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  • Teachers’ Day: Saraki makes case for teacher’s welfare

    Teachers’ Day: Saraki makes case for teacher’s welfare

    Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday urged governments at all levels to prioritise the payment of salaries and general welfare of teachers in order to secure the future of the country.

    Saraki in a statement by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja, to mark this year’s Teachers’ Day, congratulated Nigerian teachers and their counterparts the world over for their sacrificial contribution to the advancement of knowledge and by extension, world civilization and development.

    Saraki reiterated his earlier call that teacher’s salaries should be included as an item in the capital vote of the budget to enable them receive their salaries and allowances as at when due.

    Saraki said: “There is an overarching need to prioritize teacher’s welfare so as to enable them continue to discharge their duties creditably and effectively particularly in this age of knowledge. It is only by doing that that we eliminate a situation where people either reluctantly go into the profession or go into it as a last option

    “It is a well established fact that teachers occupy a pristine place in our drive towards progress and development as a nation. Moreover, Teachers are the custodians of the repository of knowledge and as such should be seen as an integral partner towards an enduring development of our educational sector.

    “Issues of capacity building, training and re-training of teachers across the various tiers of our education architecture must form a fundamental aspect of our policies and national strategic plans. We must make deliberate and concise effort to boost teachers’ confidence and welfare. Every teacher must be assured of a minimum safety net during their pre and post retirement life.

    “Our teachers must be effectively protected by the existing pension schemes irrespective of their level of engagements i.e. Federal, State and at Local Government levels. Our teachers remain critical to the change we most earnestly desire in our educational sector in particular and the nation in general. We cannot afford to treat them any less,” he stated.

    He also called on teachers to rededicate themselves to their all important duty of spreading knowledge and banishing ignorance.

    “Our teachers must possess the necessary wherewithal for effective discharge of their assignment,” he said.

  • We’ve evidence of Kuku’s Amnesty FYD loan – Nwuche

    The Foundation for Youth Development (FYD), on Monday said that it has full evidence of the former Special Adviser, Kingsley Kuku’s Amnesty, Office loan from the Foundation.

     

    On Monday Kuku through his attorney as reported by some national dailies denied receiving any loan from FYD as claimed by its Chairman, Hon. Chibudom Nwuche.

     

    A statement by the Media Adviser to FYD, Ike Anyaduba, in Abuja said that the Foundation has “read with amusement the denial from Kingsley Kuku that he never requested and collected loans of N2.8bn from FYD to purportedly pay stipends to ex-militants and stakeholders during his tenure as Special Adviser on Niger Delta Affairs.

     

    It noted that “with the plethora of proof of these requests and payments it is hard to attempt to deny so blatantly and rather accuse FYD Chairman Hon. Chibudom Nwuche of owing the Amnesty Programme the said sums.

     

    It said that FYD has sued for the full recovery of these moneys from Kuku, as “it later learned that he may have indeed diverted the loans to personal use and escaped the country without proper handover of these and other liabilities he may have incurred whilst serving as SA.”

     

    It also said that several other contractors, “as we now realize, were allegedly duped in similar fashion but are too afraid to come out to the open.”

     

    It said that prior to “these last contracts, FYD had successfully executed several projects for the Amnesty programme without a hitch.”

     

    The statement added, “We have our Chairman’s full support to prosecute this matter to its logical conclusion as he has nothing to hide, and to fully support the anti-corruption war of the Federal Government and expose persons who use their official positions to defraud innocent contractors and service providers, believing there will be no evidence against them.

     

    Hon. Nwuche has had a distinguished and unblemished career in both the public and private sectors.

     

    “Why would an organization he chairs lie against Kingsley Kuku and the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme?

     

    “It is now obvious that FYD made a grave mistake in trusting and believing that Kuku was as committed, as we were, to resolving the Niger Delta crisis and assisting in whatever way possible to stabilize the region, hence our granting the loans.

     

    “We challenge Kuku to return to Nigeria to answer to the various cases of fraud and embezzlement currently hanging on his neck. FYD would not have bothered to respond to the ranting of a fugitive but we need to put the records straight for the benefit of the public.”

  • Court convicts Polish woman, firm over N9m fraud

    Court convicts Polish woman, firm over N9m fraud

    A Polish woman, Dora Gilmaska and her company, Icon Media and Marketing Agency Limited were Thursday convicted for fraud by a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Maitama, Abuja.

    Justice Abubakar Umar, in a judgment Thursday, found the two guilty of one-count charge of fraud brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    This information is contained in a statement issued Thursday by the Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren.

    “Gilmaska was found guilty of forging and issuing a dud cheque of N9million to one Tayo Olugbemi sometime in 2012.

    “She was arraigned on November 7, 2012, and upon arraignment pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    “After diligent prosecution, Justice Umar found Gilmaska guilty and she was consequently convicted.

    “However, her sentencing has been reserved till October 4, 2016,” Uwujaren said.

  • Recession to end soon, Kumuyi predicts

    Recession to end soon, Kumuyi predicts

    The General Superintendent, Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, on Wednesday assured Nigerians that the current economic recession will end very soon.

    Kumuyi gave the advice during a media conference on the forthcoming Deeper Life Abuja mega crusade tagged ‘A Day of Supernatural Wonders’, scheduled to hold on September 30, 2016 at the National Stadium, Abuja.

    The clergy also advised the Federal Government not to be in a hurry to sell the nation’s national asset over the recession.

    He said shortly after his arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) said that the country was not the first to experience economic recession in the world and would soon be out of it as government and stakeholders were brainstorming to proffer solution.

    His Words: “We all know that we are passing through a tunnel but by the Grace of God, we’re going to get to the light at the end of the tunnel, and very soon the Lord is going to give us a turn around and there is going to be a change in our nation.

    “Other countries also have gone through and come out of recession, and Nigeria is not the first. We strongly believe that God will bring us out as the government and other stakeholders are working on solutions.”

    Speaking on planned sales of the nation’s assets to revive the economy, he advised that the federal government to consider all suggestions and make a concrete decision over the current situation.

    However, he urged the government to remain patient on the sale of the assets as it would not be the best decision to solve the problem. He added that God would intervene and bring the nation out of it.

  • Edo Polls: PDP caucus alleges APC, INEC of conspiracy to rig

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) and some personnel of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are conspiring to rig Wednesday’s governorship polls in Edo state, the caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the House of Representatives has alleged.

    Compromising INEC staff, issuance of sensitive materials including result sheets before elections and alteration of card readers, among others  are the means to be employed to carry out the rigging, the leader of caucus, Leo Ogor (PDP, Delta) said at a briefing on Tuesday.

    “INEC surreptitiously and in conjunction with APC compiled names and list of INEC staff and persons sympathetic with APC to superintend over election to skew same in favour of APC.

    “Thus, INEC staff earlier listed for the elections were all replaced majorly with people from a particular section of the country, claiming that most people from the South-south are sympathetic to the PDP.

    “There was an arrangement to issue sensitive materials such as results sheets and incident forms to the APC before the election to enable them originate fake results and submit same with the assistance of security men.

    “Some top APC members were arranging with ICT experts and some INEC officials to alter the card readers to be used for the election to give an inaccurate figure, which was not generated from the legitimate accreditation in the field.

    “Additionally, INEC unlawfully agreed with some security agencies to move collation centres to police station, saying the action was to give the APC, who are ill-prepared and indeed not capable of winning any free and fair election in Edo State, the covering to bring in compromised results for the Returning Officers to announce,” he said.

    Ogor, who was accompanied by several members of the caucus said the APC in the State, in conjunction with some security agencies have consistently harassed PDP members in the various local governments of the state ahead of the election.

    The security report which was used as excuse to postpone the election would also be deployed as grounds to militarise Edo to ward off any anti APC voter, Ogor alleged.

    The caucus however appealed to the electoral umpire to live above board, saying, “We urge INEC as an independent and unbiased umpire to forestall these evil arrangements and uphold its integrity. The issues raised herein should be taken seriously and acted upon by civil society, the Nigerian public and the press to give credibility to the electoral process”.

  • Climate change: Buhari signs Paris agreement

    Climate change: Buhari signs Paris agreement

    • Says Nigeria will reverse effects of climate change

    President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change has demonstrated Nigeria’s commitment to a global effort to reverse the effects of the negative trend.

    He made the remark while addressing the opening of the meeting on Taking Climate Action for Sustainable Development in New York, co-hosted by Nigeria and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as one of the Side Events of the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA71).

    President Buhari, had shortly before the event, signed the Paris Agreement, where he committed Nigeria to reducing “Green House Gas Emissions unconditionally by 20 per cent and conditionally by 45 per cent” in line with Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions.”

    Describing the signing as historic, Buhari in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, had expressed confidence that with support from development partners, Nigeria will meet the above targets.

    The President also promised to ensure the ratification of the Paris Agreement before the 22nd Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Marrakesh, Morocco in November 2016.

    He said that it was to demonstrate his personal dedication to the process of implementing the Agreement that he was hosting the side event on Taking Climate Action Towards Sustainable Development.

    Buhari, who said he was privileged to have been part of the Paris Agreement, expressed appreciation to what he called “the genuine efforts by President Francois Hollande of France in drawing global attention to reviving the Lake Chad Basin,” and for galvanizing the political will that lead to the global consensus in reaching the Paris Agreement.

    The Nigerian President said his country’s commitment to the Paris Agreement is articulated through its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which strive to build a climate resilient society across the diverse terrain of Nigeria.

    He said: “We have instituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change to govern implementation of my country’s NDCs, thereby ensuring a strong cross-sectoral approach, coherence and synergy for Climate Action.”

    Buhari, while admitting that implementing the Roadmap will not be easy in the face of dwindling national revenues, however, indicated that both internal and external resources would be mobilized to meet Nigeria’s targets, adding that the 2017 Budget will reflect Nigeria’s efforts to accord priority to realizing its NDCs.

    “In addition, we are set to launch our first ever Green Bonds in the first quarter of 2017 to fund a pipeline of projects all targeted at reducing emissions towards a greener economy,” he said.

    While urging global support to transit to a low-carbon climate resilient economy, the President specifically reminded industrialized nations to play their role and deliver on their commitments on access to climate finance and technology transfer and help with capacity-building.

    “Expectations are high for their leaders to deliver US$100 billion per year by 2020 in support of developing countries to take climate action, thus keeping the promise to billions of people.” He said

    President Buhari, who thanked the Presidents of Chad, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Niger for attending the event, also called on the international community to give special recognition to the plight of Lake Chad and support effort to resuscitate the livelihoods of over 5 million people in the region.

    “This will reinforce our efforts to reintegrate the thousands of Boko Haram victims and returning Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs),” he said.

    The President noted that the Niger Delta region is a unique biodiversity rich in coastal environment that is highly prone to adverse environmental changes occasioned by climate change, such as sea level rise, coastal erosion, exacerbated by poverty and many decades of oil pollution leading to loss of livelihoods and ecosystems.

    Through an integrated approach, implementation of the NDCs, and efforts to clean up Ogoniland, he said that livelihoods will be improved, protection of the environment and climate action will be taken, and ensure the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

  • Brutality: IGP faults Amnesty Int’l report  

    Brutality: IGP faults Amnesty Int’l report  

    The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris has described a recent Amnesty International report alleging torture in Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) detention cells as bias and unfortunate.

    Similarly, the IGP claimed that the police management was not given room to air their side of the story before Amnesty rushed rushed to foreign media.

    A new report by the International agency alleged that the elite Nigerian police squad (SARS) set up to combat violent crime tortures detainees to extract lucrative bribes and confessions.

    According to the report, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad demands bribes, steals and extorts money from criminal suspects and their families and is “fomenting a toxic climate of fear and corruption.

    Reacting to the report in Abuja on Wednesday, IGP Idris‎ said the Amnesty International has taken a bias position against the Nigerian Police Force, adding that the report did not reflect the position of the Police.

    ‎While alleging that the Force was not given a chance to respond to the allegations in the report before it was made public, the IGP explained that recently, Amnesty International and other Civil Society Groups requested to inspect SARS detention facilities and other police detention centres across the country and were allowed to do so only for them to say the cells were prearranged and kept clean because they were coming.

    However, IGP Idris warned police commanders and other senior officers to ensure their officers and men operate within international best practices as the Police will not tolerate any action that would bring embarrassment to the Force.
  • Army/Shiite clash: NHRC seeks prompt prosecution of El-Zakzaky, others

    Army/Shiite clash: NHRC seeks prompt prosecution of El-Zakzaky, others

    • Blames Kaduna govt, security agencies for uncertainty over number of dead, missing persons, lost assets

    The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Wednesday urged the Federal Government to ensure prompt prosecution of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and members of his group found culpable for the December 2015 clash between them and men of the Nigerian Army.

    The clash witnessed in Kaduna between December 12 to 14, 2015 led to the death and displacement of yet to be determined number of people, with an unspecified number of property destroyed.

    NHRC also suggested the prosecution of members of the Nigerian Army found culpable for disproportionate and unreasonable use of force in violation of the Rules of Engagement and Code of Conduct of the Nigerian Army during the clash.

    These formed part of the recommendations contained in a draft report of the NHRC’s investigation into the incident. The draft report prepared by a six-man Special Investigation Panel constituted by the commission, was presented to NHRC’s Executive Secretary in Abuja by its Chairman, Anthony Ojukwu.

    NHRC’s Executive Secretary, Prof Bem Angwe, who commended the panel for a job well done, assured that the final report will be made public  later this year.

    The panel accused the group of being responsible for the immediate cause by blocking a public highway and refusing to yield way when the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff ran into the blockade created by members of IMN, who were armed and became “riotous and constitution an obstruction on the road.

    It recommended total ban, by the Federal, state and local governments, of the blockage of public roads for religious or other purposes like tax collection, social activities and others.

    The NHRC panel faulted the Kaduna State Government and unnamed law enforcement agents for its inability to ascertain the actual number of dead and missing persons, the cause of their death and the value of assets lost in the incident.

    It blamed the lack of “clear and conclusive evidence” about the dead on the hurried mass burial carried out by the state government without allowing specialists at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital to conduct the necessary examinations and tests of the corpses.

    It said the sudden withdrawal of the IMN in the activities of the panel made it impossible to answer questions relating to the number of its members’ death, their identity and the number of their property affected.

    The panel, which noted that the increasing involvement of the military in civil operations was not sustainable, suggested its discontinuation to avoid the increasing conflicts between the military and civil society.

    It called for the establishment of a fresh public inquiry, equipped with forensic and all other necessary support to ascertain the actual number of persons missing or dead and causes of such deaths, the proportionality and reasonableness of the response of the Nigerian Army to the aggression of the IMN during the incident.

    “The appropriate criminal prosecution for blocking the public highway by members of the IMN should be applied to the members and leadership of the IMN for failing to obey lawful directives when requested to do so by law enforcement officials.

    “The leader of IMN should be tried speedily for any offences (if any) established against him and his organisation in line with the Constitution. However, the issue of his continued detention and violation of his right to liberty are already subject of litigation before courts of competent jurisdiction and therefore subjudice,” it said.

    The panel recommended compensation for the dead and others, whose property were demolished by the state government. It urged both the Fed Govt and the Kaduna State to assume responsibility for the care and settlement of the medical bills of those injured in the incident, including El-Zakzaky and his group’s members.

    It said it was able to ascertain among others, that there was violation of the rights to life (of those who died), to freedom of movement (as it relates to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and those in his convoy, who were obstructed by the blockage created by members of the IMN) and to property (in relation to property of IMN members and others destroyed without due process).

    “The leadership and members and members of IMN were responsible for the abuse of the right to freedom of movement of the convoy of the COAS and other members of the public by blocking the public highway on December 12, 2-15.

    “There was the mass demolition of properties by the Kaduna State Government as a result of the incident, without due process, thereby violating the right to property of the victims. The Kaduna State Government did not give figures of numbers of dead persons to the SIP when it visited the state government to request for this and other information on the dead persons,” it said.

  • Edo poll: PDP’ll resist rigging, manipulation – Senator Ordia 

    Edo poll: PDP’ll resist rigging, manipulation – Senator Ordia 

    Ahead of the September 28, 2016 rescheduled governorship election in Edo State, Senator representing Edo Central Senatorial District, Clifford Ordia, has called for free and fair polls in the state.
    He warned that any form of rigging or manipulation of the election would not be in the interest of the state.
    Ordia who spoke to reporters in Abuja, noted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was fully prepared to win the governorship election.
    He said that no amount of intimidation will distract the party from winning the election.
    He said: “In my Senatorial District, All Progressives Congress (APC) has no chance. We have put everything in place to checkmate plans by APC to rig. We will resist it. We know that the APC is desperate and they are doing everything to frustrate voters, but it will not work.
    “The APC knew they were going to lose the election and they decided to shift the election. Even if they want to shift it by another one year, PDP will still win. APC has no chance in Edo state. Edo is a PDP state and we will prove that during the election.”
    The lawmaker who urged Edo people to come out en mass and vote for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, insisted that “no amount of intimidation should deter them from exercising their voting right.”
    Ordia also warned security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to make themselves willing tools in the hands of desperate politicians.
    “I want to also call on INEC and security agencies to maintain neutrality during the election. They should not allow themselves to be used. They must now ensure that voters are not harassed or beaten up.
    “I want to equally caution security agencies not to be used to snatch ballot boxes. I am making this call because we have seen or heard cases in the past where security agencies reportedly connived with INEC officials to deny Nigerians their voting rights.
    “I want to urge President Buhari not to allow Oshiomhole’s personal greed to throw Edo state into chaos. Mr. President must caution INEC not be used to rig the election in favour of APC.
    “The values of one man, one vote, which brought Oshiomhole to power have been abandoned. He is now desperate to impose his candidate on Edo people and we have rejected that. Edo people have rejected Oshiomhole and his candidate.”
  • Edo polls: WAEC relocates candidates to Delta, Ondo

    Edo polls: WAEC relocates candidates to Delta, Ondo

    The West African Examination Council (WAEC) on Tuesday said it has secured examination centres in Agbor, Delta state and Ore in Ondo state for candidates writing the General Certificate Examination (GCE) on Saturday,  September 10 in Edo state.

    It will be recalled that Edo state governorship election is expected to hold on the same day secondary schools students in the state are expected to sit for their mathematics paper.

    This is just as Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed on Tuesday that it would go ahead with the poll as planned despite protest from secondary school students who called for a shift in the date of the election to allow them write their papers.

    INEC through the Chief Press Secretary to the chairman of the commission, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, also said it would not be involved in the relocation of the candidates.

    It added that the idea to relocate candidates to other states for examination is purely the responsibility of the state government, adding that INEC would not compensate any candidate.

    The Head, Public Affairs for WAEC Nigeria, Demianus Ojijeogu, who spoke with our reporter in Abuja yesterday, said the council would go ahead with the examination on that day.

    Ojijeogu also stated that WAEC would not be responsible for the relocation of the candidates to the two states, adding that the council is hoping the state government would assist with the relocation of the candidates.

    He added that WAEC officials would be on ground to conduct the examination for candidates who would be at the venue of the examination.

    “We went to Agbor, we have already secured venue. We went to Ore in Ondo state to secure exam centres for them. So that is where we are. Yes we have. Agbor in Delta state and Ore in Ondo state. We have secured centres already.

    “No. It’s our belief that the Edo State Government being the guardian of the candidates can make such an arrangement & also provide security for them.

    “If push comes to show, we will go and wait for them. Our exam officials will be in Ore in Ondo and Agbor in Delta state in the centres designated for that exams on that day. Those that come we will conduct exams for them but we still believe that something is going to happen between now and tomorrow,” he said in a text message sent to our reporter.

    He explained that WAEC wrote a letter to INEC to allow the candidates and WAEC officials free movement on the day of the examination after proper accreditation.

    According to him, the request was turned down for security reasons, adding that the police insisted on restriction of movement on that day.

    He said: “We wrote to INEC headquarters in Abuja and copied the state INEC in Edo state, copied the commissioner of police alerting them that our mathematics paper is clashing with the election.

    “Our view was that they should exempt our examination officials who will be properly accredited and candidates who will also be identified, they should grant them exemption from the restriction of government on that day so that they can write the paper because the subject is a core subject. It is mathematics.

    “The next thing we got a reply from INEC and even the commissioner of police inviting us for a meeting in Benin City. That was on august 25th. I was at the meeting and then when we got to the meeting we discovered that they had already met on the level of inter-agency consultative committee on election in edo state and trashed our issue that WAEC should relocate the candidates to states that is closer to Edo state.

    “We told them that this thing is not workable. Because one, research has shown that when you move candidates from where they have prepared for exams to another state or where they have been writing exams to another location if affects them psychologically.

    “On Wednesday, on the 29th of august we got a letter INEC sent to us saying that the commission in liaison with the security operating in Edo state after our joint meeting with officials of the organization advised WAEC to relocate the candidates to any state that are… to Edo state. This position is borne out of the fact that movement of every Nigerian living in edo state will be restricted on the election Day and such security arrangement cannot be compromised.

    They said that they cannot grant our request for the exemption of examination functionaries and candidates from any movement on the day of the election so we were left with nothing. There is nothing else to do. The exam must be conducted. It is an international exam in the sense that the paper will be written in the Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, as well as in Nigeria at the same time.

    “We have one other thing to do since they don’t want a gathering on the election day because they said it will compromise election security for the sake of these children let us move these centres to neighbouring states- delta, and Ondo.

    “We are also pleading with the government. We are expecting that the government can shift ground and say okay, since there will be free movement on that day for eligible voters that the candidates can also be allowed to go and write the exam as long as they are properly identified. We are still expecting that to happen.”