Ogun: Man defiles his three teenage daughters, another 10-year-old girl

 A 52-year-old man, Kayode Adeniyi of 12 Abere Ifa street, Ijoko, Ogun State, is currently in police net over alleged defilement.

The Ogun police spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, told DAILY POST that the man had confessed that he had serially defiled his three underaged daughters before he did same to a 10-year-old girl.

The suspect’s arrest followed a report lodged at the Agbado divisional headquarters by an aunt of the 10-year-old victim.

The aunt told the police that when her niece went to the apartment of the suspect to ask whether his daughter was the person who mistakenly removed the clothes she spread outside, he had forcefully dragged her into the room, covered her mouth with a pillow and had sexual intercourse with her.

According to Oyeyemi, the complainant explained further that the suspect threatened to kill her with a knife should she make noise.

DAILY POST learnt that Adebiyi was nabbed as the DPO of Agbado division, CSP Kehinde Kuranga, detailed his detectives to the scene.

“On interrogation, the suspect confessed having carnal knowledge of the victim forcefully, he also admitted that he threatened the victim with a knife and that is why she can’t make noise until he satisfied his sexual urge.

“Further investigation into the past activities of the suspect revealed that he had been sexually abusing his three underaged biological daughters before now, which he also did not deny.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police Edward Ajogun, has ordered the family support unit of Sango Area Command to take over the case for an in-depth investigation and diligent prosecution.”

- DAILY POST

#JUNGLE !! BudgIT: 316 capital projects worth N39.5bn duplicated in 2021 budget

 

BudgIT, a civic-tech non-profit organisation, says it has uncovered 316 duplicated capital projects worth N39.5 billion in the 2021 budget.

ln a statement, Iyanu Fatoba, communications associate at BudgIT, said the organisation’s findings is contained in its publication titled, “Demanding Budget Reforms for Resource Optimization”, released on Tuesday.

On December 31, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the 2021 appropriation bill of N13.588 trillion into law.

The signing was done more than a week after federal lawmakers passed the budget and raised its total sum by N508 billion.

Speaking on the report, Gabriel Okeowo, BudgIT’s CEO, said out of the identified 316 duplicated projects, 115 are in the ministry of health.

He said the development is “very disturbing” as the country is battling a deficit in health infrastructure across the 36 states.

Okeowo added the some ministries also received approvals for projects outside the scope of their mandate.

“Our investigations into the 2021 budget revealed at least 316 duplicated capital projects worth N39.5bn, with 115 of those duplicate projects occurring in the Ministry of Health. This is very disturbing especially considering the health infrastructure deficit and the raging COVID-19 pandemic affecting Nigeria,” he said.

“Even worse, agencies now receive allocations for capital projects they cannot execute. For example, the National Agriculture Seed Council has an allocation for N400m to construct solar street lights across all six geopolitical zones, while the Federal College of Forestry in lbadan in Oyo State got N50m for the construction of street lights in Edo State.”

According to BudgIT, in the 2021 budget, a total of 117 federal agencies received allocations for “security votes” worth N24.3 billion.

It said this is despite many agencies already having allocations for “security charges” to cover each agency’s security needs.

The organisation decried that increased resources allocated to the security sector means that less money is available to develop other sectors.

It added that there is a need for more scrutiny of how these allocations are budgeted and spent.

“2021 has been a horrifying year for Nigerians concerning security as the country combats mutating forms of crime and terror across all its 36 states; this is despite allocating over N10.02tn to security between 2015 and 2021,” Okeowo said.

“In the 2021 budget, the entire security sector’s allocation was N1.97tn, representing a 14% increase from the N1.78tn allocated in 2020.”

Okeowo urged the federal government to urgently block all loopholes in the budget creation and implementation process, some of which are contained in BudgIT’s publication.

“Nigeria is already haunted by a staggering N3.31 to debt servicing burden which will wipe out nearly 41.63% of the projected N7.99tn 2021 revenue,” he said.

“The federal government can maximise the little public funds left by blocking the leakages BudgIT has identified.”

- THECABLE

Baba Ijesha risks life imprisonment for alleged sexual assault

 

Baba Ijesha, real name James Olanrewaju faces a possible life imprisonment for the alleged sexual assault he was arrested for.

On April 22, Lagos State Police Command said the Nollywood actor was in detention for allegedly defiling a minor

Police spokesman, Muyuwa Adejobi said the case was reported on April 19 by Princess Adekola Adekanya at Sabo Police Station.

The Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu ordered the transfer of the matter to the Gender Unit of the State CID, Panti, Yaba, Lagos for investigation.

Baba Ijesha, 48, allegedly first assaulted the victim when she was 7 years old. The girl is now aged 14.

On Tuesday, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Moyosore Onigbanjo provided an update on the case.

Onigbanjo said the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) issued legal advice that a prima facie case has been disclosed against Olarenwaju.

The advice recommended that the actor should be charged under the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Baba Ijesha will face five charges. He will be tried under section 135 – indecent treatment of a child – punishable by seven years imprisonment; section 137 – defilement of a child – punishable by life imprisonment.

Others section 261 – sexual assault by penetration – punishable by life imprisonment; section 262 – attempted sexual assault by penetration – punishable by 14 years imprisonment, and section 263 – sexual assault – punishable by three years imprisonment.

“While the state would ensure James’ rights as enshrined in the constitution are upheld, the Ministry of Justice would not relent in its efforts at ensuring that whoever sexually abuses any resident of Lagos is speedily brought to book”, Onigbanjo noted.

- DAILY POST

Lagos shuts 143 hospitals for quackery

 

The Lagos State Government has shut down 143 hospitals and other health facilities across the state for quackery and engaging in substandard practices.

Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi disclosed this on Tuesday at a ministerial briefing to mark the second year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in office held in Ikeja, Lagos.

According to him, the health facilities were shut by the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) in the last one year.

Abayomi said the facilities were shut for quackery and substandard practices, such as non-registration, lack of qualified medical personnel, training of auxiliary nurses, lack of basic equipment, practicing beyond schedule, and impersonation.

He added that HEFAMAA also registered 4,187 health facilities and that additional 39 health facilities were assessed for recommendation to Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) for enrollment into the Lagos State Health Scheme.

The commissioner also said the state government has embarked on a total overhaul of infrastructure across all levels of its healthcare delivery system, saying that the roadmap for the upgrade of infrastructure in the State-owned health facilities began last year, following the approval of the plan by the executive council.

Abayomi explained that the infrastructure roadmap was being executed by the ministry’s Medical Project Implementation Unit (MPIU) in phases, revamping facilities across primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare. He said the overhaul was part of a strategy to build a resilient healthcare in Lagos and increase residents’ access to quality universal health coverage.

He said the effort would bring about fit-for-purpose healthcare facilities that would raise the capacity of the State Government to respond to contemporary and future health challenges, while observing that the renewal effort was being carried out in short, medium- and long-term bases.

Part of the new features to be seen, the Commissioner said, would include improved efficiency for physical maintenance, ease of movement, low carbon footprint, low energy consumption, infection prevention and control as well as staff and patient comfort.

He said: “In last one year, we have embarked on a phased but comprehensive revamp of our secondary health facilities as part of our medical infrastructure upgrade roadmap which is aimed at raising access to quality and bringing about efficiently run health facilities.

“This effort commenced in the previous year and it is expected to address issues of design errors, drainage, patient flow, staff flow, water collection, infection prevention, energy and ventilations.

“We have renovated and remodeled the Mainland Hospital in Yaba with future plans of making it an Institute of Research for Infectious Disease. We have also completed the remodeling and upgrade of Apapa General Hospital, just as we currently renovate Harvey Road Health Centre, Ebute Metta Health Centre, Isolo General Hospital and the General Hospital, Odan Lagos. All of these are in the effort to make health accessible.”

According to the Commissioner, the Sanwo-Olu administration has completed, equipped and handed over two multi-level Maternal and Childcare Centre (MCC) in Eti-Osa and Badagry. The construction of another 110-bed MCC, he said, has been completed in Epe and is due for commissioning in the coming weeks.

Abayomi noted that the upgrade was being done in a sustainable way, which would take another decade for major repairs to be done, except statutory maintenance by the hospital management and the Lagos State Asset Maintenance Agency (LASIAMA).

He disclosed executive council had also approved the construction of new hospitals to bridge gaps in access and services in the health sector. This, he said, is in tandem with the determination of current administration to achieve the goals set in the Health and Environment pillar of its T.H.E.M.E.S agenda.

He said: “In fulfilment of our medical infrastructure blueprint agenda, we have commenced the construction of a 280-bed General Hospital in Ojo, 150-bed New Massey Street Children’s Hospital, while the Governor has also approved the construction and equipping of 1,500-bed Psychiatric Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre at Majidun in Ketu Ejinrin.

“In the course of the year, we have completed the construction of a four-storey Faculty of Basic Medical and Clinical Sciences Office Block at Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) and plans have been concluded for renovation and upgrade of some facilities at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in tandem with our medical infrastructure blueprint strategy for the tertiary health facilities.

“In partnership with the private sector, we have completed and handed over an oxygen plant at Mainland and Gbagada General Hospitals. We have delivered Traige and Oxygen Centres in 10 locations across Lagos. In raising staff welfare, we have started the construction of a 24-unit Doctors’ and Staff Quarters in at Gbagada General Hospital.”

Abayomi also disclosed that work had begun on the blueprint designs for Comprehensive Health Center, Primary Health Center and Health Posts as part of the move to rejig their operations and service delivery. This, he said, will help in adding significant bed capacity to Lagos State’s healthcare infrastructure.

- PM NEWS

Akabueze: Nigeria spends more on running government than infrastructure — it’s unsustainable

 

Ben Akabueze, director-general of the budget office of the federation, says Nigeria’s high recurrent expenditure has constrained investment in capital projects meant to improve the standard of living.

In December, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the 2021 appropriation bill of N13.588 trillion into law.

The bill tagged “budget of economic recovery and resilience” was signed more than a week after federal lawmakers raised its total sum by N508 billion.

With the increase of the total budget size, N4.125 trillion will be allocated for capital expenditure, N3.324 trillion was earmarked for debt service, while the sum of N5.641 trillion was voted for recurrent (non-debt expenditure).

Speaking during a virtual presentation on Tuesday, Akabueze said Nigeria’s current spending structure is unsustainable.

He said low revenue collection and high recurrent costs have resulted in actual capital expenditure below N2 trillion ($4.88 billion) a year for a decade.

Akabueze said recurrent spending, allocated towards salaries and running costs, has accounted for more than 75 percent of the public budget every year since 2011.

“Hence, the investments required to bridge the infrastructure gap are way beyond the means available to the government,” he said.

“Huge recurrent expenditure has constrained the provision of good roads, steady power supply, health care services, quality education and quality shelter.”

Akabueze called for a return to regional government, saying the constitution should be amended to create six regions to replace the existing 36 states.

He added that there is a need for the reduction of ministers to a maximum of 24 while federal ministries should be reduced to less than 20.

“No country can develop where a large part of its earnings is spent on administrative structures rather than on capital investment,” he added.

- THECABLE

UCL: Rio Ferdinand names ‘best player’ in the world after Man City 2-0 win over PSG

 

Manchester United legend, Rio Ferdinand has identified England international, Phil Foden as the best young player in the world at the moment.

Ferdinand came up with the claim after watching the youngster shine in Man City 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night.

Manchester City are now in the final of the Champions League for the first time in their history after a 4-1 aggregate win over Paris Saint-Germain.

Algerian international Riyad Mahrez scored a brace at the Etihad, with Foden really catching when City attacked.

Foden set up Mahrez’s second goal and came very close to scoring himself, hitting the post in the second half.

And Ferdinand believes the England star is playing better than any of his contemporaries around the world, rating him above Kylian Mbappe and Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.

“At the moment I would say Phil Foden is the best young player in form, in the world right now, the former Manchester United defender told BT Sport.

“On form, I think he is. Whether he’s the best player…but on form I think he is.

“Mbappe didn’t play today, Haaland hasn’t played at this level. I’m not saying Foden’s the best player but at the moment, right now he’s the most in-form.

“It feels like he’s unfazed at this level, semi-final of the Champions League and he’s come in here making match-defining moments and he’s 20-years-old.”

- DAILY POST

THE TERROR BANDIT - Sheikh Gumi: Greenfield students kidnapped by Boko Haram, not Bandits

 

Popular Northern Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has said that the kidnapped students of Greenfield University, Kaduna were abducted by terrorist group Boko Haram and not bandits.

The cleric said this in an interview with African Independent Television, Kakaaki, AIT on Tuesday, adding that he came to the conclusion after he traced them.

He said: “Yes Boko Haram is responsible for the abduction of Kaduna students. When we tried to trace them and put some sense into them, the contact who is also a nomadic Fulani, threatened me.

“They said if we insist on them they were going to catch me and I will have to pay a ransom before I get out.”

“The leader of the kidnap gang is from Jalingo. He is from Adamawa. He is not the local Fulani we have here. So this means that the Northeastern element is coming into this area and we have to move fast. We don’t have that luxury of time.”

Gumi further lamented that the government has neglected his calls on how to end banditry.

“I have been trying to speak with the government but nobody is really trying to listen to me or speak with me on this issue.

In a separate interview with The PUNCH, Gumi urged the government not to take the threat by the kidnappers lightly.

He said the Central Bank of Nigeria should pay the N100m ransom being demanded by the kidnappers of the students.

- PM NEWS