Firefighters

By Bosede Olufunmi

The Kano State Fire Service has rescued four persons trapped in a collapsed building along BUK Road at Kofar Kansakali in Gwale Local Government Area (LGA) in Kano.

Malam Saidu Mohammed, spokesman for the service said in a statement that the building collapsed at about 05:24 a.m., on Tuesday.

We received a distress call at about 05:24 a.m., on Tuesday from one Malam Muhammad Sani.

On receiving the information, we quickly sent our rescue team to the scene at about 05:27 a.m., Mohammed said.

He said that oneof the victims was found dead, while the remaining three sustained serious injuries and where rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Mohammed said that the cause of the incident was still under investigation.

He advised residents to be conscious, stop living in old and crack buildings to avert unforeseen circumstances. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Left) Chief Somina Elekima, PLIF International President

PVCs
Peoples Life Improvement Foundation (PLIF), an NGO, has urged INEC to implant biometric features similar with those on Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards, on Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), to ease e-voting and make elections transparent.

Chief Somina Elekima, PLIF International President, who made the suggestion at the NGOs first general meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, said that the measure would reduce human involvement that had always hurt the credibility of elections.

When the PVCS are upgraded, we shall have biometric accreditations, voting options, transmission commands with printers connected, so that the ballot of the voter as voted will be printed out and placed on the ballot box physically.

The deal is that by this time, the votes have been computed and transmitted from the polling unit to the local government, state and national levels simultaneously.

This on time transmission of results alone can save up to 70 per cent of the sanctity of the election.

The remaining 30 per cent will be that of possible hackers which will then be identified as a single problem that will be subject to the best technological test in case of an election petition.

If we can achieve this, the myriad of violence will be reduced. The fraud is now reduced to just inducing voters with bribes, but the actual voting will be individuals decision, he explained.

He, however, noted that such technological interventions were only possible if the electoral amendment bill was signed into law.

We appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly to endorse the law so as to give us biometric accreditation, electronic voting, electronic counting and electronic transmission of results.

If we can have these all in place, it will be possible to successfully prosecute electoral cases because it will be easier to detect the point any anomaly has occurred, he said.

He said that the electoral law would reduce the number of persons and materials deployed, especially in view of security issues, which had combined to make election so expensive in the country.

Elekima alleged that some politicians do not really want a system that would see the people actually employing and sacking political office holders.

Sometimes politicians complain of the electoral process when they are out of power, but hardly take any step to correct the lapses when they win elections.

We must make sure that the system is credible. We have no option but to have electronic-driven electoral process that will have accreditation, voting, counting and transmission at the same time, he said.

He dismissed suggestions that it would be difficult to change Nigerians pessimistic feelings about their nation.

Nigerians want positive change and have always yearned for it. We must instil confidence in the psyche of Nigerians. That is the focus of PLIF.

Many feel Nigerians cannot change. I reject such pessimism. We can make things happen once we are committed and can show transparency in our approach to the quest for change, he said.

All we want at this point is perseverance, pressure and patience, he declared.

Elekima emphasised the need to take democracy to the people by making votes count, and urged Nigerians never to lose interest in the strength of their PVCs.

The PVC remains a very powerful weapon we have in our hands. Lets insist on voting and also insist that our votes count and are counted.

Nigerians must be mobilised to decide who should lead them and also guide who they voted so that their interests and aspirations will be well served.

Democracy is a government by consent. This presupposes a proper electoral system where the people have a chance of influencing who gets elected into office. We must all strive to make this possible, he said.

The President urged Nigerians and other NGOs and pressure groups to join the PLIF crusade to cleanse the nations electoral system to ensure the emergence of leaders by popular will.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the NGO, at the meeting, elected Mrs Fatima Abba, a lawyer, as its National Secretary. She replaces Mr Joshua Worlu, who is now National Auditor.

Also elected was Mrs Regina Esego, former Women Secretary, who is to serve as Women Leader of the organisation.

Source: NAN News

Omar Al-Bashir

A Sudan court on Tuesday began the trial of ousted autocrat Omar al-Bashir for leading a military coup that brought him to power 31 years ago.

Al-Bashir and 26 other defendants gave brief introductory statements at the Supreme Court in the capital, Khartoum.

A judge then rejected the defences appeal for a postponement, filed on the basis of Sudans fragile political climate and questioning the impartiality of the court.

The judge scheduled the next session for Sept. 15.

The trial was initially set to start in late July but was postponed three times, including due to lack of coronavirus precautions.

Al-Bashir is facing charges of undermining the constitution, rebellion and violating the Armed Forces Act, Al-Moez Hadra, who belongs to the group of lawyers who filed the criminal lawsuit, said.

The 76-year-old will stand trial with several co-accused, among them two of al-Bashirs former vice presidents as well as former ministers and governors.

If convicted, al-Bashir, who is already imprisoned for corruption, could face a death sentence.

Al-Bashir came to power in 1989 after he led a military coup against democratically elected Prime Minister Sadek al-Mahdi.

He was ousted in April 2019 after months of pro-democracy protests and mass sit-ins.

Al-Bashir was convicted in late 2019 on corruption charges, but was never tried for alleged crimes against humanity committed under his 30-year rule.

The volatile nation in the Horn of Africa is currently run by a transitional government made up of military and civilian officials. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Pupils in classroom

Schools reopened in France on Tuesday after the summer break, with face masks obligatory for teachers and for all children aged 11 or over.

Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said that all children would have to go back to school unless they had a good reason, and parents should not be afraid.

France already opened almost all schools gradually in the last weeks of term before the summer, with authorities anxious for children to make up ground lost during a virus lockdown from mid-March to mid-May.

The country was one of the hardest-hit in Europe by the coronavirus epidemic, with more than 30,000 deaths.

Infections have been rising rapidly again in recent weeks, at more than 5,000 daily for most of the last week compared with under 1,000 daily for the first three weeks of July.

Blanquer said all schools were nevertheless ready to reopen, but his ministry had plans for moving back to distance learning if local lockdowns have to be reimposed in the worst-hit areas.

President Emmanuel Macron tweeted encouragement: Education is an opportunity, it brings us together, he wrote.

This new term has many challenges, but at last we are all back together again!

At least some children were equally enthusiastic, with three siblings from Paris telling newspaper Le Parisien that spending lockdown and the following months by the seaside with only online classes, seeing nobody but their parents, had been very long.

Its been six months since we saw our friends!, one of them, named Mathieu, said. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

NSE

The nations on Monday closed the last trading day of August with a growth of 0.07 per cent, following sustained positive sentiment.

Specifically, the All-Share Index rose by 17.76 points or 0.07 per cent to close at 25, 327.13 compared with 25,309.37 achieved on Friday.

Similarly, the market capitalisation improved by nine billion naira or 0.07 per cent to close at N13.213 trillion against N13.203 trillion posted on Friday.

The upturn was impacted by gains recorded in large and medium capitalised stocks, amongst which are: Mobil Nigeria, Dangote Cement, Lafarge Africa, Vitafoam and BUA Cement.

Analysts at United Capital Plc said, This week, we expect to see some profit taking, given the bullish performance in the last two weeks.

Mobil led the gainers chart in percentage terms, appreciating by 10 per cent to close at N192.50 per share.

FTN Cocoa followed with 8.33 per cent to close at 26k, while Royal Exchange garnered 7.69 per cent to close at 28k per share.

Vitafoam inched higher by 4.39 per cent to close at N5.71, while Lafarge Africa appreciated by 3.46 per cent to close at N11.95 per share.

Conversely, C

By Edeki Igafe

The Nigeria Police (B Division), Warri has solicited the coorperation of the media in the fight against crimes in the Delta commercial city and environs.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), B Division, Warri, CSP Benjamin Igometi, made the call during a courtesy visit to the Warri Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union on Journalists (NUJ).

Igometi said that the media were crucial partners in the operations of the police because of their adequate dissemination of information to the public.

The media are central in our operations; we need them to reach out to the public and also correct some of the ills in society, he said

On a teenager, suspected be an internet fraudster, the DPO said the suspect was apprehended in the division sometime ago and bailed by his father.

Igometi said that though the suspect was under-aged, the proceeds from the illicit business was used to buy a car for the father.

During investigation, it was discovered that the boy was using his fathers bank account to transact the illicit business.

Internet fraud also known as Yahoo Yahoo is becoming worrisome in the society.

To curtail these excesses, the police must offend some people. I detained the boy not knowing the father was the custodian, he said.

Responding, the Chairman of the Warri correspondents chapel, Mr Okies Veeky, assured the visitor of the memberss utmost cooperation.

Source: NAN News

President Buhari meets Pastor Afeboye

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met behind closed door with the General Overseer Redeemed Christian Church of God pastor Enoch Adeboye at the State House, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari were at the meeting which lasted for about an hour.

NAN reports that the agenda of the meeting between the president and the 78-year-old religious leader was unknown as at the time of filing this report.

Adeboye had in 2017 visited the president in London, who then was on medical vacation.

The Redeemed Christian Church of God is a Pentecostal mega church and denomination founded in Lagos with millions of followers.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi State

By Martha Agas

The Northern Governors Forum has congratulated Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi, over his election victory at the Supreme Court.

The Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Plateau, Simon Lalong, congratulated Bello in a message by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr Makut Macham, on Monday in Jos.

Lalong said Bellos victory was an affirmation of the mandate Kogi people entrusted on him, which he should work hard to justify.

The Supreme Court judgment affirming your election victory gives you an opportunity to settle down to serve your people and fulfill their aspirations without any distraction.

The people have already reposed their confidence in you and are looking up to you for the dividends of democracy, he said.

Lalong assured Bello that members of the Forum would continue to support him to ensure his success.

He also called on the people of Kogi to support the governor and put behind political, religious and ethnic differences, in order to create the enabling environment for Bellos administration to fulfill its mandate.

He urged Bello to continue his commitment in the task of finding solutions to the challenges of the region and the nation at large. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Flood

Torrential rains and floods killed at least 51 people and destroyed more than 26,000homes in Niger in the past two months, the presidency said on Monday.

About 281,000 people, or 32,500 households,have been affected by the flooding since early July, President Issoufou Mahamadou said during an emergency meeting.

In addition, more than 5,500 hectares of crops have been destroyed due to the overflowing Niger river, the president said.

The poverty-stricken West African nation is in the midst of its rainy season, which lasts from May to October, with the most rainfall occurring in July and August.

Flooding is common in Niger, where heavy rainfalls cause death and displacement each rainy season, mainly due to poor infrastructure. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Gov. of Sokoto, Aminu Tambuwal

By Muhammad Nasir Bello

Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, on Monday forwarded the names of Mainasara Ahmad and Abubakar Maikudi to the state House of Assembly for screening and confirmation to fill vacant positions in the state executive council.

This is contained in a statement issued to newsmen in Sokoto by Malam Muhammad Bello, his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity.

Their nomination followed the demise of the state Commissioner for Land and Housing, late Surajo Gatawa and political mobility of the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Rep. Balarabe Kakale, it said.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the governor had on July 8, 2020, mandated two Commissioners to oversee the two vacant positions.

Alhaji Bashir Gidado, the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, was drafted to oversee the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning while that of Basic Education, Alhaji Bello Guiwa took charge of the Ministry of Lands and Housing. (NAN)

Source: NAN News