The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Oshiomhole can’t stop Obaseki, says ex-aide

    Charles Idahosa, a former political aide to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has said Governor Godwin Obaseki will be re-elected in 2020 without Oshiomhole’s support.

    Idahosa, who spoke in an interview to mark his 66th birthday, was reacting to Oshiomhole’s statement that it would take a miracle for Obaseki to win the 2020 election even if he got the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket.

    He said Obaseki had won the people’s heart through infrastructural projects, as well as sanitising governance.

    He said: “We know they are busy working underground to stop Obaseki, but nobody can stop Obaseki from having his eight years. Obaseki’s record is so intimidating. The people are with Obaseki.

    Read Also: ‘Obaseki’ll win re-election without Oshiomhole’

    “Obaseki and Oshiomhole, as far as I am concerned, are one. Obaseki is a creation of Oshiomhole. Nobody can stop Obaseki from doing his two terms. We are behind him.”

    But a former commissioner and member-elect of the House of Assembly, Washington Osa Osifo, carpeted Idahosa’s assertions about Oshiomhole.

    He said: “I am not surprised that Idahosa has said what he said. That he has even judged Oshiomhole that way is a sign of his own failure because he was Oshiomhole’s adviser for eight years and as an adviser he was supposed to bring the best from his student, even these his assertions are not true.”

    Osifo said Idahosa had not done enough for his people despite his close relationship with government over the years.

  • Fayose’s govt left N57b unpaid workers’ salaries, pension arrears, says Fayemi

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi said on Tuesday that the workers in the state civil service were being owed  N57billion  as  arrears of unpaid salaries and emoluments.

    The governor said this at a meeting he had with the  civil servants as well as a cross-section of labour leaders at the Government House, Ado- Ekiti.

    He said that his administration was making  frantic efforts to defray the backlogs which he said would be done in phases.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Fayemi claimed the trend was caused by irregular payments of salaries and pensions by the immediate past administration of Mr. Ayodele Fayose.

    He said the arrears covered outstanding salaries, pensions, promotion arrears, leave bonuses and other emoluments from 2014 till October 2018 when he assumed office.

    The governor also said he was not part of the people that were opposed to local government autonomy.

    He said the local governments in the state were currently being given unfettered access to administer their own funds without interference from  his government.

    He said he would honour his earlier pledge to pay all the outstanding workers’ benefits.

    He clarified that some would be given immediate attention, while some would be defrayed by instalment.

    He said: “It is sad to reel out such a homongous figure, because it can create panic for you and I.

    Read Also: Fayemi urged to implement erosion control master plan to curb flooding

    “ But let me say that we cannot pay everything  in one fell swoop, but the 2019  promotion arrears will be given immediate attention while others will be defrayed by instalment.

    “ It becomes difficult to pay once  because Ekiti gets a little above N5billion monthly, with the state getting like N3billion, while the local governments receive little above N2billion  monthly “, he said.

    On the issue of local government autonomy, Fayemi said he was never opposed to the idea of giving financial independence to the third tier of government, being the closest to the grassroots.

    “I am not opposed to it. Since I came back as governor, not even one naira of the local government money was being administered by me.

    “I have allowed the councils to manage whatever comes to them.”

    Fayemi said that the state under him was considering alternative power supply option to shore up the one being supplied to the state from national grid.

    He said he was planning the alternative because the current supply  was grossly inadequate and crippling economic activities in the state.

    He  also said that he had earmarked some funds for the Ministry of Environment to undertake erosion and flood control projects in some towns.

    Fayemi said that this was because of the recent flooding that ravaged Ado-Ekiti and other towns, of which many civil servants were major victims.

    He also said that he would discuss  the acute shortage of manpower in the health sector with  the Health Management Board (HMB) when it was raised by the labour leaders.

    He said that he would  ascertain the actual statistics and how to fill the missing gaps in the health sector.

    The Chairman of the Public Service Joint Negotiating Council, Kayode Fatomiluyi,  had called the attention of the governor to the chronic shortage of manpower in the health sector.

    Fatomiluyi said:  “Over 1,000 nurses were at HMB in 2014 during your first term, Your Excellency Sir.

    “But today,  we have less than 500 to manage 22 health facilities across the state.

    “The governor must do something about this,” he said.

    Some of the other labour union leaders in the state that attended the meeting include: Kolapo Olatunde of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Sola Adigun of the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

    They also pleaded that issues that had to do with the benefits of workers must be given utmost priority.

    They urged the governor to use his connection as the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to fast track the implementation of the new minimum wage for workers.

  • Assembly hails governor on 100 days performance

    Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday at plenary hailed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his achievements in the area of infrastructural development during his 100 days in office.

    Majority Leader Sanai Agunbiade representing Ikorodu Constituency 02, raised the matter during plenary.

    He said Governor Sanwo-Olu had done well in tackling infrastructural and environmental challenges within 100 days and had solved the problem, though not completely, but better than what he met.

    “He has carried out palliative measures on the roads, he has also visited some projects, which would have been abandoned, not minding that these projects were not initiated by him, such as the Imota rice mill.

    “He did not rush to the Assembly for budget re-ordering or supplementary budget, which shows he knows what he is doing.

    Read Also: Thumbs up for Sanwo-Olu’s 100 days of quality service

    “The House needs to commend and encourage him for what he has done,” Agunbiade said.

    Hon. Rotimi Olowo praised the governor for setting up an inter-ministerial committee to ensure projects completion and avert abandonment.

    He commended the governor for his initiative in overhauling the state security trust fund, saying much needed to be done on streetlights.

    Speaker Mudashiru Obasa said it is not out of place for the parliament to recognise and praise somebody who started well.

    “We don’t base our judgment on artificial or physical structure being put in place, but the expenditure invested in projects. Governance is about listening to people and that is good governance.

    “This is an avenue to encourage the governor on his 100 days in office. We are watching and appreciating all he has done. We assure him of our support. We, however, urge him to do more as Lagosians are waiting on him,” he added.

    Obasa directed the Clerk, Mr. Azeez Sanni, to communicate the governor on the commendation from the legislature.

  • Sanwo-Olu’s wife launches free surgeries for 150 residents

    Lagos State governor’s wife Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday launched a free surgical intervention programme for residents as part of activities to commemorate the 100 days in office of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration.

    The free health mission, which is being organised by the government, in partnership with a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Benjamin Olowojebutu Foundation, features free surgeries for residents suffering from lipoma, hernia, fibroid and breast lumps, as well as free dental and general health screening.

    Speaking at the ceremony held at the General Hospital, Ijede, Ikorodu, Mrs. Sanwo-Olu said the development further signposts the commitment of the present administration towards revamping, rejuvenating and repositioning the health sector for quality service delivery to the people.

    She said the development was instructive, considering that a considerable level of commitment to revamp the health sector had been demonstrated since May 29.

    “The second pillar of the developmental agenda for a greater Lagos promised by this administration, as espoused in T.H.E.M.E.S., speaks of provision of affordable, qualitative and accessible health care, as well as implementation of initiatives to rev up health care delivery and ensure healthy, livable and sustainable environment.

    Read Also: Restructuring will help states tackle climate change, say Anyaoku, Sanwo-Olu

    “In furtherance of this, the 110-bed Maternal and Child Centre (MCC) in Eti-Osa was completed and inaugurated; while work is nearing completion on two others in Badagry and Epe, with more to follow.

    “Also, the government launched Free Medical Mission for 21,000 children and adults in partnership with the Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu/Kadri Obafemi Hamzat (BOSKOH) Lagos Health Care Mission International, as part of efforts t play up the health of residents, especially children.

    “Through this, over 21, 000 people were screened at seven centres for six days, while 1417 free surgeries were conducted for residents. These include paediatric eye surgery, adult eye surgery, paediatric surgery, dental surgery, orthopaedic surgery and ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) surgery,” Dr. Sanwo-Olu said.

    She said in view of available statistics, which revealed that about 50 per cent of the female population aged 15 to 44 lived with fibroids; any medical intervention to address it and other diseases was most commendable.

    The governor’s wife hailed the Benjamin Olowojebutu Foundation (BOF) for coming up with the initiative to partner the government, urging other organisations to emulate such laudable gesture to improve the health indices of the state.

    “As a government, our goal is to ensure Universal Health Coverage as much as possible, and as well improve the quality of health care delivery to our people. With God on our side, the present administration shall not fail the people,” she said.

    Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health Dr. Titilayo Goncalves said the free surgery was in furtherance of the premium placed on health care by the government, especially in reaching out to people at the grassroots, including the elderly, the very young and people living with disabilities.

    “Our objective for Lagos, one of the largest mega cities in the world, is to institutionalise accessible, efficient and qualitative health care that is affordable to  our residents irrespective of class or status, and we are here again today to demonstrate our commitment to these values,” she said.

    The Executive Director of the foundation, Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu, said since the initiative began, 1405 residents have been screened, adding that of the 150 planned surgeries, 51 life transforming surgeries have been performed, including five for fibroids, 33 for lipomas and 13 breast lumps.

    One of the beneficiaries, Mr. Lola Lukman, said he was grateful to the government and the NGO for the initiative, noting that no money was collected from him for the lipoma surgery performed on him.

  • 26 years old, others tip as commissioners in Kwara

    Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has sent the names of four women to the House of Assembly as commissioner-nominees.

    They include 26-year-old Joana Nnazua Kolo from Edu Local Government.

    AbdulRazaq has also nominated a former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of FBN Mortgages Ltd, a subsidiary of First Bank PLC, Mrs. Folashade Omoniyi, as the new chairperson of Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KW-IRS).

    She will succeed Prof. Murtala Awodun, whose tenure expires at the end of this month.

    Read Also: Kwara, Saraki trade blames over distribution of school materials

    Mrs. Omoniyi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the University of Ilorin and Masters of Business Administration from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.

    She has years of leadership experience in the banking sector, marketing, information communication technology and business management.

    Mrs. Omoniyi has executive education in positive leadership from Michigan Ross Executive Education (USA); Market Driving Strategies from London Business School (UK); Strategic Uses of Information Technology from Stanford Business School (USA) and Senior Management Programme (SMP18) from the Lagos Business School (Nigeria).

    She is from Irepodun Local Government.

    Miss Kolo, the youngest commissioner-nominee in the state’s history, is a 2018 graduate of Library Science from Kwara State University (KWASU). A grassroots mobiliser, Kolo is an ardent advocate of community development.

  • Industrial crisis looms over minimum wage

    Implementing the new minimum wage with adequate consequential adjustments remains the only way to avoid industrial crisis, the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), said on Tuesday.

    It urged Nigerians to appeal on the Federal Government to act fast to avoid the looming unrest.

    The organised labour, under the auspices of the Trade Union Side (TUS) of the council, made the call yesterday, following the failure of its negotiating team to reach an agreement with the government over non-implementation.

    TUS Acting Chairman Anchaver Simon and Secretary Alade Lawal said in a statement that efforts by the unions to persuade the government to implement the new minimum wage with appropriate consequential adjustment had proved abortive.

    They said that the TUS had given the government enough time to come to term with the workers’ demand to avoid calling out its members for strike.

    Read Also: VAT: What you need to know about ‘proposed increase’ from 5% – 7.5%

    The officials said the union would give no further notice to the government before public servants in the state commence strike over the non-implementation of the new minimum wage and appropriate consequential adjustment.

    They said: “It has become imperative to alert the general public that all efforts by the Trade Unions to persuade the government to implement the new N30,000 monthly National Minimum Wage signed into Law by President Muhammadu Buhari on April 18, 2019 with appropriate consequential adjustment, had been frustrated by government.”

    They said that the Consequential Adjustment Committee had on September 3 agreed that the proposal of the TUS be forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari to see labour’s patriotic position and approve appropriate consequential adjustment accordingly.

    The unionists said: “When the meeting reconvened on September 16, 2019 to get a feedback on the expected approval from the President, government officials brought a fresh proposal of 11 per cent pay rise for officers on Grade Levels 07 to 14, instead of the earlier position of 10 per cent and 6.5 per cent for those on grade levels 15 to 17 instead of the former 5.5 per cent.

    “As we write, Nigeria is rated the poorest country in the whole world and yet, government is refusing to implement a minimum wage for Nigerian workers to lift millions of citizens out of poverty.”

    The TUS stated that the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had been briefed on the breakdown of negotiation in respect of consequential adjustment arising from the new N30,000 monthly National Minimum Wage.

    The new minimum wage bill was signed into law by the President on April 18.

    But deliberations continued as the issue of relativity/consequential adjustment of salaries still persisted.

  • Army begins Court Martial of Former GOC over missing N400m

    Former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Division, Sokoto, Maj.-Gen. Hakeem Otiki is being tried over alleged disappearance of N400 million.

    The Court Martial inaugurated by the Army on Tuesday to trial him, commenced sitting at the Army Headquarters Officers Mess, Asokoro, Abuja.

    It was presided over by Lt. Gen. Lamidi Adeosun,  the Chief of Policy and Plans, Army Headquarters.

    Gen. Otiki was brought into the Court in a white Military Ambulance. He was on a Wheel Chair.

    The former GOC and some soldiers involved in the matter had been interrogated by the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI), the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) and the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police.

    The names of the soldiers who allegedly ran away with the said cash while on escort duty are: Corporal Gabriel Oluwaniyi, Corporal Mohammed Aminu, Corporal Haruna, Olusoji Joshua and Hayatudeen.

    Read Also: GOC charges army officers to always exhibit high professional competence

    The soldiers who were said to be on Escort Duty with a Very Important Person (VIP) allegedly absconded with the cash while travelling from Sokoto to Kaduna.

    However, there was a mild drama inside the Hall where the Court Martial was holding as the lawyer representing Gen. Otiki raised objection on the leadership/Chairman of the Court, saying his client would not get justice, if Lt. Gen Adeosun sits as the chairman.

    Raising the objection on behalf of Gen. Otiki, his counsel Okechukwu Adinu, said Lt. Gen. Adeosun should recuse himself because “we have strong feelings that he (Gen. Otiki) may not get good trial, and fair trial under your leadership in this court here”.

    Adinu explained that Gen. Otiki would not get fair trial because some of the soldiers involved in the matter were security escorts he inherited from Lt. Gen. Adeosun when he (Otiki) took over as Core Commander of the Army Infantry Corps.

    Adinu also told the Court that Gen. Otiki entered the Nigerian Defence Academy ahead of Lt. Gen Adeosun and at a particular time, he, Gen. Otiki, drilled Gen. Adeosun in the military tradition when he Adeosun committed an infraction. He alleged that Adeosun was yet bearing the grudge against Gen. Otiki.

    Adinu explained that, from the relationship between the duo from the beginning, it was clear that there was animosity which Gen. Adeosun had been nursing against Gen. Otiki as Gen. Adeosun refused to acknowledge or reply the text message Gen Otiki sent to him recently when he was promoted to the rank of Lt. General.

    Giving reasons  Gen Adeosun should recuse himself from presiding over the court, Adinu said: “The reasons are as follows sir:  It is a known fact that Gen. Otiki got into Nigerian Defense Academy on 10th January 1983, while you got in on 4th july 1983. So, he got in there before you.

    “Sir and it’s a fact Sir, that Gen. Otiki here actually drilled you, he punished and drilled you, so. we have this feeling that the grudge then is still there, more so Sir, what is a known fact Sir that Gen. Otiki took over from you sir as the Core Commander Infantry last year and with due respect Sir, by the time we go to the proper trial certain issues will still come up.”

    “By the time the issues are put on the front burner before the court, it is certain that Lt. Gen. Adeosun would be mentioned or that reference would be made to him as some the issues had to do the functions of the offices he held previously.”

    Reporters were asked to leave the Hall where the Court Martial was taking place. However, as at the time of filing this report, details of the turn of events were yet unfolding.igeria’s economy is projected to grow by 2.4 per cent next year if the country’s economic development and recovery programmes are well implemented, the African Development Bank (AfDB) said on Tuesday.

    One of the  initiatives of the Federal Government, Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), is anchored on industrialisation and agriculture, the two key sectors which would enable the government to set up industrial clusters and build staple crop processing zones across the country.

    This  development would enable them to be competitive in the areas of skilled labour, technology and materials.

  • CBN’s charges on cash deposit in banks begin

    Bank customers making cash deposits or withdrawals will pay charges from today in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s new policy.

    The objective of the “transaction fees” is to give vent to the Central Bank’s policy designed to reduce cash in use.

    CBN Payments System Management Department Director Sam Okojere on Tuesday announced the take-off of the charges

    The transactions will attract three per cent processing fees for withdrawals and two per cent processing fees for lodgments above N500, 000 for individual accounts.

    Corporate accounts will attract five per cent processing fees for withdrawals and three per cent processing fee for lodgments above N3 million.

    Read Also: CBN to sanction banks for e-payment breach

    The charges will, however, only apply in Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Abia, Anambra, Rivers and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Okojere said the implementation of the cash-less policy nationwide would take effect from March 31, 2020.

    Also to further promote the cash-less economy and to enhance the collection of applicable government revenues, the CBN announced a review of the process for merchant settlement.

    The regulator has, effective today, approved for banks to unbundle merchant settlement amounts and charge applicable taxes and duties on individual transactions as stipulated by regulations.

    Okojere announced a downward review of the Merchant Service Charge (MSC) from 0.75 per cent capped at N1,200 to 0.50 per cent capped at N1,000.

    The cash-less policy provides safe and efficient mechanisms for making and receiving payments with minimum risks to the CBN, payment service providers and end-users.

    The cash-less payment is catching on to the extent that even the lowly members of the society now do transactions online.

    Without this policy, Nigeria cannot be integrated into the world’s financial system.

    Pushing for the full use of the online payment system, the apex bank said for Nigeria to actively play at the world stage, “our payment system must be successfully benchmarked against the global best practices, as in most developed nations of the world.”

  • Kwara, Saraki trade blames over distribution of school materials

    The Kwara State Government and former Senate President Bukola Saraki are attacking one another over the recent distribution of instructional materials to public schools in Kwara Central.

    The government argued that the materials were distributed directly to the schools from the Mandate Office of Senator Saraki as opposed to going through the Ministry of Education.

    The government said that personal identities of the former Senate President were emblazoned on them, stressing that it was not aware of the distribution of the instructional materials.

    But Saraki said the state government had misconceptions about the true picture of the processes involved in capturing “and implementation of projects of this nature.”

    Read Also: Saraki, supporters sing new song in Kwara

    In a statement, spokesperson for the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Yakub Aliagan, said: “The appropriate thing to do is to send those materials to the Ministry of Education, which has a statutory duty of vetting learning materials for quality control and then approve such for distribution. Not doing so was a violation of basic rule, which is key to strengthening our institutions and keeping standards.”

    Reacting, the Director of Project and Empowerment, Mandate Office, Otukoko Olayinka Ibrahim, said: “The distribution of the instructional materials is a constituency project facilitated by former Senate President Saraki through the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC); that the constituency projects with UBEC are not limited to distribution of books, they include: construction of classrooms, provision of pupils’ and teachers’ furniture, distribution of customised notebooks and textbooks (as it appears in the UBEC documents), distribution of science laboratory equipment, distribution of Mathematics kits, distribution of computer systems and generators; that during the needs assessment conducted by the Mandate Office, the office of Dr. Saraki collaborated with the LGEA offices which are directly in charge of basic schools across the four local governments for capturing of schools with basic infrastructure and material needs and same was communicated to UBEC by Dr. Saraki’s office for implementation.

    “That prior to distribution of the items, the Mandate Office informed the local government offices to invite the selected schools, as shortlisted by UBEC to mandate for collection of ‘approved’ items for their respective schools. So to say the state government is not aware of the distribution will throw many unanswerable questions to one’s mind.”

  • I’ve spent N470m to combat banditry, says governor

    Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello has said the state has spent over N470million to combat banditry and insecurity.

    He lamented that the bandits have rejected the gesture by the government to enter into a dialogue.

    Bello addressed stakeholders on Tuesday in Minna.

    In the last two weeks, bandits have attacked over 10 communities, dispossessing residents of their belongings.

    The governor said: “We have spent over N470million on combating banditry and insecurity. The security situation in Niger State is becoming worrisome. However, the government is determined to ensure that insecurity is addressed and reduced.”

    Read Also: Air Force to battle banditry in Niger

    He lamented that the bandits have become daring, unleashing terror and fear on the people.

    He said the bandits have refused to enter into a dialogue with the people.

    “These bandits have become more daring. We have used every opportunity to enter into a dialogue with them, but those on the Pandogari axis have refused to listen. Instead they have become more daring.

    “They seem to remain committed to carrying out whatever activity they intend to do by unleashing terror and fear on the people and state,” Bello said.

    He said the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) across the state had increased to 1,000 as a result of bandits’ attacks.