Gunmen kill three policemen in Kaduna

Three policemen serving at Fadan Karshi Outpost in Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State were on Tuesday gunned down by unknown gunmen at a checkpoint between Fadan Karshi and Sabon Gida village.

The Vice Chairman of Sanga Local Government Council, Abubakar Abba, confirmed the incident to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday.

He added that the bodies have been deposited at the Gwantu General Hospital.

“Two Policemen died on the spot and the third one died on the way to the hospital.

Meanwhile, investigation had commenced as security agents have swung into action while members of the community have been urged to be calm,” he said.

He decried the increase in the wave of crime in the area and appealed to relevant security agencies to rise up to the challenge.

The Deputy Police Public Relations Officer of Kaduna State Command, Suleiman Abubakar, an assistant superintendent of police, confirmed the incident.

He said a statement would soon be issued on the development.

Governor Emmanuel wins at Appeal Court

The Court of Appeal, Calabar, has affirmed the judgement of the election petition tribunal that Udom Emmanuel, the governor of Akwa Ibom, was validly elected in the 2019 general election.

The appellate court in its judgement on Wednesday declared that the appeal by the All Progressives Congress (APC), and its governorship candidate, Nsima Ekere, lacked merit and, therefore, dismissed the case.

Mr Emmanuel was a candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He is currently doing his second term.

The PDP in Akwa Ibom said the latest judgement was a confirmation of the “sanctity of the ballot”.

“In the well-considered judgement, the noble Lords of the penultimate court, held the Appeal was lacking in merit, agreeing with the tribunal that the APC did not lead credible evidence to prove their case and that they had dumped documents in the panel without linking them, as required by law,” Ini Ememobong, the PDP spokesperson in the state, said in a statement.

“By this judgment, the judiciary has again shown that justice is directed by law and not federal might, partisan colouration or other extra-legal dispositions. To this, we are deeply grateful to the court and wholeheartedly welcome the judgement.”

The PDP, in the statement, appealed to the APC, once again, to join hands with Mr Emmanuel to develop the state.

“To the opposition APC, we renew our call for partnership in the execution of the Akwa Ibom Project through the vehicle of the completion agenda of Governor Udom Emmanuel.

“We acknowledge the zeal and emotional investments committed to the Governorship quest by Obong Nsima Ekere, an illustrious Akwa Ibom son, who rose to the exalted office of Deputy Governor through the instrumentality of our party. He has fought the fight, ran the race, but the results are not in his favour.

“We urge him to avoid the temptation of escalation of commitment and rather view the Akwa Ibom project as the cynosure and act in the benefit of the larger interest of the people,” the PDP said.

Mr Emmanuel has also appealed to the APC to join his government in building Akwa Ibom. “Together, we will continue to re-write our story,” the governor said on Twitter immediately after the appeal court delivered its judgement.

The APC is yet to react to the appeal court judgement.

Court threatens to strike out FG’s case against Diezani Alison-Maudeke

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday threatened to strike out a charge of money laundering brought before it by the Federal Government against former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison Maudeke.

The presiding judge of the court, Justice Ijeoma Ojkukwu handed down the threat when, at the mention of the case initiated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the lawyer for the anti-graft agency, Farouk Abdallah said the Federal Government was having challenges effecting the ex-ministers extraction.

According to Abdallah, it was necessary to keep the case alive for the extradition process, already commenced, to be brought to fruition.

Why Osinbajo should fight back or resign – Arewa youths

The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, has charged Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to fight back because he has been ridiculed in the Presidency.

Speaking exclusively with DAILY POST, AYCF President General, Yerima Shettima warned that Osinbajo risked being removed if he failed to fight back or resign as Vice President.

Shettima stated this in reaction to the sack of some aides attached to the Vice President.

Insisting that the current government has undermined Osinbajo, Shettima wondered why the Vice President has remained silent in the face of his travail in the Presidency.

According to Shettima: “We have discovered that certain people at the corridors of power are manipulating the system for their selfish interest, like it or not somebody somewhere wants to ensure that the Vice President was put off the system so that he can’t find his way to the presidency in 2023.

“One thing about this government is no matter how they pretend, something is wrong. The moment they said the President and his Vice were in good terms I knew something was wrong because there can’t be smoke without a fire. Instead of sacking aides of the Vice President why not look at the National Assembly, if really they want to reduce the cost of governance in Nigeria why not look for a way of placing so many aides there doing nothing on allowances or reduce the number rather than look at the office of the Vice President.

“Some of us know that the battle line has been drawn. Osinbajo is serious being undermined, this is a clear indication that he is a target and they would pull him down. I’m surprised that he has not come out boldly to seek the sympathy of Nigerians and speak his mind. He is sitting there quietly because he wants to prove to Nigerians that he is a man of God. The issue of politics is not the matter of God, its about issues, professionalism must have to come to play. I know he is a Professor of law but he needs to come out and tell Nigerians what is going on, if he continues to stay quiet he will just wake up one morning and discovered that he has been removed.

“The office of the Vice President has been ridiculed so for me its either he’s out to fight or he resigns because if he doesn’t and can’t fight back then certainly they would remove him through any means. Nobody thought it was possible to remove the Chief Justice of the Federation but the did it easily, so how more the Vice President that is a spare tyre to the president. The head of the judiciary was removed and they frustrated him and nothing happened.”

Propertymart assures residents of Citiview Estate of continued provision of infrastructure

Leading real estate company, Propertymart Real Estate Investment Limited, has reaffirmed its commitment to continued provision of quality infrastructure at its Citiview Estate, Arepo in Ogun State.

 

This assurance was given by the spokesperson of the firm, Barrister Taiwo Adedeji, at a meeting with some concerned residents of the estate at the firm’s corporate office in Magodo following the flooding witnessed in the estate as a result of the opening of the Oyan Dam in the wake of the recent heavy downpour in the country.

 

“We are right now addressing the natural challenge of flooding confronting partners who live in our Citiview Estate. For more than 8 years, the estate has never encountered flooding; save for a particular year when there was water seepage from the rear end of the estate. Prior to this season, residents of Citiview Estate had been insulated from severe flooding witnessed by other neighbouring estates and we are only impacted this year majorly because of the dredging activities around Ogun River which has affected the landscape and consequently the flow course of water. Initial parts of the estate which were not prone to flooding are now exposed by the dredging activities”, he said.

 

Adedeji also disclosed that a frontline construction giant, PW, was engaged to construct the road infrastructure leading into the estate as well as major areas within the estate, and that Propertymart has been overseeing its maintenance since the opening of the estate.

 

On the issue of title documents, Adedeji explained that majority of those who have paid up their requisite fees have been given their Deed of Assignment. According to him, “allocation of title documents does not start and end on our table; it is tied to the activities of the Government.  The larger percentage of the residents, especially those that have fully paid have their title documents while the rest are still under processing. But there are some who have not paid the necessary fees for the perfection of their title documents. These people also are currently yet to get their title documents.”

 

“The Land Use Act vests ownership of land in state governments and as a company, we won’t hold on to anybody’s title document especially if they have paid. We have engaged the relevant authorities to ensure that outstanding documents are released as soon as possible, but the larger percentage of those who have fully paid up have their title in their possession.”

 

Commenting on other concerns raised by the residents of the estate, Adedeji disclosed that they were being addressed in fulfilment of promises made to stakeholders by the company.

 

Adedeji further disclosed that the company has noted the increasing expansion of the Estate and is working hard to ensure that the facilities are commensurate.

 

He said: “The estate is an expanding project, some people moved in years ago, while others recently did. Some others are planning to move in soonest and we have not gone to sleep on some of the emerging issues. It is a habitable estate and as it develops, we will expand the infrastructure. Please be rest assured that the estate is not neglected and will never be neglected. It remains one of the most beautiful estates in the neighbourhood. We are taking full responsibility for its maintenance.”

 

A significant player in Nigeria’s real estate sector since its incorporation in 2008, Propertymart has delivered over 6,000 housing units and serviced plots to families and individuals in Lagos and Ogun states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Some of its key projects include Citiview Estate, Arepo; Mitchel Mews, Magodo; Edensville Estate, Simawa and Mitchville and Bel Terraces, Abuja.

NSCDC speaks on farmers-herdsmen clash in Abia

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Abia State, on Wednesday, insisted that the state has recorded significant decline in the rate of farmers-herders clashes since the inauguration of the Agro-Rangers Unit of the command in September.

The State Commandant of the outfit, Mr Nnamdi Nwannukwu, said this while briefing newsmen in Umuahia on the achievements of the command since he assumed office in October last year, NAN reports.

Nwannukwu also said that the command had achieved a drastic reduction in bunkering, vandalism of petroleum pipelines, critical national assets and illegal dealings in petroleum products through the proactive and efficient performance of the Anti-Vandalism Unit.

He also expressed happiness that the Peace and Conflict Unit “has resolved a lot of cases that could have resulted in court cases or people taking the law into their hands.”

He further said that the Disaster Unit had been proactive in responding to disaster challenges, such as fire outbreaks, domestic and road accidents, among others.

The commandant also said that the Child Trafficking Unit had successfully curtailed the menace and domestic violence in collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs and National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.

He further spoke on the manpower development initiative by the command, saying that at least 200 of its men had been trained on Basic Arms and Weapons Handling through “a historic home- grown approach and efficient collaboration with the Nigerian Army.”

Nwannukwu said that the command also engaged renowned training consultants to train its officers and men on fire prevention and control; disaster management; early signs and prevention as well as efficient and effective intelligence gathering and surveillance activities.

He also said that as part of the efforts to check the rampant cases of accidental discharge and killing of fellow officers and civilians, the command engaged training officers from the army, police and other sister security agencies to build more confidence in the corps operatives.

He said: “This positive collaboration with other sister-security agencies has helped in improving the performance index of our Intelligence and Investigations Department.

“Most of the intelligence and surveillance reports of our men have been used by sister security agencies to solve high profile cases of kidnapping and banditry, amongst other violent crimes.”

Nwannukwu said that his background as a lawyer helped the command to secure 19 convictions out of 24 prosecutions within the last one year.
He said that the remaining five were still pending in court.

He expressed joy that his efforts to revive the command’s Staff Cooperative Investment and Credit Society Limited, allegedly plagued by a litany of administrative, financial and other issues, were beginning to yield result.

He said that bold and commendable steps had been taken to recover contributors’ money, allegedly stashed away in private accounts, as well as recover and hand over to members, the plots of land paid for since 2013.

He said that efforts were also on to pay off the retirees and next-of-kins of deceased officers the money they contributed while in service.

Meanwhile, the command, which had operated in a rented apartment since its inception in 2004, has moved to its permanent site on Aba Road, upon the completion of ‘take off structures’, including a two-storey building and commandant’s office block.

Nwannukwu, who is the ninth state commandant, recalled the ugly experience the command faced operating in a rented apartment.

According to him, the situation exposed the command to security and administrative challenges, “especially in the areas of the command’s armoury and unconducive work environment.”

He said that his administration decided to explore all legitimate options available in the last one year to change the narrative by giving the permanent site the desired attention.

“To the glory of God, these efforts have resulted in the timely completion of a one-storey building at the site, which has accommodated many sensitive departments and units,” he said.

The commandant listed some of their challenges and appealed to stakeholders and government at all levels to assist the command with operational vehicles, modern security gadgets and construction of more office blocks to enhance their capacity to deliver on their mandate.

Chain Reactions Appoints Ex-Ogilvy and DDB Super Performer, Uche Ugorji As Vice President, Strategy and Business Development

Chain Reactions Nigeria Limited, one of Nigeria’s leading Public Relations and Integrated Communications Consulting firms and Nigerian affiliate to Edelman, the world’s largest Public Relations firm, has named Uche Ugorji as Vice President, Strategy and Business Development.
Managing Director and Chief Strategist, Chain Reactions Nigeria, Israel Jaiye Opayemi, announced in a statement that Uche Ugorji’s appointment as Vice President, Strategy and Business Development was effective Friday 1, November 2019 as part of a holistic and aggressive business development drive the company is embarking upon.

According to Opayemi, “Uche Ugorji’s appointment is aimed at turbo-charging our bold client acquisition drive towards 2020 and beyond. He will effectively function as a Vice President and Chief Operating Officer with the mandate to give our 5-year business growth plan the leadership kick it requires. We see in Uche a man with incredible understanding of the art of selling, hence our decision to put him in charge of our growth train.”

The statement further disclosed that Ugorji’s choice was deliberate considering his robust cross-functional marketing communications background. “We have deliberately primed our business for the age of convergence and this is evident in the kind of work we do for clients and the kind of talents we retain to do them. We do not engage in run-off-the-mill PR works for our clients. We have fully embraced Edelman’s concept of Communications Marketing for our clients and so Uche is yet another bright example of the kind of talents we parade in Chain Reactions to deliver amazing results to our clients.”

In his reaction to the decision of the management of Chain Reactions to bring him on board, Uche Ugorji said, “I am super delighted at the opportunities ahead. I love the shared vision of Chain Reactions and the intentionality of its founder. It is bold and daring. I love the trajectory of the company, its international flavour in creed and in action. I love the company’s audacity to play big in not just Nigeria but in Africa. That is why I am in.”



Uche Ugorji has about 16 years of practical experience in the Marketing Communications industry within and outside the shores of Nigeria. He began his career in Public Relations with the then CMC Connect, now CMC Burson Cohn and Wolf before making a switch to core advertising as a strategic planner with Bluebird Communications. He later joined SO&U Saatchi & Saatchi where he was once described by one of the living legends of the industry, Udeme Ufot as “more than a Star but a genius!” upon his impressive performance on the Guinness account. This commendation came off the back of a character and dedication testimonial Uche had received from the Guinness Brand team in which he was described as a “rock” and a man who could deliver against incredibly impossible timelines”. The Guinness Marketing Manager at the time had cause to describe Uche as a man who exudes “nothing else but a can-do attitude even at the craziest deadlines” within the Guinness brand team.

Uche displayed similar impressive performance at Etuodi Communications and DDB Lagos respectively before joining Ogilvy as Business Director and Agency Council Lead for West Africa Region where he had oversight for all Ogilvy Integrated Marketing Communications interest accounts.

Chain Reactions Nigeria’s current clientele include Facebook, 9mobile, HP, Motorola Solutions, Dubai Tourism, First Bank, Lagos State Governor’s Office, The Jack Ma Foundation, Propertymart amongst others.