Crown Media

Babalakin Resigns as UNILAG Pro-Chancellor The University of Lagos Pro-Chancellor Wale Babalakin (SAN), has resigned following an alleged disagreement with the Nigerian Government on the visitation panel sent to the university. “I would like to thank the President of the Federal of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari for giving me the opportunity to serve as the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (the “University”) from May 2017 till date,” Babalakin said in his resignation letter addressed to minister for education Adamu Adamu. “I am also grateful that I was considered fit to be the Chairman of the Federal Government Negotiation Team on the Agreement reached with university unions in 2009, from 6th January 2017 till date. I equally want to thank you sir, for your role in recommending me to the President.”

Taraba Reopens Schools Sept 21 The Taraba State Government on Thursday directed Primary and Secondary Schools in the state to reopen on Monday, September 21, 2020. Commissioner Basic and Secondary Education, Hon. Johannes Jigem, gave the directive after meeting with stakeholders in the education sector. Jigem, who conveyed the directive of Governor Darius Ishaku for the reopening of schools, emphasised strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocol. “We have directed all schools to wave the third term which was thwarted by the effects of the pandemic. “School resumption by September 21 is for the first term and fees are to be collected for the first term. “Government hereby encourages parents to send their children back to school immediately,” he said. The commissioner, who explained that the reopening of schools was basically for primary and secondary schools in the state, was silent on the date for the reopening of tertiary institutions in the state.

Edo Poll: Buhari Warns Against ‘do-or-die’ Politics President Muhammadu Buhari has advised political parties, candidates, and security agents to behave responsibly in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Edo. The president, in a message to voters, political parties, election officials and security personnel, also warned against what he described as “the do-or-die mentality to politics.” The president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement in Abuja on Thursday, quoted Buhari to have said: “I am passionately committed to free and fair elections, but my own commitment is not enough if other actors at ground zero refuse to abide by the rules. ”I want to see democratic standards in the country raised higher at every level, but these cannot be achieved when politicians resort to do-or-die methods to gain power by any means or machination. “The do-or-die mentality to politics is a threat to free and fair elections because the acto...

UNICEF Reacts as Kano Court Jails 13 Year Old Boy For 10 Years The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has condemned the sentencing of 13-year-old Umar Farouq to 10 years in prison for blasphemy. Umar was handed the harsh sentence by Aliyu Kanu, the same judge who passed a death sentence on Kano musician Yahaya Sharif-Aminu for blasphemy, after being found guilty of using “disparaging language on Allah” during a disagreement with his friend. Reacting, Peter Hawkins, UNICEF representative in Nigeria in a statement released on Wednesday condemned the ruling given by the Judge. Hawkins said the sentence contradicts the United Nations convention on the rights of the child which Nigeria ratified in 1991. He also called on the Kano State government to urgently reverse the sentencing. “UNICEF today express deep concern about the sentencing of 13-year-old Omar Farouq to ten years’ imprisonment with menial labour by the Kano State Sharia Court at Feli Hockey, Kano, in northern N...

FG Expending N113.37 Billion on Road Projects in Osun ― Fashola Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Mr Babatunde Fashola on Tuesday disclosed that the Federal Government is expending N113.67 billion on road construction and rehabilitation across Osun State. This is as the Minister added that similar projects were ongoing in all the states of the federation as the federal government’s effort at revitalising road infrastructure in the country. Speaking on behalf of the Minister during an inspection tour of projects in Iwoye, Ede, Ife, Ipetu-ljesa and Apoti, the Federal Controller of the road in the state, Engineer Hezekiah Kehinde said the projects has created 10,000 direct jobs and about 30,000 indirect employment opportunities. Fashola said projects in the state were in two categories including emergency roads repair and major roads construction. The roads where emergency repair intervention are ongoing include; Iwo-Osogbo road, where the first, second and third phase is 85% compl...

Anger Over Government’s Plan to Mark Independence For ‘365 Days’ Federal Government’s plan to mark Nigeria’s 60th Independence anniversary for a whole year — beginning on October 1, 2020 and ending September 30, 2021 — became subject of controversy yesterday, with ethnic nationalities and socio-cultural organisations taking a swipe at the official decision. The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), the Middle Belt Forum, Arewa leaders and stakeholders within the Aka Ikenga, an Igbo socio-cultural organisation condemned the plan as “a joke.” Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, described President Muhammadu Buhari and his cabinet members as complete jokers who lack focus on what Nigeria actually needed to progress and unite. Buhari had, yesterday, unveiled a logo and theme for the 60th independence anniversary celebration in a brief ceremony conducted just before the weekly virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Council Chambers of the Preside...

Fish Out Police Officers, Who Chased Our Son to Death in Osogbo, Family of Deceased Boy Urges Police, Govt The family of the young boy, identified as Idris Ajibola, 20, who died in an auto accident, after being chased by Osun Joint Task Force (JTF) on Wednesday charged the Police to produce officers allegedly involved in the act and bring them to justice. They also called on the state government to ensure that the matter is not swept under the carpet, saying the deceased was not a suspected internet fraudster as being insinuated in some quarters. Speaking to journalists in Osogbo at the residence of the parent of the victim, the maternal uncle of Idris, Mr Damilare Opadotun lamented the painful death of the young boy, saying he was an apprentice, learning mobile phone repair before the gory incident. Idris, who is the third child of his parents, lost his life after the Toyota corolla car conveying him and three other friends from a shopping mall in Osogbo crashed following ...

Buhari Inherited ‘Terribly’ Divided Nigeria, Presidency Replies Soyinka The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, says the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), inherited a “terribly” divided country from his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, in 2015. He said Nigeria had always been divided and there was nothing special about the comments made by Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka; and former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Adesina, who is the President’s most senior spokesman, said this on  Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’  programme on Wednesday. He said in a country of 200 million people, it would be impossible for everyone to agree and perceive things the same way. The President’s aide added that not every criticism should give cause for concern. Adesina stated, “Nigeria had always been divided. Always. Right from amalgamation in 1914, Nigeria has always been divided. Nigeria is an inconvenient amalgamation but we ...

Oyetola Orders Probe as Fresh Protest Hits Osogbo There was a fresh protest in Osogbo, Osun State on Wednesday over the death of a youth. The protesters made bonfires along Ofetedo Junction and resisted an attempt by policemen to disrupt the protest. Sound of canisters purportedly fired by the police to disperse the protesters were heard around Ofatedo Junction and Dada Estate police station, while the youths hurled stones at the policemen deployed in the scene. The identity of the youth, who died in the accident, was not yet known. It was gathered that a vehicle belonging to the JTF had chased a Toyota Corolla car with four occupants, believed to be internet fraudsters, along East bypass, Osogbo, resulting in an accident that claimed the life of the youth. In a spontaneous reaction to the accident, some youths armed with sticks had attacked security operatives and some bystanders in Oke Fia, Alekuwodo, and Ilobu road late Tuesday. Also, a JTF vehicle was vandalised by the ...

We May End up Without a Country, Gen Akinrinade Warns Buhari A former Chief of Defence, Lt. General Alani Akinrinade has told President Muhammadu Buhari to allow the restructuring of Nigeria now otherwise there may soon be no country. He issued the warning on Monday night at a dinner in Osogbo, Osun State in honour of the visiting Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Tukur Buratai. General Akinrinade who was Chief of Army Staff from October 1979 to April 1980, and then Chief of Defence Staff until 1981 during the Nigerian Second Republic said he was disturbed at the pervasive image of the president as an ethnic bigot asked him to address the structural problems of the country because no nation could survive two civil wars. Akinrinade said: “Please, grant me the indulgence to mention to him (Buhari) one or two matters that throw me into distress because of my association with him. “The first is this pervasive belief that he is an ethnic bigot, an irredeemable religious fundamentalist, that h...

New Tariff Only Affects Major Electricity Consumers – says DISCO The Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), says the new tariff regime approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) will not affect lower electricity consumers in its franchise. KEDCO’s franchise include Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States. Mr Ibrahim Shawai, Head of Corporate Communications of the company, gave the clarification in a statement issued on Wednesday in Kano. Shawai said that the increase in tariff would be applied only on major electricity consumers who had been categorised into Band A, B and C. He explained that the Band A, B and C consumers enjoyed minimum of power supply between 20, 16 and 12 hours respectively. The spokesman added that lower consumers were also categorised into Band D and E with less than 12 hours of supply per day, adding that they would not be affected by the tariff increase. “This equally applies to those categorised as life line customers who do not consume m...

90 New COVID-19 Cases on September 15 #COVID19Nigeria update for Tuesday 15th of September, 2020. 90 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria : Lagos-33 Plateau-27 Kaduna-17 Ogun-6 FCT-4 Anambra-1 Ekiti-1 Nasarawa-1 As at 15th of September 2020, there are 56,478 cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria, 44,430 discharged and 1,088 dead. A breakdown of cases by State can be found via: https://covid19.ncdc.gov.ng. #TakeResponsibility

Angry Youths Attack Police For Chasing Suspected ‘Yahoo Boys’ To Death In Osogbo Angry Youths Attack Police For Chasing Suspected ‘Yahoo Boys’ To Death In Osogbo There is palpable tension in Osogbo on Tuesday evening, as aggrieved youths numbering about 50 attacks personnel of the State Joint Task Force (JTF) for allegedly chasing four suspected internet fraudsters to death in the state. The stick-wielding mob, who thronged some major streets around 6:30 pm, dumped the corpse of one of the victims at Government House gate, set born-fire along Oke-Fia road, and assaulted policemen on sight before they were dispatched by arm wielding policemen. It was gathered that JTF chased four young men, suspected to be internet fraudsters after refusing to stop after they were flagged along Osogbo East-West bypass around 5:20 pm. The suspected ‘Yahoo boys’, according to findings were at the Osun shopping mall to buy things before they were ...