Aganga faults Reps decision to buy Toyota cars

The Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, has condemned the decision of the House of Representatives to buy 360 Toyota Camry cars, worth N2.5billion, to serve as official vehicles for members.
While speaking during the unveiling of the Partner Connect, the Peugeot 308 and 408 at the Eagle Square venue of this year’s Abuja International Fair, he said that although he did not have all the details of the proposed plan, it would not be in the best interest of the country in view of the on-going campaign to patronise and promote made-in-Nigeria goods.
“I was just discussing with management of Peugeot Automobile to say look, we have to push Peugeot products to the National Assembly,” he said. “We have our plans and strategy to sell Peugeot products [and] locally made products to the National Assembly and other organs of government. But I would appeal to Peugeot to give us time for us to make sure that we have the opportunity to present these products to the National Assembly.
This is because they (Peugeot products) are very impressive, very safe and affordable. So if we patronise our locally assembled vehicles, it would be to the advantage of the country and our economy would begin to grow and that would contribute to the job creation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.”
He attributed the success of other countries like China, Singapore, India and Japan to their ability to patronise their locally assembled vehicles and goods, pointing out that the responsibility is not just on the National Assembly but the duty of all Nigerians to work together for the success of the transformation agenda.
Source

The man who tried to use his child for rituals

An Ibadan Customary Court has dissolved a 10-year old marriage over an alleged attempt by a man to use one of his four children for money making ritual.
The complainant, Risikatu Rasheed, urged the court to dissolve her marriage to Jamiu, for lack of care for her and the children; as well as propensity for fetish activities.
According to her, Jamiu woke her up at midnight on the eve of the Ramadan festival in September and suggested that they should use one of their children for money-making ritual.
Risikatu claimed that she immediately disagreed and raised an alarm which resulted in her husband beating her. She also said her husband warned her not to tell anybody about the fetish proposal.
“Jamiu sent me packing the next day over the disagreement we had on using one of our children for ritual and he never allowed me to explain the cause of my packing out to anyone because he threatened that I would die if I told a soul,” she said.
She said that she had to cry out now as Jamiu had taken custody of three of the children and may use one of them for the ritual.
Jamiu, who was in court, did not dispute his wife’s claims and did not object to the marriage being dissolved.
The court president, Ibijoke Adeleke, ordered Jamiu to hand over the children to their mother, and to be paying N8, 000 monthly for their upkeep.
Source

4 students drown in Ogun

Four members of the Apostolic Church Students Fellowship of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State, yesterday drowned in a river in the Aro Area while on a seven-day prayer and fasting retreat.
A church member, who requested anonymity, said the deceased persons had gone to the river to take their bath when the incident occurred. He explained that the female members had earlier gone to take their bath but their male counterparts decided to swim, without knowing that the river was deep.
One of the deceased persons, an ND II student of Business Administration, was a Muslim who had just joined the fellowship, while the others were identified as Ebenezer, a student of the Electrical-Electronics Department; Olamide, Architecture Department; and Nifemi, a Mass Communication student.
Three bodies had so far been recovered and deposited in a mortuary in Abeokuta.
The police have detained the prayer coordinator of the fellowship.

The Director of Student Affairs at the polytechnic, Dele Soyemi confirmed the incident.
Source

N348,000 fee: LASU students stone Fashola’s deputy, vandalise property

ANGRY students of the Lagos State University (LASU), protesting the recent increment in their  school fees from N25,000 to N348,750 by Governor Babatunde Fashola, yesterday unleashed their anger on the convoy of the Deputy Governor, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, pelting her with stones.
Fashola had increased tuition fees by 725 per cent in the university.

With the new arrangement, students in the Departments of Arts/Education will pay N193,750 each;  Social and Management Science, N223,750; Communication/Transport, N238,750; Law, N248,750; Science/Engineering, N298,750 and Medicine N348,750.

The students, who attempted to force their way through the gate leading to the Governor’s Office in Alausa, were later overpowered by security aides attached to Fashola, who locked up all the entrances.

Following the refusal to let them in, they resorted to stoning Mrs. Adefulire-Orelope's convoy.

Enraged by the development, the students invaded the gate with their leafy clubs, pelting it and any objects within reach before storming the House of Assembly where they overpowered the security men.

There was, however, a mild drama inside when security agents again prevented all but executive members of the Students Union Government (SUG) from gaining access to the hallowed chambers where the increment in school fee was being discussed by the lawmakers.

The more than 200 students vented their anger on everything within reach, destroying the scanners and other security devices installed at the entrance.

They also shattered the windscreen of a car.

The students declared that they would make the state ungovernable unless the government stops the payment of the fees, saying that the government must  increase budgetary allocations to the school in line with the recommendation of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) of 26 per cent of total budget. 

They are also clamouring for a massive investment in infrastructural development and democratisation of the running of the university.

To them, Fashola's action contradicts his utterances during his inauguration for a second term on May 29, 2011, when he vowed to make education available to the poor masses in line with the vision of the late sage and Premier of the defunct Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

During the fracas, the students hijacked two Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses and beat one of the drivers  to coma.

controversial school fees
•Arts/Education                             N193,750
•Social/Management Science         N223,750
•Communication/Transport            N238,750
•Law                                              N248,750
•Science/Engineering                    N298,750
•Medicine                                      N348,750
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