By Abiodun Lawal

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Wednesday, said that African leaders must find home-grown solutions to the myriads of problems confronting the continent.

Obasanjo stated this while addressing a delegation of students and youths across African countries at Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the delegation, which included students’ leaders from Ethiopia and the Tigray Region, was led by the President of All-Africa Students’ Union (AASU), Osisiogu Osikenyi.

NAN also reports that the students were on a “thank you” visit to Obasanjo for facilitating the permanent cessation of hostilities agreement between the government of Ethopia and the Tigray Peoples’ Liberation Front (TPLF) in Pretoria in 2022.

According to the former president insisted, “no problem in Africa is too great for us to solve.”

Obasanjo said it was important for Africa to consider the peculiarities of its people in designing and implementing workable home-grown solutions to the problems confronting the continent.

He said that African Union (AU) had taken a lead in finding home-grown solutions to the continent’s problems with the way it resolved the civil war between Tigray and Ethopia.

“It is a great lesson for us to know that yes, whatever may be our problem – political, economic, social in Africa, we can solve them if we go about seeking solutions rightly.

“What is very important and which I want you to take very seriously is that, what we were able to achieve in Tigray between TPLF and the Government of Ethopia is what you and I will regard as finding African solutions to African problems.

“This is what our leaders have been clamouring for even from independence in the early 1960s.

“No problem in Africa is too great for us to solve; problem of peace, problem of insecurity, problem of youth unemployment, lack of empowerment, lack of skill acquisition and general bad governance,” Obasanjo said.

In his remarks, the President of Ethiopian Higher Education Institutions Students’ Union (EHEISU), Oli Wako, said that African students’ leaders were with Obasanjo on a ‘thank you’ visit.

Wako noted that the former president played a key role in the historic signing of the Pretoria Peace Agreement among the Federal Republic of Ethiopia and Tigray Liberation Fronts.

According to him, the deadliest war in Tigray region of Ethiopia has brought immense tragedy, claiming the lives of countless young individuals and leaving behind widespread destruction and trauma.

He, however, noted that the move initiated by Obasanjo had saved countless lives and provided a foundation upon which the war-torn region of Tigray could be rebuilt.

“Baba, we extend our heartfelt appreciation for your unwavering commitment in brokering the peace agreement in Ethiopia.

“Your contributions have brought a new sense of hope to our people, and we stand here today, forever grateful for your remarkable efforts.

“It is with humility that we approach you today to seek your continued assistance,” he said. (NAN)

Edited by ‘Wale Sadeeq

By Ahmed Ubandoma

The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), on Wednesday alleged that their members were excluded in the recent distribution of palliative across the 36 states of the federation.

Mr James Lalu, Executive Secretary of NCPWD made the allegation at a media briefing in Abuja.

According to him, PwDs constitute 15 per cent of Nigerians and they are the most vulnerable groups in the country that require palliative to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal.

“The reports we are getting from all the 36-states of the federation is that, in the distribution of palliative, persons with disabilities in the communities were not carried along.

“So, we are going to collate all the data of PwDs across the states to present to the Chairman of the National Economic Council who is Vice-President Kashim Shettima,’’ he said.

Lalu explained that the estimated population of PwDs was 35.5 million, spread across the 774 local government areas of the country.

“The disability community deserves all the necessary attentions from the authorities to ensure that whatever government is doing they will be carried along,’’ he said.

The executive secretary however, disclosed that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Betta Edu had assured that their members will be included in the National Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme.

He said they were also assured of inclusion in the other programme of the National Social Investment Programme.

Lalu also disclosed that the commission partnered with the Bank of Industry to train some PwDs on different business skills and they were provided with soft loans to set up their businesses. (NAN)

Edited by Deborah Coker and Rotimi Ijikanmi

By Ahmed Ubandoma

The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) is to partner with the FCT Administration to secure shopping spaces for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) to do their legitimate trading.

Mr James Lalu, the Executive Secretary of the NCPWD, made this known when he received leadership of Self-Reliance for Physically Challenged Traders Association of Nigeria (SPCTAN) led by their Chairman, Mr Munnir Shehu in Abuja.

The delegation was at the commission to register their concerns over the disruption of their businesses by the joint taskforce and submit a letter of appeal to the Executive Secretary for onward delivery to the FCT Minister.

The executive secretary assured the visitors of his determination to support their course to ensure that they have a decent mean of livelihood.

He commended members of the traders association for being law abiding while in pursuing their businesses.

” I thank you for standing on what we always say that disability is not inability.

”Because, you Go out and do legitimate business to earn a living; you never find excuses for your own disability.

“’I want to assure you that the complain you bring here about the disruption of your businesses will be presented to the Minister of FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike.

”We will make sure that alternative means is provided for you to continue your legitimate business” Lalu said.

Earlier,  Shehu said they have no fewer than 293 members doing legitimate businesses in the FCT.

Shehu also appealed to the FCTA to allocate shops for their members to enable them do their businesses decently.

He said the appeal became necessary to take them off the streets and avoid further harassment and confrontation with the members of the environmental joint taskforce in the city.

”We have been put out of business for the past three to four weeks now, we don’t go to our business places.

” Because we get to know that this is very serious when ‘FCTA Environmental Taskforce arrested our member, they took him to SARS and we went to bail him.

”It really touched us because we are all human beings, we don’t engage in street begging.

”We are doing our legitimate business and some of you who go around berger Junction, Bannex Plaza and other places will see us doing our legitimate business.

” Some of us earn between N500 to N1, 000 daily as gain which we use to sustain ourselves ” he said(NAN)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza

By Chinyere Omeire

Justice Ibironke Harrison of a Lagos High Court on Monday sentenced to death, a police officer, Darambi Vandi, who shot dead a Lagos-based lawyer, Mrs Bolanle Raheem, on Christmas Day.

Vandi, was on Jan. 16, arraigned by Lagos State Government on a count charge of murder.

Lagos State Government, which prosecuted the case,  had said that Vandi shot dead pregnant Raheem on Dec. 25, 2022, at Ajah Roundabout on Lekki- Expressway.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square remanded the defendant after his arraignment and granted accelerated hearing of the case.

While delivering judgment, Harrison said that non of the eyewitness actually saw the defendant pull the trigger.

She, however, held that circumstantial evidence was overwhelming to prove that Vandi murdered Raheem.

According to the judge, a defendant can be convicted when circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.

The judge said, “The question in the mind of the court is: Did the prosecution provide any additional evidence?

“The court finds that the ammunition of the other officers who were on patrol with the defendant remained intact but two of the defendant’s ammunition were missing.”

Harrison said that the defendant had alleged that the shortfall in his ammunition was because it was counted in his absence.

The judge also noted that Vandi testified that the bullet tendered in court was not his, saying, however, that Vandi constituted himself as a ballistician pathologist without tendering a certificate to that effect.

She, therefore, dismissed the evidence.

“The court finds that the forensic expert and the medical doctor’s evidence confirm the circumstantial evidence that the defendant had the opportunity to shoot the victim and that the victim was shot and died from the gunshot.

“Every eyewitness heard the loud noise and passers-by shouted in Yoruba Language (oti pa eyan) meaning: you have killed someone,” she said.

Harrison held that the prosecution proved its case beyond every reasonable doubt that it was the convict who shot the gun that killed the deceased.

“The death of the deceased was instantaneous. There is no other explanation, it was the gunshot that shattered the side glass and pierced the victim’s chest.

“It was the defendant who had an AK-47 riffle whose ammunition was missing after the armourer counted it,” she held.

She also held that the defendant did not say that he pointed the gun to force or scare people in the vehicle to obey order and park the vehicle.

She added that the defendant did not  say that the shooting was  accidental  which would have earned him a smaller sentence of manslaughter.

“Therefore, the defendant is found guilty of the one count charge and sentenced to death by hanging until he dies,” she held.

The prosecution called 11 witnesses, including eight police officers during the trial.

The first prosecution witness Insp. Mattew Ameh, had on Jan. 16, testified that  the defendant, Insp Ebimine Fiyegha and himself were sent to Ajah Under Bridge on a stop-and-search operation.

He testified that a Toyota car with no number plate was flagged down by Fiyegha, but it did not stop.

The witness said that he also flagged the car to stop but it did not.

He said that the next thing he heard was a gunshot.

Vandi, in his defence, told the court that he had never come across the bullet  shown in the court as the weapon used to murder Raheem.

He said that the bullet was not the same ammunition in his rifle on the day of the incident.

NAN reports that the prosecution closed its case on Feb. 25.

On Feb. 28, Vandi, through his counsel, Mr Gbenro Gbadamosi, filed an application, praying the court to quash the charge against him.

Gbadamosi argued that evidence of the prosecution witnesses were inconsistent and did not link Vandi to the  murder.

On April 3, the court, however,  dismissed the no-case submission.

Harrison held that prosecution established sufficient oral and documentary evidence linking Vandi to the  crime, which required explanation from him.

Harrison  added that evidence by Vandi would shed light on what happened. 

Vandi gave evidence and closed his case on May 31.

His counsel had told the court that Vandi was the sole defence witness.

 On July 13, the parties adopted their written addresses, and the court reserved judgment until Oct. 9.

Murder contravenes Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. (NAN)

Edited by Ijeoma Popoola