The Nation Newspaper

Tag: government

  • Pertinence boss advises government on planning

    Pertinence boss advises government on planning

    •Firm set to redefine Island property market

    The need for government to ensure effective and efficient planning in the Lekki –Ajah- Epe axis of Lagos state, has been re-emphasised. This is because if proper planning is not put in place and government enforce strict development guidelines, the corridor may soon become chaotic, ultimately ending up as a slum.

    This is the view of an Executive Director of Pertinence Limited, Mr. Sunday Olorunsheyi, in a chat with The Nation Property at the weekend. According to him, the corridor, which is regarded as the fastest growing corridor in West Africa, presents a cash-cow opportunity for both the state and federal government if proper planning is put in place. It also provides an abode for luxury living style, which he reckons is capable of changing the real estate landscape for good.

    “Most of the places we see abroad is not as if they don’t have challenges, but they are better planned. Our government has a lot to do in planning and infrastructure for this axis. It is not that there are no agencies responsible for this development, but some of them are just not doing what they are supposed to do,” he explained.

    Olorunsheyi, who spoke at the land promo launch of his firm in Lekki, revealed that in the spirit of defining real estate development in the Lagos Island market, Pertinence Limited, with vast interest in housing market, has established luxury estates in the corridor, with a view to empowering the public to invest in same. One of such  estates, he revealed, is the Lakowe estate, located just beside the golf course.

    “It is a place people have been eyeing to have a property. It’s a place for comfort and luxury and very affordable. In Ibeju-Lekki, we have two estate locations- Ayeteju and Osoroko. Ibeju-Lekki is the new Lagos as everything on the island and mainland are moving to the area. The biggest refinery in the country and continent is being built in this axis. So it is wise that as businessmen, one positions himself around this axis for great benefits,” he explained.

    Pertinence, he further revealed, has secured about 25 acres in Lakowe, and in Osoroko, has over 200 acres. Osoroko, he disclosed, is the main project of the firm on the Island for 2018, tagging it as the VIP Garden City. For now, a plot sells for N3.5 million, but will increase once the infrastructure is in place to N10 million or more.

    “What we are selling is the future and it is better to buy the future when it is cheap and today is the time to buy the future. In Ibeju-Lekki, we are selling the future. The awareness is coming up in real estate. We have a track record of integrity,” Olorunsheyi said.

    Another Executive Director in the firm, Mr. Wisdom Ezekiel, corroborated Olorunsheyi’s position. The Lagos Island axis, he explained, produces the largest chunk of resources used in running Lagos, so it is natural that it enjoys higher patronage of government and developers. “If you are not buying land in this axis now then you are not serious about your investment. You need to position yourself for the future. You cannot have an airport, seaport, Free trade zone, refinery, all in an axis and say you don’t want to invest there, you are only wasting your time,” he said.

    He revealed that his firm chose to give out a car for the first time in its Island land promo because of the calibre of subscribers on the Island and the value of the land on offer.

  • Government to review LAUTECH tuition fees, says Ajimobi

    Government to review LAUTECH tuition fees, says Ajimobi

    The Oyo State government has promised to review tuition fees at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, in a bid to make it self-sustaining.

    Gov. Abiola Ajimobi, announced this yesterday in Ibadan, while featuring on a programme tagged “Saturday Special’ aired on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS).

    According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), LAUTECH which is co-owned by both Oyo and Osun state governments, had in recent times been enmeshed in crisis over the default of the owners to pay subvention and staff salaries.

    Ajimobi said his administration had since assumption of office in 2011, paid N22 billion to the institution.

    He described the amount being paid as tuition fees in LAUTECH as `abysmal,’ adding that it would be reviewed for the institution to be self-sustaining.

    “The default in the payment of subvention and salaries was as a result of economic downturn. When we came on board, we reduced the tuition fees to N65, 000.

    “There are secondary schools that charges from N150,000 to N200,000, while some universities charge from N500,000 to two million naira.

    “Till date, we have subsidised LAUTECH heavily and we are still giving them. Imagine, the institution has 99 accounts and some could not be traced,” he said.

    The governor said that government had taken steps to resolve the crisis in the university, among which was the auditing of its account to determine its viability to be self-sustaining like other institutions.

    He said that staff of the institution had initially refused the auditing firm access but had promised to allow them recently.

    Ajimobi said that government had constituted the institution’s governing council which was expected to submit its report after the current holiday.

    He promised that the crisis in the university would soon be over and the institution would be given take-off grant for three months.

    Commenting on Oyo State Technical University, Ajimobi said that the institution, which would take-off in October, was a specialized institution, adding it was not a university for all.

    He said that his administration had evolved several initiatives to reform education in the state, particularly public schools.

    He added that the efforts had started to yield the desired fruits.

     

  • Wizkid calls Nigerian government a ‘joke’

    Wizkid calls Nigerian government a ‘joke’

    Hip hop artiste Wizkid has dissed the Nigerian government. And considering the interest whicch some music stars who have attained fame take in politics, Wizkid has said he is not ‘interested’ in politics.

    Wizkid who has transformed to an international star made this assertion on Twitter on Tuesday, while responding to a fan who asked if he would join politics.

    First, the ‘Ojuelegba’ crooner lambasted government in the country as a ‘joke.’

    “Government for my country na joke,” he tweeted in pidgin English, adding the laughing emoticon as he followed it up with another tweet, “God help us.”

    He then concluded his tirade by tweeting; “Hmmmm not really.. Just funny what i see and read sometimes.”

    Nigerian artistes like 9ice, Kate Henshaw, Julius Agwu, Bob Manuel Udokwu, and Kenny St. Brown tried their hands in politics in the recent past while Desmond Elliot is currently serving as a lawmaker in the Lagos State House of Assembly.

    And presently, ‘Limpopo’ act, KCee, has signified interest in joining the Anambra State gubernatorial race.

  • ‘Government should restore confidence in Nigerians’

    ‘Government should restore confidence in Nigerians’

    Convener of the Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reform (CODER) Ayo Opadokun, in this interview with MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE, explains why government must restore confidence in the people and tackle other urgent challenges facing the country.

    The Britain administration has been criticised for non performance. What is your assessment?

    I sympathised with Nigerians for understanding of the situation. I believe that people have good reasons to be unhappy with the situation. But, I also understand from my knowledge of the state of the country, when President Muhammadu Buhari took over power, that the degeneration in the living condition of our people and state of poverty had become so worrisome. Perhaps, if the last administration had remained in power for another six months, only God know what could have happened. As for President Buhari and state of the economy,  it is a fact that the measures being put in place have yielded immediate positive dividends. I think the government recognizes this fact and sympathized with Nigerian people, who are clamouring for a better deal. Therefore, economically, I think they need to think outside the box, to rescue the situation. That is not unmindful of the fundamentals that were not within the control of the Buhari’s government. It was not the Buhari’s government that instigated the upstaged agitation of the Niger Delta Avengers, that totally brought about the only mean of foreign exchange to the nation to the lowest ebb. When they broke pipes, they made it impossible and difficult for the economy to proceed as it ought to be. If that is the major means of the earning of our foreign exchange, the consequence could only be imagined. To make matters much difficult again, Nigeria operates a money economy as a result of the dubious, irresponsible and criminally minded economic policies of past administrations; Nigeria was only exporting crude oil which is responsible for over 80 per cent of its earnings. The price is controlled by the international market and whatever happened is due to market forces which Nigeria could not determine. So, we can understand that why such consequences are being faced by Nigeria each time the price of oil goes down at the international market. The recession that we are in now, I just want to sustain the hope of our people, what they claim is being done with 2017 budget, if it is judiciously implemented, perhaps we shall see Nigeria will be gradually lifted from recession. There are some Nigerians in the Buhari’s administration that can deliver and are already doing so. The Lagos State government for instance has been able to strike an anchored with the Kebbi State government to the extent that we now have the LAKE Rice. I can only image that if they continue and what Dangote Conglomerates are bout doing in rice, the Abakiliki rice production, I believe that matters of domestic food supply will be well tackled.

    What is your personal assessment of Buhari?

    The Buhari we used to know as military head of State can no longer be said to be the same Buhari. One can understand that there is a difference in age when he first came on board in December 1983 and he came back 2015. So, one can understand the gap. My first from all that I have seen is that perhaps he is no more in control of his government. What has happened over the confirmation of Ibrahim Magu as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) is an indication that perhaps President Buhari is no more in control of his administration and he has a divided Presidency. We are all being treated as nonentity as a result of the disastrous consequence we had in the rejection the nomination of Magu by the Senate, in respect of one panel headed by the Attorney General of Nigeria (AGN). What this means is that Buhari did not do enough background check on Magu before he nominated him. That is an indictment on his leadership. Secondly, it does not help his image, that the Presidency sent a name to the Senate and yet, another arm of the Presidency went ahead to write very pretentious and dubious report on the nominee of the President. They should not imagine that some of us are fools, the AGN is part of the divided Presidency and you are asking him to the report of your divided Presidency. That is one part of the story, again when I look at the way President Buhari has handled security matter and people being beheaded, people being killed massively who say they are herdsmen in some instances like in Benue, Adamawa, Taraba and Kaduna, it is like ethnic cleansing. They will set fire to the homes of the indigenous owners, when they try to escape, they shot and kill them or slaughter them like fowls. They carried out this heinous act for many months until the belated action of the General Officer Commanding the First Division of the Army came to the rescue of the people of Southern Zaria. They have been telling us that they are on top of the situation, being in there normal rhetoric. The most important function of government in any modern state is the protection of lives; if it get to a situation where people had to resort to self help them government must have lost value.  You can understand the kind of agony some of us undergo because of the need to bring about decent society. The current republic we are in did not come so easy, some of us paid with their lives. Some paid with their blood, some with their liberty, and some with a lot of sacrifices. Because of our dedication to the restoration of democracy in Nigeria, we fought better living condition for our people. There is no doubt we have had a raw deal with the Nigerian Army generally. When they are not there directly, it is their agents, accolades, loyalists that they have sponsored. So, they are still in control and have done so much damage to our country.

    The President anti-corruption stance has been criticized as one-sided. Where did government get it wrong?

    Let President Buhari be reminded that the only worthy consideration he presently enjoys from both the international and the domestic community is the significant view that he has established commitment to fight corruption, as a marathon runner rather than a relay-racer. No doubt, his government economic policy measures have not produced expected positive results. We remain within the bracket of war ravaged areas of the world in spite of our being the 8th largest exporter of crude oil for almost 25 years. We exported averagely 2 million barrels per day at 100 USA. Yet Nigeria’s Human Development Index statistics and our GDP analysis is within that of countries like Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Burundi, Congo etc. Thus, Buhari should appreciate that throwing out Magu, the leader of the Anti graft agencies to be so humiliated by the Senate leadership cadre whose membership are being prosecuted for criminal offences by the EFCC is counter-productive and unhelpful to the president’s image.

    Buhari gave many former governors and other politically exposed persons an undeserved platform to vent their anger against a productive public officer. Who else will want to be so vilified for helping Nigeria to tackle the menace that corruption has caused all of us. That the Nigerian state cannot provide any commensurate social services and infrastructure is because of corruption.

     

  • ‘Government should restore confidence in Nigerians’

    ‘Government should restore confidence in Nigerians’

    Convener of the Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reform (CODER) Ayo Opadokun, in this interview with MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE, explains why government must restore confidence in the people and tackle other urgent challenges facing the country.

    The Britain administration has been criticised for non performance. What is your assessment?

    I sympathised with Nigerians for understanding of the situation. I believe that people have good reasons to be unhappy with the situation. But, I also understand from my knowledge of the state of the country, when President Muhammadu Buhari took over power, that the degeneration in the living condition of our people and state of poverty had become so worrisome. Perhaps, if the last administration had remained in power for another six months, only God know what could have happened. As for President Buhari and state of the economy,  it is a fact that the measures being put in place have yielded immediate positive dividends. I think the government recognizes this fact and sympathized with Nigerian people, who are clamouring for a better deal. Therefore, economically, I think they need to think outside the box, to rescue the situation. That is not unmindful of the fundamentals that were not within the control of the Buhari’s government. It was not the Buhari’s government that instigated the upstaged agitation of the Niger Delta Avengers, that totally brought about the only mean of foreign exchange to the nation to the lowest ebb. When they broke pipes, they made it impossible and difficult for the economy to proceed as it ought to be. If that is the major means of the earning of our foreign exchange, the consequence could only be imagined. To make matters much difficult again, Nigeria operates a money economy as a result of the dubious, irresponsible and criminally minded economic policies of past administrations; Nigeria was only exporting crude oil which is responsible for over 80 per cent of its earnings. The price is controlled by the international market and whatever happened is due to market forces which Nigeria could not determine. So, we can understand that why such consequences are being faced by Nigeria each time the price of oil goes down at the international market. The recession that we are in now, I just want to sustain the hope of our people, what they claim is being done with 2017 budget, if it is judiciously implemented, perhaps we shall see Nigeria will be gradually lifted from recession. There are some Nigerians in the Buhari’s administration that can deliver and are already doing so. The Lagos State government for instance has been able to strike an anchored with the Kebbi State government to the extent that we now have the LAKE Rice. I can only image that if they continue and what Dangote Conglomerates are bout doing in rice, the Abakiliki rice production, I believe that matters of domestic food supply will be well tackled.

    What is your personal assessment of Buhari?

    The Buhari we used to know as military head of State can no longer be said to be the same Buhari. One can understand that there is a difference in age when he first came on board in December 1983 and he came back 2015. So, one can understand the gap. My first from all that I have seen is that perhaps he is no more in control of his government. What has happened over the confirmation of Ibrahim Magu as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) is an indication that perhaps President Buhari is no more in control of his administration and he has a divided Presidency. We are all being treated as nonentity as a result of the disastrous consequence we had in the rejection the nomination of Magu by the Senate, in respect of one panel headed by the Attorney General of Nigeria (AGN). What this means is that Buhari did not do enough background check on Magu before he nominated him. That is an indictment on his leadership. Secondly, it does not help his image, that the Presidency sent a name to the Senate and yet, another arm of the Presidency went ahead to write very pretentious and dubious report on the nominee of the President. They should not imagine that some of us are fools, the AGN is part of the divided Presidency and you are asking him to the report of your divided Presidency. That is one part of the story, again when I look at the way President Buhari has handled security matter and people being beheaded, people being killed massively who say they are herdsmen in some instances like in Benue, Adamawa, Taraba and Kaduna, it is like ethnic cleansing. They will set fire to the homes of the indigenous owners, when they try to escape, they shot and kill them or slaughter them like fowls. They carried out this heinous act for many months until the belated action of the General Officer Commanding the First Division of the Army came to the rescue of the people of Southern Zaria. They have been telling us that they are on top of the situation, being in there normal rhetoric. The most important function of government in any modern state is the protection of lives; if it get to a situation where people had to resort to self help them government must have lost value.  You can understand the kind of agony some of us undergo because of the need to bring about decent society. The current republic we are in did not come so easy, some of us paid with their lives. Some paid with their blood, some with their liberty, and some with a lot of sacrifices. Because of our dedication to the restoration of democracy in Nigeria, we fought better living condition for our people. There is no doubt we have had a raw deal with the Nigerian Army generally. When they are not there directly, it is their agents, accolades, loyalists that they have sponsored. So, they are still in control and have done so much damage to our country.

    The President anti-corruption stance has been criticized as one-sided. Where did government get it wrong?

    Let President Buhari be reminded that the only worthy consideration he presently enjoys from both the international and the domestic community is the significant view that he has established commitment to fight corruption, as a marathon runner rather than a relay-racer. No doubt, his government economic policy measures have not produced expected positive results. We remain within the bracket of war ravaged areas of the world in spite of our being the 8th largest exporter of crude oil for almost 25 years. We exported averagely 2 million barrels per day at 100 USA. Yet Nigeria’s Human Development Index statistics and our GDP analysis is within that of countries like Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Burundi, Congo etc. Thus, Buhari should appreciate that throwing out Magu, the leader of the Anti graft agencies to be so humiliated by the Senate leadership cadre whose membership are being prosecuted for criminal offences by the EFCC is counter-productive and unhelpful to the president’s image.

    Buhari gave many former governors and other politically exposed persons an undeserved platform to vent their anger against a productive public officer. Who else will want to be so vilified for helping Nigeria to tackle the menace that corruption has caused all of us. That the Nigerian state cannot provide any commensurate social services and infrastructure is because of corruption.

  • Government moves to save farmers

    Government moves to save farmers

    IF the words of Agriculture and Rural Development Minister  Audu Ogbeh are anything to go by, farmers may pay the Federal Government to provide them with security against kidnappers and herdsmen.

    According to the minister, the government was considering various measures to protect farmers, saying that kidnapping would not stop but that government was determined to protect investors. Ogbeh said: “I had a meeting with the Minister of Interior, we were looking at security situation in agriculture. Sometime last year, some gunmen went to Olu Falae’s farm, a Nigerian in status, in age and ranking, and took him away and marched him around, forced him to trek ten kilometres, even carried him on their backs.

    “Many more farmers are coming in, including foreign investors, and they stand the risk of being subjected to this kind of humiliation.

    “So, we are talking with the Ministry of Interior that we have to put measures in place. These things are happening in other countries too, where the civil defence corps may have to train a special department to protect huge investors and investment in their farms for a fee, because kidnapping will not stop.

    “From the security point of view, we have to take measures to make sure that people who invest are protected.

    “In other countries of the world, you may have noticed that people live in their farms, you hardly see a farmer who lives in the city, he lives in the farm with his family, you cannot do that here. They will come and take you, your wife and children in the name of kidnapping, we have to stop it and we have to use the legitimate instrument of state to do it because the farmer has no right to buy a gun to protect him.”

     

    ‘Agro Ranger’ to the rescue

    About 3,000 personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) are being drafted by the Presidency to protect farms and agro-allied investments nationwide against attacks by herdsmen and gunmen. The personnel to be named ‘Agro Rangers’, are to be specially trained to protect the farms and mediate in conflicts between farmers and those attacking them.

    The Interior minister, Gen. Abduraman Dambazzau, who dropped the hint in Abuja, said the planned deployment would complement the police, who are being overstretched in the maintenance of law and order.

    The minister said: “We know that the police are being over-stretched in terms of maintaining law and order while the military is also battling insurgency.

    “So, this falls within the purview of the NSCDC. The Agro Rangers will be trained in the protection of agricultural assets and mediation in issues such as land disputes.”

    The minister said that although Nigeria is a signatory to the ECOWAS Trans-Human Protocol on Free Movement which allows herdsmen from the sub-region into the country, all the necessary precautions such as registration and possession of valid travel documents would henceforth be enforced.

    He admitted the threat of herdsmen as one of the security challenges that has not only assumed a regional, but continental dimension.

    “The issue of herdsmen is seen as localised. It has both regional and continental dimensions. As long as we remain under the ECOWAS protocol on free movement, the problem will remain”, he said.

    The minister reminded that the 36 states have a big role to play in checking the activities of herdsmen, stressing that some of the routes that were hitherto carved out for the movement of cattlemen had been turned into farms.

  • Government by trial and error?

    SIR: When a serious minded-government institutes a criminal charge against any perceived suspect, three major things are expected of such government: One; that the government has thoroughly done its homework before pronouncing the citizen a suspect; two, that such administration has armed itself with every possible facts and tools that could enable it push trials to a logical conclusion; and three, the attorney general, who is chiefly the legal eye of the administration, having cut his teeth in the business of court practices, is fully ready.

    Unfortunately and painfully, such practices and preparedness are far-fetched from the business of government in the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Instead, what we see on a daily basis are successful media trials, media crucifixion, media arousal of public condemnation of individuals and eventual loss of such charade in the proper court of law.

    For a government to lose four cases of corruption in five days after the fanfare and opprobrium that trailed such cases, Nigerians must note that all is not well with the government’s legal team. Nigerians are pained to their marrow over the continuous loss of corruption cases; they convey and send the signal that our federal government is lacking in either human resources or suffers dearth of evidences in its quest to combat corruption here.

    I wonder how and why because this is the first ever government with a Professor of Law as vice president and a law professor as presidential adviser on corruption.

    The government must get its acts right in the war against corruption by looking inwards towards finding out the reasons behind its losses in virtually every court.

    While that is noted, it may have to downsize its legal team where necessary, and bring on board competent hands where mostly needed for a successful war against corruption since that was the premise upon which the administration’s mandate was built. This must be done urgently to resuscitate the tottering and dimming belief Nigerians have on its war against corruption; else the growing notion among Nigerians of the regime gradually becoming a “government of trials and error” will continue to gain more ground.

     

    • Gwiyi Solomon,

     Abuja.

  • Erinle: APC ‘ll form next government in Ekiti

    Erinle: APC ‘ll form next government in Ekiti

    Hon Segun Erinle is a former member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly from Gbonyin Constituency. He spoke with reporters in Lagos on the preparations of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for next year’s governorship poll. 

    What have you been doing since you left ekiti state house of assembly?

    How have you been coping with challenges of life after leaving office? It has been nice as l never forget my Constituency, when in office I retire to my constituency after the legislative business of the day, so my life remains same.

    When you compare the current Fifth Assembly with your Fourth Assembly is there any innovation brought into the legislative business?

    I was part of the 4th Assembly, hence, it would be wrong of  me to compare  the two, but the electorates are in better position to do that, all l know is  the fact that we did our best while in office, we promulgated laws that would better the lives of our people.

    What is your reaction to plans by the state government to probe former Governor Kayode Fayemi? 

    Yes l read the joke in the newspapers, have you forgotten that the executive and the legislative arm in Ekiti are one, the current governor told the entire world that the Speaker is acting for him as Speaker and he remains the Speaker, put that aside the Standing rule of the House is clear on matters before the court hence, l call the resolution as a joke. Don’t get me wrong, if Dr Fayemi has committed any wrong doing he should be tried but the way it is being done is witch hunting exercise embarked upon by my colleagues and the Executive arm.

    There is the feeling that the House approved a bond that threw the state in perpetual debt is that correct?

    I can vouch for the majority of our members, we scrutinised the entire process and we approved it in the overall interest of Ekiti people, did we not do same for the current governor before he used the state apparatus to drive us out of Ekiti, a loan in billions was approved for him to ease the sufferings of our people.

    How will you assess the Fayoses administration?

    You can only give what you have? Mr Governor did not realise that events have changed between 2006 and 2015, how much was the minimum wage in 2006, is it same in 2015, the answer in no. Unfortunately, Mr governor did not realise that, he was shouting debt and debt every day, was the debt not on when we took over in 2010, were we owing as much salaries before he came on board, we were still able to pay salaries in Ekiti because we understand that Ekiti is a civil servant state and if you owe salaries the economic activities of the state will crumble, that explain reasons for what we are experiencing now. Our IGR is nothing to write home about and since the price of oil has crashed, funds coming to Ekiti have reduced.

    Do you think the APC stand a chance of winning the next governorship election? 

    The APC would form the next government in Ekiti by the grace of God.

    Don’t you think the crises the party primary may generate will affect its chances at the poll?

    Very soon, we shall separate men from boys, some know they cannot even vie for Councillorship position but, they want to be governor, my party shall organise a very transparent primaries where the best candidate would emerge.

    Dr Fayemi said the 2014 election issue is not closed and you are talking of primaries, are you both not thinking same way?

    We both agreed there was something wrong with the 2014 election in view of recent confessional statements, and the fact that some officers were dismissed as a result of the roles they played during the election hence, there is the need to bring up more facts that led to the defeat of our party.

    What is your view on the economic team of Mr President?

    I think it is in order, what Mr President has done is to allow our currency to find its level in the international market, some may disagree with that policy, but I am in full agreement with it, at a time the Naira was floating at almost 650 to a British pound and nearly 450 to a dollar but today its 470—480 at the other market to a pound and about 360 ——370 to a dollar. Previous govt have been supporting our currency to our detriment but with the new policy put in place things would improve.

    What’s   your next political move?

    I will be seeking my party’s ticket to represent   Ekiti North Federal Constituency 2 at the House of Representatives in 2019. I believe all powers belong to God hence, politics is service to the people.

    Why do you want to go to House of Representatives?

    I believe as a member of the House of Rep, l will be able to contribute more to the progress of  my Constituency  and continue the  fight for the Rights of our youths, l have done it before, and l intend to do it again. The problem of our Country is enormous but, it can be overcome with the right people at the helms of affairs, the journey to restore our lost glory will continue if I am elected.

  • 9 months pension arrears with Paris refund, Pensioners urge

    The Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Kwara branch, on Friday urged the state government to use the second batch of the Paris Club refund t0 pay the nine months pension arrears.

    Alhaji Mohammed Haliru and Mr Samuel lbidoja, the Chairman and Secretary of the union, made the plea in a statement after the first quarterly meeting of the union in Ilorin.

    They said that the state government’s indebtedness to retirees in all the 16 local government areas of the state now stands at N5 billion.

    According to them, the unpaid pensions and gratuities to pensioners in the state had inflicted untold hardship on their members.

    They commended Gov. AbdulFatah Ahmed for his promise during the last Workers Day to use part of the Paris refund to pay the pension arrears.

    The duo urged the governor to enhance the living standard of local government pensioners.

    The union leaders also decried the planned payment of the monthly pensions to the local government retirees through a consultant, describing it as unconstitutional.

    They urged the governor to return the payment to the Local Government Pension Board statutorily empowered by the state Edict Seven of 1989.

     

  • Igbonla: ‘Government will not negotiate with kidnappers’

    Igbonla: ‘Government will not negotiate with kidnappers’

    The Lagos State Government yesterday made it clear that it would not negotiate nor pay any ransom to kidnappers of six pupils of Igbonla Model College, Epe.

    It was gathered that the representative of the government at the meeting with the parents and school management yesterday said Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was poised to rescue the pupils with solely security option.

    The parents, it was gathered, were urged to remain calm and have faith in security forces, who were said to have identified the location of the pupils.

    Already, the police have warned fishermen to keep off certain routes on the water following intelligence report that the kidnappers were disguising as fishermen to tip off their members in the creek on the activities of security operatives.

    The Nation gathered that a stern warning was given to fishermen to avoid those areas or face arrest, with a number of them said to have already been apprehended.

    Although all the parents at the meeting denied being contacted for the second time by the kidnappers, sources close to them claimed the criminals have called some of them and demanded between N10million and N20million.

    They also claimed that the kidnappers threatened to relocate the pupils to Arogbo in Ondo State if their demands were not met within 48 hours.

    A source close to one of the parents said they asked for N10million, adding that they refused pleas by that parent for them to collect N2million.

    According to the source, they called the parent around 1am on Monday and told him to approach the governor for the money.

    The other parent was said to have been contacted twice yesterday- 1am and 3am- with the kidnappers demanding N20million ransom.