₦airaland Forum

Meanwhile, NTI has advised students, members of staff and other stakeholders to remain calm over the NUC’s declaration of its degree and Postgraduate Diploma in Education programmes illegal.

The institute’s Chief protocol and Public Relations Officer, Malam Jibrin Adamu, gave the advice in Kaduna while reacting to NUC’s advertisements which invalidated certificates issued by institute in the last 15 years.

Adamu, while speaking with NAN on Thursday, noted that both NUC and NTI were government agencies, adding that officials of both organisations would meet in the next few days to resolve the issues.

“It should be noted that both NTI and NUC are Federal Government agencies and within the next few days both bodies will meet and sort out the issues amicably.

“For now, we are calling on our students, members of staff and all stakeholders to remain calm as the issue will be attended to,’’ Adamu said. (NAN)

Read more at http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/nuc-clarifies-position-on-nti-degree-postgraduate-programmes/156283.html#9RF28gZdc7KSm7EW.99

Reducing your age is a lie. It's sinful and you shouldn't do it. Study with your true age and work with it. God will stand by you. This is an unpopular advice but it is the truth and the truth will make you free. Life doesn't end on earth. And to all others indulging in same popular sin, repent, give your life to Jesus and be born again today. God bless you.

As it is in all countries all over the world, except, perhaps, in a few totalitarian states (if there still exists any), the Nigerian Supreme Court, the highest in the land, is the final forum for appeal in the nation’s adjudicatory system. The Apex Court, as it is often called, has interpreted the Constitution and has decided the country’s pre-eminent legal disputes since it was established. In fact, virtually every issue of significance or dispute of immense value in the Nigerian society eventually arrives at the Supreme Court. Its decisions ultimately affect the rights and freedoms of every citizen–rich, poor, Nigerians or foreigners living in the country, pregnant women, those accused of committing crime, those on death row, publishers, journalists, lawyers, bankers, accountants, environmentalists, business men and women, armed robbers, drug peddlers, prostitutes, and a host of others. The period from its inception till date, has not only witnessed the departure of several members of the Court, including one of its most influential figures in recent times, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa(though not Chief Justice), but the arrival of the first female Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar. This period constitutes years, moreover, that were characterised by the continuing recognition of the verities of the Court’s role as a policymaker, of its tripartite role as a legal, a governmental, and, yes, an organic political institution. The Supreme Court has limited but exclusive original jurisdiction in any dispute between the Federation and a state or between states if and in so far as that dispute involves any question (whether of law or fact) on which the existence of a legal right depends. Indeed, the Supreme Court has continued to manifest its embrace of an activist role, of judicial legislating, of lawmaking, of judicial activism, even if some of its nuances may well be distinguished from its predecessor tribunals. Above all, the Court, since the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates of Nigeria in 1914 when the pioneer Chief Justice was Sir Edwin Speed, maintained its revered and enviable tradition of succession based on seniority. Of course, to establish criteria for standards of merit as a basis for selection of individuals qualified to serve on our courts is difficult and definitionally controversial, still establishment of criteria for qualification and selection and for bases for evaluative judgements of performance cannot be ruled out. Yet, unfortunately, the media are, of recent inundated with feelers of plots by the powers-that-be to politicise the succession process of the Apex Court which is much against the cherished tradition of the Court. With the reigning Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Mahmud Mohammed due for retirement on November 10, 2016 when he would have attained his mandatory retirement age of 70, an alleged plot by the powers-that-be to truncate the age-long seniority rule in the judiciary is said to be in the pipeline. Reports have it that there are very powerful forces plotting to alter the seniority rule that would probably see the second-in-command, Hon. Justice Walter Nkanu Onnoghen take over the affairs of the Apex Court after Mohammed retires from the Bench come November 10. These sinister forces have reportedly argued that anybody appointed to be CJN must not necessarily be the most senior justice of the Supreme Court. But their lame argument holds no water as more progressive lawyers and concerned Nigerians have condemned the move. Not even military rulers, including General Muhammadu Buhari himself, with the enormous powers they wielded, attempted to emasculate the highest court in the land. Even throughout his eight two-terms tenure as civilian president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo did not change the rule governing succession at the Supreme Court. If we must consolidate this democratic dispensation, then we must not be seen to be dragging it to the mud. In the face of obvious agitations for secession and militancy in the South East and South-South amidst cries of marginalisation, we must be careful not to aggravate the situation due to the ambition and maladroit hues of a few people in power who want to see Nigeria as their private estate. Indeed, there are palpable fears that if President Buhari succumbs to mounting pressures from some Northern elite and their All Progressives Congress, APC, collaborators not to send Justice Onnoghen’s name to the Senate for confirmation as CJN, the South will miss the golden opportunity to clinch the exalted office. It would be recalled that Justice Ayo Irikefe who was CJN between 1985 and 1987 was the last Southerner to occupy the office, about 30 years ago. Unarguably, the CJN sits as “Primus inter pares” (first among equals) in the intricate power calculus in the nation’s judiciary and one of the first five most important personalities in government. He is the Chairman of the Federal Judicial Service Commission, FJSC, as well as Chairman of the National Judicial Council, NJC. Both commissions are very important as they are involved in the process of promoting anybody to any position in the federal judiciary. Against the backdrop of the perceived attempt by the powers-that-be to northernise and Islamise all existing institutions of government in Nigeria in an orchestrated and vengeful political gerrymandering, any attempt to undermine the judiciary would spell doom for the country. Since 1914 when this vast geographical abstraction became one Nigeria, and since 1960 when the country gained flag independence on a platter of gold from its colonial masters, the headship of all courts, including the Supreme Court is usually based on seniority. In fact, from the High Court to the Supreme Court, the tradition has not changed. It is therefore not now that a Southerner will qualify to occupy the seat that the tradition would change abruptly. Yet, it is not about Onnoghen as a person. It is about equity and justice which the Supreme Court indubitably symbolises. But if Onnoghen is denied this opportunity, chances of having another Southerner to occupy the position could be very remote in a country we all lay claim to as ours, as it would be 15 to 20 years from now since most of the justices in the Apex Court would remain on the queue till they retire at 70. The Supreme Court of Nigeria consists of the CJN and such number of justices of the Supreme Court, not exceeding 21, as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly. Presently, the Court is made up of the CJN and 14 other Justices. If, as investigation revealed, the plot to stop Onnoghen started gathering momentum when the APC expressed anger with the Apex Court’s favourable verdict for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in some South-South states, why use Onnoghen as scape goat? Do leaders of the ruling party expect the Court to dance to their tune at the expense of justice? Why have they forgotten so soon that Onnoghen was among the three justices of the Supreme Court who took a minority position and insisted that the massively flawed 2007 presidential election which enthroned the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua be cancelled in favour of Mr. Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP)? Born on December 22, 1950, in Cross River State of Nigeria, Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen who graduated in Second Class Upper Division from the prestigious University of Legon, Ghana, became a justice of the Supreme Court in 2005. If nominated and confirmed by the Senate, he would retire from the Bench in 2020 when he would have clocked 70. The incumbent CJN, Justice Mohammed is from Taraba State while the next after Onnoghen, Justice Tanko Mohammed hails from Bauchi State. Since after Justice Irikefe in 1985, the North has produced virtually all the CJNs till date: In the United States of America, the Supreme Court is made up of the Chief Justice of the United States of America and eight other Associate Justices. Even in that country from where we borrowed our Executive Presidential System of government, the implications of power and influence in the Supreme Court, beginning with the dramatic shift that occurred as leadership passed from the inimitable Earl Warren to Warren Burger were legendary. The years from the late ’60s the ’70s were years of great dramatic tension. With the forced resignation of Abe Fortas, the passing of both the highly esteemed John Harlan and the great jurist Hugo Black, and finally, the illness and resignation of the Court’s great libertarian, William O. Douglas, a realignment took place. With President Nixon’s appointments- Burger himself, Harry Blackmun, William Rehnquist, Lewis Powell- and the appointment of John Paul Stevens by President Gerald Ford, only William Brennan and Thurgood Marshall remained of the old liberal majority. So, there is the place of ideological balance in the Supreme Court. Currently, in the Nigerian Supreme Court, with the exit of brilliant minds such as Justice Pat Asholonu, and Justice Oputa, Onnoghen happens to be the Court’s intellectual power house. If, as investigation revealed, the plot to stop Onnoghen started gathering momentum when the APC expressed anger with the Apex Court’s favourable verdict for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in some South South States, why use Onnoghen as scape goat? Do leaders of the ruling party expect the Court to dance to their tune at the expense of justice? Why have they forgotten so soon that Onnoghen was among the three justices of the Supreme Court who took a minority position and insisted that the massively flawed 2007 presidential election which enthroned the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua be cancelled in favour of Mr. Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP)? Born on December 22, 1950, in Cross River State of Nigeria, Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen who graduated in Second Class Upper Division from the prestigious University of Legon, Ghana, became a justice of the Supreme Court in 2005. If nominated and confirmed by the Senate, he would retire from the Bench in 2020 when he would have clocked 70. The incumbent CJN, Justice Mohammed is from Taraba State while the next after Onnoghen, Justice Tanko Mohammed hails from Bauchi State. Since after Justice Irikefe in 1985, the North has produced virtually all the CJNs till date: Justice Mohammed Bello (1987-1995), Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais (1995-2006), Justice Salisu Modibo Alfa Belgore (2006-2007), Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi (2007-2009), Justice Aloysius Iyorgyer Katsina-Alu (2009-2011), Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar (2012-2014) and the presiding deity, Justice Mahmud Mohammed (2014 till date).
Dan Amor, a journalist and public policy analyst, wrote from Abuja

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/07/politics-succession-supreme-court/

The speaker of Zamfara State House of Assembly, Alhaji Sanusi Garba Rikiji, his deputy, Muhammad Abubakar Gumi, the majority leader, Isah Abdulmumini and the chief whip, Abdullahi Dansadau have been arrested by operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) and detained in Abuja over their alleged plan to impeach Governor Abdulaziz Yari.
Our correspondent reliably gathered that the remaining 20 members of the Assembly have fled to Kaduna, where they issued a statement, last night, calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in what they described as abuse of office by Governor Yari.






Though the legislators were short of saying they would impeach the governor, they accused him of misappropriating financial allocation to the state, and failing to implement the budget in the last five years.
The statement, which was signed by the House Committee Chairman on Information, Mannir Aliyu Gidan Jaja, also accused the governor of “corrupt usage of local government funds for state purposes.”
Other charges against the governors by the legislators include “Inadequate explanation of N1 billion commercial agriculture (CBN) loan, non-remittance of pension funds to pension administrators, non-remittance of 5 percent emirate councils funds, the gross misappropriation of bailout funds to the state by the federal government to settle workers’ salaries, including N10b for 2014 and N1.46b in 2016.”
The assembly members also accused Governor Yari of crippling governance in the state through his constant travelling abroad and his refusal to address the issues raised by them.
“Rather he resorted to political intimidation, arrest and detention of principal officers of the House and other supporting staff.”
The statement, therefore, called on President Buhari to give directive for unconditional release of the affected officers.
Meanwhile, the Zamfara State Police Commissioner, Mr Istifanus Shattima, has said that he has deployed additional operatives to stop miscreants from disrupting normal activities at the House of Assembly.
Shattima told Daily Trust that deployment of troops to the Assembly was in response to the action of a mob which attacked the private residence of the speaker.
The attack at the speaker’s residence followed a rumour circulating in the state and the social media, to the effect that members of the House of Assembly were planning to impeach governor Yari.
When contacted to comment on the development, the state commissioner of information, Umar Jibo Bukuyum, did not pick his call or respond to a text message.
Read more at http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/politics/dss-arrests-zamfara-speaker-dep-others-over-plot-to-impeach-gov-yari/156079.html#9KRT50Ze8Pbafyvt.99

The speaker of Zamfara State House of Assembly, Alhaji Sanusi Garba Rikiji, his deputy, Muhammad Abubakar Gumi, the majority leader, Isah Abdulmumini and the chief whip, Abdullahi Dansadau have been arrested by operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) and detained in Abuja over their alleged plan to impeach Governor Abdulaziz Yari.
Our correspondent reliably gathered that the remaining 20 members of the Assembly have fled to Kaduna, where they issued a statement, last night, calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in what they described as abuse of office by Governor Yari.






Though the legislators were short of saying they would impeach the governor, they accused him of misappropriating financial allocation to the state, and failing to implement the budget in the last five years.
The statement, which was signed by the House Committee Chairman on Information, Mannir Aliyu Gidan Jaja, also accused the governor of “corrupt usage of local government funds for state purposes.”
Other charges against the governors by the legislators include “Inadequate explanation of N1 billion commercial agriculture (CBN) loan, non-remittance of pension funds to pension administrators, non-remittance of 5 percent emirate councils funds, the gross misappropriation of bailout funds to the state by the federal government to settle workers’ salaries, including N10b for 2014 and N1.46b in 2016.”
The assembly members also accused Governor Yari of crippling governance in the state through his constant travelling abroad and his refusal to address the issues raised by them.
“Rather he resorted to political intimidation, arrest and detention of principal officers of the House and other supporting staff.”
The statement, therefore, called on President Buhari to give directive for unconditional release of the affected officers.
Meanwhile, the Zamfara State Police Commissioner, Mr Istifanus Shattima, has said that he has deployed additional operatives to stop miscreants from disrupting normal activities at the House of Assembly.
Shattima told Daily Trust that deployment of troops to the Assembly was in response to the action of a mob which attacked the private residence of the speaker.
The attack at the speaker’s residence followed a rumour circulating in the state and the social media, to the effect that members of the House of Assembly were planning to impeach governor Yari.
When contacted to comment on the development, the state commissioner of information, Umar Jibo Bukuyum, did not pick his call or respond to a text message.
Read more at http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/politics/dss-arrests-zamfara-speaker-dep-others-over-plot-to-impeach-gov-yari/156079.html#9KRT50Ze8Pbafyvt.99

Nigeria must not be reduced to a Police state or military rule under whatever guise. People are being slaughtered and beheaded, raped and plundered at home, on the highways and in their communities yet security agencies are dissipating energy? Security votes and resources should be refocused on the marauding murderers killing hapless Nigerians with reckless impunity and unrestrained audacity. Government at all levels should prioritise the security and welfare of the citizenry. This is the minimum benchmark for assessing the performance of any government. Anything else in the absence of this is playing to the gallery.

Nigeria must not be reduced to a Police state or military rule under whatever guise. People are being slaughtered and beheaded, raped and plundered at home, on the highways and in their communities yet security agencies are dissipating energy? Security votes and resources should be refocused on the marauding murderers killing hapless Nigerians with reckless impunity and unrestrained audacity. Government at all levels should prioritise the security and welfare of the citizenry. This is the minimum benchmark for assessing the performance of any government. Anything else in the absence of this is playing to the gallery.

This issue deserves the urgent focus of the Federal Government and its security agencies.

These mindless killings and wanton lawlessness by religious radicals/marauding murderers must not only be condemned but dealt with decisively by the Federal Government of Nigeria that controls the security agencies. Just. Some progress has been made in tackling Boko Haram but we need decisive action on spiraling inflation, kidnapping which has become a nationwide phenomenon, religious radicalism and intolerance which is an unnoticed monster in parts of the country, rising rape, renewed militancy, anger and hunger, despair and depression, politics of prebendalism and crass opportunism, armed robbery, unemployment, genocidal killings by marauding murderers, cult related violence, collapsing value of the Naira, unpaid workers salary, massive staff lay offs and political inertia. The trend of hate preachings and killings, ethno-religious tension/threats and perception of religious conquest must be combated robustly and roundly.

These mindless killings and wanton lawlessness must not only be condemned but dealt with decisively by the Federal Government of Nigeria that controls the security agencies. Just this year, the District Head of Monguna in this same Bokkos LGA was murdered in controversial circumstances along with his driver. Some progress has been made in tackling Boko Haram but we need decisive action on spiraling inflation, kidnapping which has become a nationwide phenomenon, religious radicalism and intolerance which is an unnoticed monster in parts of the country, rising rape, renewed militancy, anger and hunger, despair and depression, politics of prebendalism and crass opportunism, armed robbery, unemployment, genocidal killings by marauding murderers, cult related violence, collapsing value of the Naira, unpaid workers salary, massive staff lay offs and political inertia.

The Federal Government has not been remitting the pension contributions of most of its workers into their Retirement Savings Accounts under the Contributory Pension Scheme since October last year.

This revelation was contained in the 2016 annual report of the Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria, which was obtained exclusively by our correspondent on Wednesday.

PenOp stated in the report, “Compliance with regard to remittances of pension contributions from the public sector at both the federal and state levels have lagged notably. While remittances from the Federal Government through the National Pension Commission were last received for September 2015, some states have outstanding remittances dating back over two years.”




The association, however, said private sector remittances had been more consistent though impacted by the current adverse economic environment in the country.

Most of the federal workers affected are direct employees of ministries, who are not under the parastals but are being paid by PenCom with the funds released from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

It was also gathered that the Federal Government had also failed to increase its contribution into the RSAs of workers in the parastals by crediting their accounts with 15 per cent of their total monthly emolument two years after the Pension Reform Act, 2014 increased the contribution to 18 per cent (10 per cent for employers and eight per cent for the workers instead of the 7.5 per cent that each was contributing before 2014).

The implication of the non-remittance of the pension contributions to the workers’ RSAs is that upon retirement, most of the workers will be unable to process their pensions until all arrears are paid together with their accrued rights under the Defined Benefits Scheme.

However, the Pension Fund Administrators may agree to pay the retirees if their unpaid arrears are negligible by then.

Amidst the dire economic challenges in the country, PenOp said the aggregate pension assets under the CPS grew by 15 per cent from N4.61tn as of the end of December 2014 to N5.3tn in 2015.

The association said the call to invest a greater portion of the pension funds in infrastructure required clear, calm, incisive and strategic thinking to achieve any notable success.

“With N5.3tn grown over an 11-year period, careless deployment could wipe these gains out in an instant,” PenOp said.

If looked at as a constituent part of national economic strategy, PenOp said the focus would switch to how it could support the industry to grow beyond N20tn.
http://punchng.com/fg-stops-remittance-workers-pension-deductions/

Ha ha. Everybody calm down. Tony Attah is a jolly good fellow from Kogi State in North Central Nigeria. He was nominated by Shell and Shell always produces the MD of NLNG while other JV partners produce other positions. Just relax and all shall be well!

Ha ha. Everybody calm down. Tony Attah is a jolly good fellow from Kogi State in North Central Nigeria.

The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) saw it coming. Last June 3, it raised the alarm over the malpractices in the liquefied petroleum subsector, warning that if nothing was done, price rise was imminent.

Shortly after, the price of cooking gas rose sharply from N2.3 million to N4.3 million for 20 tonnes. The cost of filling a 12.5-kilogramme cylinder went up from N3,000 to N4,000.

Investigation by The Nation revealed that off-takers appointed by the Nigeria LNG hijacked the LPG business as they control the shipping and the terminals from which the product is supplied to various sales points in the country.

After a screening, the NLNG appointed six firms to lift the product to terminals and depots in Lagos for distribution to consumers. The off-takers, which are Le Global, Harig, Linetrade, Chimons, Greenfield, and Hyson, an arm of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), lift 150,000 metric tonnes yearly. However, it was alleged that the off-takers were conniving with terminal owners to hike the price.



According to sources, this happened because the NLNG and other regulatory bodies failed in their supervisory roles.

The Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers (LPGAR) National Chairman, Mr. Michael Umudu, confirmed that the LPG business has been hijacked by a cabal. But he did not mention names.

He said: “I am not here to mention names, but we all know that NLNG appointed a selected number of firms to receive and market the product. They should explain to us the factors that brought us to this precarious situation. They (off-takers) should explain to LPG stakeholders, the government and the consumers what happened. We worked together to persuade the government to intervene when the sector was almost dead in 2007. They were appointed to receive and redistribute with the intention of making the product available to other marketers because it is not possible for every marketer to receive directly. Now see what is happening. Our common patrimony has been hijacked by some people who are playing the ostrich.

“I know what we suffered in the past to rescue this industry and now a few privileged ones are taking advantage of the sector. This has not happened in the industry before. We have never witnessed supply shortage without any known cause. The last major scarcity we had was in 2013 when NLNG had a dispute with NIMASA and the distribution was halted as part of sanctions placed on NLNG by NIMASA. The crisis lasted for weeks, but LPG price was not up to what it is today. There were marginal rise in price in the past, which were caused by rise in price of crude oil.

“We were able to easily adjust because the effect was minimal. But now no genuine reason has been given, and the price kept going up. We suspect stage-managed supply shortages to be cause. The situation is such that the LPG industry has been pocketed by a few. Some of them did not even participate in the process that led to the relative growth being witnessed in the sector in recent years.”

According to him, the alleged cabal does not think about the growth and future of the LPG sub-sector, because “all they think is self, self and only self”.

“The cabal protects its members interest only. They are organised and cohesive in their dealings,” he added.

The alleged hijack of the LPG business, it was learnt, started when a private depot was the only depot selling LPG. “The depot kept increasing the price and everyone was complaining, including some off-takers, mainly Nigerians. The depot was accused of being owned by foreigners, whose interest was not the progress of Nigeria, but to exploit Nigerians. Eventually, another consignment arrived three weeks after in which many indigenous off-takers had allocation. We expected them to sell at normal price or at least bearable price as a show of patriotism, but instead the price continued to go up higher,” a source said.

According to the source, members of the cabal are so powerful that they presented one-sided data to the NLNG. “They are highly connected. They present themselves as if they represent the common interests of the sector. So, what is happening is that the NLNG is made to believe that there is normalcy in the sector whereas the reverse is the case. It is just unfortunate,” he added.

On what the members of ALPGAM, NALPGAM and LPGAR are doing to address the problem, Umudu told The Nation that the only organisation that is independent of this cartel is the one he heads and that is LPGAR branch of NUPENG.

“They are so powerful and parade a lot of cash. Of course, you know what money can do in Nigeria. They do everything to suppress and impoverish gas retailers and their umbrella body – LPGAR. But we don’t mind. We will continue to provide checks and balances in the sector. “We are planning a number of events to tell the whole world what is happening.

“Apart from publicity, we are planning to petition relevant authorities and if that does not suffice, we move to the next stage which is protest. Our lawyers are already instructed to secure for us necessary police clearance. We are planning to stage some protests to bring this to the notice of some arms of government.

“We are peace loving people but should not submit to this kind of exploitation. Though the president of Nigeria LP Gas Association, Mr. Dayo Adeshina, told me he is planning a meeting of the stakeholders to address the problem. We are waiting and hope it happens soon.’’

Umudu said LPG retailers planned to meet with agencies, such as the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and Products and Pipeline Marketing Company (PPMC), on the issue. “Meeting the regulatory bodies is part of activities we have planned for next week and beyond. This battle may take longer than one may ordinarily imagine because the powers of the people and organisations involved. I don’t take them for granted at all. They approximate themselves to the whole sector.

“They often advance the argument that it is a free market. But they don’t realise that even in the Western world where liberalisation originated, you dare not manipulate the system for personal gains,” he said, adding that the monopoly must be broken and the NLNG should get more involved in the process beyond making the product available. They should monitor what happens at the transportation level.
http://thenationonlineng.net/cabal-hijacked-cooking-gas-business/

My people, one consistent message of the Lord Jesus Christ was "repent and believe the gospel". The Apostles carried on the same message. Any church or ministry should as a minimum, check how frequent and fervent it preaches repentance from sin and practical Christian living. I mean radical separation from sin, immorality, stealing from government/companies, adultery, corruption, bribery, fornication, lying, worldliness, materialism, indecency and immodest dressing, homosexuality, lesbianism, examination malpractices etc.

Suspected Fulani militia killed five persons including a school principal, Mr. Sam Wayo, in the ancestral home of the immediate past governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, on Tuesday.

Wayo’s brother, Mr. Msugh Lim, was also among the people killed. The victims were killed around 5.30pm.

According to our reliable source, the school principal and his brother were slaughtered by the Fulani militia in the vicinity of Akombo village, close to Anyim, the home town of the former governor.




The other three victims were also captured in the area.

Meanwhile, the state Deputy Governor, Benson Abounu, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to deploy soldiers to the flash-points in the state to curb the incessant attacks and killings in the state by the herdsmen.

According to sources, the suspected Fulani herdsmen were said to have hidden themselves in a church building at Akombo village, near Anyim, home town of ex-governor Suswam.

The source said , ‘’The invaders hid in the Church premises at NKST Tyogbihi (Tiza) after the night’s operation at Akombo village, near Anyiin, where they killed the principal, his brother and three other people. They also wounded many others.

“They died on the spot within the Church premises where they were shot by the Fulanis herdsmen. Late Sam Wayo is due to retire from the service very soon.”

In the incident on Monday, the source hinted that sporadic shooting by Fulani militants were first heard about 910pm on Monday.

The source added that residents of Agbenge, Kwagh Agule, Tyoban, Tse Yough and Gemana villages were throughout the night running for safety in the bush.

‘”The invaders crossed at the abandoned Mobile Police barracks to launch this attack. This area is one of the settlements harbouring many internally displaced persons from the neighbouring communities of Turan, Tombo, Ukemberagya and Tswarev council wards in Gaambe-Tiev Logo LGA,” he said.

The source added that so far, scores have been missing while many were wounded.

“This attack is a sustained assault on the Logo people by the Fulani herdsmen,” another source said.

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Moses Yamu, said two persons were killed in the early attack on Tuesday in Logo.

Meanwhile, Abounu, who spoke to newsmen after the State Executive Council meeting on Tuesday said, “What we are passing through now is an emergency situation, which if not urgently nipped in the bud, may become a full blown war.”

The deputy governor regretted the despite constant attacks in the state. “The Federal Government has not taken definite step on the matter,” he said.

He therefore called on the government at the national level to urgently arrest the situation before it assumes a frightening dimension.
http://punchng.com/fulani-militia-kill-school-principal-four-others-benue/

Hope the much-advertised clean up has commenced earnestly and robustly?

The Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) spokesman Francis Enobore announced that the Controller-General of the NPS, Ja’afaru Ahmed, “approved the retirement of a Deputy Controller-General and Assistant Controller-General” following an “emergency meeting” allegedly held on June 27th, 2016.

This announcement comes only days after SaharaReporters exclusively obtained documents showing that Mr. Ahmed falsified his age in order to continue being employed in the NPS. This is the latest in a series of scandals to rock the NPS including the escape of some prisoners from Abuja and the illegal hiring of 538 personnel. A SaharaReporters investigation into the illegally recruited members of the NPS found that around 68% of them were from 14 northern States.

SaharaReporters also found, through documents obtained from sources in the NPS, that in 2011 and 2012 Mr. Ahmed had his date of birth listed in official documents as July 21, 1957. However, in 2015, documents began to show that he was born two years later—on July 21, 1959—thus prolonging the length of his employment.

During this “emergency meeting,” which was not elaborated on in Mr. Enobore’s press statement, Aminu Suley, and Ali Bala Salami were retired by Mr. Ahmed. According to the same documents used to show how Mr. Ahmed falsified his age, Mr. Suley’s birthday is listed as September 1, 1958, with an appointment to the NPS on November 29, 1982. Mr. Salami, according to these same documents, was born on August 25, 1959, and appointed to the NPS on August 22, 1984.

This means that both Mr. Suley and Mr. Salami are younger than Mr. Ahmed, had his birthday not suddenly changed as he neared retirement. Mr. Suley would be two years, one month, and 4 days younger than Mr. Ahmed. Mr. Salami would be one year, two months, and twenty days younger than Mr. Ahmed.

Mr. Enobore’s statement also said that “the decision was taken due to the officers’ seniority in service to the new Controller-General of Prisons and in consonance with military and paramilitary convention.”

The latest revelation shows that if Ahmed had not falsified his age, he was younger than the two officials he fired yesterday. Mr. Enobore was not available to take SaharaReporters’ call by the time of publication.
http://saharareporters.com/2016/07/12/two-senior-prisons-officials-sacked-due-age-are-younger-prisons-boss-ahmed-who-falsified

“But let me use this medium to warn all randy members of ASUU that a day of reckoning will come. There will ‘arise’ a government (official) with a set mind to purge our campuses of all debased dons who have turned them into sex-for-marks institutions and victimize students for refusing to satisfy their lascivious thoughts. Apart from being dismissed with ignominy, they will be tried and sent to various jail terms.”




The above extract is from my three-part discourse titled, “ASUU: Time for Self-examination”, published in the Daily Independent between June and July, 2009.

Apart from the Constitution Amendment Bill, the yearly Appropriation Bill and Petroleum Industry Bill, I do not immediately recall any other bill that is fundamental to the future of this country as the Sexual Harassment Bill, sponsored by Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege and 46 others.

The Bill prohibits any form of sexual relationship between lecturers and their students and prescribes jail term of up to five years but not less than two years with no option of fine for lecturers who engage in sexual relationship with students.

According to Senator Omo-Agege, the Bill, among others, “makes it a criminal offence for any educator in a university, polytechnic or any other tertiary educational institution to violate or exploit the student-lecturer fiduciary relationship for sexual pleasures; vice chancellors of universities, rectors of polytechnics and other chief executives of institutions of higher learning will go to jail for two years if they fail to act within a week on complaints of sexual harassment made by students; the Bill expressly allows sexually harassed students, their parents or guardians to seek civil remedies in damages against sexual predator lecturers before or after their successful criminal prosecution by the State.”

A respected colleague of mine in 2014 went to the University of Lagos to visit a friend. As he walked along the corridor, a young female student emerged from a lecturer’s office and he overheard her complaining (in Yoruba) to her female colleagues waiting by the door of the don: “This lecturer is fond of pressing /handling one’s breasts!” It is that bad. Nigerians should therefore not be stunned by the ‘confrontation’ between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and National Female Students Association of Nigeria during the Senate Public Hearing on Monday, June 20, 2016 and the dire picture in the submission of the female union.

The National President of the female student association, Comrade Idongesit Micah, said: “Let me be very clear on our position on this bill. This is a bill that must be passed into law. It is either we enact this law to send sexual predator lecturers to prison for correction according to law under the fine democratic tenets of the rule of law or we provoke helpless parents, husbands, or guardians to, some day, pick a loaded gun and deal with this problem in a barbaric manner. Therefore, we passionately urge the Senate to ensure that it does not by inaction impose the Hobbesian state of nature of a banana republic on victims of sexual harassment in our tertiary institutions and their relatives by provoking them to fight for themselves by all means possible, including outside the law!”

No warning could be more foreboding; a stitch in time saves nine!

In every chance discussion since the current Bill became public knowledge, almost everyone has one sorry story to tell, either about themselves, their friends, family members or acquaintances across the nation’s campuses. We are here not talking about some bad eggs, the usual escapist argument. All the eggs are bad except a few! And it is our responsibility to encourage those few dons that are nurturing a great future for Nigeria. This Bill, in a way, should boost the morale of such conscientious teachers.

Although things degenerate everyday, the situation in our higher institutions of learning today is not substantially different from what it was in 2009:

Lecturers in Nigeria have turned our campuses into individual fiefdoms where they reign and rule; they have become gods that must be appeased by our youths. Lecturers enjoy near absolute freedom which you don’t find in other workplaces.

I have a friend at the University of Ibadan. She’s chaste, hardworking and cerebrally endowed. She’s been on her Master’s programme for over three years now. The supervisor is always on the road or in the air and always too busy.

“What does the professor supervisor want? Money, gift or what?” I asked.

“Friendship!”

“But she knows you’re married?”

“Marriage! If you’re a spinster, they say that’s good, if you’re married, they say that’s better, and if you’re pregnant, then you are in the best condition!”

“So the situation has sunk such deep?”

“Some of them even tell female students to meet them in hotels, which the students must pay for… but it happens on all campuses.”

“But why don’t you report or get another supervisor?”

“You can’t be sure my brother, these people have a clique… And if you report, who are the people to sit in judgement? Their colleagues! So, I’m not bothered again because my hands are engaged anyway…”

I have heard ASUU members argue, again and again, that no good student can be successfully victimized. It’s the most infantile argument I’ve ever heard (in the same mould as the current argument by ASUU that the Sexual Harassment Bill violates university autonomy – as if the police require any sanction of a varsity to investigate a crime or arrest a criminal within that university system!); in fact, scandalous because this is coming from university dons. Students are not equally endowed. There are A students as well as B, C and Ds. While it may, theoretically, be difficult to successfully victimize an A or B candidate, it is pretty easier to victimize a C or D student. Are the average students therefore not at the mercy of prurient lecturers? And what percentage of our varsity’s students are in A or B category? Certainly, a tiny percentage. But the reality on our campuses is that no student is immune from victimisation. We’ve had cases where sadistic lecturers removed some pages of answer booklets and later blamed the candidates for the offence. Even an A student may be weak in a particular course and hence could only get a D. Can such a student not be victimized easily in the said course? The dissolute teachers have however become wiser; they fail you through their proxies so you may not lay any blame at their doorsteps. The conditions on campuses are clearly weighed against the (female) students.

The argument by ASUU that the Bill is discriminatory because sexual harassment is not peculiar to tertiary institutions is equally not sustainable. In those other instances or places where you have this crime committed, they are generally among adults and fiduciary relationship is virtually non-existent. But on our campuses, our children are ranged against maurading fathers who hold the power to determine who or who does not graduate and when. The government puts these students in your care and pays you to teach them to become great asset to the country but you abuse them and turn them into liabilities to the society.

Of course, I am very much aware of provocative dressing by some students. But if students lose their common sense, must their lecturers also lose their sense of value? Indecent dressing or not, once these randy dons set their eyes on certain students, they take ‘No’ for an answer and if you dare them, they or their licentious colleagues fire you with Ds, Es and Fs. That is the cult system higher education has been reduced to in the country. Having hit a stone wall, the students succumb and go in with their fathers’ mates in order to graduate at the right time.

I recall the authorities of the University of Lagos approved a dress code for their students over a decade ago… I was once told of a disciplinarian lecturer at UI who would not condone indecent dressing. Students (male and female) dressed well for his classes. Such a code could be revived in all tertiary institutions of learning because we are concerned with “learning” and “character”. Students must dress responsibly. They should conduct themselves as the pride of the nation, the reason for our hope in the future.

I have no doubt the Bill will be passed by the National Assembly and President Muhammadu Buhari, the change agent, will sign it into law.

–Soyombo, a public affairs commentator, sent this piece via densityshow@yahoo.com
http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2016/06/25/as-randy-lecturers-go-to-jail/

SSA with the greatest respect, it is the duty of your good office to gauge public opinion and manage the information for the Presidency. Please be aware in case you are not, that the SSS and other security agencies ought to have given the President a very accurate account of whatever transpired by now. If they haven't, then by now someone should have been fired. In any case, I see your statement as reactive and belated. Breadwinners and innocent citizens are being mowed down by marauding murderers and it is not just about this recent incident. Let government be more proactive and pragmatic please.

People can sit in the comfort of their homes or air conditioned offices or somewhere in the diaspora, detached from realities, blinded by blatant politics or religious fanaticism to make uninformed/naive posts but at the end, justice will be served someday for the mindless killings, wanton lawlessness and gruesome genocide.

In a bid to inject a fresh pair of hands to run the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, has submitted Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman’s name to President Muhammadu Buhari to take over as the new managing director of NPA, THISDAY has learnt.




Should Buhari approve the recommendation, Ms. Bala Usman, 40, will become the first female chief executive of a top tier federal government agency and of the NPA.

She shall take over from Alhaji Habib Abdullahi, who was reinstated by Buhari in August 2015 as the managing director of NPA, after he had been shown the exit by former President Goodluck Jonathan in April 2015.

Sources in the presidency, who confirmed that Ms. Bala Usman’s name had been sent to the president, said Amaechi had decided to make the changes in order to overhaul the NPA.

Amaechi, it was gathered, is not particularly impressed with the way the NPA was being run and has decided to effect a change of the executive team as soon as possible.

A presidency source said that the minute Ms. Bala Usman’s name was submitted to the president, Buhari was happy to consider the recommendation, given the past relationship he had with her father, the late Prof. Yusufu Bala Usman, who was a renowned Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) academic, historian and activist before his death some years ago.

Amaechi was also believed to have recommended Ms. Bala Usman, on the grounds that two chief executives of the foremost parastatals under his ministry – Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) – are from the south, and he would rather have an equitable distribution of appointments into the agencies under his ministry.

Ms. Bala Usman, who is currently the chief of staff to the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, and a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was born in Zaria, Kaduna State, on January 2, 1976.

She grew up close to the ABU campus where her father worked and obtained her Bachelor’s degree in 2000 from the same university and her Master’s degree from the University of Leeds in 2009.

She worked for a non-governmental organisation, the Centre for Democratic Development and Research Training (CEDDERT) in Zaria, as a research assistant for a year starting in 1999.

She also worked for the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) when el-Rufai was the director-general of the privatisation agency and moved with him to work as his Special Assistant on Project Implementation.

In 2011, she worked as Director of Strategy for the Good Governance Group (3G). In 2015, she was appointed Chief of Staff to the Kaduna State governor.

She shot to national prominence in 2014 when Boko Haram insurgents kidnapped 276 girls from their secondary school in Chibok, Borno State.

Following in her father’s footsteps, Ms. Bala Usman, in conjunction with the former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, co-founded the #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG), which brought global attention to the plight of the kidnapped schoolgirls.

She is married to Dr. Tanimu Yakubu, former Chief Economic Adviser to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and they have two sons.
http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2016/07/12/buhari-considers-hadiza-bala-usman-as-head-of-npa/

A six-year-old boy has erroneously killed a housemaid with the gun of his father in Aba, Abia State.

Police detectives from the Ogbor Hill Police Division, Aba, have commenced investigations into the killing.

It was gathered that the underage child reportedly picked the father’s gun from his bedroom, thinking that it was a toy gun and not knowing that it was loaded.




A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “The child pointed the gun at the maid and playfully said, ‘I will kill you,’ and upon pulling the trigger, the gun went off and a bullet hit the housemaid.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Abia State Command, ASP Ogbonnaya Nta, confirmed the homicide case.

The case was said to have been transferred to the state Department of Criminal Investigation.
http://punchng.com/six-year-old-kills-housemaid-abia/

I hope desperate politicians and power mongers will not endanger our hard-earned democracy? Not that democracy has delivered expected developmental dividends though but at least there is hope of continuous learning and improvement. Pray for Nigeria!

I hope desperate politicians and power mongers will not endanger our hard-earned democracy? Not that democracy has delivered expected developmental dividends though but at least there is hope of continuous learning and improvement. Pray for Nigeria!

I hope desperate politicians and power mongers will not endanger our hard-earned democracy? Not that democracy has delivered expected developmental dividends though but at least there is hope of continuous learning and improvement. Pray for Nigeria!

I hope desperate politicians and power mongers will not endanger our hard-earned democracy? Not that democracy has delivered expected developmental dividends though but at least there is hope of continuous learning and improvement. Pray for Nigeria!

I hope desperate politicians and power mongers will not endanger our hard-earned democracy? Not that democracy has delivered expected developmental dividends though but at least there is hope of continuous learning and improvement. Pray for Nigeria!

I hope desperate politicians and power mongers will not endanger our hard-earned democracy? Not that democracy has delivered expected developmental dividends though but at least there is hope of continuous learning and improvement. Pray for Nigeria!

I hope desperate politicians and power mongers will not endanger our hard-earned democracy? Not that democracy has delivered expected developmental dividends though but at least there is hope of continuous learning and improvement. Pray for Nigeria!