President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday asked Nigerian elite to stop making what he called expensive demands from his administration because things would no longer be done in the old way.

He warned them to stop insisting that things should be done the old way which impoverished the nation.

The President spoke during a meeting he had with a group of Nigerians in the Diaspora, on the margins of the 3rd Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa in Dakar, Senegal.

According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President said his administration was on the right track to improve the image of the country by entrenching accountability and probity in governance.

He told the 11-man Nigerian delegation of association leaders resident in Senegal and Cote D’ Ivoire, that the last 16 years of poor handling of the nation’s resources and infrastructure have continued to impact negatively on the country.

The President, “This administration is pleased we won the election, we are pleased Nigerians are cooperating with us. But the problems are so enormous that we need the cooperation of Nigerians, particularly the elite.

“They (elite) should reflect on the condition of the country, and stop making expensive demands because things cannot be done the old way.”

On the welfare of Nigerians in the Diaspora, Buhari assured them that the Federal Government would continue to promote good neighbourliness and improve the negative perception about Nigerians abroad.

“Nigerians are known for their competitiveness and I am very passionate about Nigeria. I will continue to preach good neighbourliness and work hard to improve the numerous human and material resources in the country,” he said.

Source: Punch

The 2016 Batch ‘B’ corps member, late Ifedolapo Oladepo, who died at the National Youth Service Corps orientation camp in Kano, had renal sepsis which occurred as a result of an infection.

Oladepo graduated from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso before the her tragic demise.

This was the report of an investigation conducted to unravel the immediate cause of her death. The investigation revealed she “had kidney infection, probably due to untreated urinary tract infection.”

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung and Director General of the NYSC, Brig-General Suleiman Kazaure, while presenting the report on Tuesday in Abuja, said the government will continue to ensure the safety of youth corps members.

The family of the deceased corps member had accused the government of negligence in handling Oladepo’s health condition leading to her untimely death.

While presenting the report of the committee set up to unravel the immediate and remote causes of their deaths, Kazaure said Ifedolapo Oladepo’s death was as a result of her “refusal to disclose her ailment she had been battling with before resuming to camp.”

He said, “It is clear that the deceased had an ailment which she did not disclose. From the doctors’ report, the corps member died of renal sepsis occasioned by infection.

“Even, to the untrained, kidney infections do not develop and degenerate to the level of mortality in three days (i.e 7th to 29th November, 2016).

“The deceased first appeared at the camp clinic with complaints of headache and fever, which she said she had been experiencing for two days.

“On examination, the doctors on duty noticed rashes on her legs, which she claimed started appearing as a result of her use of a second-hand knickers she bought without first washing it.

“Doctors noticed increase in the rashes on her legs, the deceased still dismissed it as a reaction to usage of a second-hand knicker. By this time, she had been vomiting. Therefore, she was admitted at the camp clinic and treated with Drazamol injection and Piriton to soothe her body pains as she was already on malaria drugs.”

According to him, the deceased was immediately referred to Gwarzo General Hospital for further treatment, where, after examination, “the doctor concluded that the deceased had kidney infection probably due to untreated urinary tract infection.”

He said Oladepo died on her way to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital for immediate dialysis.

He said, “The investigation showed that the deceased responded well until about 2:00am on 29th November when her condition worsened, and her body began to show noticeable signs of fluid retention.

“She was thereafter placed on oxygen as the doctors battled to stabilise her for the long journey to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital.”

She finally died at about 4:00 am on November 29, 2016.

It would be recalled that apart from Oladepo, two other corps members died recently died during the on-going 2016 Batch ‘B’ (Stream I) orientation programme.

They are Chinyerum Nwenenda Elechi, Ifedolapo Oladepo and Monday Asuquo Ukeme, deployed to Bayelsa, Kano and Zamfara states respectively.

The Naira took a fall again on Tuesday, December 6, as it dropped to N485 from N484 against the dollar and N600 from N590 against the British pound at the parallel market.

However, the local currency maintained the N510 per Euro as it was yesterday, December 5.

Some have attributed the fall of the naira to the recent crackdown in the parallel market against currency traders.

However, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, in an interview with Reuters, said “his office was working with the central bank to make the foreign exchange market more flexible and more reflective of actual demand and supply”.

At the official side of the market, the naira depreciated from 305 to 315 per dollar, while the pound went for N401.

Corp members are avoiding to participate in the legislative rerun election scheduled for Saturday in Rivers State.

Investigation revealed that corps members who are being contacted to serve as ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission are refusing to participate in the election because of fear of possible violence during the election.

A source who confided in a Punch correspondent said that the corps members were not showing the usual enthusiasm to participate in the election because of the accusations and counter-accusation between the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike , and INEC.

The source said, “Corps members being contacted by INEC to participate in the Rivers rerun election are showing reluctance to serve in the election.

“A good number of them are afraid that there could be violence during the election, and these are young men and women who don’t want to get killed because of some election.”

When our correspondent contacted the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of INEC, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, he said that it was only the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers that could comment on that.

Reacting, the state REC, Mr. Aniedi Ikoiwak, said the job of corps members was voluntary, adding that those who did not want to work with INEC on election day were free to opt out.

Ikoiwak argued that some of the corps members’ parents might have told them not to take part in the rerun election, adding that such a situation would not affect the exercise on Saturday.

The state REC, however, pointed out that INEC would get more ad hoc workers from other government’s agencies if there was shortage in the number of corps members needed for the job on Saturday.

Source: Punch

A fashion apprentice, Blessing Alex, has been found dead in a well after she was reportedly forced to abort her three-month-old pregnancy.

The incident was said to have occured in Iselle-Azagba community in the Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State.

A source told our correspondent on Monday that the deceased, who hailed from Ikoto town in the Ini Local Government Area of Cross River State was discovered to be pregnant for one of the villagers, but her parents insisted that she removed the foetus.

It was learnt that Blessing, who had gone missing for about 10 days, was found dead in the well in the community on Saturday by members of the community vigilance group.

The deceased was to be attached to a sewing institute for further training when she was allegedly impregnated by her boyfriend who is an indigene of the community.

Another villager, who identified himself simply as Uche, said the incident had thrown the community into mourning.

He added that many thought that the girl might have committed suicide as a result of her parents’ stance on her pregnancy and the depression she suffered after it was aborted.

“Not too long ago, the victim, who was living with her father and stepmother, aborted her pregnancy.

“It was learnt that she was force to remove the foetus because the family members were not comfortable with her relationship with the man who impregnated her.

“Since then, she had not been herself both in composure and behaviour until she was found dead,” a source disclosed.

When asked to state the extent of investigation, the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Zanna Ibrahim, said he was not aware of the incident.

An official statement released on Monday by Wale Adeniyi, the spokesman of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), states that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government has banned the importation of cars through land borders.

“Importation of vehicles into Nigeria through the land borders has been banned by the federal government. The prohibition order covers all new and used vehicles,” he said.

He said the new policy followed a presidential directive restricting all vehicle imports to Nigeria’s sea ports, adding that the order takes effect from January 1, 2017.

“The restriction on importation of vehicles follows that of rice, whose imports have been banned through the land borders since April 2016.

“Importers of vehicles through the land borders are requested to utilize the grace up till 31st December 2016 to clear their vehicle imports landed in neighbouring ports,” he added.

Benedicta Daudu, an associate professor of law and former head of the Department of Jurisprudence and International Law of the Faculty of Law in UNIJOS, was allegedly caught copying from a prepared answer during an examination for a Master’s degree in Research and Public Policy in the same university.

The development was exclusively reported by PREMIUM TIMES on May 21, frustrating what some staff and student described as a plot by the university to cover up the matter.

After the report, Mrs. Daudu’s membership of the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption was immediately suspended.

Insiders at UNIJOS have now told PREMIUM TIMES that the lecturer has been suspended from work, and from the masters programme.

“I can confirm to you that the Senate Disciplinary Committee found her guilty of the allegations, and has suspended her from the Masters programme for two semesters.

Also, the matter was referred to the Staff Disciplinary Committee which also suspended her from work. So she is no longer teaching,” an official of the university revealed.