The Nation Newspaper

Tag: hail

  • Civil servants hail Akeredolu over workers’ welfare

    Ondo State civil servants yesterday expressed appreciation to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, for always promoting their interests.

    They hailed the governor for refusing to politicise the civil service.

    According to them, Akeredolu deserved commendation for doing a lot to alleviate the pains his administration inherited from the immediate past administration.

    Head of Service Mr. Toyin Akinkuotu spoke the mind of the workers at an expanded meeting the civil servants held with the governor in Akure.

    He said: “It is on record that no worker is harassed or intimidated by Akeredolu’s administration. The person who alleviated our pains by constantly paying our salaries deserves our commendation.

    “He has substantially paid our salary arrears. Promotion of civil servants and other benefits are not left out. We are bold to say that Akeredolu is fulfilling all his pre-election promises to Ondo State civil servants.”

    The Head of Service, however, promised the workers’ continued support for Akeredolu’s administration.

    Akeredolu said workers’ welfare was not what a responsible government should politicise.

    Stressing that a labourer deserves his wages, the governor said no condition would make his administration “return the state civil servants to Egypt, where they would be owed backlog of salaries.”

    The civil servants, however, hailed the governor when he broke the long-awaited news to them.

    He promised to pay their leave bonuses and their remaining one month arrears.

    The governor thanked the workers for their support to his administration and promised that deserving civil servants would earn their promotion.

  • Lawyers hail Abubakar on Supreme Court Judgment

    Lawyers have congratulated Bauchi State Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar on the validation of his election by the Supreme Court.

    Abubakar was until his election, the chairman of Arewa Lawyers Forum (ALF).

    The Supreme Court held that having not participated in All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries, Comrade Abdullahi Mohammed Tanko lacked the requisite locus standi to challenge Abubakar’s emergence.

    The Supreme Court further held that the subject matter was not an issue for the Federal High Court to determine, being outside its jurisdiction.

    Tanko had  secured a favorable judgment  from  the Appeal Court sitting in Jos, which Abubakar appealed against.

    Tanko had challenged the December 2014 APC primary election that returned Abubakar as the APC gubernatorial candidate.

    Tanko lost at the trial court, but won at the Court of Appeal.

    But, Abubakar appealed to the Supreme Court, faulting the entire Appeal Court judgment.

    Delivering his judgment on Friday, Justice Sidi Bage set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal and upheld the trial court judgment.

    The Judge agreed with the  Counsel of the Appellant, Mr. Ahmed Raj (SAN), that the lower court erred on the  two major  fronts  of lack of locus standi and lack of jurisdiction.

    NBA First Vice-President Mr. Caleb Daja said: “I rejoice heartily with and congratulate Governor  Abubakar on the judgment confirming his nomination as the proper and bona fide person to contest for the governorship election of his state.

    “Governor M A Abubakar is one of the ‘learned’ Governors we look up to for performance. As our learned colleague, we know him enough and we have every confidence that he will satisfy the yearnings of his people of Bauchi, especially now that the coast is clear for him to maintain the good things he has started in the state. Our prayers with him.”

    NBA Bauchi Branch chairman Muhammad Maidoki  described the Supreme Court judgment as victory for democracy and the rule of law.

    “I believed the victory will boost his effort in transforming the state via peoples’ oriented projects that he has been  embarking upon in all the nooks and crannies of the state,” he said.

    Former NBA Second Vice-President Mr. Steve Abar said with the judgment, the governor can fully focus on governance.

    “The latest judgment, no doubt, will put every distraction from that side apart and encourage the Governor to deliver  more dividends of democracy to the good people of Bauchi State,” Abar said.

  • Stakeholders hail all-female crew flight

    Passengers, government officials and aviation regulators last week were excited as Air Peace celebrated its  first all-female crew flight  comprising Capt. Sinmisola Ajibola; Senior First Officer Quincy Owen; Flight Instructor Rosemary Uagbor; Cabin Executives Chidimma Chimezie and  Opakirite George in Lagos, Abuja and Owerri.

    The all-female flight, which took off from Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, was operated days after Air Peace produced its first female Captain, Sinmisola Ajibola. The flights, the airline said, were in honour of Sinmisola, to promote gender equality in the nation’s aviation industry and project Nigerian women as capable of standing tall among both their male and female counterparts across the world.

    The Boeing B737-300 aircraft with Captain Simisola in command and co-piloted by Senior First Officer Quincy, landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja to a spectacular water salute performed by men of the Fire Service Department of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and a rousing welcome by passengers, government officials and aviation regulators

    From Abuja, the aircraft flew into Sam Mbakwe Cargo Airport, Owerri where it  received  another water salute and warm welcome from passengers and  airport workers.

    Other females involved in the operations were Flight  Engineer, Justina Etim, who signed out the aircraft in Lagos and dispatchers Chisom Onyeakposi and Olubukola Olajiga. Ladi Amadu and Loretta Ekeh dispatched the flight in Abuja and Owerri respectively.

    Speaking at a brief welcome ceremony for the flight crew in Abuja, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Mr. Allen Onyema, said over 20 key positions in the airline, including those of the vice chairman, chief operating officer and chief of finance and administration, were occupied by women, whom he insisted had demonstrated excellent capacity to deliver on their tasks.

    The airline, he said, had employed about 2,000 workers since it commenced operations almost four years ago. About 1,500 of the employees, he disclosed, were women.

    “Air Peace is an airline run by women. We are very proud of giving women opportunities to excel because we believe that there is nothing that men can do that women cannot do. We want to encourage our female children that they should aspire to be whatever they want to be by emulating what our female flight and cabin crew members have done today,” Onyema said.

    He commended the government  for its support for domestic airlines; in particular, the  removal of Value Added Tax (VAT) on transportation and waivers granted on importation of aircraft spares.

    On  his part, Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, praised Air Peace for joining the league of airlines that had operated flights with only women in charge of the cockpit, cabin, engineering and dispatch.

    The minister, who was represented by the Director, Safety and Technical Policy, Ministry of Transportation, Capt. Talba Alkali, said the feat had shown the airline was gender friendly.

    He confirmed that Air Peace’s all-female flight was first  time a Nigerian airline was deploying a high capacity aircraft like the Boeing 737 with only Nigerians in charge.

    “Air Peace has made a tremendous impact on the industry and we as regulators and the ministry will continue to create an enabling environment for the airline and other domestic airlines to thrive. Today’s event is yet another testament of the safety of our airspace and we will continue to work with the airlines to make it safer,” Sirika assured.

  • Fuel scarcity: Consumers hail company for stable pricing

    Motorists and other consumers of petroleum products in the Warri axis of Delta State have hailed Matrix Energy Limited for selling the products at government-approved prices.

    Many of the consumers, who spoke with The Nation during a survey conducted last week, noted that since fuel scarcity started late last year, Matrix Energy had consistently made products available at the official pump prices.

    A resident Kingsley Ebikeme, who said he had been buying the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol, since the scarcity started, noted that the company had enabled him to save a lot of money.

    “Although the queues are always very long – because they are about the only filling stations that always has ready fuel and selling at N145 per litre – you can only imagine how much they save in a month for a middle-class person, especially when you have to buy at the average of N190 to N200 from the few other filling stations that also have fuel,” Ebikeme said.

    A transportation businessman Okeoghene Joseph said: “These people (Matrix Energy) deserve an award and whatever other thing that government can do to make them deliver better.

    “If not for Matrix, tell me how people like us could still been in business, because commuters are not always ready to pay extra in the name of fuel scarcity.”

    It was learnt that Matrix Energy’s steadfastness had started to yield positive results for consumers as the pump price is expected to crash in the market.

  • Lawyers hail Bauchi governor’s wife on award

    Lawyers hail Bauchi governor’s wife on award

    the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Bauch Branch, has commended Governor Mohammed Abubakar’s wife, Hajiya Hadiza, on her award as the Most Outstanding First Lady  Award.

    The award organised by Total International Magazine, Abuja.

    The branch chairman Mohammed Maidoki said she deserved the honour.

    Hajiya Abubakar was named winner of the 2018 edition of the award.

    Maidoki said: “She really deserves  the award. She  has succeeded in impacting positively on the lives of the common man in the state, particularly in the women and vulnerable children through the Bauchi  Sustainable Women Economic Empowerment Peace Initiative ( B-SWEEP).

    “She is known by all for her selfless service to humanity.”

    Former chairman of the branch, Mr. Matthias Tsuwa said the award was a good to reward for excellence and hard work.

    “One of our problems as a country is the recognition and reward of laziness, cronyism and nepotism to the detriment  of hard work and excellence.

    “So, awards like the one won by  Hajiya Abubakar is a welcome development.

    “It also testifies to the good work her husband is doing in Bauchi State. She has done so well that the people of Bauchi have asked him to do another term,” he said.

    A statement by the Special Assistant  Communications to Governor Abubakar, Mr. Shamsuddeen Lukman said: “The prestigious award is based on her exceptional contribution towards women development and other extraordinary activities that will improve substantially on the quality of life and living standard of Nigerians in both urban and rural communities, particularly the vulnerable group – the women of Bauchi State through her pet project.”

    At the event were Governor Abubakar, party leaders, Secretary to the Bauchi State government, National Assembly members, traditional rulers, top ranking government officials, among others.

  • Shareholders hail nullification of FRCN’s rule on audit committee’s chairmanship

    Shareholders have praised a judgement of the Federal High Court that overturned a rule by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN) that required any person attesting as audit committee’s chairman to be a professional member of a Nigerian accounting body.

    In 2015, the FRCN had issued and published its Rule 2(c) which required “any person attesting as chairman of audit committee to annual report statement, accounts, financial report, return, and other documents of a financial nature, shall be a professional member of an accounting body established by act of National Assembly”.

    However, public companies that could not provide a professionally qualified accountant as their audit committee chairman were required to apply for a waiver before their annual accounts can be approved. FRCN collects a fee for the issuance of the waiver.

    Shareholders under the aegis of Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN) had challenged the FRCN’s Rule 2(c) at the Federal High Court presided over by Justice A O Faji in Suit No FHC/L/ CS/1026/16.

    Delivering judgement, the court granted three declarations that the FRCN has no power under the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria Act to make any rule stipulating a qualification for membership or headship of audit committees of companies incorporated under the Companies and Allied Matters Act.

    The court also held that FRCN has no power under the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria Act to prescribe any standard of financial reporting or any other standard that requires of any company incorporated under the Companies and Allied Matters Act anything that is inconsistent with or that modifies in any respect any provision of the Companies and Allied Matters Act.

    The court declared that the FRCN is bound to exercise its functions in accordance with any law in force in the country and therefore may not prescribe any standard or make any other prescription which is inconsistent with any other law made by the National Assembly.

    With these declarations, the court ordered the setting aside of the publication purporting to be rules made by or in the name of the FRCN (copy of which is attached to the affidavit in support of this summons) or in particular rule 2(c) thereof wherein is stated that “any person attesting, as chairman of Audit committee, to annual report, financial statements, accounts, financial report, returns and other documents of a financial nature, shall be a professional member of an accounting body established by Act of National Assembly.

    The court also set aside any other directive of the FRCN to companies incorporated under the CAMA published on the website of the FRCN or by any other means on the qualification for membership, headship or composition of an audit committee.

    Justice Faji pointed out that CAMA makes no provision for qualification of chairman of the audit committee, noting that apart from section 359(4) which prescribes those who can be members of the committee, there is no other qualification.

    “In so far as the rule (Rule 2c) therefore seeks to introduce a qualification that is outside the powers of the defendant. The defendant is not a law making body and cannot by its own rules (or subsidiary legislation at best) seek or attempt to amend a law of the National Assembly. Declarations ‘1’- ‘3’therefore succeed” Justice Faji ruled.

    National Coordinator, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN), Mr. Adeniyi  Adebisi, said the ruling has vindicated the position of the shareholders and further emboldened them to play active roles in the regulation of the capital market.

    According to him, ISAN had considered the Rule 2(c) of the FRCN as an anomaly because it was against the letters and spirit of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) section 359. The association engaged the Executive Secretary of the FRCN on a number of occasions to reverse itself regarding the said rule, but it refused to do so.

    “It is worthy of note that regulators generally have succeeded in intimidating the regulated to the extent that they are prepared to accept anything offered to them  in the guise of regulation without as much as a protest. This is because they are afraid of being victimised in one way or the other for challenging the regulators.

  • Port Harcourt residents hail Fed Govt’s directive to oil firms

    Port Harcourt residents have hailed the Federal Government for directing multinational oil companies to relocate their headquarters to their areas of operation.

    They spoke with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

    NAN recalls that Acting President Yemi Osinbajo directed oil firms to relocate their headquarters to their areas of operation in Niger Delta.

    An environmental activist, Dr. Kulu Ogborigbo, said the Federal Government’s directive was a welcome development.

    He noted that locating the companies’ headquarters outside their areas of operation was retrogressive and against the development of host communities.

    Another resident, Mr. Fidelis Ogoli, said if the oil firms relocate to Niger Delta, it will generate employment and ensure peace.

    He stressed that relocation was a wise decision.

    Mrs. Ann Obiri praised the directive and urged the Federal Government to ensure its implementation, for the region’s development.

    She said the  initiative  would engender economic activities and create wealth.

    An environmentalist, Mr. Okey Tiro, said the directive was a positive one, addingthat it would restore peace.

    Said he: “Relocating the firms’ headquarters out of Niger Delta was an injustice.”

    Mrs. Amina Rueben enjoined the Federal Government to ensure the companies complied with the directive.

    “If the government ensures compliance, the indigenes will have more confidence in the present administration,” she said.

  • Cross River elders, Ita-Giwa hail Ayade on award

    Cross River elders, Ita-Giwa hail Ayade on award

    THE Cross River State Elders Forum and some prominent indigenes of the state, including Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, have reacted with excitement to the nomination of the state governor, Ben Ayade, as Governor of the Year by Vanguard Newspaper.

    They said the governor was most deserving of the award, which will be conferred on him on Saturday.

    Chairman of the elders’ forum, Col. Pam Ogar (rtd), said the award was a fitting recognition of the hard work and unsurpassable achievements recorded by the governor.

    According to him, “The governor’s achievements in the last 22 months as governor of Cross River State are unmatched.

    “Receiving a governor of the year award from a reputable newspaper like Vanguard has again shown that what he is doing in this part of the country is being seen and appreciated by all.”

    Urging the governor to see the award as an impetus to do much more to advance the lot of the people, he offered prayers for the governor.

    “As the umbrella of  body elders from Cross River, we can only pray for the governor and urge him to do more for the people of the State.

    “We wish him greater achievement for the state and greater opportunity for the people of Cross River. Our prayer is for him to continue to make the dream of the founding fathers of the state come true while praying for his good health.We will continue to support him.”

    On her part, Ita-Giwa views the award as “a clear indication of the governor’s faithfulness and commitment to better the lot of Cross Riverians. Ayade has shown he is ready to make the state a better place. So, l am not surprised with the award and recognition for all his achievements.

    She said the state under Ayade’s watch “is fast becoming an industrial hub, our people have enjoyed massive employment from the governor in his demonstration to ensure all Cross Riverians have opportunity to feed themselves. This award is obviously an award for all Cross Riverians.”

  • Saraki, Ekweremadu hail decision

    Saraki, Ekweremadu hail decision

    Senate President, Bukola
    Saraki, and Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday described their discharge by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory on charges of forgery as a welcome development.

    They also called it a vindication of their position from the beginning of the case that they are innocent of the accusations leveled against them.

    In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the Senate President on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, the duo said the court decision was consistent with their position that the case lacked any merit and that the charge of forgery of the Senate rule filed against them can never be substantiated by any fact.

    The two men described the case as a ‘politically-induced distraction’ which came at a time when all hands ought to be on deck to solve the problem of economic recession biting the people, destroying homes and creating severe social disorientation in communities.

    They, however, acknowledged that the federal government finally displayed courage and strength of character in halting the unnecessary waste of precious time of both parties by agreeing with the defence team that the case lacks merit and therefore should be discontinued.

    They expressed appreciation to “all our colleagues in the Senate for their solid support and understanding while the case lasted. We also thank other parliamentarians in and out of the country and the international community as a whole for the consistent solidarity they displayed to us and their belief in our genuine cause since the commencement of the case”.

    “We believe much time has been wasted in pursuing this needless case and we hope that the same treatment will be extended to other politically-motivated cases. It is also hoped that from now on, the various arms of government will be allowed to devote all the available time and resources to working on the problems confronting the country and finding solutions that will lead to higher standards of living for the majority of the people of Nigeria.

    “At this point, what the country needs is a strong economy where a very large percentage of those who are willing to work can be productively engaged; where there is solid infrastructure, where the atmosphere brings the best out of the people and where all are able to realize their full potential. We pledge to work for Nigeria to achieve all these,” Saraki and Ekweremadu stated.

  • Dons, students hail Fafunwa Foundation for developing education

    Dons, students hail Fafunwa Foundation for developing education

    NIGERIANS have hailed the Fafunwa Education Foundation (FEF) for contributing to the development of the education sector.

    Speaking yesterday at the Annual Awards Ceremony of the foundation held at the Faculty of Education Auditorium, University of Lagos (UNILAG), they said FEF over the years, had made a lot of impact in the education industry.

    The people, comprising students, academics, entrepreneurs and others, said the topic of the 2016 lecture titled: “tackling the problem of unemployment in Nigeria” was relevant to the recession the country was experiencing.

    They said if the recommendations to be made by the foundation are implemented, they will proffer solutions to unemployment.

    The Post Doctoral Award in Education was won by Dr. Olabisi Adedigba of the Faculty of Education, (Department of Teacher Education), University of Ibadan, Ibadan with the topic: “Efficacy of Literature-Based Instructional Strategies on Pupils Awareness of and Attitude to Child Right in Kwara State, Nigeria; who went home with N250,000.

    Dr. Bivese-Djebah Philomena Anwulika of the Faculty of Education (Dept of Educational Foundations), University of Lagos, Akoka emerged second with the topic: Effects or Cognitive Restructuring and social support on Marital Instability Among Selected Working Married Women in Lagos State, Nigeria; and carted away N150,000.

    Dr. Toju Toritseju Eyengho of the Faculty of Education (Dept of Art and Social Sciences), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife came third with the topic: “Assessment and Implementation of Primary and Secondary Schools Curricular and Co-Curricular Activities in Southwestern Nigeria; and got N100,000.

    In the Best Performance in WASSCE (May/June 2015) category, Abia State came top, followed by Anambra State and Edo State.

    The awards were presented by the chairman of the FEF’s Academic Committee, Prof. Kayode Alao, of the Faculty of Education, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

    The FEF, a non-government organization, was established in January 1995 to provide fresh insight and practical ideas on improving education in the country.