CHILDREN’S DAY: Spend more time with your children, Buhari tells parents

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, called on parents to monitor the activities of their children by spending more time with them, noting that Parents should ensure that the children keep good company to avoid negative peer pressure.

He also said the Federal Government had concluded arrangements to review the National Drug Control Master Plan of 2015 – 2019 as part of moves to focus on drug control and consumption.

Speaking in Abuja at the event to mark the 2019 Children’s Day Celebration, President Buhari appealed to all ministries, departments, agencies (MDAs), civil society organisations, international partners, religious leaders, traditional rulers,  teachers and most importantly, parents and adolescents themselves to work together to addressing the challenges of drug abuse.

Police nab 2 cultists at Yaba Tech’s matriculation

Suspected Cultists 

Two suspected cultists, alleged to have attempted to disrupt the matriculation ceremony at Yaba College of Technology, have been arrested.

Their arrest, according to Lagos State Police Command spokesman, DSP Elkana Bala, followed a distress call received by policemen at Sabo Division that Armed cultists were sighted in the school’s premises.

This is just as six suspected traffic robbers were arrested, weekend, in different parts of the state, with stolen items, arms and ammunition recovered from them. Upon receipt of the distress call from the institution, Bala said: “Teams of policemen from Sabo Police Station and Tactical Units of the Command were promptly drafted to the scene to reinforce the campus patrol team.

Children’s Day: NUT bemoans worsening state of public primary schools

Today, Nigerian children will join their counterparts across the world to celebrate this year’s Children’s Day. But while their mates in other climes are learning with ease with good facilities, public primary school pupils in the country are learning under very terrible condition in schools that are in state of disrepair.

Investigations carried out by The PUNCH revealed that many of these pupils are learning with difficulty in dilapidated structures and environments that are not suitable for learning.

Polls: INEC distributes election materials to LGAs in Osun

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun on Thursday distributed election materials to all the 30 local government areas in the state, ahead the State House of Assembly election on Saturday.

Mr Olusegun Agbaje, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), distributed the electoral materials in the presence of political party agents at the Central Bank of Nigeria premises in Osogbo.

“What we have left here this year in Osun is the House of Assembly or what we call state constituency election. “The state has 26 House of Assembly seats and we have 22 local government areas in the state that will produce one representative each.

“Eight local government areas will produce four representatives that is one representative for two local government areas. “What we are doing today is distributing the election materials to these local government areas, starting with the eight local government areas that are sharing one constituency/producing one representative.

Tenant gets N20, 000 bail for knocking landlord’s tooth out

An Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court on Thursday slammed a N20,000 bail on a tenant, Emmanuel Nwachukwu, who allegedly punched his landlord, Mr. Sanusi Ishola in the mouth and broke his front tooth during an argument.

Magistrate M. I. Dan-Oni, in a ruling, ordered the 32-year-old to produce one surety in like sum.

The prosecutor, Insp. Victor Eruada, told the court that the defendant punched Mr. Ishola in the mouth and broke his incisor during an argument.

He alleged that Nwachukwu committed the offence on February 24, at 9:00 a.m. at their residence.

Buhari has subverted Supreme Court, Atiku may not get justice – Agbakoba

Agbakoba

A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), has said he is in support of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s decision to challenge the result of the February 23 presidential poll in court.

He, however, expressed doubts that Atiku would get justice because “President Muhammadu Buhari has subverted the Supreme Court by the removal of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Walter Onnoghen, and the appointment of the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (Justice Muhammad Tanko).”

Agbakoba, who had earlier urged Atiku not to go to court to challenge the poll result, said his earlier advice was based on his view that the PDP presidential candidate would face “an uphill task, given the circumstances of challenging election results” in the country.

NNPC to penalise defaulters of Procurement Act

Group Managing Director of the NNPC,
Dr. Maikanti Baru

The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Maikanti Baru, on Wednesday, warned the management and staff of the oil firm against any action that contravenes the provisions of the Public Procurement Act in the award of contracts.

According to Baru, severe penalties await any defaulter of the stipulations in the Procurement Act.

Baru cautioned employees of the firm against contract splitting and accumulation, which he described as a deliberate act by procurement managers to subvert due process in the procurement process.He gave the warning at a Supply Chain Management workshop for NNPC Procurement Managers at the corporation’s headquarters in Abuja.

He restated the corporation’s commitment to transparency in every aspect of its operations, stressing that all procurements and contract awards in NNPC under his watch so far had been carried out in conformity with the Public Procurement Act.