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Tag: Nigerian news

  • See full list of Gov Oyetola’s Commissioner, Special Adviser-nominees

    Here is the full list of Gov Oyetola’s Commissioner, Special Adviser-nominees

    *Oluremi Omowaiye

    *Ibitoye Felix

    *Sola Oladepo

    *Bola Oyebamiji

    *Ajisefini Abiodun

    *Muminu Adekunle

    *Ogunfolaju Sola Oyehan

    *Oladimeji Olanubi Segun

    *Agunbiade Nathaniel

    *Folorunsho Bamisayemi

    *Akeju Taiwo

    *Lawal Yemi Azeez

    *Olaonipekun Henry

    *Adeleke Adebayo

    *Olamiju Olasiji

    *Yinusa Olalekan

    *Isamotu Rafiu Olasunkanmi

    *Jamiu Olawumi

    *Akande Oluwafemi

    *Olumide Babatunde Olawale

    *Olaniyan Hussein

    *Adeosun Rasaq

    *Badmus Rahmon Lekan

    *Bakare Akande

    *Giwa Lateefat

    *Tadese Raheem

    *Adewole Adedayo

    *Lawal Tajudeen

    *Babalola Idiat

    *Kolajo Aderemi

    *Egbemode Funke

    *Kareem Akande

    *Oyegbile Rufus

    *Olaboopo Olubukola

  • BREAKING: Keyamo redeployed as Minister of Labour

    The Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Festus Keyamo, has been redeployed to the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

    He is to swap positions with Minister of State of Labour Tayo Alasoadura who moves to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.

    This was disclosed in a statement from the Director of Information at the Office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey.

    Bassey said President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the swap.

    Read Also; Keyamo promises justice to stabbed Buhari supporter

    According to him: “President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the immediate redeployment of two Ministers of State as follows.

    “Mr Festus Keyamo, Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs is to move to Ministry of Labour and Employment as Minister of State,

    “Senator Tayo Alasoadura is to move to Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs as Minister of State. This redeployment takes effect from today, Tuesday 24th September, 2019.”

  • Adhere to electoral law, CSOs urge politicians, INEC, others

    Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Kogi have called on politicians, INEC and other stakeholders to ensure peaceful conduct of the Nov. 16 governorship election through strict adherence to the electoral law.

    The representatives of the CSOs made the call at a two-day workshop on ‘Conflict Transformation and Election Violence Mitigation’, organised under Electoral Empowerment for Civil Society Programme (EECSP) by Search for Common Ground (SEARCH) on Tuesday, in Lokoja.

    Mrs Gift Omoniwa, the State Project Coordinator of SEARCH said that violence had the capacity to distort the legitimacy of elections.

    She, however, added that when the stakeholders upheld the tenets and played the game according the rules and in strict adherence to the laws, the outcome of such an election would be acceptable by all.

    Read Also: INEC trains security personnel for Kogi Gov race

    She said that electoral violence could be random or organised, with the intent to intimidate, threaten, inflict physical harm, blackmail, abuse, coerce, influence or affect an electoral process.

    According to her, the periodic election upon which the nation’s democratic process is hinged constitutes a major source of political conflicts in Nigeria because of the emotional attachment to elections.

    “We have also seen that violence during elections has the capacity to reverse all the progress made in the economy and every facet of our national life.

    “So there is the need for intervention in issues around elections by relevant stakeholders”, she said.

    Also speaking, Mr Idris Miliki, Executive Director, Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), said that issues of violence during elections were crucial and should be addressed squarely to give credence to such election.

    Miliki said that all stakeholders should take the issue of violence seriously in view of its negative impact on elections, adding that the fact that INEC was already expressing fear of violence could generate voter apathy.

    Mr Nathaniel Abaniwo, Executive Director, Rehoboth Community Advancement Initiative, said opinions had shown that people were expressing more fears than optimism over the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

    Abaniwo urged all stakeholders, including security agencies, politicians, INEC, the electorate, CSOs, the media and those remotely connected with the smooth conduct of the election, to take a common stand and resolve to make the exercise successful.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop addressed issues like mapping election risks, election violence analysis, violence scenario identification and early warning response matrix as well as violence escalation and de-escalation.

    (NAN)

  • Katsina killings: Senate seeks FG’s intervention, relief materials for victims

    The Senate on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to halt kidnappings and killings by armed bandits in some communities in Katsina State.

    The Senate, which made the call during plenary in Abuja, also called for provision of relief materials to the victims of the banditry by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

    It also urged the Federal Government to further strengthen the security agencies to forestall further attacks on the rural communities.

    The resolution of the Senate, followed a motion of urgent public importance brought by Sen. Barkiya Kabir, APC Katsina.

    Kabir said that many people living in Batasri, Rumar, Tsohuwa, Kasai and Yargamji communities, especially women and children, had become victims of incessant attacks by armed bandits.

    He said that 17 people had been killed , while 49 women were kidnapped in Basari, Gobirawa and Safana local governments.

    Read Also: We won’t interfere in alleged Osinbajo, Presidency face-off-Senate

    He said that 20 people had been killed in Jibia Local Government where 30 people were also kidnapped.

    He said that 10 vehicles were burnt by the bandits who also looted the belongings of their victims.

    He said that the attacks, if allowed to continue, would deter farmers from going to their farmlands.

    Kabir, however, said that security agents had continued to engage the bandits to bring the situation under control.

    According to him, NEMA has yet to visit and provide relief materials to the victims of the attacks who have been displaced from their homes.

    Sen. Ahmed Kaita, APC Katsina, also stated that there was the need to increase the number of security personnel to successfully combat the banditry.

    President of the Senate Ahmad Lawan, called for better training of security agents, provision of required equipment and adequate funding to fight insecurity.

    Lawan also announced that the various standing committees of the senate would be inaugurated on Sept 25.

    He also said the senate was expecting the presentation of the 2020 Appropriation Bill and the Medium Term Expenditure Framework from the Executive.

    Addressing newsmen shortly after the plenary, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Sen. Adedayo Adeyeye, said that the decision to inaugurate all the committees was to save valuable time for other legislative activities.

    On the alleged directive to the Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to get approval in the conduct of affairs of some agencies, Adeyeye said that the Senate ” is not involved. We are not concern about what happened in the executive.

    ” We don’t interfere. It is an issue that doesn’t concern us. We are not investigating NEMA. We are not aware any role constitutionally assigned to vice-president have been taken off him.

    “We are aware the president has the constitutional role to assign duties to people that work with him.

    “Where the constitution is violated, even in the judiciary, we can intervene”.(NAN)

  • We won’t interfere in alleged Osinbajo, Presidency face-off-Senate

    The Senate will not interfere in the alleged face-off between President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, its spokesman Senator Adedayo Adeyeye has declared.

    Answering questions from Senate Correspondents after plenary in Abuja, Adeyeye said while the President reserves the prerogative to assign duties to his aides, he is not aware that any roles assigned to the Vice President have been withdrawn.

    Adeyeye, who is the Chairman Senate Committee in Media and Publicity, was responding to a question on whether the Senate would intervene to solve the allegedly crisis.

    He said: “The Senate is not involved with that and we are not concerned about what happens in the executive (or) things that are happening with the Executive.

    “I am speaking for the Senate. I do not speak for the Executive and I do not want to concern myself with the issue of the Vice President or the Executive. It is not our business.

    Read Also: ICYMI: Disquiet in Presidency over Vice President Osinbajo

    “That is the executive arm of government and we do not interfere. Why do we have to do that?

    “It is not our concern, why do you want to drag me into something that does not really concern me and that does not concern the Senate.

    “So, we are not bothered about that and we are not concerned. I am not aware if any role constitutionally assigned to the Vice President has been taken away from him. Nothing like that has happened.

    “Constitutionally assigned duties remain the same. Get it right, The President has the prerogative to assign duties to all those who work with him in the executive.

    “He has the constitutional power to (assign roles to his aides.) He can call the Minster of Works and say ‘okay go to that ministry tomorrow, Finance (Minister) go to labour. The Senate will not inquire into that because that is his duties.

    “He can say my Vice President, I give you this additional responsibilities. Where is the power of the Senate to investigate that.

    “We do not have the power… Of course, that will warrant the intervention of the Senate. That has never happened, and that has not happened.

    “I do not think that will happen, even judiciary will have a role to play in that as well, not only the legislature, only where the constitution is seen to have been violated.

    “I do not think we have any cause to be discussing that, because that itself has not happened. So we are not bothered about that and we are not concerned. I want to tell you that at this moment we are not investigating it.”

  • How Buhari plans to lift millions out of poverty – Osinbajo

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN on Tuesday revealed how President Muhammadu Buhari plans to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

    According to him, the Federal Government’s policies and programmes aimed at promoting financial inclusion remain key to the actualization of the plan.

    Prof. Osinbajo spoke in Abuja at the opening session of the 2019 Annual Conference of Chartered Institute of Bankers.

    Osinbajo, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Laolu Akande, was referring to the President’s June 12 speech where he stated that “we are working to lift Nigerians out of poverty and set them on the path to prosperity. We intend to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty over the next 10 years”.

    According to the Vice President, “Financial inclusion, of course, is the key to realizing so much of what we expect as an economy and the President promised in his June 12 speech to lift 100 million people out of poverty in ten years, that is the commitment of the government of Nigeria.

    “We started that journey with our collaboration with the Bank of Industry to deliver the GEEP programme, better known as TraderMoni and MarketMoni by providing microcredit to almost 2 million petty traders. The Bank of Industry has now brought this huge bottom of the pyramid into the formal financial system and that has been recognized worldwide. Recently the programme won the AfDB prize for financial inclusion because of the work that was done with TraderMoni. This is a huge task.

    “Going forward, we now need to embark on financial training for all of those who have been brought into the net. As you know, when they’re given N10, 000 and they pay back, they are given N15, 000, N20, 000 and it goes all the way.

    “But at that point they’re given their BVNs, they’re formally included in the financial system, they’re formally included as formal traders, and so we are able to give them financial training and all that.”

    Continuing, the Vice President said “…for very long, that bottom of the pyramid has been completely excluded and yet informal trade is a significant part of trading that is going on in our country.

    “So, there’s a real need out there and we must devise the methods by which those at the bottom of the pyramid can be uplifted and we must look at how we can even resource the entire value chains. What we find is that the petty trader, who just has a trade, is usually selling little bits and pieces from many of the manufacturers or fast-moving products and we found that just by giving them credit, we can resource the whole value chain all the way up.”

    Read Also: Full text of Buhari’s speech at UNGA

    Speaking further on what the Federal Government intends to do in improving opportunities for those at the bottom of the pyramid, Prof. Osinbajo said “we’re working with the Bank of Industry, with several players in the market, especially the marketing services people to identify how to work through those value chains so that more of these people can move from petty trading, higher up in the value chain as they’re resourced”.

    He urged stakeholders in the banking sector to support government’s efforts in resuscitating the MSMEs and real sectors.

    He said “All of that will depend on what the banking industry is prepared to do, how adaptable the banking industry will be to giving loans, especially microcredit. Everything is changing very quickly.

    “We must create good jobs and opportunities. We must rapidly industrialize, we must provide the environment for local businesses, small and large to create wealth and value. We must also address the concerns of young entrepreneurs and startups, and the small traders, the millions at the bottom of the economic value chain, the millions at the bottom of the pyramid, those who sell from their trays and table tops all over the markets in our country.

    “We must develop the housing sector both to provide much needed shelter but also to boost local opportunities in the local building and building materials sectors. We know that we must ramp up our agricultural production, and provide a more efficient farm-to-market value chain, again creating millions of jobs in farming and Agribusiness generally.” he said

  • BREAKING: Umahi sacks Chief Press Secretary

    Ebonyi Governor David Umahi Tuesday has terminated the appointment of his Chief Press Secretary, Emmanuel Uzor.

    Umahi, in a WhatsApp message to our reporter, said he took the decision because the CPS misrepresented him and South East Governors in a statement he issued on the Controversial National Livestock Transformation Programme.

    The Governor described the statement by Uzor as highly embarrassing and regrettable.

    He further noted that the position of the CPS was contrary to his on the issue.

    The statement reads: “I just directed the termination of the appointment of my CPS for misrepresenting me and south east governors on National livestock transformation plan programme of which I had issued press statement on behalf of NEC after our last NEC meeting”.

    Read Also; Umahi appoints 180 additional aides

    “My former Cps was never authorised to talk to the press on the matter. His position is different from mine and that of the south east governors” .

    “His statement is so embarrassing and regrettable,” the governor wrote.

    Mr Umahi also said that the sacked CPS is to hand over to his Principal Secretary, Clement Nweke immediately.

    He wished him well in his future endeavors.

  • Justice reform should top agenda in Oyo, says report

    Nelson Olanipekun has advised that the justice sector should top the agenda for Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde who just celebrated 100 days in government.

    Nelson, Lead for Citizens Gavel a civic tech and justice sector reform advocacy organisation, believes that “Justice reform that can increase the pace of justice delivery in the state” should top agenda for Makinde’s government.

    “Oyo state has one of the highest numbers of awaiting trial detainees, which stands at 86 percent based on our April data survey, this is higher than the National average which stands at 69 percent,” Nelson stated.

    In a report by Citizens Gavel 1 of 5 people arrested by Police in Oyo state are been brutalized, from data collected from 16 LGAs in Oyo State, over 20 percent of citizens arrested by the Nigerian police are been brutalized during and before arrest.

    It was also gathered that over 80 percent of inmates were not treated fairly by prison wardens against the conditions of detention in police custody and pre-trial detention started in the LUANDA Guidelines Section 24.

    Prison Cells in Oyo State are overcrowded. Some very small cells have over 100 detainees.

    It was also reported there is very poor hygiene of arrested and detained persons at police stations in Oyo State, which can lead to serious health conditions of inmates. Less than 2 percent have their baths once in a week.

    It was also highlighted in the report that over 90 percent of the respondents said they have had very bad experiences in Oyo state Prisons and stations.

    Even though N17 billion was the budget allocated for feeding of awaiting trials and convicts in the Nigeria Prisons, less than 4 percent of Oyo inmates were feed twice daily in detention cells.

    Despite the N366.1 billion police budget for 2019 less than 7 percent of arrested and detained citizens were given food once daily in Oyo State.

    The Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) provision of session 34 says that Magistrates are supposed to be visiting Police stations but due to lack of proper framework to implement the provisions less than 1 percent of the inmates have been visited.

    Arrested and detained persons have, according Section 8(1) of ACJL of Oyo State, rights to be informed of reasons their arrest and charges against them but less than 2 percent are notified of the reason for their arrest during or before the arrest.

    It was also reported that almost 60 percent of people arrested and inmates in OYO states are youths.

    According to LUANDA guidelines it is the duty of court to ensure that every detainee is represented by a lawyer but 100 percent of respondents say that they were not assigned by a lawyer by the court.

    And only 2 out of 100 respondents wrote their statements in front of a lawyer.

  • Governors forum inaugurates committee to provide synergy between APC governors, lawmakers

    The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has inaugurated a Legislative Programme Steering Committee to ensure seamless synergy of engagements between APC governors and lawmakers across the country.

    The Deputy Chairman of PGF, Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Philip Shaibu, said this at the inaugural meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.
    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Obaseki is the chairman of the committee while Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina State is co-chairman.

    Obaseki said that the committee was inaugurated to primarily provide PGF members with clear and concise contextual recommendations in terms of legal framework governing government processes and decisions.
    According to him, the committee should monitor ongoing government operations, identify issues suitable for legislative review, gather and evaluate information and recommend course of action to PGF.

    “It is also expected to promote and advocate the interest of the PGF member states regarding laws, regulations, socio-economic policies and other developments that may affect our states and the APC as a whole.

    Read Also: APC worse off under you, Progressives Govs Forum DG hits Oshiomhole

     

    “Further to this, is our recognition of the fact that the Legislature is the backbone of any democracy. No democracy can flourish except, and until its legislature is strong and progressively active.

    “Part of the objectives of the PGF Legislative programmes therefore, is to ensure cordial relations between our legislatures and those of us operating in the executive arm,” Obaseki said.
    According to him, our goal is to develop a good framework of engagement through initiating activities that would enable us to review emerging challenges regularly.

    “It will also seek to manage and regulate all emerging differences such that conflicts between the executive and the legislature at all levels where APC rules are minimised.
    “That does not mean that there would be no disagreements or conflicts any more in the future, because

    conflicts are inevitable outcomes of politics and political activities.

    “But through the regular engagement and interactions between the Executive and the legislature, we will take steps to ensure that all emerging conflicts are resolved,” he said.

    (NAN)

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