“It is sad that Nigerian teachers resign in droves and take up even some highly degrading jobs. That is unacceptable, and we will reclaim the lost glory,” Mr Ajiboye said.
By Mojeed Alabi
The registrar and chief executive officer of the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Olusegun Ajiboye, has said the planned payment of N75,000 and N50,000 as bursaries per semester for students studying education programmes in Nigerian universities and colleges of education respectively, will only come with appropriate terms and conditions.
Mr Ajiboye, a professor, made the clarification on Saturday during a virtual lecture organised to commemorate the annual World Teachers’ Day. The event was organised by an online media platform that is dedicated to education reporting -Educeleb.
The guest lecturer spoke on the theme; “Cultivating Teachers’ Professionalism for Education Excellence.”
On bursary
Reacting to inquiries on the modalities for the implementation of the pay package for the students, especially in the face of dwindling revenues in the country, the TRCN boss said the guidelines are currently being finalised by the national implementation committee.
He added that the implementation would not commence until 2022, and that such is not the only item on what he described as the robust welfare package being planned for the Nigerian teachers.
Mr Ajiboye, whose second term tenure of five years was recently approved by President Muhammadu Buhari, said the efforts are geared towards reclaiming the lost glory in the nation’s education sector.
He said; “Of all the items on the list, it is only the implementation of the 65-year-retirement-age that commenced in January, this year. Others are scheduled for implementation next year.
“Apart from the bursary, we also have a rural housing initiative and allowances for teachers who may be posted to remote locations, teaching practice allowances for both students and lecturers, among others.”
On sustainability
The registrar, who thanked both the president and the education minister, Adamu Adamu, for what he described as their strong support for revitalisation of Nigeria’s education sector, and teaching profession in particular, said Nigerians need not nurse any fear about sustainability.
He said apart from currently working on the terms and conditions to be attached to some of the welfare packages, the government is also considering putting in place appropriate laws and regulations to avoid policy summersaults.
“We are aware that one of the major challenges governance faces in Nigeria is policy summersaults. So we are working towards ensuring that relevant laws are passed by the legislators towards ensuring their permanence.
“And apart from that, some of these packages will be enjoyed by only those who satisfy some specific terms and conditions. And we have already concluded that some of the packages will be directly handled by existing funding parastatals like the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund),” the registrar added.’
Mr Ajiboye added that education was too important to be neglected, saying some of the initiatives of his agency towards professionalising teaching in Nigeria including the mandatory qualifying examination, mandatory continuing professional development programme (MCPDP), and partnerships with relevant global, regional and national agencies are already yielding rewarding fruits.
He said; “Today, if you carry TRCN certificates and licence you are qualified to teach anywhere in the world. I can assure you that this year alone, I have signed not less than 40 letters of good standing for Nigerian teachers who relocated to Canada to work as teachers.
“Today, because of 65-year-retirement-age, some civil servants are already seeking conversion to teaching careers, claiming they have a background in education. They should know that terms and conditions apply.”
He added that where the government is driving the teaching profession in the country is to make it highly competitive and very rewarding, saying it is the mother of all professions.
“It is sad that Nigerian teachers resign in droves and take up even some highly degrading jobs. That is unacceptable, and we will reclaim the lost glory. We must emulate Germany’s former leader, Angela Merkel who insisted she could not pay other professionals higher than teachers because they were taught by the teachers,” he said.
Backstory
The education minister, Adamu Adamu, had on October 5 announced the planned payment of N75,000 per semester for every student of public universities studying education programmes.
Similarly, students of colleges of education are also billed to receive N50,000 per semester.
Mr Adamu, who made the disclosure in Abuja during the commemoration of 2021 annual World Teachers’ Day, was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Sonny Echonu.
He said the package was aimed at promoting quality education in the country, and urged the 36 states of the federation and the federal capital territory to support the federal government’s efforts.
However, since the announcement on Tuesday, many Nigerians have queried the sincerity of the government and the sustainability of the initiative.
Hundreds of bewildered residents of Oyo thronged the site of a fallen tree in Sabo, in the western Nigerian state of Oyo, after it miraculously rose again on Tuesday.
The century old tree, called Igi Odan, had fallen Monday during a rain storm, killing four persons who had sought shelter under it.
In a video shared by Inspiration FM, branches of the tree had been cut into fine wood by the loggers.
But in a mysterious way, the tree rose back on its roots again, about 24 hours after on Tuesday.
The Oyo people found it incredible, that a tree deemed dead could spring back to life.
Hundreds of people were attracted to the scene, as they shared folk stories about the tree said to have been planted by a Sango worshipper.
The Punch reported that the Oyo monarch, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, also visited the scene to commiserate with the families of the people who died when the tree fell.
The monarch’s media aide, Bode Durojaye, when contacted on the phone, told our correspondent that the king went to the scene to commiserate with the bereaved families and to see the alleged wonder.
Bode Durojaye, the media aide of Alaafin said: “He went there. The fallen tree rose back again mysteriously. Kabiyesi condoled with the people there over the sad incident.”
Among the dead victims of the tree on Monday were a female student at the Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo; a woman with a baby strapped to her back and a boy she was holding.
“One person was seriously injured and taken to a private hospital in the area, while motorcycle and mini buses parked under the tree were damaged,” said Akeem Ojo, Head of Operations at the Western Nigeria Security Network, a.k.a Amotekun Corps, in the Atiba area of Oyo.
How Nigerian Army Commanders Embezzled Millions Of Naira Donated By Borno Governor For Housing Projects
Nigerian Soldiers, especially those deployed in Operation Lafiya Dole in the North-East, have always complained about poor welfare.
Some top officers in the Nigerian Army have been accused by soldiers in Maiduguri, Borno State, of embezzling N16million donated by the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, to build new barracks for military personnel fighting the Boko Haram insurgents.
SaharaReporters learnt from soldiers attached to the 195 Battalion, Maiduguri, that the governor donated the money to build the houses in Shuwari, a community on the outskirt of the Borno State capital, which is located along the popular Kano-Maiduguri Road.
According to one of the soldiers, Zulum recently gave the army commanders N16million to build the houses for personnel in the community.
Speaking with SaharaReporters, he noted that the authorities embezzled the fund and forced soldiers to use their allowances to build the houses.
“First, the Borno State Government gave the unit N16million to build new houses for soldiers in various locations in Shuwari, a community that was deserted before. So as the reconstruction process was being done by the government, the governor requested that soldiers should also have houses there in order to ensure safety of lives and properties of residents moving in,” one of the soldiers told SaharaReporters.
“Unfortunately, the commander and others embezzled the money and forced soldiers to build the houses on their own.”
Nigerian Soldiers, especially those deployed in Operation Lafiya Dole in the North-East, have always complained about poor welfare.
Some claimed they have not been given fragmental jackets (bullet-resistant vests) since they got drafted into the war theatre.
Some soldiers who spoke to SaharaReporters in May, 2021 also lamented that the army was owing them uniform and boot allowances and also made deductions from their salary in the name of a housing scheme.
They had added they had not been eating and feeding well since their deployment to Borno.
“There was no housing scheme in the pipeline that the new Chief of Army Staff met when he assumed office. No soldier was consulted, and questionnaires were not shared to sensitise or sample the opinion of troops.
“Our salary has not been increased; we still buy uniforms and boots for ourselves; we live in dilapidated buildings. We've not been paid a uniform allowance and boot allowance. You are deployed to a company, the company pays the sum of N150,000, but the Commanding Officer will pay each soldier N30,000,” a soldier had said.
Nigerian Man Puts Self For Sale After Hospital Detained Wife, Babies Over N4.5million Unpaid Bill
Agwu’s wife, Chinyere delivered triplets at the hospital on August 27, 2021.
APlateau State resident, Joel Eni Agwu, has put up himself for sale to raise money for his wife and newly born babies detained by Fertile Ground and IVF Center, a private medical facility in Zaramanganda, Jos, Plateau State.
SaharaReporters gathered that Agwu’s wife, Chinyere delivered triplets at the hospital on August 27, 2021.
It was learnt that the babies were delivered preterm (seven months), and one of the triplets died a few days after.
Agwu told SaharaReporters that due to the hash economic situation in the country, the family needed the goodwill of Nigerians to settle the outstanding medical bills of over N4.5million.
He said, “My name is Joel Eni Agwu, I’m from Ebonyi State; I am a Masters’ degree student of the Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State, and also a petty trader. They are actually our first children since 2017 we got married.
“She gave birth on August 27, 2021. Nigerians should please help me and if there is anyone who can buy me, I’m much available; I am ready to sell myself so that my wife and my babies can get back to our home.
“The bill comparing her own and the triplets including the first among the three that died two days after birth is N4.5million.”
Speaking with SaharaReporters, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, identified only as Dr Chris, said though the facility had discharged Chinyere, she would not be released until all her bills were cleared.
He said, “The wife was delivered of the babies in our hospital; he (the husband) is correct. In fact, she’s still on admission; it’s almost six weeks now. The wife was delivered of prematurely; she was delivered of at 28 weeks. He has accumulated so much bill here; we already discharged her but she’s still here because she hasn’t paid her bill.
“A lot has actually happened, premature babies, looking after them inside incubator, they were actually triplets but one died within first two days of birth. But the two others are hale and hearty; those ones were taken from the incubator either Sunday or Monday.
“We can’t release them now because they haven’t paid. This is not a government facility; the wife had been on bed rest for sometimes before the delivery, in fact, if we had not done that, she would not have been able to carry the pregnancy.”
A video call by SaharaReporters with the nursing mother showed that she was looking pale and unable to breastfeed the babies.
She was also kept inside a room in the hospital with no medical facilities.
Agwu gave his bank account information as; Chima Agwu Eni Joel, Access Bank, 0071502097.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday approved N75,000 as a stipend per semester for education students in public universities across the country.
N50,000 was also approved as a stipend per semester for Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) students.
The development was announced by the Minister For Education, Adamu Adamu during the annual celebration of World Teachers' Day at the Eagle Square, Abuja.
“Undergraduate students of B.Ed / B.A. Ed/ BSc. Ed in Public institutions are to receive stipends of N75,000.00 per semester while NCE students will get N50,000.00 as stipends per semester,” Adamu said.
He also assured that efforts were ongoing to grant automatic employment to students after graduation, as the ministry would collaborate with state governments.
“The Federal Government should find the modality through which respective state governments could provide automatic employment for NCE graduates at Basic Education level,” he added.
The Nigerian Senate has confirmed the nomination of Alhaji Yahaya Muhammad (Yobe) as a member of the board of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
This is despite complaints that his curriculum vitae shows that he started school before he was born.
Also, George Abang Ekungu (Cross River) was confirmed as the secretary of the EFCC.
Others include Luqman Muhammed (Edo); Anumba Adaeze (Enugu), and Alhaji Kola Raheem Adesina (Kwara).
The confirmation of the nominees followed the consideration and adoption of a report of the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes on the five nominees.
Earlier, presenting the report, the chairman of the committee, Senator Suleiman Abdu Kwari (APC, Kaduna North) urged the Senate to confirm the nominees.
Kwari, who said the nominees were screened with no adverse security report on them, added that they were all qualified for the job.
Meanwhile, there had been a complaint by Senator Hassan Hadejia (APC, Jigawa) that the CV of the Yobe nominee indicated that he started school before he was born, but the deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, who presided over the plenary, ignored Hadejia’s concern while the Senate proceeded to confirm his nomination through voice votes.
SaharaReporters had reported that President Muhammadu Buhari on September 21 appointed the new members into the board of the nation's anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The President appointed George Abang as secretary of the board, while Lukman Mohammed, Kola Adeshina and Mohammed Yahaya were appointed as board members.
•Says prosperity of Lagos has multiplier effect on S’West, Nigeria
By Segun James
Lagos State Government yesterday demanded one per cent share in the federal revenue allocation formula, maintaining that the state’s unique features and its prosperity bear on development in the South-west and Nigeria, generally.
The government canvassed a special status designation for Lagos State, and proposed that the revenue sharing formula should be 34 per cent for the federal government, one per cent for the Federal Capital Territory, 42 per cent for state governments, 23 per cent for local governments, and one per cent for Lagos State (Special Status). This is against the current revenue allocation formula, which gives the federal government 52.68 per cent, the 36 state governments 26.72 per cent, and the 774 local governments 20.60 per cent.
The Lagos State government’s demands were made by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the opening of a two-day South-west zonal public hearing on review of the revenue allocation formula, organised in Lagos by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
In a memorandum on review of revenue allocation formula, which he submitted to the RMAFC, Sanwo-Olu declared that allocating one per cent to Lagos State (Special Status) and allowing the three tiers of government to share 99 per cent in a new revenue sharing formula was straightforward, self-justifying and in no way controversial. He said the review of the current revenue allocation formula was long overdue, stressing that the best way to guarantee national progress and development is to pay attention to sub-national development since the national is a summation of the sub-national.
The governor reiterated the call for Lagos State to be accorded special status in recognition of its huge financial commitments to infrastructure and provision of basic amenities for the increasing population of residents, as well as its preeminent contribution to the national coffers. He said the call, which had been re-echoed at different forums, could not be overemphasised, especially against the backdrop of the current economic situation of the country, the aftermath of the EndSARS protests, and the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, for which Lagos had been the national epicentre.
Sanwo-Olu stated, “Our demand is a sharing formula that is just, fair and equitable; reflecting the contribution of stakeholders to the common purse; and also one that enhances the capacity of state and local governments to deliver high-quality services and the full dividends of democracy to the greatest number of our people.
“Lagos State is, no doubt, the nation’s commercial capital, and population centre. The level of funding required to service the state’s social and public infrastructure is so significant that it will be difficult for the state to bear the burden for much longer under the present arrangement.
“I should say that it will actually be unfair to expect the state to bear this heavy burden on its own. It is, therefore, necessary to give due consideration to all the variables that support our advocacy for a special status.
“The call for a special status for Lagos is not a selfish proposition; it is in the best interest of the country and all Nigerians, for Lagos which accounts for about 20 per cent of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and about 10 per cent of the nation’s population to continue to prosper.”
Further defending the demand for special status, Sanwo-Olu said Lagos was more than just another state in the Nigerian federation, saying there is no tribe in the country without significant stake in the state.
The governor said, “As the former capital of the country for 77 years (compared to the 30 years that Abuja has been the Federal Capital Territory), Nigeria’s largest metropolis still bears the heavy brunt of being home to all Nigerians; irrespective of age, class, gender, religious affiliation or tribe.
“There are several statistics that show the number of people that come into Lagos every day, however, there are clear indications that most of these people migrate with the intention to make Lagos their new home and in pursuit of personal dreams due to the opportunities the city-state seemingly possesses, and this portends additional responsibilities on the government.
“Additionally, Lagos still harbours a huge number of federal establishments, which could not be moved to Abuja. These include military cantonments and barracks, Police, Customs, Immigration, Civil Defence, Prisons, Road Safety and security/intelligence establishments.
“There are several reasons to justify the call for a special status for Lagos apart from the aforementioned factors and by extension, a review of the Revenue Allocation Sharing Formula.”
Sanwo-Olu also said it would be unfair for Lagos to be left alone to bear the burden of the massive destruction experienced by the state during the EndSARS protests, which were hijacked by hoodlums, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said, “This month marks one year after the massive destruction experienced by the state in the violence that accompanied the hijacking of the EndSARS protests. Public buildings were burnt down, and historical infrastructure destroyed.
“Although, we have put that experience behind us and forged ahead, the reality of this unfortunate incident remains with us; resources that should be committed to other areas of need are now being used for the restoration of these public facilities. It will be totally unfair for Lagos State to be left alone to bear these huge expenses without assistance from the centre.
“COVID-19 pandemic is another issue that has once again, supported the justification for Lagos to be accorded the privilege of a special status. As much as this affects the entire country, it is a fact that the degree of havoc caused by this virus differs from state to state.
“Lagos was the epicentre for this virus, the same way it was for the Ebola virus some years ago. The management of these unforeseen occurrences comes with huge responsibilities and financial commitments on the part of the state government.”
Sanwo-Olu commended the chairman and members of RMAFC for taking the bold step of reviewing the revenue allocation method, which he believed would, “result in a fundamental alteration of the current revenue sharing formula, in favour of one that is truly fair and equitable, and that takes into full consideration the specific and more pragmatic fiscal contexts of the sub-national governments of the federation.”
Facebook Owner, Zuckerberg Loses $7billion In Hours As Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram Remain Down
This is just as Facebook's co-messaging apps, WhatsApp and Instagaram remained down after four hours of global outage.
Facebook owner, Mark Zuckerberg’s personal wealth has fallen by nearly $7 billion in a few hours, knocking him down a notch on the list of the world’s richest people, after a whistleblower came forward and outages took Facebook Inc.’s flagship products offline.
This is just as Facebook's co-messaging apps, WhatsApp and Instagaram remained down after four hours of global outage which has upset businesses and disconnected billions of people around the world.
According to Bloomberg, a selloff sent the social-media giant’s stock plummeting around 5% on Monday, adding to a drop of about 15% since mid-September.
The stock slide on Monday sent Zuckerberg’s worth down to $120.9 billion, dropping him below Bill Gates to No. 5 on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He’s lost about $19 billion of wealth since September 13, when he was worth nearly $140 billion, according to the index.
On September 13, the Wall Street Journal began publishing a series of stories based on a cache of internal documents, revealing that Facebook knew about a wide range of problems with its products — such as Instagram’s harm to teenage girls’ mental health and misinformation about the Jan. 6 Capitol riots — while downplaying the issues in public. The reports have drawn the attention of government officials, and on Monday, the whistleblower revealed herself.
In response, Facebook has emphasized that the issues facing its products, including political polarization, are complex and not caused by technology alone.
“I think it gives people comfort to assume that there must be a technological or a technical explanation for the issues of political polarization in the United States,” Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice president of global affairs, told CNN.
The main domain of Facebook company: Facebook.com is now available for purchase.
Facebook services spanning Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook itself have been shut down following an attempt to hijack the company’s domain name.
There has been a widely reported inability to access the services since Monday afternoon after a yet to be identified hacker nuked the DNS A; an address file that holds an IP address of the domain name and AAA records for Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp.
Earlier the company had tweeted about WhatsApp, saying, “We’re aware that some people are experiencing issues with WhatsApp at the moment. We’re working to get things back to normal and will send an update here as soon as possible.”
The main domain of Facebook company: Facebook.com is now available for purchase.
The Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has said the state government has concluded discussion with the Chief of Army Staff over the possession of a parcel of land situated near Oregbeni Market, along Ikpoba Hill, in Benin belonging to the Nigerian Army.
The governor disclosed this while receiving the new Comptroller, Nigeria Immigration Service, Edo State Command, Rabi Garba, at the Government House, in Benin.
Obaseki said the state government will commence physical retrieval of the land soon.
“In terms of land where you currently operate from, I spoke with the Army Chief of Staff when he visited last month. We have been assured that the Nigerian Army has formally relinquished the land. It is now for us to take physical possession of the property.
“The Chief of Staff will arrange a tripartite meeting between the Federal agencies occupying that property, the Brigade Commander and Edo State Government. So that we can commence the process of getting the Nigerian Army to vacate that land, giving the Federal agency the proper allocation, Certificate of Occupancy to expand their office.”
Obaseki said his administration will get the issue of the land settled on time to enable the Immigration Service carryout their official function to the fullest.
Gunmen on Sunday afternoon attacked the offices of the Directorate of State Services (DSS) and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Nnewi, Anambra State.
As at the time of filing this report, it was unclear if there were casualties in any of the two offices attacked, but Tribune Online gathered that a passerby was hit by a stray bullet.
The gunmen, according to eyewitnesses, drove from Owerri Road in four Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), stopped at Emecourt Road Junction where they released some gunshots which made passersby scamper for safety before they headed to the offices, which they also set ablaze.
“They later drove through Nkwo Triangle Roundabout and moved towards Nnobi Road, in Idemili Council Area of the state.
“Military armoured vehicle later surfaced and drove around town passing through Emecourt Road. But there was no exchange of fire as the military and the gunmen did not meet,” the source said.
A source, who pleaded anonymity, said the attackers, were shouting: “we don’t want Nigeria flag in Biafra Land again”.
The State Police Command’s spokesperson, DSP Toochukwu Ikenga confirmed an incident of fire in Nnewi but refused to state categorically the offices involved.
He said: “At about 2 pm, of 3rd Oct 2021, the command received a distress call of a fire incident in Nnewi. The Police Operatives are currently on ground and the area has since been cordoned off. Further details shall be communicated”.
The former Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, yesterday identified corruption, poor leadership and wrong-headed policies as the bane of Nigeria, citing the regime of paying subsidy on petroleum products as part of the corrupt practice that may bring the country to its knees.
Speaking on Arise News Channel, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria also described as an assumption, the notion that Nigeria is an oil rich country.
Sanusi declared: “This has always been a big joke for me and we also talk about the fuel subsidy. President Jonathan tried to remove fuel subsidy and the people protested. You are producing two million barrels of oil for 180 million people and that’s one barrel for 80 people. Saudi Arabia produces one barrel for three citizens.
“You produce one barrel for 80 and your share of that revenue from that barrel is maybe half, so it translates to one barrel for 160 people. We need education, we need healthcare, infrastructure, telecommunication, agriculture and you decide that what they need more than anything else is cheap fuel and that doesn’t make sense. We are throwing away millions of dollars in this scam called subsidy.
“When oil prices go up, other producers rejoice but not so for Nigeria. Our refineries are not working and we have this scheme called subsidy which is really a scam and practically everything that comes in goes practically out to import petroleum products and to pay subsidy on those products.
“When you deal with corruption, you also have to look at creating the opportunities for corruption. Corruption thrives when you create an opportunity for people to take advantage of things. When you talk about the oil industry, for example, if you eliminate fuel subsidy, you eliminate fraud worth billions and millions of dollars. If there is no subsidy, what is the incentive to come and forge bills of laden and bribe Customs and bribe people?
“If you don’t create an arbitrage opportunity in foreign exchange market, how do you create corruption there? So, I think we need to look at the structures and processes and make sure we eliminate the avenues and incentives for people to be corrupt.”
He said the second highest form of corruption “is appointing people who are incompetent to positions.”
Sanusi said: “Sometimes, it is not even so much of corruption but people don’t even know what they are supposed to do; people who do not know why they are there; people who do not have the sense that at the end of their efforts, they are still human beings.
“If every public officer starts thinking about how his actions and decisions affect a human being and how he can contribute positively to affect that human being, he will begin to address issues. But, I think you should ask, does this person even understand what he is saying, whether you are a minister or a civil servant? I think if you are a minister, at the end of eight years, you should assess how you affected the people.”
No to Zoning of the Presidency
Sanusi also said zoning the Presidency to a particular region may leave Nigeria “with two useless candidates” in 2023.
He said he had always objected to discussions that take into account where a president should come from.
The former CBN governor said “Nigeria needs a president who can deliver, irrespective of where he is from.”
Sanusi said: “I have always objected to this idea that we should focus on where the president comes from. We have got southern governors saying we want the presidency and some northern governors saying that they want it in the north. Have you noticed that nobody has given the name of who they want?
“This whole thing is to corner the presidency to one part of the country and the big masquerade will come out. And that is why at the end of the exercise, you end up as Nigeria… presented with two useless candidates. Those who want to be president should show their face either from the north or the south.
“Meanwhile, we have before us very serious issues. You have a simple issue of electronic transmission of results which is designed to make the electoral process fairer and you have people saying that they do not want it, shamelessly announcing to the country that they want to rig. Why are we not talking about these issues?
“The greatest weakness we have as a country is that we do not think. We are very smart when it comes to making money by doing our work but we do not apply critical intellect to… and these guys just take the entire country for a ride.
“Give me a president from any part of the country who can deliver and we should vote for him. He is not taking the presidency to his hometown.”
Sanusi said civil society organisations and the national assembly “are not doing their jobs” in terms of holding political society to account.
Everyone wants office; everyone wants favours from the government. If we had a strong civil society holding political society to account, we would begin to improve and tackle issues,” said the former CBN governor.
Nigeria Better Together Than Divided
On those agitating for the breakup of Nigeria, Sanusi said Nigeria “is better together than divided,” pointing out that countries that embraced dismemberment had found themselves in various conflicts and blamed the elites for using ethnicity and other factors to divide the country for their selfish gains.
Sanusi, who said he was a strong believer in a strong united Nigeria, believes that “once the problem of leadership is addressed,” most of the right decisions taken, and the system cleaned up of corruption, things would take a postive turn.
He said: “You hardly find a country that is homogenous and the same is with Nigeria,; that is why we are better together because if you try to divide the country, it will lead to further divisions and war like you have in Ethiopia and South Sudan.”
He pointed at the North, West, East, Niger Delta and Middle Belt, which were all not homogenous and asked, “How many parts are you going to divide this country to ensure it is homogenous? The challenge is not in our diversity, the challenge is in the inability of the leadership to forge a nation.
“We got out of a civil war and we are yet to start thinking like one country where people believe we are one. What happens is that from time to time we tend to have people in certain circles that see Nigeria as a place for extraction of rent and corruption.
“You have different class factions of the elite who profit from creating a stage for themselves. If you have a northern president, how does that affect a poor northerner who is unemployed? If you have a southern president, how does it affect the common man in the south? It may benefit just a few from that zone
“I am a strong believer in Nigeria and I feel we are better off as one country than a divided country. 70 per cent of our problems are from wrong-headed policies.”
The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami says Twitter Inc has apologised to President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime and vowed to abide by the country's rules.
The Buhari-led government had on June 4 announced the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria. Telecommunication companies started blocking access to Twitter on June 5, after they received a directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission to block access to the social media platform.
The Nigerian government had cited the persistent use of the platform for activities capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence as the reason for the suspension.
Following the ban, groups including the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) had dragged the government to the ECOWAS court.
In defence, Malami told the ECOWAS court of Justice that Twitter tendered an apology to the current administration.
“The Court should also take a Judicial Notice that Twitter Inc Service had already approached the Defendant with an apology and a promise to be law-abiding to all the countries rules, regulations and policies,” Malami said, in a document seen by Peoples Gazette.
The court adjourned the hearing until January 2022 for a ruling.
Buhari on Friday directed that the Twitter ban should be conditionally lifted.
He made the announcement in his nationwide broadcast to Nigerians to mark Nigeria's 61st Independence Anniversary.
According to Buhari, some social media users should be blamed for the ban by misusing the platform to propagate fake news and promote religious and ethnic sentiments.
He said, “Social media is a very useful platform that has enabled millions of Nigerians to connect with loved ones, promote their businesses, socialise, and access news and other information.
“However, recent events have shown that the platform is not just an innocuous platform for information dissemination.
“Rather some users have misused the platform to organise, coordinate, and execute criminal activities, propagate fake news, and promote ethnic and religious sentiments.
"To address these negative trends, the Federal Government of Nigeria suspended the operations of Twitter in Nigeria on June 5, 2021, to allow the Government to put measures in place to address these challenges.
"Following the suspension of Twitter operations, Twitter Inc. reached out to the Federal Government of Nigeria to resolve the impasse. Subsequently, I constituted a Presidential Committee to engage Twitter to explore the possibility of resolving the issue.
“The Committee, along with its Technical Team, has engaged with Twitter and have addressed a number of key issues. These are National Security and Cohesion; Registration, Physical presence and Representation; Fair Taxation; Dispute Resolution; and Local Content.
"Following the extensive engagements, the issues are being addressed and I have directed that the suspension be lifted but only if the conditions are met to allow our citizens to continue the use of the platform for business and positive engagements.
“As a country, we are committed to ensuring that digital companies use their platform to enhance the lives of our citizens, respect Nigeria’s sovereignty, cultural values and promote online safety.”
The Kwara state government has demolished a library named in honour of Olusola Saraki, a second republic politician and father of Bukola Saraki, former senate president.
Plans to demolish the library, located along Agbooba-Adeta road in Ilorin, the state capital, were said to have started last Friday when security agents were deployed to the area.
It is not immediately clear why the building was demolished, as Rafiu Ajakaye, chief press secretary to Abdurahman Abdulrazaq, governor of the state, did not respond to a text message seeking his reaction.
The former senate president has commented on the development on his Facebook page.
“I just got the news that the major official assignment carried out by the Governor of my state, Kwara, today, is the demolition of an old public library named after my late dad, Dr. Olusola Saraki. May Almighty Allah continue to retain a place for Oloye in Aljannah Firdaus,” he wrote.
Gbemisola Saraki, his sister, who is the minister of state for transportation, also reacted to the demolition of the library.
She said: “Yet again, today we find that the Governor of Kwara State’s focus is not on building up Kwara, but on demolishing buildings which were owned or named after my late father the Waziri of Ilorin.
“No matter how many structures are demolished, Baba Saraki’s legacy can never be destroyed, because it lives in the hearts and minds of the great people of Kwara.”
In January 2020, the state government had demolished the Sarakis’ political home, better known as ‘Ile Arúgbó’, in Ilorin.
The property was demolished following the revocation of the land by the government.
The governor had said the land was originally designated for the construction of a secretariat and parking lot of the civil service clinic. He said it was illegally allocated to a private firm — Asa Investments Limited — owned by the late father of the ex-senate president.
The Sarakis had challenged the demolition in court.
In March, a high court sitting in Ilorin had restrained the Kwara government from taking over Ile Arugbo.
There are concerns in Ogun State after the three highest positions of civil authority were left vacant for several days.
Governor Dapo Abiodun, his Deputy, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, and the Speaker of House, Olakunle Oluomo, reportedly left the state to run without requisite constitutional authorities as they toured different countries in Europe and America.
Abiodun was said to have travelled out of the country shortly after his late father’s burial.
According to People Gazette, the governor was last seen two weeks ago when he departed for London and it was unclear when he planned to return to the state.
The governor had also paid a visit to the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Multiple sources close to the governor said Abiodun, Salako-Oyedele and Oluomo were still away as of Monday night.
Salako-Oyedele was said to have undergone surgery and was hibernating in London; while Oluomo was said to have left the state to attend a conference in the United States of America.
The governor was said to have handed over to the Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi, instead of the deputy governor.
The action reportedly angered Salako-Oyedele, who also took a trip to London.
An official said Abiodun appeared to be suffering from an ailment about which he had been reluctant to publicly admit.
The governor reportedly flew in doctors from abroad without disclosing how much was spent from state coffers to settle the bill.
Salako-Oyedele was also said to be in London for a surgical operation and scheduled medical check-up. The claims are yet to be confirmed.
Federal Government has warned employers of labour to provide decent jobs for workers in the country or face severe consequences.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said this in a statement signed by Mr Charles Akpan, the Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations in the ministry, in Abuja on Monday.
The statement quoted the minister to have spoken while addressing a joint visit by the leaders of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the National Pension Commission (PENCOM).
The minister urged employers of labour and Labour unions to pay greater attention to providing formal and regular jobs for workers across the federation.
He noted that unemployment and indecent jobs were huge incubators of national insecurity.
According to him, insecurity is caused by people who feel cheated by society. They carry arms and weapons to vent their anger on the elites.
“So, the elites in Nigeria are in danger, including me and all of us.
“Hence, the sooner we start talking to elites in organisations like yours (IPMAN), the better. So, we can curb this malady and prevent it from escalating.
“When you refer to the nexus between job vulnerability and insecurity, you hit the nail on the head.
“A lot of insecurity problems we have today is caused by unemployment and underemployment.
”In underemployment, people are not making up to the National Minimum Wage or working up to eight hours a week which is the ILO standard for full employment.
“There is a lot of danger if we fail to effectively tackle this. But we are doing our best,” he said.
The minister commended IPMAN for putting its house in order and for being thoughtful of the lots of workers in its employ through decent jobs and job formalisation.
Ngige added that the good news here is that workers you seek to formalise are in the informal sector. You intend to do micro pension for them and bring decency to their work.
”Of course, the ILO principles of decent work enjoin member states to do stage by stage formalisation of the informal sector.
”But I must tell you that it is very difficult here, because a lot of workers in our informal sector are not in unions. They are not unionised. IPMAN has therefore taken the bull by the horn.
“Here, we are talking of pump dispensers, cashiers, others doing mechanical work like vulcanizers, those doing wheel balancing and alignment, among others.
”They are informal, but with them being captured and formalised gradually, the nation is aligning with the ILO decent work agenda.
“It required all nations to work towards the total actualisation by 2030. I, therefore, commend IPMAN for this good step forward,” Ngige said.
He, however, reminded IPMAN that formalising these workers comes with an attendant burden of compliance with the payment of the N30,000 National Minimum Wage.
According to him, you must comply with the National Minimum Wage of N30,000 for each of those persons dispensing fuel and those doing allied works.
”The Minimum Wage Act gives a number of persons in an organisation that draws such an organisation into the Act.
”Any place you have more than 25 persons, the Act says you must formalise. It is in your own interest and in the interest of the workers too,” he said.
Ngige also called on all private school proprietors in the country to formalise the teachers in their employ and pay them decent wages.
“I use the instance of your efforts and this visit, to call on private school proprietors to come forward and formalise their teachers.
“Those teachers are neither formalised, protected nor have pension.
”As a matter of fact, their salaries at times are below the Minimum Wage and that is wrong. In these schools, you see people earning N20,000, N25,000 yet they are teachers.
”You ask yourself; what is the quality of teaching and the quality of pupils, students therefrom?
The IPMAN National President, Elder Chinedu Okonkwo, said the visit was to seek the collaboration of the ministry in keying into the Federal Government’s Micro Pension Plan for millions of its workers.
“We want to get the drivers, depot representatives and other ancillary workers enrolled into this scheme so as to add value to their welfare and enhance the status of their employment.
”If achieved, it will help the country curb insecurity, reduce restiveness through creation of wealth and its reductive effect on poverty,” he said.
The Director General of the National Pension Commission was represented by Dauda Ahmed, a director in the commission, during the visit.
President Muhammadu Buhari on September 16 forwarded two letters to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.
By Taiwo-Hassan Adebayo
There are simmering concerns in Nigeria’s petroleum sector and the National Assembly over the appointments to the two regulatory agencies established by the Petroleum Industry Act, insiders have told PREMIUM TIMES, with fears that powerful individuals are exploiting access to President Muhammadu Buhari to capture the country’s more important upstream sector.
President Muhammadu Buhari on September 16 forwarded two letters to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, seeking the confirmation of nominees to the boards of Upstream Regulatory Commission and Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority.
But two lawmakers separately told PREMIUM TIMES that there are concerns that the competencies and backgrounds of the nominee chief executives are unfitting for their respective agencies.
Sarki Auwalu, currently the Director of Department of Petroleum Resources, with decades of upstream experience, is nominated as the chief executive of the midstream and downstream commission, and Gbenga Komolafe, Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division of the NNPC, as the chief executive of the upstream commission.
Mr Komolafe had previously held senior managerial positions at Pipelines and Petroleum Marketing Company (PPMC), Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF), and Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), the agencies merged with the downstream section of the old DPR to form the new midstream and downstream authority.
In addition to his former role at the NNPC’s crude marketing, Mr Komolafe, insiders said, is more suitable for the midstream and downstream authority. As PPRA’s operations general manager, he was credited for having successfully coordinated a seamless supply of petroleum products nationwide with multiplier sectorial effects in the Nigerian economy.
Mr Auwalu, on the other hand, is an upstream specialist, and in that area, as DPR director, established acreage management strategy and ultimate beneficial owners’ register for petroleum assets. The agency under him also launched the National Improved Oil Recovery Centre and added 3.6 trillion cubic feet of gas in reserve; recovered outstanding royalties of over $800 million owed by independent producing companies; and implemented the deepwater and inland basin act and generated additional $280 million for the government.
Yet, Mr Auwalu and Mr Komolafe were nominated for positions that do not match their respective backgrounds and competencies, our sources said.
“The president wants a round peg in a round hole,” a source familiar with the development said. “But he was manipulated and you can critically review the two letters.”
In the two letters, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, “Commission” was used in the closing prayers, whereas the PIA in sections 4(1) and 29(1) says that the upstream agency shall be known as “the commission” and the midstream and downstream agency as “the authority.”
“They perhaps knew the limitations of the president and they knew seeing ‘commission’ in the letter bearing Auwalu’s name would make him assume it was the upstream body,” one source said.
Behind the shenanigans, our sources said, are connected individuals led by Sabiu ‘Tunde’ Yusuf, regarded as one of the closest aides of Mr Buhari. Another person mentioned is Abubakar Funtua, son of late Isa Funtua, a close ally of the president. They are believed to be cooperating with a senior petroleum official and a businessman.
They are said to be bent on controlling the upstream sector, which covers the management of petroleum reserves and installations, and exploration, production, and development activities within onshore, frontier, shallow and deepwater offshore acreages as well as all the licences and commercial regulations for the upstream purposes.
However, the Sabiu Yusuf-led group is said to be “uncomfortable” with Mr Auwalu, who is said to have exhibited an “unyielding” attitude in handling regulatory matters.
“An example is the Addax (oilfield) licence issue in which DPR was overruled after having earlier revoked their licence for not meeting agreed targets,” an insider said.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how the NNPC launched a blistering tackle on its sister agency, DPR, with a strong appeal to Mr Buhari to reverse DPR’s revocation of the Addax’ OMLs and reject a reallocation to another company.
Femi Adesina, a spokesperson for President Buhari, did not answer calls placed to seek comment for this report.
Meanwhile, an official close to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, said the minister was miffed by the development as he was not carried along in the process leading to the nominations.
NNPC spokesperson, Garbadeen Mohammed, did not answer calls seeking his comment for this story.
A member of the Senate upstream committee, Phillip Aduda, said his committee would consider the qualifications of the nominees when they appear for confirmation hearing to determine an outcome.
Virologists and other health experts have warned that corrupt practices of airport officials who aid inbound passengers to evade the COVID-19 test may lead to the spike in infections in the country.
The PUNCH gathered on Sunday that passengers who were supposed to undergo the test were being aided to shun it by airport officials who were collecting between N10,000 and N15,000 bribes from them.
It was learnt that law-abiding passengers who paid the mandatory N51,400 for the test were sometimes not assigned to any laboratory by the officials.
A professor of Medical Virology at the University of Maiduguri, Prof Marycelin Baba, and other health experts who spoke to The PUNCH, blamed test evaders for the increasing infections.
They warned that unless the errant officials and the evaders are checked, the country will record more infections.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority had, in a memo dated September 11, 2021, relaxed restriction on inbound travellers without evidence of payment for their COVID-19 test.
According to the memo signed by the Director-General of NCAA, Musa Nuhu, airlines were directed to board passengers without evidence of payment for Day Seven COVID-19 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test or generate paid QR code/permit to fly.
The memo was titled “Permission for airlines to board passengers travelling to Nigeria who are unable to show evidence of payment for Day Seven COVID-19 PCR test or generate paid QR code/permit to fly”.
The NCAA stated that the decision was taken in view of the challenges some travellers to Nigeria were experiencing while trying to fill their health and travel history into Nigeria’s international travel portal.
Before, foreign travellers were required to show proof of payment for their COVID-19 PCR test before they were boarded.
The NCAA, however, said with the new directive, such passengers would be required to make payment for the repeat day-7 COVID-19 PCR test at their destination airports in Nigeria.
According to Nigeria International Travel Portal, inbound passengers are supposed to pay N51,400 each for the test at their destination airports.
The PUNCH findings, however, indicated that airport officials in Lagos and Abuja were cashing in on this directive to make illegal money.
Sources at the airports said the officials waved the test for passengers who could part with between N10,000 and N15,000.
A passenger, who confided in one of our correspondents, said, “When I arrived from Canada on September 17, I discovered that I was the only one waiting to pay for the mandatory test at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport. After paying the money, another passenger told me he didn’t go through the hassle of undergoing the test after giving the airport officials N10,000.”
A security official, who spoke to The PUNCH on the condition of anonymity, confirmed there were reports of the illegal practice.
He said security agents would soon descend on the corrupt airport officials.
“We have reports of officials collecting bribes from passengers. We are monitoring them and we will soon fish out some scapegoats,” the security official stated
Narrating his ordeal, the law-abiding passenger, who arrived in the country on September 17, stated that an airport official assisted him with the documentation of his pre-arrival COVID-19 test because he was unable to submit his registration details prior to his arrival.
The traveller stated, “He asked me to pay and informed me that I would receive a receipt and details of my test centre via email. I paid the sum of N51,950:00 for my day seven COVID-19 test. But I have received neither the receipt nor details of my test centre.” According to him, he was supposed to take day 7 test on Thursday.
He further said that he sent to the airport officials, numerous emails requesting a receipt of the payment of N51,9500 and an email assigning him to a test centre, but his requests were ignored.
He added, “I have called their telephone number repeatedly but it is switched off. I have sent messages to the number via WhatsApp but they were not delivered. According to WhatsApp, that number was last active on July 23, 2020.
He stated, “I contacted my preferred test centre on Wednesday, September 22 and Thursday, September 23 and I was informed that they did not have my name on their list for post-arrival COVID test.”
When contacted, the General Manager, Public Affairs The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, Mrs Herietta Yakubu said, “Honestly I am not aware of this, I am going to discuss this with the management of the airport to find out if there is any such racket going on in the airport. We would look into it and I can assure you anyone found doing that would face the wrath of the law, it is not allowed you are supposed to do the proper test and the test is for your own good. So what do you want to derive by not doing that.
“Although the COVID-19 test is not a responsibility of the airport authority, it is handled under the Ministry of Health but I can assure you Nigerians do it, because without a COVID-19 test result you can travel.”
The General Manager, Public Relations, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority Mr Sam Adurogboye when in a SMS interview said, “I don’t react to rumours. But if you have evidence of that, we will be glad to have it and take it up from there.”
N39,000 is the official rate, not N51,000, we will investigate graft – Presidential committee But the Secretary to the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, Dr Muktar Muhammed, when contacted by The PUNCH on Sunday told one of our correspondents that the government was not aware of the excesses going on at point of entries.
He however promised to investigate and prosecute errant passengers.
Muhammed said, “N39,000 is the official rate and not N51,000. The test is not meant to be done at the airport. It is supposed to be done on Day 7.
“However, they are supposed to pay before arrival or upon arrival. Let me investigate.
“It is illegal for anyone to collect any money at the airport. If anyone has been collecting money for whatever reason, it is wrong and we would investigate that and take action if anyone is found culpable.
“Second, passengers should also know it is wrong of them to evade established protocols. These protocols are not meant to punish anyone or extort money from individuals, it is meant to protect the citizens of the country.
“If you bribe someone and go home, you are also cheating yourself because you are taking the infection to your family.
“It is really bad for the system, themselves, their families and wrong for the country. Anybody we catch, we will seriously deal with them. This amounts to sabotage of the public health and it is something that can be prosecuted under the quarantine act of the federal republic of Nigeria.”
Virologists knock government officials, say evaders responsible for high community transmission rate
Virologists in separate interviews with The PUNCH condemned the activities of corrupt government officials who continued to aid travellers to evade testing and mandatory quarantine.
The virologists also blamed the evading travellers for the high rate of community infections in the country.
A professor of Medical Virology at the University of Maiduguri, Prof Baba, said, “The health of the public is paramount. You hear in the news that inbound passengers test positive daily. This is terrible. People who are caught should be sanctioned and also made to face the law.
“One of the highest fuelling means of COVID cases is through community infections. When you come into the country and you refuse to subject yourself to necessary protocols, you are not only putting yourself at risk, you are also putting others at risk and this is not fair.
“This is why it is very difficult to believe the figures we get daily because you have protocol evaders who continue to pose serious threats. You have people with fake vaccination cards and then you have people who evade tests.
“The government should make sure that the ports are well manned and make sure they sanction evaders and those enabling them and this goes beyond naming and shaming. They should be well sanctioned.”
Also, an Associate Professor of Virology at the Osun State University, Waidi Sule, said, “It has a lot of implications on the health system. We need to find some of them who have evaded why they have done that, despite the danger it portends.
“The virus can spread from them to many people, including their families.
“Beyond this, we need to investigate if the test is clumsy or they delay or the place they keep them is not tidy? We need to also know.
“I know they would not try to evade from where they are coming from because the punishment for evading is heavy. We also made the law very strict for those evading and those aiding them.”
A professor of Microbiology, Dennis Agbolahor, also said inbound travellers evading COVID-19 tests were responsible for the coronavirus variants in the country.
Agbolahor, who is also a former Vice-Chancellor of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, said, “Inbound travellers evading COVID-19 test are responsible for most of the cases we see. They are the ones bringing the variants into the country; the variants were imported and now they are multiplying in communities.”
20,647 test samples from 45 laboratories received in 19 days – NCDC
Meanwhile, information from the website of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and analysed by one of our correspondents on Sunday revealed that from September 1 to September 19, 2021, a total of 20,647 test samples of inbound passengers to Nigeria from 45 laboratories across the country were received by the centre.
This is as the centre also listed 48 laboratories which include the federal medical centres, federal and state-owned hospitals and other private laboratories for failing to send reports of inbound passengers who tested in their laboratories.
During the period under review, a total of 554 passengers also tested positive.
The PUNCH reports that as of September 25, 2021, Nigeria had reported a total of 204,201 positive cases out of a total of 2,997,060 test samples with 192,429 discharged cases and 2,674 case fatalities.
The government has continued to advocate vaccination to achieve herd immunity by 2022, a move which experts had termed as unrealisable given the low rate of vaccination in the country.
The latest protocol by the NCDC partly reads “All passengers are required to strictly adhere to instructions given by Port Health Services at the arrival terminal. Passengers who fail to adhere to instructions will be sanctioned by relevant security personnel.
“Passengers would be required to go through the routine Port Health screening and present electronic or print-out evidence of pre- boarding COVID-19 PCR test and the Permit to Travel Certificate/QR Code; Present their international passports for clearance through the Nigerian Immigration Service System’s Migrants Identification Data Analysis System.
“Proceed on mandatory seven days self-isolation/quarantine in their selected in-country destination. Passengers are advised to avoid physical interaction with friends, family, colleagues, and other members of the public. Passengers should check their emails/text messages regularly for updates regarding the arrangement for their repeat COVID-19 PCR test from the laboratory of their choice.
“During this period the passenger may be contacted by the COVID-19 Response team to ascertain state of isolation, day-7 testing appointment and health status.
“Show-up at the laboratory/sample collection centres on the 7th day of arrival and pay the applicable fees for the COVID-19 PCR test. Samples will be taken, and a COVID-19 PCR test done. The selected private laboratory will send a reminder text message, email, or phone call to the passenger a day before the appointment.”
The Northern Governors’ Forum will on Monday (today) hold an emergency meeting to discuss issues relating to the Value Added Tax, The PUNCH has learnt.
It was further gathered that the planned meeting, which would be hosted by the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai, would be presided over by the Chairman of the forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong.
The Coordinator of the Northern Governors Forum Secretariat and Secretary to the Plateau State Government, Professor Danladi Atu, confirmed the planned meeting in an interview with The PUNCH in Jos on Sunday.
Atu said this as some senior lawyers took on the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, over his recent statement that no state had the power to lay claim to the collection of VAT in the country.
The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt had in a judgment last month held that Rivers State had the power to collect VAT within its jurisdiction.
But the Federal Inland Revenue Service headed for the Court of Appeal to challenge the judgment. At the appeal court, Lagos State filed an application that it should be joined with Rivers State as a co-defendant in the appeal filed by the FIRS.
The appeal court ordered parties in the suit to maintain status quo pending the determination of the appeal.
Malami, in an interview with Channels Television on Friday, said collection of VAT in the country was on the exclusive legislative list, adding that only the National Assembly had the power to make laws on VAT.
He stated, “As you rightly know, the issue of the Value Added Tax is an issue on the exclusive legislative list. And the implication of being on exclusive legislative list matter is that only the National Assembly can legislate on it. The question that you may perhaps wish to address your mind on is whether there exists any national legislation that has conferred the power on the state to collect VAT. And my answer is ‘no’.
SANs carpet AGF
But Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, and Ifedayo Adedipe, SAN on Sunday faulted Malami.
Ozekhome said contrary to Malami’s claim, VAT is in the residual list and is strictly within the purview of state governments.
He said, “He (Malami) is dead wrong. There is nowhere VAT is reflected as a matter within the exclusive or concurrent list in the constitution of Nigeria.
“If anything, it is residual and is strictly within the purview of state government in our federal set-up.
“As of today, there is a judicial pronouncement on it by the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, to the effect that only states can collect and administer VAT.
“That remains the legal position today. Until that judgment is probably set aside, that remains the law of the land. The mere statement the Attorney General cannot alter this truism.”
On his part, Adedipe warned that VAT is a serious constitutional issue and should not be politicised.
He said, “Is this in the 1999 constitution or a new one? Which number or section? Let him state it. It is not enough to say it.
“I am not aware that VAT is on any exclusive list of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Second, he is a defendant in the case, he should come to the court to come and put this across. It is not something he should give a press statement or side comments about. It is a very serious constitutional issue and therefore should not be politicised. Since we are before the appellate court, let us leave it there.”
Meanwhile, the Coordinator of the Northern Governors’ Forum Secretariat, Atu said told The PUNCH on Sunday that the forum would take a position on VAT at Monday’s meeting.
He stated. “The northern governors will be meeting in Kaduna on Monday and I’m sure one of the items on the agenda is about the issue of VAT.”
Asked whether the northern governors would be going to court to join the FIRS in the suit against Rivers and Lagos states over the VAT collection, the forum’s coordinator said, “You will get to know the position of the northern governors on the issue because I’m sure their resolution will be made public after their meeting on Monday “
Apart from Lagos and Rivers states, Ogun State has also started the process of passing a bill on VAT in its House of Assembly.
While some stakeholders including the 17 southern governors supported the position of Lagos and Rivers states that states should collect VAT, some northern governors, including El-Rufai opposed it.
Abdulazeez Ganduje, the first son of the Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, has fled to Egypt with his family after exposing his mother’s alleged corruption.
Mr Abdulazeez had dragged his mum, Hafsat Ganduje, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, for alleged corruption.
The governor’s son had petitioned that he was approached by a property developer to help facilitate the acquisition of some plots of land in Kano with some hundreds of thousands of US dollars and at least 35 million Naira as “facilitation commission”.
“But three months later, (the property developer) discovered that the plots of land he wanted and had paid the first family for had been allocated to other buyers and he then requested to be refunded,” a source familiar with the petition said.
Although Mrs Ganduje is yet to honour the invitation, security sources said she risked being arrested the anti-graft operatives since she lacks immunity to arrest and prosecution.
Insiders said the governor’s son had fled to Egypt immediately after filing the petition to avoid the “wrath of his parents”.
“Abdulaziz left Nigeria for Egypt with his family immediately after filing the petition. He told us he would remain there until the father leaves office.
“He has avoided his parents and went underground since the beginning of the crisis,” said a source.
Mr Abdulazeez could not be reached on his known Nigerian number for comment.
In April, Jaafar Jaafar, the journalist who exposed the dollar videos of the governor fled to the UK after facing harassments by both state and non-state actors.
A large group of Boko Haram jihadists have moved out of their base in the North-East to join forces with criminal gangs in the North-West, where they are engaged in weapons training and kidnapping, military sources told AFP on Friday.
Boko Haram’s Islamic State-allied rivals have been consolidating their grip on the North-East after the death of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, this year in a major shift in Nigeria’s 12-year insurgency battle.
Islamic State West Africa Province has been moving into Boko Haram’s territory, fighting Shekau loyalists, assimilating some or forcing others to surrender to the armed forces, security sources said.
Details of the Boko Haram fighters moving could be the latest sign of cooperation between jihadists and criminal armed groups in the North-West, who raid and loot villages and conduct mass abductions for ransom.
Two military sources said a faction loyal to Shekau based in Borno State had dispatched two commanders and 250 fighters to the Rijana forests in northwestern Kaduna State.
Both commanders are allied with Bakoura Buduma, a Boko Haram chief who remains loyal to Shekau and whose fighters are resisting ISWAP consolidation, according to security sources.
“They are the masterminds behind some of the abductions in the North-West,” one of the military sources said.
Both sources said Boko Haram militants were also training the gangs, known locally as bandits, in the use of anti-aircraft guns and explosives and other weapons.
Military spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment. Kaduna State officials also did not immediately reply to a request for confirmation.
A Nigerian security agency communiqué earlier this month warned that a Boko Haram commander and foot soldiers were moving across the country from their base in Borno State to Kaduna State in the North-West.
Analysts said there had been growing signs that jihadists and bandit gangs were developing deeper ties where both stood to gain: Jihadists supply arms while profiting from criminal activity.
North-West Nigeria has long been plagued by bandit groups, but this year, attacks and kidnappings have surged.
Buhari's Speech At UN Assembly Lacked Personal Commitments, Contained Lies — Federal Lawmakers
The minority leader of the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, said the speech was a great disservice to Nigeria by failing to present the true picture of affairs in Nigeria.
The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has flayed the speech delivered by President Muhammadu Buhari at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States.
A statement signed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, said the speech was a great disservice to Nigeria by failing to present the true picture of affairs in Nigeria.
Elumelu highlighted cases of human rights abuses, undemocratic governance, injustice, insecurity among other menace ravaging the country which the President ought to have made mention of.
He took a swipe at the President for making claims of building “isolation centers and emergency hospital wards, all over the country in record time” in the fight against COVID-19 which was in fact, a lie.
The minority leader pointed out that Buhari's speech conveyed no personal commitments that could guarantee an end to poor and undemocratic governance neither did it portray a decisive roadmap towards economic recovery.
The statement read, “The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has extensively reviewed the address presented by President Muhammadu Buhari at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
“The caucus is distressed over claims in President Buhari address which are in complete disagreement with the ugly reality of the failures of his administration, as well as the economic, security and social ruins that have confronted the nation under his watch.
“Our caucus holds that President Buhari’s speech is a great disservice to our nation by not presenting the true picture of affairs in our country; the human rights violations, corruption and incompetence in his administration; the excruciating hardship, escalated insecurity, national divisiveness and infrastructural decay under his watch, thereby blocking avenues for desired intervention in our various ailing sectors.
“The Minority caucus was alarmed by President Buhari’s report to UNGA that terrorists have been so weakened in Nigeria that they are now preying on soft targets, when in reality, insurgents have become so emboldened under his watch, that they are now attacking military formations, kidnapping and killing our gallant officers while overrunning communities and murdering our citizens without restrain.
“As representatives of the people, the Minority caucus is depressed that President Buhari’s speech did not reflect on the kidnapping and killing of students and school children in Nigeria.
“The speech did not reflect on the closure of schools and crippling of education in many parts of our country, where normal life has been destroyed by terrorists, neither did it show any empathy towards the victims of terrorism attacks
“Our caucus is worried that in reflecting on violent conflicts, Mr. President’s address conveyed no personal commitments that can guarantee an end to poor and undemocratic governance, human rights abuses, poverty, ignorance, injustice and inequalities, that are prevalent under his watch, even after identifying such as the causes of conflicts.
“Also, the minority caucus is shocked by the claims in Mr. President’s speech that his administration “built” isolation centres and emergency hospital wards, “all over the country” “in record time” in the fight against Covid-19; a claim that is in conflict with the infrastructural reality in the country.
“Moreover, our caucus is worried that Mr. President’s speech did not portray any decisive roadmap towards economic recovery and food security; had no personal commitment to end corruption in his administration; had no personal commitment to end borrowing or show a clear-cut plan to repay the huge debt being accumulated by his administration.
“The speech also lacked definite personal commitments towards credible electoral process especially as the nation approaches 2023 general election.
“The Minority caucus, after due consideration, urges President Buhari to always cross-check the content given to him by his handlers so as to ensure that his position, especially on the world stage, captures the reality as well as aspiration prevalent in the country.
“This is because such addresses ought to serve as unblemished working document for interventions and solutions at various levels of governance.”
in the country have split the 28 governors that established judicial panels of enquiry following the #EndSARS protests last year, Saturday PUNCH has learnt.
Investigations by our correspondents revealed that while some governors believe that states should pay compensation to the victims, some others insisted that the Federal Government should pick the bills because policemen who committed the crimes are federal employees.
As a result, the National Economic Council led by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has asked states to submit the final reports of their judicial panels to NEC to enable the Federal Government to determine how the compensation will be paid.
The judicial panels in the states were set up sequel to the October 2020 protests by youths in different parts of the country over police brutality and harassment. The protesters had among other things demanded the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad and justice for all the victims of police brutality, including appropriate compensation for the families of those who lost their lives.
The demands included investigation of allegations of police misconduct and prosecution of indicted persons; compensation for victims of police brutality; release of all arrested protesters; increase in the salaries of police officers as well as psychological evaluation of all disbanded SARS operatives before they could be redeployed.
Several states set up the panel while the National Human Rights Commission also set up its Independent Investigation Panel to probe allegations of human rights violations by the operatives and other police units in Abuja.
Meanwhile, following the vice-presidents’ directive that states should submit their final reports to NEC, some states have halted compensation payment to the victims.
Ekiti State, which is one of the states already paying compensation to the victims, said it was forced to halt the process pending when all states submit their reports to NEC.
The state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Olawale Fapohunda, who is the chairman of the implementation committee of the #EndSARS report, confirmed that some states were not ready to pick up the bill.
Meanwhile, some states including Rivers and Plateau, have insisted that the Federal Government must pick up the bill since the policemen who committed the crimes were federal employees.
Fapounda said, “We have begun implementation. Ekiti State did not wait for the final report (before commencing payment to victims) because we recognise that police and civilians were victims. We had to make immediate payments to those who had immediate needs.
“What we just need now is to pay the final compensation. We have already paid half of the compensation. Again, we had to strengthen our Directorate of Citizens’ Rights to ensure that people have access to them – that one we have done.
“The last stage now is to just pay the final amount and close it. The delay has been because there had been discussions at the federal level about the place of the Federal Government in paying the compensations. That was why they said everybody should wait until all states submit their reports.
“At the moment, only 10 states or thereabouts, including Ekiti State, have submitted reports. In Ekiti State, Governor Kayode Fayemi was very clear from the first day that we would start implemention immediately the panel submits a preliminary report.
“Some of the states are raising the issue that how can they pay compensation for violations that were caused directly by a federal institution. That issue has not been concluded yet.
“The decision is that when all the states have submitted their reports, then there will be discussion on a collective approach, a national approach to this issue. The only way to go forward is a national approach, the states will pay compensation to its own citizens.”
The Ekiti AG noted that the proposed reforms would likely be implemented by the Federal Government since the police are not under the control of the states. “That is where we are,” Fapohunda added.
The panel in his state, chaired by Justice Cornelius Akintayo (retd), received and treated 85 petitions while it gave awards in 52 of the cases. Also, 24 of the beneficiaries of the award by the panel had been paid compensations to the tune of over N7m being the first tranche of the implementation of the panel’s report.
The panel also recommended compensation to the tune of N13.8m to 28 other beneficiaries which has yet to be paid by the state government.
One of the beneficiaries, a journalist, Wole Balogun, who approached the panel over brutalisation by soldiers, was awarded N100,000 compensation by the panel.
Balogun said, “The compensation was paid almost immediately into my account by the state government. I was also issued a certificate confirming it has been paid.”
Another victim, Anthony Chukwuebuka, who said he had yet to be paid the N2m compensation due to him, appealed to the state government to have compassion so he could go for surgery and be able to lead a meaningful life.
He stated, “In 2012, when I was a corps member, some SARS operatives invaded our house, harassed us and in the process, one of them used his gun to blind my right eye. The panel awarded me N2m compensation. The money has not been paid.”
Plateau won’t pay N152m to victims – Commissioner
But the Plateau State Government says it will not pay the N152.8m compensation recommended by the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, led by Justice Philomena Lot.
The Commissioner for Justice, Almadu Chrisantus, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH in Jos on Thursday, said this while giving reasons for the state’s inability to implement the panel’s report submitted to the governor since June.
Chrisantus explained that it was within the purview of the Federal Government to pay the N152.8m to the victims since the police were employees of the Federal Government.
He added, “The states were directed by the Federal Government to establish these panels and the states have gone ahead to do that. Some have submitted their report while some have yet to do so. In Plateau State, the panel has concluded its assignment and we have forwarded the panel’s report to the Federal Government.
“You know the police are employees of the Federal Government. Since some states have yet to conclude their sittings, I want to assume that the Federal Government is awaiting the conclusion of sittings from those states so that the issues can be collectively handled.
“The aspect of the report that involves the state for implementation, like the issue of unemployment, will be implemented by the state but if it is compensation for the victims, it is the Federal Government and not the state that will pay because the police are employees of the Federal Government. We await action on the part of the Federal Government.”
Reports from states’ll determine NEC’s outcome – VP’s aide
Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, told Saturday PUNCH on Friday that the next NEC meeting would be determined by reports from states.
Reacting to media enquiries about the next line of action on panel reports from states, he said, “There will be an update on this at the next NEC meeting. Only the reports from the states will determine these outcomes.”
One year after setting up judicial panels of inquiry, only eight out of 28 states have submitted final reports to the NEC.
At the August 2021 NEC meeting, the Vice-President disclosed that the eight states that had submitted their reports included Abia, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ondo, and Rivers; while Lagos State has submitted an interim report and will forward a final report in October 2021.
He revealed that the council looks forward to discussing the findings at its next meeting in September as more states are expected to submit theirs.
At the time of filing this report, the NEC has yet to sit in September and on when the next NEC meeting would hold, Akande did not respond.
…as over 2,500 petitioners await payment, demand justice against police brutality
A CSO Police Reform Observatory survey coordinated by CLEEN Foundation and NOPRIN Foundation had in a report found that the judicial panels set up by the states received over 2,500 petitions.
It noted that most of the petitions alleged that human rights violations such as extrajudicial killings, torture, extortion, harassment, sexual and gender-based violence, indiscriminate arrests, illegal detention, illegal arrests and abuse of power by personnel of the police and other security agencies.
The NEC had on October 16, 2020 directed the immediate establishment of state-based judicial panels of inquiry to investigate complaints of police brutality or related extrajudicial killings with a view to delivering justice for all victims of the dissolved Special Anti-Robbery Squads and other police units.
The judicial panels to be set up in all the states were to include representatives of youths, students, and civil society organisations to be chaired by a respected retired state High Court judge.
Ondo panel awards N755m damages
In Ondo State, the panel recommended about N755m as compensation to the victims and has since submitted its report to the governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu.
A member of the panel, who spoke with one of our correspondents, explained that the report was submitted to the governor in April. The member said, “We submitted the report to the governor on April 28, 2021. We recommended the payment of N755,730,897.83 to various petitioners who suffered violations as a result of a breach of their fundamental rights.
“We had 77 petitions in total, 14 criminal and 63 civil matters. Besides, the payment of the over N755m compensation, the panel also recommended the publication of apologies in national dailies, particularly where the reputation of victims had been tarnished.”
A member of the panel, Mr Yemi Fashipe, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, expressed worries over the government’s delay in responding to the report.
He said, “I am worried. I can only speak for myself. The panel was dissolved immediately after we submitted the report. We haven’t talked about it since then.
But another member, Mr Samuel Adetuyi, expressed hope that the government would do justice to the recommendation. “I am not worried,” he said. Government must take a judicial, responsible and responsive decision and this takes time. Besides, the ultimate action is expected to be taken by the Federal Government that directed the states to set up the panel.”
The state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Charles Titiloye, said the government was working on the recommendations of the report and would soon come out with a decision. “With my meeting with the vice president, some reports from the states have arrived at the presidency. He (Osinbajo) has been coordinating it; both the federal and the state governments are at it to see how it would be done in the overall interest of the country.”
Poor funding allegedly delays Taraba, Cross River panels
Poor funding of the Taraba State Committee on #EndSARS has been blamed for the delay in the submission of the report of the committee, checks by Saturday PUNCH has revealed.
One of our correspondents gathered that the panel, inaugurated in November 2020, ended its sitting on May 17, 2021 but has yet to submit the report to the governor on account of lack of funds to produce the final report.
A member of the panel who pleaded anonymity said since their inauguration, the governor only approved their allowance for one month. The member added, “The panel was poorly funded. Five months allowances have yet to be paid. The panel members including the chairman used their money in funding the sitting of the panel for the remaining five months.
“The report has yet to be submitted due to financial constraints, despite the directive from the Federal Government that all the states should submit the report without delay for final deliberations on modalities for implementation of the recommendations regarding compensation to victims. The implication is that victims of the #EndSARS in Taraba will not be compensated because our report may not be able to get to them unless a miracle happens.”
The source said the panel heard 28 petitions out of the 34 petitions received, with 47 victims of brutality due for compensation.
The source added that 11 victims who died were awarded N20m each, eight victims who are permanently incapacitated have been awarded N15m each, while four victims of torture were awarded N10m each. “Another victim of torture was awarded N8m, while the rest of the victims of torture, detention, arrest and extortion were awarded various sums of money ranging from N3m to N7m.”
Cross River report will be out soon – Chairman Also in Cross Rivers State, there are allegations of funding delaying the panel’s work and reports. The chairman of the panel in the state, Justice Michael Edem (retd.), who neither denied nor confirmed this, said the report of the panel would be out soon.
He added, “You will know more about the #EndSARS panel’s report when it comes out. I will not be able to comment on it.”
On the allegation that the panel ended due to lack of funding, he said, “Allegation is an allegation, so I will not say more on an allegation.”
Delta govt’s position underway – Okowa
The Delta State Government has said it is currently studying the recommendations of the #EndSARS panel in the state.
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in an interview with Saturday PUNCH on Thursday in Asaba said, “The report has been submitted and there are committees that are looking into the recommendations critically before the government takes a position on it. In no distant time, the government will come out with its position on the recommendations.”
The governor had said the state government will do its best to support the families of victims. Speaking recently when he received the report, he also urged the police to see the civil populace as partners in intelligence gathering rather than antagonists.
“I want to reassure you that the recommendations made will be looked into very urgently by the state executive council and that justice will be done to the best that we can as human beings,” he added.
Earlier, the chairman of the panel, Justice Celestina Ogisi (retd.), said in total, the panel received 86 petitions and 49 were heard on merit while 37 were struck out for various reasons.
In Akwa Ibom State, the chairman of the panel Justice Ifiok Ukana, said the panel received 80 petitions, adding that their report had been submitted.
He added, “The panel has submitted its report. We received a total of 80 petitions and struck out four, which means we made recommendations on 76 petitions.”
Speaking on when the report would be implemented, the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom, said the report had been forwarded to the vice-president, as directed.
In Enugu State, there is some uncertainty as the panel has stopped sitting but has yet to hear some petitions before it. Saturday PUNCH reliably gathered that the panel received a total of 147 memoranda but as of August when it stopped sitting, most of the petitions had not been called for hearing.
A member of the panel, Osmond Ugwu, confirmed that the panel had stopped sitting and that many petitions had yet to be heard.
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi had set up two panels after the protests. The two panels were set up at the same time namely ‘Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Police Brutality and Other Related Extrajudicial Killings’ and Administrative Panel of Inquiry on Police brutality on #EndSARS.
Ugwu added that while the #EndSARS panel had submitted its report around March, the judicial panel had yet to conclude its assignment.”
When asked why the panel stopped sitting, Ugwu said, “I would rather say clearly that I do not know, even though I am a member. The chairman and secretary were the people that unilaterally suspended the sitting and meeting of the panel contrary to the decision of members on August 10, 2021.
When asked what was next in their agenda, Ugwu said many petitions had not been mentioned and that there was work to be done. He added, “Most importantly, we have not done any investigation or findings. We only received petitions and some petitioners just adopted their petitions. Adoption of petitions does not in any way entail findings.”
When contacted on the telephone to clarify the uncertainty, the Commissioner for Information, Mr Chidi Aroh, said there was a logistics problem with the panel.
He added, “Enugu State set up two panels: the #EndSARS panel and the Panel that has to deal with the compensation of those that suffered grievous harm and such things. For those who suffered grievous harm.The panel has turned in their report, the government is done with that, there is a white paper on it. But the #EndSARS panel had some logistics problems that occurred with the sit-at-home issue and the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Aroh, while expressing optimism that the panel would conclude its work in no distant time, said, “As soon as the state government gets their report, the state will act immediately. It is a priority for us as a state.”
Katsina white paper on panel’s report out soon – Findings
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Katsina State white paper on the implementation of the recommendations of the judicial panel in the state should be ready any moment from now.
Members of the commission, led by its chairman, Justice Abdullahi Bawale, had last February, submitted its report to Governor Aminu Masari. The governor had promised that he would immediately set up a committee to prepare a white paper on the commission’s recommendation.
He added, “Highlights of the report and recommendations have indicated that the commission has conducted a thorough investigation and made far-reaching recommendations for consideration.”
Bawale had revealed that the commission received 100 petitions, out of which 25 were struck out due to the non-appearance of the petitioners.
Reliable sources at the state’s Ministry of Justice said the committee on the white paper had concluded its assignment. “What we are waiting for is the release of the white paper on the commission’s report and that will be out anytime from now,” one of the sources, who pleaded anonymity, said.
A Boerboel dog, named Charlie, has been arrested by men of the Nigerian Police Force for biting the private parts of a student of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko in Ondo State.
The dog was said to have bitten the student on Thursday evening at a popular off-campus hostel around the institution’s permanent site.
The dog owner was said to be training it with the aim of making it mate with another friend’s own.
It was in the process of training that Charlie got aggressive and aimed at the friend’s private part.
The victim was subsequently rushed to the hospital where doctors are currently battling to help him.
The police were later called in to arrest dog.
A picture seen by SaharaReporters showed the dog being chained to a police van.
President of Nigeria Dominican Republic Business Exchange NIDOR-BEX Dr Kingsley Azonobi has said with the establishment of the Chamber of Commerce, Nigerian businessmen can now travel and do business with the 120 countries that have ties with Dominical Republic without visa.
He spoke at the inaugural ceremony of NIDOR-BEX management board on Thursday in Abuja.
Azonobi, who was inaugurated along with five other board members, explained that henceforth NIDOR-BEX management would oversee the bilateral interest in trade and investment between businessmen of the two countries.
Chief Humanitarian of the Nigeria Humanitarian Action (NIHA), Mr Kleitsaint Akor, also explained that NIDOR-BEX emerged via a motion that was adopted during the NIHA Programme Year Opening Conference (PROYOC) held in May in Abuja.
Read Also: ‘Nigerians need not worry about visa denial’ PROYOC is an annual multidimensional humanitarian event that appraises institutions, programmes, share opportunities and make projections, Akor said.
He added that NIDOR-BEX would provide business opportunities for Nigeria and Dominican Republic companies and businessmen.
NIDOR-BEX General Secretary, Dr Ishiman Adum, said that the board was ready to ensure that the business exchange was well run to deliver the outcomes for which it was set up.
He said that the business exchange would make members and clients a top priority to create optimal outcomes, and promised to support companies to explore the opportunities.
Azonobi thanked NIDOR-BEX board for the appointment, and pledged to lead the organisation with the fear of God.
He also promised to be professional in creating business ideas and opportunities for Nigerians and Dominicans.
Both countries do not have embassies in their nations, a situation that has led to difficulties and challenges in acquiring visa and direct flight from, and to, both countries.
The business exchange is expected to boost collaborations with relevant authorities to ensure the creation of consulates in both countries.
NYSC Member Dehumanised By Nigerian Female Soldier Forced To Leave Cross River
The authorities of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Cross River State have asked a corps member, Ezeiruaku Ifeyinwa Fidelis, who was assaulted by a female commissioned army officer, Lieutenant Chika Viola Anele, to leave the state.
A Nigerian journalist and human rights activist, Agba Jalingo, had shared a video on his Facebook page showing the officer pouring an unknown white substance on the kneeling corps member after which she hit her with a bowl.
"JusticeForIfenyinwa. This is what a commissioned female Army officer, Lt. Chika Viola Anele, did to a youth corps member, Ezeiruaku Ifeyinwa Fidelia, serving at the 13 Brigade headquarters in Calabar after having an argument,” Jalingo had posted.
“We understand that the leadership in 13 Brigade are working to kill the matter. Let us make the officer very popular for all the wrong reasons.
“Share the video until it gets to the Chief of Army Staff and that Chika girl is brought to book."
A source told SaharaReporters that Fidelia, who is attached to the 13 Brigade Command, Calabar as her primary place of assignment, has been asked to leave town immediately for "safety reasons".
"She has been given transportation to leave town by road immediately," the source added.
This followed the arrest of Lieutenant Anele by the Military Police.
On Wednesday, the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) seized some houses belonging to former Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed of Kwara State over a N5 billion debt.
There are several houses in the property located at No. 9A Abdulrazaq Street, GRA, Ilorin.
According to Jude Nwazor, spokesman of AMCON, the corporation seized the property as a result of the non-performing loans of the former governor and his companies from the former Intercontinental Bank, FinBank and Bank PHB.
He said all efforts to recover the debt from the former governor proved abortive until the corporation got justice in court.
Hon. Justice A.M. Liman ordered the freezing of the bank accounts of the former governor and his two companies including Trans Properties and Investment Limited and Trans It Consulting Limited in Suit No: FHC/L/AMC/01/2021.
The policeman was seen pocketing an undisclosed amount of money while telling the driver “number four”.
Some officers of the Nigeria Police Force have been caught on camera demanding and collecting bribes from a motorist.
The incident happened on Tuesday along Idiroko Road, Ogun State.
In a video exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters, the policeman was seen pocketing an undisclosed amount of money while telling the driver “number four”.
“That’s how they do; not only the police, there are the Nigerian Customs, soldiers and others. They give you a special number after collecting money from you. We're sick and tired of this daily extortion,” a motorist told SaharaReporters.
“They sometimes indiscriminately seize our vehicles and force us to pay huge sums of money before they are let go. Their wahala (trouble) is too much,” another victim lamented.
He therefore, urged the Nigerian government to intervene.
Hundreds of graduating Primary Six pupils in Kano State have been promoted to Class 7. This is because they could not sit for the Common Entrance Examination to secondary school after the state government failed to organise it.
The development has triggered controversy as the pupils and their parents have been left confused. The examination is organised yearly by the Kano Education Resources Department (KERD) for all graduating Primary Six pupils expected to proceed to secondary school.
A teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “The students were moved to Class 7 where they only gist with their friends and play.
“The transition of pupils to junior secondary school was also delayed in the last academic session.” Mallam Lawan, a father of one of the affected pupils in one of the primary schools in Kano, said he had stopped his child from going to school and had fully engaged him in another activity to save cost.
“We are waiting for the government to fix a date for the examination only then he will fully resume school,” Lawan said.
Teachers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also complained about a drop in school attendance as some of the parents have asked their children to stay at home.
Spokesman for the Ministry of Education, Aliyu Yusuf, said the state government is planning to fix a date for the examination.
Education › N75,000 Bursary For Education Students: FG To Attach Strict Conditions -TRCN by Islie(op): 8:54am On Oct 10, 2021
