27-year-old man arraigned for allegedly raping 21-year-old lady

An Ota Magistrates’ Court has arraigned a 27-year-old man identified as Saheed Babatunde for allegedly raping a 21-year-old lady.

Babatunde, who lives at 26 Ogundele St, Oloko, Ota, is facing a count charge of rape.

The accused raped the lady at his residence on Nov. 13, at 10.30pm, according to the prosecutor, Sgt. Abdulkareem Mustapha, NAN reports.

Chief Magistrate, Matthew Akinyemi granted the accused bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum.

Akinyemi ordered that the sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and be gainfully employed, with evidence of tax payment to Ogun Government.

The offence contravened Section 360 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ogun, 2006.

He adjourned the case until December 21 for substantive hearing.

- Daily Post

Makoko Community protests lack of electricity for 5 years

Residents of Apolo Community in Makoko area of Lagos State have embarked on peaceful protest over lack of electricity supply in the last five years.

 The residents, who marched to the Constituency office of their representative in the House of Representatives said socio-economic activities had been paralyzed in the area since electricity supply was cut off.

Responding to the protesters, Hon. Jide Jimoh assured them that he would liaise with authorities at the council level in finding solution to the problem.

 The lawmaker, who commended them for their peaceful conduct also promised that their demand would be taken to the appropriate quarters in Abuja.

Jimoh appealed to the protesting community to drop the idea of no power no vote during the 2019 General elections in the state.

According to him, successive progressive governments in Lagos State had made a mark in improving the infrastructural needs across the metropolis.

- PM News

Enelamah: Business registration can now be completed in 48 hours

Okechukwu Enelamah, minister of industry, trade and investment, says intending enterprises can now complete their registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) within 48 hours.

The minister made this known while speaking at the 10th meeting of the National Council on Industry, Trade and Investment, with the theme, ‘Ease of Doing Business: The Role of States and Local Governments’ in Abia.

On trading across borders, Enelamah listed some of the completed reforms to include the reduction in import documentation requirements from 14 to eight and export documents from 10 to seven, an introduction of advance cargo manifests and scheduling of joint physical examination anchored by the Nigerian Customs Service.

He listed other reforms to include the passage and signing into law of two bills to ease access to credit for MSMEs.

“These two Bills are the Secured Transactions in Movable Assets Act 2017 and the Credit Reporting Act 2017,” he said in Abia on Friday.

“Business registration in Nigeria can now be concluded within 48 hours with the automated platform by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC),” he said.

“Technologies were deployed to improve service delivery in the Ministries in the areas of SME platform, digitizing and simplifying the provision of government services. Examples include Commercial Law Department in our Ministry, digitizing One Stop Investment Centre and Pioneer Status Incentives Processes at the Nigeria Investment Promotion Council.”

He said the reforms by the federal government can only work with collaboration of state and local government.

“For instance, State Governments should undertake reforms process of making land documentation and business registration seamless as resolved at the 9th Meeting of the National Council. Nigeria can only progress on the Ease- of- Doing Business initiative on the basis of collaboration among the key stakeholders, especially the State Governments.”

- THeCable

Workers at fashion brand Ted Baker are calling for a halt to a culture of “forced hugging” by the company boss, claiming it amounts to harassment that is going unchallenged.

Staff members have set up a petition on campaign website Organise, accusing founder and chief executive Ray Kelvin of inappropriate language and behaviour.

The petition also accuses Mr Kelvin, 62, of making “sexual innuendos at staff” and “stroking people’s necks”.

It alleges: “He took off his shirt on one occasion and talked about his sex life. So many people have left the business due to harassment, whether that be verbal, physical or sexual.”

The workers claim the company has ignored complaints. “It is part of a culture that leaves harassment unchallenged,” the petition says, adding: “There are a lot of really positive things about working at Ted Baker but they’re often overshadowed by the ‘hugging’ and inappropriate touching and comments.”

The company says hugs are part of company culture but are not insisted upon.

The petition writer says: “I’ve seen the CEO ask young female members of staff to sit on his knee, cuddle him or let him massage their ears. I went to HR with a complaint and was told ‘that’s just what Ray’s like’.

“Please set up a way of reporting harassment to an independent, external body – HR has done nothing with the reports of harassment to date.”

Millionaire Mr Kelvin, who opened his first store called “Ted Baker” (named after a fictitious alter ego) in 1988, is one of Britain’s most successful retail tycoons. The firm now has 544 fashion outlets worldwide.

He is worth £522m, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.

Earlier this year the accounting watchdog fined KPMG £3m after the firm admitted misconduct in its audits of Ted Baker in 2013 and 2014.

The company said the matters raised in the petition were “at odds with the values of our business and those of our CEO” and it promised a thorough independent investigation.

It said in a statement: “Ted Baker has always placed great importance on the company’s culture and owes everything to the commitment of our people. It is critically important to us that every member of our staff feels valued and respected at work.

“Ray greets many people he meets with a hug, be it a shareholder, investor, supplier, partner, customer or colleague. Hugs have become part of Ted Baker’s culture, but are absolutely not insisted upon.

“Having very recently been made aware of the petition, we are now in dialogue with Organise to understand the details and nature of the claims.”

The statement added that Ted Baker had clear and robust HR policies to provide employees with a wide range of reporting options for issues, including a “completely confidential and anonymous 24/7 helpline”.

The company said it took the claims very seriously and after an investigation would carefully consider the content and recommendations of that report.

- Independent

City could face Champions League ban from next season

Manchester City could face a ban from next season’s Champions League over alleged deceptions of Uefa’s financial rules revealed in the Football Leaks scandal. European football’s governing body believes a potential transfer embargo is not a sufficient punishment for the Premier League champions if an independent inquiry into Financial Fair Play rules against the club in the coming days.

Senior Uefa officials – who previously launched sanctions against City in 2014 – are particularly enraged by leaked files from 2015, which claim almost £60 million was paid directly into the club by their billionaire Arab owners but declared as sponsorship.

Speaking here yesterday, Aleksander Ceferin, the Uefa president, appeared to indicate the allegations of FFP breaches were a “concrete case”. The documents, allegedly obtained by illegal email hacks, are said to show £59.5 million that was supposed to have come from City’s principal sponsor Etihad Airways – which sponsors the club’s stadium, shirts and training ground – was paid directly to the club by the Abu Dhabi United Group. To put that into context, City’s record signing is Riyad Mahrez, who cost £60 million from Leicester City last season.

Ceferin, speaking after a meeting of Uefa executives, said: “We are assessing the situation. We have an independent body working on it. Very soon we will have the answers on what will happen in this concrete case.”

According to a report in German magazine Der Spiegel last month, City breached FFP rules by €188 million (£167 million) in 2014.

City owner Sheikh Mansour was accused of funding significant parts of so-called deals with club sponsors in an attempt to escape Uefa sanctions. Der Spiegel also alleged that City set up a secret scheme called “Project Longbow”, which effectively hid about £40 million in payments to players, after the club had agreed a €20 million fine as a settlement for FFP breaches.

However, City have claimed “the attempt to damage the club’s reputation is organised and clear” and said they “will not be providing any comment on out-of-context materials purportedly hacked or stolen from City Football Group and Man City personnel and associated people”. 

Uefa issued a statement last week confirming that previous cases could be reopened if new information came to light, and that previously undisclosed information could also be used. It said: “Uefa conducts an annual assessment of all clubs against the break-even requirements of FFP on a rolling three-year basis. If new information comes to light, that may be material to this assessment, Uefa will use that to challenge the figures.

“Should new information suggest that previously concluded cases have been abused, those cases may be capable of being reopened.”

Among other potential breaches of Uefa rules, Der Spiegel published emails from 2010, reportedly from board member Simon Pearce communicating with colleagues, in which he discusses a £15 million deal with partner Aabar.

“As we discussed, the annual direct obligation for Aabar is £3 million,” he allegedly wrote. “The remaining £12 million will come from alternative sources provided by His Highness [City owner, Sheikh Mansour].”

In another message, City’s chief financial officer, Jorge Chumillas, allegedly wrote that the club faced a £9.9 million shortfall to comply with FFP thanks to the contract termination of manager Roberto Mancini. The Italian was sacked in 2013, a year to the day after winning the Premier League title. His giant pay-off meant yet more expenditure on City’s books that had to be covered by income under Uefa rules.

City were also accused of manipulating other sponsorship deals by backdating them. Der Spiegel reported that City and Paris St-Germain breached FFP rules by €188 million and €215 million (£192 million) respectively in 2014.

Javier Tebas, chief executive of Spanish football’s top division and a long-standing critic of City, has previously expressed doubts over whether City or French club Paris St-Germain would face sanctions because of a tangled web of financial relationships between the clubs and Uefa.

Tebas has expressed fears that the governing body’s links with broadcaster beIN Sport, which has committed billions of pounds to televise Champions League matches and other competitions, present an obstacle to Uefa acting. BeIN is owned by the sovereign wealth fund of the Qatari royal family, which also own PSG. City are owned by the ruling family of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

- The Telegraph

DisCos have ‘lived below expectation’

Electricity distribution companies (DisCos) in the country have performed below expectation five years after the privatisation of the power sector.

Chiedu Ugbo, managing director of Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), made this known while speaking at the Nextier Power Dialogue in Abuja.

He said the 11 DisCos have still not met their various performance agreements since they took over the power assets on November 1, 2013.

Ugbo said that power generation has recorded a huge success but distribution has failed to live up to expectation.

“On average you can say generation is a huge success. However, because Nigerians don’t have electricity the way they intended if you use generation and distribution, they say it is below expectation. But with generation standing alone, is in my view, a success,” he said.

“For the distribution companies, they have performance targets in terms of the ATC&C (Average Technical, Commercial and Collection) loss reduction, in the number of connections they have to do, number of metering they ought to do and some others within this five-year period.

“Now have they reduced their technical, commercial and collection losses? We all know the answer, because I’ve been doing distribution expansion and rehabilitation work since I took over at the NDPHC but that is what they are supposed to do.

“However, we’ve spent all of our resources doing that for distribution companies which is through government intervention. So I don’t think they’ve met that. Have they done the metering? I think they were supposed to meter about 1.7 million customers, have they done that? These are facts and figures.

“Also, have they done the required expansion work for distribution across the country? Why haven’t they done these things? What does the agreement say? I know they often talk about a cost reflective tariff, but it is not just a figure you pick in the air. There are a number of factors inbuilt in it.”

- TheCable

2019 : NGO calls for prosecution of ‘vote buyers’

The Africa Electoral Integrity Initiative (AE2i), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) has called for stiffer sanctions and diligent prosecution of those involved in vote buying and selling in the build-up to the 2019 general elections.

Dr Daniel Omofoman, Convener and Regional Director of AE2i made the call in an interview on Monday in Abuja.

He decried the new trend of “open vote buying” in Nigeria, which he said was fast becoming a canker worm capable of derailing the 2019 general elections.

“We believe the issue of vote buying is becoming a virus and canker worm in the Nigerian system and we must not forget that it a criminal offence.

“So we need stiffer sanctions and prosecution of all those involved in this nefarious activity so as to serve as deterrent and grow our democracy in line with international best practice” he said.

Omofoman said that aside from prosecution, a lot of sensitisation and advocacy needed to be carried out, especially in the grassroots to dissuade the electorate from selling their votes.

In this regard, he said that the AE2i as an NGO of Africans in Diaspora with expertise in election administration was working with relevant stakeholders in Nigeria and the international community to ensure credible 2019 elections in Nigeria.

“As part of efforts to ensure credible elections in Nigeria in 2019, we will be organising a National Conference on Electoral Integrity in Abuja on December 6.

“The conference will sensitise stakeholders on the need to sustain the integrity of the 2019 general elections and restoring voter confidence in the system,” he said.

According to him, the NGO will be collaborating with key stakeholders like the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Inter-party Advisory Council (IPAC), security agencies, NGOs and the media to achieve the feat.

Omofoman noted that the NGO had worked on similar projects in other African countries in the build up to their elections with significant success.

He expressed optimism that Nigeria would get it right with all hands on deck.

- PM News

Luka Modric wins Ballon D’or

Luka Modric, the Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder has added the Ballon D’Or to the trophies won this year, after winning the UEFA and FIFA best player of 2018.

The talented playmaker saw off competition from France’s World Cup stars to end a 10-year stranglehold on the award by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Modric, 33, was announced as the winner of the prestigious prize in Paris ahead of Ronaldo and French World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann.

- PM News

FG makes u-turn on no-work-no-pay policy for striking Varsity lecturers

The The Nigeria’s Federal Government on Monday officially made a u-turn on no-work-no-pay policy for striking academic staff of public universities’ and Inter-University centers.

According to a Memo from the National Universities Commission, NUC, and dated Monday December 3, 2018, all the Vice Chancellors of the Nigeria’s public universities should ignore the earlier Memo sent to them to pay only the salaries of the working non-academic salaries and not to pay the salaries of the striking academic staff.

The Memo, addressed to all the Vice Chancellors and titled, “Re: Application of no work-no-pay rule,” which was signed by Director, Research, Innovation and Information Technology, Dr S. B. Ramon-Yusuf, states:” Our letter Ref NUC/ES/138/Vol. 60/48 of 29 November, 2018 on the above subject matter and the subsequent e-mail advising Vice Chancellors and Directors of Inter-University Centres to disregard the earlier letter, refer please.

“For the avoidance of doubt, I am to clarify that Vice Chancellors and Directors of Inter-University Centres should please stay action on the implementation of the no-work-no pay rule, pending further directives”.

As at the time of filing this report, no member of the nation’s public universities has received November salary.

- PM News

Lagos tenants exhume Landlord’s corpse

Four persons, who allegedly exhumed the corpse of their landlord before selling his property, on Monday appeared before a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

The three accused men and a woman are: Silifatu Abisile, 60; Jimoh Abisile, 52; Gbade Bakare, 56; and Isaiah Bakare, 45.

The accused are facing a-five-count charge of conspiracy, kidnapping, breach of peace, forgery and false assumption of authority.

The Police Prosecutor, Williams Ologun, told the court that the accused committed the offences on Nov. 1, at Ishola Daniel Street in Oshodi area of Lagos.

Ologun alleged that the accused had conspired to illegally sell the house they were living, which did not belong to them.

He said that a prospective buyer had insisted they relocate the grave that was in front of the house before he would make payments.

“My Lord, they forged an exhumation of corpse permit from Oshodi -Isolo Local Government and dug up the corpse of the house owner, Sumonu Bakare, who was buried in the compound.

“They also kidnapped the son of the deceased; Gbenro Bakare, who is crippled, thinking he was the only surviving child of the deceased,” he said.

Ologun said that the first and second accused were relations of the deceased while the third and fourth accused were longtime tenants on the property.

He said that the third and fourth accused had registered for a change of name to ‘Bakare’, which was not their real names, claiming to be the children of the deceased.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the offences contravened Sections 76 (1) [c], 168 (1) (d), 271 (1), 365 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr Peter Ojo, granted the accused bail in the sum of N500,000 each with two sureties each in like sum.

In his ruling, Ojo insisted that one of each accused’s sureties must be a blood relation and must be resident within the court’s jurisdiction.

He said each of the sureties must also show evidence of three years tax payment to the Lagos Government and be gainfully employed.

Ojo then adjourned the case until Jan. 10 for trial.

- Daily Post

ASUU strike: Nigerian Government makes u-turn on no-work-no pay

Nigeria Government has made a u-turn on its previous stand of no-work-no-pay policy for striking Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

Federal Government’s u-turn was contained in a Memo from the National Universities Commission, NUC, and dated Monday December 3, 2018

It said all the Vice Chancellors of the Nigeria’s public universities should ignore the earlier Memo sent to them to pay only the salaries of the working non-academic salaries and not to pay the salaries of the striking academic staff.

The Memo was addressed to all the Vice Chancellors and titled, “Re: Application of no work-no-pay rule.”

It was signed by Director, Research, Innovation and Information Technology, Dr S. B. Ramon-Yusuf.

It said, ”Our letter Ref NUC/ES/138/Vol. 60/48 of 29 November, 2018 on the above subject matter and the subsequent e-mail advising Vice Chancellors and Directors of Inter-University Centres to disregard the earlier letter, refer please.

“For the avoidance of doubt, I am to clarify that Vice Chancellors and Directors of Inter-University Centres should please stay action on the implementation of the no-work-no pay rule, pending further directives.”

- Daily Post

FG speaks on increasing recruitment quota of persons with disability

The Federal Government has assured of an increase in the recruitment quota of Persons with Disabilities to 10 per cent.

Dr Samuel Ankeli, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Disability Matters, disclosed this in Abuja on Monday at the official inauguration of the Baseline Survey of PWDs to mark the International Day with Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), NAN reports.

Ankeli in the event tagged `Empowering Persons with Disabilities and Ensuring their Inclusiveness and Equality.’
urged PWDs to come up with a memo while assuring that relevant actions would be taken to improve the lives of the people.

“It has been observed that those who are educated enough for employment have not been given a fair share of the Federal Civil Service openings.

“It is a normal government procedure to improve policies where need be.

“It’s a policy decision and the Head of Service (HOS) with her team will prepare a document for the attention of the President to see how we can do things as urgently as possible.

“This will help us to improve the recruitment quota of PWDs from the negligible two per cent to 10 per cent and provide an allowance to cushion the expenses and extra stresses of PWDs.

“I am sure that with the proper document, which is a memo to the President, the relevant actions will be taken on it to improve the lives of PWDs,’’ he said.

Also, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, Head of Service of the Federation (HOSF), said the theme was apt as it spelt out the objectives of the baseline survey of PWDs employed in the Federal Civil Service.

Oyo-Ita noted that the survey would go a long way to reassure PWDs in the service that issues of their welfare are on the front burner.

She said the survey was meant to position the officers to integrate PWDs for national development.

The Head of Service added that the project, which is a pilot project, would be conducted in the office.

According to her, the project will subsequently be extended to other Ministries, Departments and Agencies and the states.

She said the time is ripe to begin effective planning for the future of PWDs in the service and the ultimate goal is the development of a comprehensive policy to address the challenges.

“ The launch is expected to provide the aggregated data of PWDs in the civil service, in order to enable the service welfare to design a programme that tackles the challenges.

“To create more opportunities for PWDs to get into job and full range effective service, sustainable change will be realised when all concerned are empowered.

“The Federal Government is working to lessen inequality in the society, the office will also continue to provide PWDs with requirements to work effectively in a conducive environment,’’ she said.

- Daily Post

Oyo shuts Ibadan school after violence clash

The Oyo State Government on Monday announced that it has shut down the Community Grammar School, Olodo, Ibadan with immediate effect.

The decision to close the school was announced through a statement made available to DAILY POST on Monday by the Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mrs. Ibironke Fatoki.

Fatoki said that the school was shut over the incident of arson that occurred in the premises on Friday during a mob action by some hoodlums and miscreants after a violent protest by junior secondary school students the day before.

She stated that the government had set up a six-man administrative investigative panel to examine the immediate and remote causes of the incident, adding that the panel is expected to submit its report in seven working days.

Fatoki added that that a block of 3 classrooms and four cars were burnt during the protest, adding that one life was also lost during the mayhem.

- Daily Post

2019 presidency: Why Buhari, Atiku will fail – Fr. Mbaka

The Spiritual Director of the Adoration Ministry, Enugu Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka has predicted doom’s day for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Muhammadu Buhari and the Presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku.

He said none of them would win, but failed to mention the eventual winner.

The fiery Catholic Priest spoke during the 2018 harvest and bazaar celebration at his Adoration Ground in Emene.

Mbaka said it was bad and scandalous before the Holy Spirit that after their prayers on Adoration altar made Buhari the President, he has refused come back to thank God.

He also narrated how his ministry’s prayers saved Buhari from deadly sickness in 2015.

The Priest said “anybody with Buhari’s ears should warn him that no one cheats God, that after he thinks he is healthy, his sickness may come in another form.”

On former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku, Mbaka said that “if he continued on the same trajectory, he and his running mate would end in shame.”

Speaking in Igbo, Mbaka said, “Ask Atiku if it is these steps that the cow will take to reach Umuahia.”

Mbaka concluded by requesting that Atiku should reach out to Igbo leaders like Hon. Ike Ekweremadu and also come personally to adoration ground and do a project for them.”

He also berated Atiku’s running mate, Mr. Peter Obi.

Though he said they had always supported Obi, he stated that Obi had not done anything for his church.

He said God would bless Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and grant them second term for what they had done for him.

Fr. Mbaka curiously withheld Obi’s blessing and said he would only release it after Obi had done a project for them. Using Umahi as an example, Mbaka said: “Umahi donated 1,000 bags of rice and 1,000 tubers of yam to us, but it meant nothing to me until he handed N10 million cheque to me and promised to build a project for the ministry. This is the type of gesture we require from Obi”, he said.

While acknowledging the donation of N500,000 from Obi as his money for breaking of kolanut, he said “stinginess is not a virtue.”

- Daily Post