, Principal Partner, African Achievers Award said the award was given based on the integrity of the commission and its effort to ensure that sanity was maintained in the telecom sector.

Idaminabo also commended the efforts of the commission in ensuring that Nigerians were not short changed by telecom operators.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the African Achievers Award recognises influential personalities of African descent who have made remarkable contributions to the society, especially in Africa. (NAN)

LONDON (Reuters) – U.S President Donald Trump’s company has submitted plans to invest another 150 million pounds ($197 million) in one of his Scottish golf resorts, the Trump Organization said on Tuesday.

Trump owns two golf resorts in Scotland, and the development of his resort in Balmedie, near Aberdeen in north-east Scotland, has attracted fierce criticism from some locals and environmentalists.

It plans to build 500 residential homes, 50 hotel cottages, sports center, retail, equestrian and commercial spaces at his Aberdeen resort, along with other leisure facilities.

“Initial interest to our plans have been incredible and, subject to detailed planning approval, we are aiming to break ground next year,” Eric Trump, who along with his brother Donald Jr. leads the Trump Organization, said in a statement.

The U.S. president visited his other golf course in Turnberry during his visit to Britain earlier this month where he played two rounds of golf.