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naijanotes · 5 years

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Obasanjo Writes Buhari: Full Text

I am constrained to write to you this open letter. I decided to make it an open letter because the issue is very weighty and must be greatly worrisome to all concerned Nigerians and that means all right-thinking Nigerians and those resident in Nigeria. Since the issue is of momentous concern to all well-meaning and all right-thinking Nigerians, it must be of great concern to you, and collective thinking and dialoguing is the best way of finding an appropriate and adequate solution to the problem. The contents of this letter, therefore, should be available to all those who can help in proffering effective solutions for the problem of insecurity in the land.

One of the spinoffs and accelerants is the misinformation and disinformation through the use of fake news. A number of articles, in recent days, have been attributed to me by some people who I believe may be seeking added credence and an attentive audience for their opinions and viewpoints. As you know very well, I will always boldly own what I say and disown what is put into my mouth. But the issue I am addressing here is very serious; it is the issue of life and death for all of us and for our dear country, Nigeria. This issue can no longer be ignored, treated with nonchalance, swept under the carpet or treated with cuddling glove.

The issue is hitting at the foundation of our existence as Nigerians and fast eroding the root of our Nigerian community. I am very much worried and afraid that we are on the precipice and dangerously reaching a tipping point where it may no longer be possible to hold danger at bay. Without being immodest, as a Nigerian who still bears the scar of the Nigerian civil war on my body and with a son who bears the scar of fighting Boko Haram on his body, you can understand, I hope, why I am so concerned. When people are desperate and feel that they cannot have confidence in the ability of government to provide security for their lives and properties, they will take recourse to anything and everything that can guarantee their security individually and collectively.

For over ten years, for four of which you have been the captain of the ship, Boko Haram has menacingly ravaged the land and in spite of government’s claim of victory over Boko Haram, the potency and the activities of Boko Haram, where they are active, remain undiminished, putting lie to government’s claim. The recent explanation of the Chief of Army Staff for non-victory due to lack of commitment and lack of motivation on the part of troops bordering on sabotage speaks for itself. Say what you will, Boko Haram is still a daily issue of insecurity for those who are victimised, killed, maimed, kidnapped, raped, sold into slavery and forced into marriage and for children forcibly recruited into carrying bombs on them to detonate among crowds of people to cause maximum destructions and damage. And Boko Haram will not go away on the basis of sticks alone, carrots must overweigh sticks. How else do you deal with issues such as only about 50% literacy in North-East with over 70% unemployment?

Herdsmen/farmers crises and menace started with government treating the issue with cuddling glove instead of hammer. It has festered and spread. Today, it has developed into banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and killings all over the country. The unfortunate situation is that the criminality is being perceived as a ‘Fulani’ menace unleashed by Fulani elite in the different parts of the country for a number of reasons but even more, unfortunately, many Nigerians and non-Nigerians who are friends of Nigeria attach vicarious responsibility to you as a Fulani elite and the current captain of the Nigeria ship. Perception may be as potent as reality at times. Whatever may be the grievances of Fulanis, if any, they need to be put out in the open and their grievances, if legitimate, be addressed; and if other ethnic groups have grievances, let them also be brought out in the open and addressed through debate and dialogue.

The main issue, if I may dare say, is poor management or mismanagement of diversity which, on the other hand, is one of our greatest and most important assets. As a result, very onerous cloud is gathering. And rain of destruction, violence, disaster and disunity can only be the outcome. Nothing should be taken for granted, the clock is ticking with the cacophony of dissatisfaction and disaffection everywhere in and outside the country. The Presidency and the Congress in the US have signalled to us to put our house in order. The House of Lords in the UK had debated the Nigerian security situation. We must understand and appreciate the significance, implication and likely consequences of such concerns and deliberations.

No one can stop hate speech, violent agitation and smouldering violent agitation if he fans the embers of hatred, disaffection and violence. It will continue to snowball until it is out of control. A stitch in time saves nine, goes the old wise saying.

With the death of Funke, Chief Fasoranti’s daughter, some sympathetic Nigerian groups are saying “enough is enough”. Prof. Anya, a distinguished Nigerian merit Laureate, has this to say “We can no longer say with certainty that we have a nation”. Niger-Delta leaders, South-Eastern leaders, Middle-Belt leaders and Northern Elders Forum have not remained quiet. Different ordinary Nigerians at home and abroad are calling for different measures to address or ameliorate the situation. All the calls and cries can only continue to be ignored at the expense of Nigerian unity, if not its continued existence.

To be explicit and without equivocation, Mr. President and General, I am deeply worried about four avoidable calamities:

1. abandoning Nigeria into the hands of criminals who are all being suspected, rightly or wrongly, as Fulanis and terrorists of Boko Haram type;

2. spontaneous or planned reprisal attacks against Fulanis which may inadvertently or advertently mushroom into pogrom or Rwanda-type genocide that we did not believe could happen and yet it happened.

3. similar attacks against any other tribe or ethnic group anywhere in the country initiated by rumours, fears, intimidation and revenge capable of leading to pogrom;

4. violent uprising beginning from one section of the country and spreading quickly to other areas and leading to dismemberment of the country.

It happened to Yugoslavia not too long ago. If we do not act now, one or all of these scenarios may happen. We must pray and take effective actions at the same time. The initiative is in the hands of the President of the nation, but he cannot do it alone. In my part of the world, if you are sharpening your cutlass and a mad man comes from behind to take the cutlass from you, you need other people’s assistance to have your cutlass back without being harmed. The mad men with serious criminal intent and terrorism as core value have taken cutlass of security. The need for assistance to regain control is obviously compelling and must be embraced now.

A couple of weeks ago at a public lecture, I had said, among other things, that:

“In all these issues of mobilisation for national unity, stability, security, cooperation, development, growth and progress, there is no consensus. Like in the issue of security, government should open up discussion, debate and dialogue as part of consultation at different levels and the outcome of such deliberations should be collated to form inputs into a national conference to come up with the solution that will effectively deal with the issues and lead to rapid development, growth and progress which will give us a wholesome society and enhanced living standard and livelihood in an inclusive and shared society. It will be a national programme. We need unity of purpose and nationally accepted strategic roadmap that will not change with whims and caprices of any government. It must be owned by the citizens, people’s policy and strategy implemented by the government no matter its colour and leaning.

“Some of the groups that I will suggest to be contacted are: traditional rulers, past heads of service (no matter how competent or incompetent they have been and how much they have contributed to the mess we are in), past heads of para-military organisations, private sector, civil society, community leaders particularly in the most affected areas, present and past governors, present and past local government leaders, religious leaders, past Heads of State, past intelligence chiefs, past Heads of Civil Service and relevant current and retired diplomats, members of opposition and any groups that may be deemed relevant.”

“The President must be seen to be addressing this issue with utmost seriousness and with maximum dispatch and getting all hands on deck to help. If there is failure, the principal responsibility will be that of the President and no one else. We need cohesion and concentration of effort and maximum force – political, economic, social, psychological and military – to deal successfully with the menace of criminality and terrorism separately and together. Blame game among own forces must be avoided. It is debilitating and only helpful to our adversary. We cannot dither anymore. It is time to confront this threat headlong and in a manner that is holistic, inclusive and purposeful.

“For the sake of Nigeria and Nigerians, I pray that God may grant you, as our President, the wisdom, the understanding, the political will and the courage to do what is right when it is right and without fear or favour. May God save, secure, protect and bless Nigeria. May He open to us a window of opportunity that we can still use to prevent the worst happening. As we say in my village, “May God forbid bad thing”.

OLUSEGUN OBASANJO July 15, 2019

Released by Kehinde Akinyemi Special Assistant Media.

#insecurity #obasanjo

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thechasefiles · 6 years

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/12/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Saturday 12thJanuary 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Saturday Sun Nation Newspaper (SS).

SAVINGS TAP – Prime Minister Mia Mottley wants less talk and more action to press the over $9 billion held in the banking system to work to help dig the island out of its economic doldrums. In fact, Mottley said the time for talk was over and it was now time for action, pointing out that if there was ever a time for the country to have “entities that could be appropriate financial intermediaries” it is now. Speaking late this evening at the unveiling ceremony and cocktail reception of the Enterprise Growth Fund Ltd (EGFL) at Monteith Gardens, Barbarees Hill the island’s first female Prime Minister noted that too often residents have lamented the fact that they were getting less than favourable returns on their savings in commercial banks. With Barbados a few months into an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, she believes the over $9 billion in savings piling up in the banking system should be “appropriately used” in order to help the country grow its way out of its economic hole. She insisted that Barbados’ growth should not only depend on direct foreign investment given the liquidity in the system. “This is a difficult pill for us to swallow and we have come to the conclusion as a government that we have simply to do better as a region and a country in being able to mobilize our savings to the productive purposes of growth in our country and in our region,” Mottley told the gathering at the ceremony where a plaque was unveiled in celebration of the organization’s 21st anniversary. The prime minister did not give details of the plan she had in mind to unlock the savings in the banking system, but said it was about time that mechanisms were put in place “to bring a level of financial literacy” throughout the society and “close the circle of economic enfranchisement”. At the same time, Mottley said regionally the situation was similar, pointing out that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) had US$47 billion in savings. She said with that kind of money “we are in a far better position to be able to finance our development, but we are simply not acting with the strategic purpose that we ought to be acting”. In fact, Mottley said the region was allowing a “scattershot approach to diffuse the benefits that can otherwise accrue to us of that level of accumulated savings”. She said she was hoping Friday would be the last time such a message was delivered against a background of a “failing by our region to be able to put forward an adequate plan” that would allow CARICOM to accomplish the development it needed. She said for Caribbean countries to better facilitate greater returns on capital to their citizens and afford producers and businesses cheaper cost of capital to grow, there must be better mechanisms put in place. Equally, she said, there was need for “appropriate levels of financial literacy” among the region’s population. “It cannot be that we continue to labour under myths that have come to characterize our population, rather than confronting the stark reality of our circumstances,” said Mottley, while urging Barbadians to see the rest of the region as their place to do business. Adding that Barbados had the capacity to make a difference through tourism, renewable energy and information and communication technology, Mottley said “the choice is now ours to stop talking and to do”. Chairman of the EGFL Condé Riley said his organization was an example of corporate governance, as he pointed to the growth of the fund over the past two decades and constant production of on time, audited financial statements. “The performance of this company has been underpinned by sound corporate governance. We all know that a sound corporate governance framework is the bedrock of any successful enterprise. The EGFL is no exception . . . This institution is therefore now an example of what we really want to replicate if we are to build the kind of Barbados of which we can be proud,” he said, acknowledging that “like any other financial institution, we have had our challenges” over the years. He pledged the institution’s continued support to help develop small and medium enterprises across a range of sectors and to support the restructuring and transformation of the Barbados economy. “I look forward to working with this institution to assist with the challenge of resuscitating this island we call home and I hope with the assistance of my board we can leave an indelible footprint in keeping with the national strategic goal,” he said. (BT)

FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMISSION CAUTIONS AGAINST INVESTMENT SCAMS - Amid reports that members of the public are being invited to invest in a trading platform under an entity referred to as The Bitcoin Wealth, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) is again warning Barbadians to be on their guard against financial scams. In an article recently posted on what appears to be a fake news site, a claim was made that Barbados’ Ministry of Finance had invested sums of money in the acquisition of a bitcoin startup company. The article stated that Barbados had finalised a $500 million deal with the entity. Other articles with similar claims have allegedly also been made regarding other countries, and warnings have been issued via electronic media signifying that the purported platform and offer by this entity is a scam. FSC’s CEO, Kester Guy, has consequently advised the public to exercise extreme caution when considering investment decisions in any type of offering. “We are aware that these type of scams will continue to surface from time to time and that with crypto currency still being a novel concept to many people, there is a lot of room for misinformation, misunderstanding and misguidance. As a regulator, we want to protect the public from that, as far as we are able to,” he said. Guy explained that there are legitimate investment opportunities out there, and advised that people should, at the very least, do a basic search to see if and where the company is registered to do business. “Of course people want to find opportunities that offer them the best returns on their investments, but we need them to be prudent and exercise good judgment,” he warned. He further advised that the public should not solely rely on information provided by the company encouraging investment, but should consider these four common warnings of investor scam – is it promising you high returns and low risk; did you get a hot tip or insider information; are they pressing you to buy/act now; is the seller registered to sell investments? “What we are stressing to the public, beyond and above all information presented to you, packaged in whatever form, is to check before you invest,” said the chief regulator. (SS)

FORMER WORKERS SINGING THE BLUES – A representative from a local worker’s union is charging that persons who have worked for a decade in the public sector and were retrenched as a part of the BERT Programme have not received any financial settlement. Speaking to Barbados TODAY, Acting General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers Wayne Walrond said that the way in which workers who have completed a decade in the public service were being treated, was a blatant act of discrimination by Government. “ If they are saying that these persons working for ten years are not eligible for benefits then it is an act of discrimination. If you have a set of workers that you know are not eligible for termination pay then it is discrimination to send them home knowing full well that you are sending them home without any benefits,” Walrond said, adding that the disenfranchised workers were at their wits’ end. “Right now you have persons in the NUPW for example with ten years and over who are being threatened by debt collectors, people are at their wits’ end and they do not even have money to get by for a few months,” he said. Walrond told Barbados TODAY that he did not believe it was the intention of Government to send home persons without their appropriate benefits. Therefore, the union believes that persons with ten years in the public service should not have been sent home and should have received the same benefits as appointed public servants. In fact, Walrond believes that if Government knew persons with ten years in the public service would have left empty-handed then they should not have been sent home. “ [They received] no kind of money and they are at their wits’ end. I am saying that if government realizes that there is a technical issue in the law about releasing pension and gratuity before 60 [years-old]. If they know these persons will be affected by that they ought not to have sent them home.[ They should] have ensured that they made some sort of arrangement that they can still get some form of compensation. They cannot have these workers out there waiting. The treasury is not going to touch it unless the pension legislation supports it,” he said, The Acting General Secretary of the NUPW said that the workers desperately needed to be compensated because workers who worked in the public service for two to nine years had received their compensation while these workers with over ten years had not “received a cent and this is a serious issue that needs to be corrected,” he told Barbados TODAY. (BT)

TAKE BP TABLETS UNTIL – A medical practitioner is urging patients suffering from high blood pressure to continue taking their Valsartan and Indapamide until they can get them exchanged at pharmacies. The advice comes from Dr Adrian Lorde days after the Ministry of Health and Wellness announced it was recalling Indapamide 1.5mg and Valsartan 160mg and 320mg, manufactured by Ciron Drugs and Pharmaceuticals PVT Ltd, from local shelves. Valsartan and Indapamide, issued by the Barbados Drug Formulary, were recalled after tests found they did not easily dissolve in the stomach. Last month, the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalled Valsartan, Amlodipine-Valsartan and Valsartan hydrochlorothiazide tablets on December 31, after the FDA discovered that medication contained an impurity believed to be carcinogenic. But Lorde said the timing of both recalls was coincidental and had nothing to do with each other. He said it was the local/regional testing body that discovered that the Valsartan available here was not dissolving as it should. The Valsartan recalled in the United States was not available in Barbados. (SS)

STUDINESS OF TANKS QUERIED – Amidst claims from the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) that two of its new 1 000-gallon water storage tanks might have collapsed as a result of “vandalism”, a 2015 report is suggesting the contrary. In the report dated October 26, 2015, then mechanical engineering engineer at the BWA, Edmund Brathwaite questioned the sturdiness of the 1 000-gallon tanks after a similar occurrence at Boscobel, St Peter. Brathwaite wrote: “The integrity and sustainability of these 1 000-gallon tanks will have to be inspected more carefully when delivered from the manufacturer for any similar faults, this is to minimise any occurrence of the Boscobel, St Peter, incident and avoid any safety issues that would cause problems for the residents accessing these community tanks.” Although efforts to reach Brathwaite, no longer with the BWA, proved futile, Hector Marshall, who worked then as the BWA’s distribution engineer, and according to the report informed Brathwaite of the ruptured tank, confirmed the incident. (SS)

EASY PASSAGE – Member of Parliament for St Thomas Cynthia Forde says she will sleep well tonight after watching a blocked road in her constituency become passable again. This morning, Forde was on hand as a group of concerned residents, using a bobcat and shovels, removed a pile of marl that had been placed there by an unknown person, to block the Vaucluse, St Thomas road. Some of the marl was used to fill potholes on that same road while private vehicles took the majority away. Barbados TODAYwas informed by a source, that an application has been made to have the same road converted to a private road. According to Forde who complained about the blocked road in Barbados TODAY’s January 7 edition, the move by the residents is a breath of fresh air, and a stern warning to whoever was responsible for blocking the public road that “you cannot just do what you please”. She commended what she described as a high level of community-minded people who assisted. “There is always somebody to answer to. I am happy to see what has happened here today. I am thankful to have this travesty removed, and I pray that it would never happen again. “Despite our colour, our class, or creed, our persuasion politically, religiously or otherwise, we are all Barbadians and we must have free access to what our forefathers worked for. This public road has been cleared and I am hoping that it is not blocked again,” the MP told Barbados TODAY. “I am grateful for the opportunity to see how a stumbling block has been turned into a stepping stone this morning. So that the rest of Barbados who are transacting their business in St Thomas, going on to St Andrew, St Joseph and St James, can pass on this road and have a safe passage because it has now been opened again after somebody, or somebodies put a load of marl here to block access. I pray that those who have done it would learn a little more common sense in the future,” Forde said. She explained that in order for a public road to be made private, an application must be sent to Cabinet to be approved and discussed in Parliament. “We in Barbados are a cohesive people and we don’t really want any more private roads. Every road should be made accessible to anyone because at the end of the day we are all Barbadians and we are serving Barbadians,” Forde said. Businessman David Spieler, whose Earthworks Pottery is located close to the road, was among the residents who led the effort. He said after reading the article about the blocked road in Barbados TODAY, residents decided to open up the road, and is now hoping that there would not be another effort to block it. “St Thomas is a community where everybody helps one another. It is a loving community, and we hope that everybody would continue to come together to uphold everything that is good,” Spieler said. Managing director of Eastern Land Development Ltd, Michael Cozier, who owns the land on both sides of the road, told Barbados TODAY earlier this week that he did not know how the road got blocked. (BT)

HAITIAN GOVERNMENT MUST DO ITS PART – Pan Africanist and attorney-at-law Robert Bobby Clarke believes it is the responsibility of the Haitian government to inform its people that they cannot run to Barbados looking for work. In light of a group of Haitians stranded in Barbados after failing to find work here though they paid large sums of money to an agency in Haiti that promised them that they would, Clarke said the developing situation needs to be arrested as soon as possible. “I don’t know who from the Haitian side would have done that, but it doesn’t appear to me that the Haitian government is responsible. It appears to be a group of smart people that are trying to make money off of people,” Clarke told Barbados TODAY. Since August last year, the visa requirement for Haitians coming to Barbados has been lifted. This development has resulted in an increase of Haitians coming to the island, in search of work, some of them admitting that they paid thousands of dollars to an alleged agency that promised them work and accommodation in Barbados. However, recently, a group of 15 young men between the ages of 21 and 36, who were evicted from a rental home in Brittons Hill, realized that they had been tricked. The members of that same group who are now staying at the Salvation Army’s Reed Street Hostel are appealing to Barbadians and their fellow countrymen, to help them purchase tickets to return home, as they have run out of the cash with which they arrived on the island. According to Clarke, measures should be put in place to ensure that this situation does not reoccur. The Pan Africanist said that the Haitian government needs to clearly explain to its people that they cannot just come to Barbados and work, and that they need to go through the right channels if that is their intention. “We have to find a way to help the Haitian government, but the biggest problem is that we have to explain to the Haitian people the CARICOM position. They just can’t come and expect to get a job. But we have to be careful it doesn’t put us in the same very category of the United States government against the Haitian people. “When the United States government allowed people from Santo Domingo Dominican Republic to come in freely, if the Haitians arrived they send them right back. “It is a position that the American government has taken and we in the Caribbean seem to be following that. The exception to that is Dominica. “But we got to try and help the Haitians. Apart from the history of being the first black republic, they have gone through a lot of unfairness in that 200 years,” Clarke said. Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM, David Comissiong has shared a document with this newspaper, which has been sent to the Haitian government, informing the people of that nation that they are not entitled to work in Barbados, and also outlining the terms on which they may visit the island. The press advisory, dated August 15, written in French, Creole and English, explained that it is important that there be a general understanding, not only in Haiti but all across the Caribbean that while no CARICOM national needs a visa to travel to Barbados, that it is necessary when visiting Barbados that the traveller be in possession of sufficient financial resources to adequately maintain himself or herself without becoming a charge on public funds. (BT)

BACK TO BASICS – Two of the island’s well-respected anti-crime and security professionals are blaming a breakdown in social structures and a lack of attention to community policing for the ongoing wave of violence in Barbados. And they are strongly recommending an urgent return to full-fledged community policing as one of the main solutions. The suggestions were echoed this afternoon in separate interviews with former Commissioner of Police Orville Durant and Oral Reid, chairman of the Caribbean Association of Security Professionals (CASP) and a retired senior police officer. Durant, a certified criminologist and attorney-at-law, attributed a major part of the crime problem to the Royal Barbados Police Force’s (RBPF) inability to gather “good” intelligence from the community. The outspoken former top cop claimed that the anti-crime programmes which he had established to prevent crime have since been scrapped. “I dealt with it [crime] when I was commissioner. You wait ‘till the horse gets out and now going to deal with it? You got to deal with it before. I assisted in developing a solid anti-crime platform . . . you will still get problems, but all areas through the public relations programme and so on that we had, were designed to prevent crime,” Durant told Barbados TODAY. The retired commissioner contended that one of the reasons the force was now confronted with the wave of gun violence and other crimes was because the strategies established under his leadership have been “killed”. “You move the police out of the districts. You stop all of the programmes . . . literally all stopped. You just ignored them. But now you got back the problem, how do you deal with them? You can’t keep dealing with problems when they flare up. You’ve got to do a lot more work when things are quiet and you make sure you prevent this kind of development,” he suggested. Durant said when he was leading the force he anticipated a spike in crime and therefore started a series of programmes to try to stave it off. “If you move the police from the communities, where are you going to get information from? And our problem right now is information. If somebody see somebody stab somebody or shoot somebody and he ran and they know where he had a row with somebody, that is easy . . . ‑that ain’t want no lot of big investigation,” he argued. Regarding to border security and the influx of guns coming into the country through what current Commissioner Tyrone Griffith said were legitimate ports of entry, Durant was matter-of-fact in his comments, noting that this is a known fact. “You have to have real intelligence gathering and the force had moved to an intelligence-gathering situation,” he recalled. For Oral Reid, who is also chairman of Crime Stoppers Barbados, the troubling developments in crime can be attributed to a breakdown in societal structures including community policing. “What we are seeing is a manifestation of a lack of structure in our society. It is symptomatic of a deterioration of societal structures. From a policing perspective, I believe that it is important for us to return to aspects of community policing, in order to be able to address some of the issues that are manifesting themselves at this point in time, Reid told Barbados TODAY. He also thinks there should be leadership within the community to fill those gaps that exist between people experiencing financial difficulties and groups of youths who need to be mentored and supported as they transition from teens to adults. “I don’t think this is a job for the police alone, but something that requires careful consideration and consultation with other social service agencies to meet this situation head-on and to address it,” the chairman of the Caribbean Association of Security Professionals said. Reid was quick to point out though, that this is not a problem peculiar to this period, but one that continues to recur. “And it is simply because we as a society have not sought to put in place, structures to really address the problems that will manifest themselves, especially at times of serious financial challenges, similar to what is happening now in our country,” the retired law enforcer added. Regarding the issue of guns entering the country, Reid conceded that it was a mammoth undertaking for authorities to plug all possible points along the country’s borders. The top security official suggested some measures that could help. “We have to be more rigorous in the application of policies and procedures to ensure that persons who are placed in the capacity to function in these border security areas are given the latitude and the equipment to function effectively.” (BT)

FATAL SHOOTING IN PINELANDS – A man was fatally shot while outside a house in Pinelands, St Michael this evening. Police said Ronald Rudder was sitting alone outside the residence at Ridgeway, Pinelands, St Michael when gunshots rang out about 5:15 p.m. causing others who were socialising in the area to flee. They returned to find Rudder lying in the road and when he was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by private transportation he succumbed to his injuries. Police are appealing to anyone with information to contact them at 211, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIPS or District “A” Police Station at 430-7295 or 430-7270. (SS)

MOTHER OF 4 WILL HAVE TO WAIT TO KNOW FATE– A mother of four will have to wait 28 days to find out if she will be accepted into the rehabilitation programme at Verdun House again. Lisa Amor St John, 44, of Belfield Land, Roebuck Street, The City, had been remanded to the Psychiatric Hospital for evaluation, to determine if she was a suitable candidate to undergo treatment at the St John institution. However, it was reported that when she arrived at Verdun House, she was uncooperative and refused to answer questions. As a result, she was kicked out of the programme and told she could reapply in 30 days. When she reappeared before Magistrate Douglas Frederick in the District “A” Magistrates’ Court today, he remanded her to HMP Dodds until February 8, after he said he felt if he released her she would get caught up in the drug habit once more. St John had previously pleaded guilty to having a coke pipe and cocaine on December 20, after police who were on duty in Greenfield, The City, searched the woman and found a cylindrical bottle containing a white residue and a folded napkin, with a white crystalline substance in her right hand, which she told officers she was “now going to hit”. She had told the magistrate she had been using the drug for the last two years after being introduced by her ex-boyfriend. She had added she had been no use to her children for the past year, and needed help to get her life back together. (SS)

WIFE DROPS CHARGES AGAINST HUSBAND – She initially lodged a charge against her common-law husband for assault, but after conversing with some other women in the District “A” courtyard, a Guyanese woman decided to drop the matter against him. Guyanese Heimchand Dhanpat, 40, of No. 64 Lukes Avenue, Bayville, St Michael, denied assaulting Sarone Gilkes, occasioning her actual bodily harm on January 11. Prosecutor Station Sergeant Carrison Henry told Acting Magistrate Anika Jackson even though the prosecution would not want to object to bail, there were some concerns. “There is some concern about his status in the country. He is also allegedly charged for assaulting his common-law wife and the question of where he will stay has arisen,” he said. When called upon, attorney Samuel LeGay, who represented the maintenance technician, said he was waiting on Immigration to regularise his stay as with many other cases. An immigration officer told the court, Dhanpat had made an application for immigrant status since 2013, but the application was still being processed. “I perused his file this morning and there is nothing there basically. I cannot say specifically if it will be approved or not. In the past there were some challenges with Mr Dhanpat and some investigations were still going on, but there is nothing that should stop the application from happening,” he said. LeGay then added the issue of where his client would reside was invalid as he was moving out of the premises shared with Gilkes later that day. After the matter was stood down for Dhanpat to secure his surety, LeGay told the court Gilkes wanted to address the court. Gilkes told Acting Magistrate Jackson that she wanted to drop the case against Dhanpat. “I have a six-year-old daughter for him and she need she father,” she said. The matter was dismissed. (SS)

PYBUS ISSUE ‘PART OF A LARGER PROBLEM’ – Former Barbados, Nottinghamshire and Tasmania all-rounder Franklyn Stephenson says the handling of Richard Pybus’ appointment is just a microcosm of the problems facing West Indies cricket. Stephenson told THE NATION that cricket in Barbados and the region was in the doldrums and cried out for an infusion of ideas. “We don’t understand our tourism, our sport, our youth. This country is in crisis and sport can show you that because it is the heart of the people. “This Pybus issue is a trifling nonsense. Who is Pybus to come here to run our cricket and help us in any way?” he said. Just a few days ago, Leeward Islands Cricket Board (LICB) president Enoch Lewis called for Pybus’ appointment as interim West Indies men’s head coach to be rescinded, after accusing Cricket West Indies (CWI) president Dave Cameron of “hand-picking” the Englishman and ignoring the best practices of “transparency, fairness and due process”. (SS)

HOLDER SOON AT FULL FITNESS – Jason Holder is gradually returning to full fitness and ready to make a return to Test cricket. The West Indies captain, sidelined for the recent series against Bangladesh and one Test against India because of a shoulder injury, made a comeback to the competitive arena by playing for Barbados Pride against Guyana Jaguars in the regional four-day competition at Kensington Oval last weekend. Playing his first regional first-class match since 2014, Holder bowled 17 overs in Guyana’s mammoth first innings total of 548, scored 44 in Barbados’ response of 360 and expressed satisfaction with his outing ahead of the first Test between West Indies and England starting on January 23 at Kensington. “It was a good run out. I haven’t played cricket since I left India. Since then, I have been going through some rehab just trying to strengthen my shoulder. I had some time off and I am getting back into the cricket. It was a good account,” Holder said on Friday. (SS)

FANS EXPRESSED DISGUST WITH LONG WAIT – Frustrated! That was how avid cricket fans said they felt as they stood in line from as early as 8:30 a.m. today to purchase tickets for the highly anticipated West Indies/England series which starts on Wednesday, January 23. The frustrated members told Barbados TODAY they were waiting in line for over two hours and they believed that since Barbados was holding a West Indies versus England tour match that they would have more persons on staff to sell tickets. “I was here from 10: 30 and it should be a well-oiled machine but it definitely is not a well-oiled machine. This is an England tour, so they would know that there would be interest there and they would be a lot of persons out here. So, they should put things in place to ensure that the line moves at a good pace. Not everyone is fortunate like me that can come here and stand up a whole day in a line waiting to buy a ticket. Other persons may have taken time from work to come here. This is not good enough!” the man who wished to be unidentified said. When Barbados TODAY visited just after 11 a.m. members of the Royal Barbados Police Force were trying to manage the line which was getting out of control. Barbados TODAY attempted to speak to the cashiers but they declined to comment. However, another person standing in the line who also preferred anonymity said he believed the ticketing system should be taken from the management of Kensington Oval and given to private contractors. He was supported by another bystander who said that unlike some of the other persons he came and found his friends in the line and proceeded to the back of the line. “But as I stand here, I realize a lot of people come and shout them friends and remain in the line and some come from all different angles and stand up. Yes, I am an avid cricket fan and that is a hard question. I would like them to win but I cannot tell you that they can win,” he said. Another female cricket fan said she was frustrated with the length of time she was standing in the line and questioned if officials at Kensington Oval understood the volume of persons that would be coming to purchase their tickets on the first day of being made available to the public. Another elderly man who wished to be unidentified said that he was standing in line for tickets as early as 9:30 and was told that senior citizens would be given their complimentary tickets first. However at 1 p.m when Barbados TODAY was leaving the facility the gentlemen was still in the line. David Kingland who was one of the few persons to exit the facility after obtaining his ticket at 12: 30 p.m. Kingland who is from the UK said he arrived at Kensington Oval at 8: 30 a.m and was standing in the line for over three hours before he received his tickets. “I have been here since 8:30 this morning. They did not open the door until 9: 20 and then you were getting people jumping in the cue, moving along the line saying hello to people and then staying there. Other people were coming in, ex-policemen, an ex-Minister and they were [going straight] in. They were passing their identification cards to other people. They were people going in with five ID Cards. They had a big row in front of a policewoman. They should have been police on the outside and the area should have been cordoned off to maintain order,” he told Barbados TODAY, adding that after his long wait he was not able to obtain tickets for the One Day International which starts on January 21st, 2019. (BT)

SEATING WORRY – The 2019 schools’ track and field season started on Friday with concerns expressed over seating arrangements for fans at the National Stadium. Spectators attending the Wilkie Cumberbatch Primary School’s inter-house championships were disappointed when they were forced to sit on the opposite side of the finish line. Concerned parents and family members told THE NATION they had become accustomed to and preferred the vantage point on the Randolph Field Velodrome in front of the stands on the western side of the facility because they were better able to see their children and cheer them on as they crossed the finish line. “We are only getting to see them as they pass by but we are all the way out here and they are finishing all on the other side. We aren’t happy at all about this,” relayed one parent who requested anonymity. (SS)

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