Influx
Morocco says Madrid seeks to ‘Europeanise’ its crisis with Rabat
Morocco’s foreign minister on Wednesday accused Spain of trying to turn a political crisis between the two countries into an EU problem by focusing on migration and ignoring the root causes. The row blew up in April after Spain admitted the leader of the Western Sahara independence movement, Brahim Ghali, for medical treatment without informing Rabat, which regards the disputed territory as its own. Morocco then appeared to relax border controls with Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta on May 17, leading to an influx of at least 8,000 migrants. Since then Spain and Morocco have traded accusations of violating good neighbourliness, with Spain saying Morocco used the migrants while Rabat says Spain acted in connivance with “adversaries” of its territorial integrity. “Spain tries to Europe...
Kano council boss laments influx of illegal miners from Zamfara
Bashir Abdullahi Kutama, Chairman of Gwarzo Local Government Area in Kano State, has raised concerns over the influx of Zamfara-based miners into his locality for illegal mining operations. The Chairman raised the alarm during a town hall meeting on Thursday with representatives of security agencies, village heads, transport unions and sections of the public. The meeting was intended to streamline modalities to improve and strengthen security of lives and property in his area. Kutama told his audience that he had recently introduced a migrants registration system in all parts of the local government, directing traditional leaders to form security watch committees in their respective communities. He added that the local government management was taking adequate precautionary security measur...
Sam Allardyce: Premier League is becoming boring
Press Association Sam Allardyce has warned that the Premier League is in danger of becoming boring because teams have been “brainwashed” into using the same playing style. The English top-flight has opened up to different tactical approaches over the last decade, with an influx of coaches coming from elsewhere in Europe. However the West Brom manager fears coaches are being prevented from sticking to their preferred style and that the league is suffering as a result. He said to Sky Sports: “What’s the point of playing out from the back against Man City and Liverpool, the best high-pressing team in this country. If they drop off, you play out from the back. Where’s the space? Exploit the space. I tried to get the players to think about that. It’s a simple game that’s been complicated far to...
Ondo NUJ tasks Immigration Service on insecurity, passport
File Photo The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ondo State Council, has appealed to the Federal Government to adequately fund the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to boost its performance. The union said that the funding would enable the agency to fully perform its primary responsibilities of providing internal security as well as to overcome challenges of issuing passports to citizens. The NUJ Chairman, Mr Adetona Aderoboye, made the appeal when he led members of the union executive council on a courtesy visit to the state Conptroller of NIS, Ibong Osato Aideyan, at her office on Wednesday in Akure. “In view of the current security challenges facing the nation, it has become expedient for the federal government to give adequate backing to the agency. “It is for it to be able to proper...
Delta governor: We inherited N100 billion unpaid pension under compulsory pension scheme
Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta on Sunday said his administration inherited about N100 billion unpaid pensions under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS). Okowa disclosed this at the third session of the 8th Synod of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Ughelli Diocese. The session was held at Bishop Agori-Iwe Memorial Church, Ughelli. Okowa said that the financial burden forced 18 state governments out of 26 that enlisted on the scheme to withdraw, leaving only eight state governments, including Delta, in the Programme. The governor explained that the major challenge which forced the states to withdraw and others not to enrol in the scheme, was the huge backlog running into billions of naira. He said that his administration was up-to-date with payment of pensioners in the old scheme. ...
Official: Why inmates of Kano prison rioted
The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) has clarified why there was violent protest among inmates of Kurmawa Custodial facility in Kano metropolis on Thursday evening. The Public Relations Officer, NCoS Kano State Command, DSC Musbahu Kofar-Nasarawa, told newsmen on Friday in Kano that the riot was not over alleged poor quality food in the facility as was speculated. Kofar-Nasarawa who said that normalcy had been restored as the inmates were confined and security beefed up at the facility said the prisoners rioted in protest against attempt to take away prohibited items from them. “There was an attempt by some inmates to cause pandemonium in the prison yard, however, the situation was brought under control by concerted efforts of the warders and security operatives. “The inmates are not pr...
Oyo governor urges army to deploy troops to border towns
Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has appealed to the Nigerian army to deploy troops to border towns in the state to check the influx of criminal-minded people into the country. Makinde made the call while receiving the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, who led other top military personnel on a courtesy visit to the governor on Thursday in Ibadan. The governor, who was represented by his deputy – Alhaji Rauf Olaniyan, noted that the border towns in Oke-Ogun area of the state were porous. He said the challenge of insecurity was not peculiar to Oyo State alone, saying the problem was across the country. He urged the security agencies to intensify efforts in tackling the menace and restore permanent security of lives and property across the country. The governor, who said there was an e...
Police: No influx of herdsmen to Ekiti forests
The Police Command in Ekiti State on Wednesday said there was no influx of herdsmen forests in the state from Ondo State forest reserves as being reported in the media. The command disclosed this in a statement signed in Ado-Ekiti by Mr Sunday Abutu, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), on behalf of the state Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Tunde Mobayo. The statement said the command had neither sighted nor received any report of herders migrating or relocating into any part of the state or its forests. It, therefore, called on the residents to disregard the report as fake and fictitious. According to the statement, the story was just a mere imagination of the source. It cautioned newsmen against fake and unverified publications capable of causing apprehension in the state, saying ...
Imo governor orders workers to stay home over spike in coronavirus
Imo state governor, Hope Uzodimma, yesterday ordered the workers in the state, to stay home from Monday next week till further notice, ahead of the festive period. The governor in his state-wide broadcast to Imo people in Owerri, said that the reason was that due to the expected influx of people coming home for Christmas that there could be a surge in the cases of covid -19. Uzodimma while wishing his people fruitful Christmas celebration noted that the wearing of facemask would be compulsory and that mobile courts would be deployed to within the state, to enforce the order. He continued: “My dear good people of Imo State, it is with a great sense responsibility that I address you on this auspicious season of Christmas.In normal times, with just a few days to Christmas, I should be saying ...
Kwara announces second wave of coronavirus
The Kwara Medical Advisory Sub-Committee on COVID-19 has announced that a second wave of the pandemic has hit the state. The announcement is contained in a statement issued on Sunday by the committee’s chairman, Femi Oladiji. “Now, there are two epidemiological curves of the disease in Kwara. The first curve peaked between July and August, and then plummeted between September and October, at which stage people thought COVID-19 was winding down. “It is important to state clearly that we now have the second wave of COVID-19 outbreak in Kwara just like a few other states of the country,’’ he said. Mr Oladiji stated that the second curve started early in November with sharp rise in the number of positive cases. He noted that the reasons for the second wave included increase in awareness for vo...
Tigray unrest: Sudan needs $150 million to help Ethiopian refugees – UN
UNHCR Sudan needs $150 million in aid to cope with the flood of Ethiopian refugees crossing its border from conflict-stricken Tigray, the UN refugee agency chief said Saturday during a visit to a camp. The Tigray conflict broke out on November 4 between Ethiopia’s federal forces and leaders of the region’s ruling party. Sudan has since hosted more than 43,000 Ethiopian refugees fleeing from the intense fighting into one of its most impoverished regions. “Sudan needs $150 million for six months to provide these refugees water, shelter and health services,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi at Um Raquba camp, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the border. Grandi called on “donors to provide Sudan with these resources as soon as they can”. Between 500 and 600 refugees are ...
