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Tag: shun

  • Melaye, Bruce shun police invitation

    Senators Dino Melaye and Ben Murray-Bruce yesterday shunned the police invitation  in connection with last week’s public protest in Abuja.

    The senators were expected at the office of the FCT Commissioner of Police for questioning by 10am but they did not show up.

    The Police had alleged that the duo were captured on camera for their active involvement in the disturbance of public peace and public safety and unlawful blockade of Shehu Shagari way for many hours thereby preventing road users’ access.

    The Police also allged that they were pushing and hitting policemen in a bid to forcibly gain access to the Force Headquarters to cause damage to Police equipment and government property.

    FCT police Spokesman DSP Anjuguri Manzah said yesterday: “We have not seen them yet but we are keeping our fingers crossed.”

    “We will respond appropriately.  It is an ongoing investigation. Please let us not dabble into it”.

  • APC chieftains shun court in suit over Adeleke’s academic qualification

    Plaintiffs in the suit challenging the authenticity of the secondary school certificate submitted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the Osun State governorship election, Ademola Adeleke, did not turn up for the hearing of the matter yestrday.

    The plaintiffs, Wahab Raheem and Adam Omosalewa Habeeb, who are members of the All Progressives Party (APC), claimed that Adeleke did not possess a valid secondary school certificate to qualify him to contest the governorship election in Osun State.

    On September 19, the West African Examination Council (WAEC), in response to an ex-parte order made by the court on September 11, confirmed that Adeleke sat for its May/June 1981 examination and wrote only English Language, in which he got F9.

    Parties were expected to attend court yesterday for hearing the matter.

    But when it was called, the plaintiffs and their lawyer, Bankole Akomolafe, were absent in court.

    Nathaniel Oke (SAN) announced his appearance for Adeleke, while Emmanuel Enoidem announced for the PDP.

    They argued that the absence of the plaintiffs and their lawyer was an indication that they were unwilling to proceed with the case.

    The lawyers prayed the court to dismiss the suit for lack of diligent prosecution.

    Ruling, Justice Othman Musa adjourned the matter indefinitely.

    He said parties would be notified later about any future date.

  • ‘Shun desperate politicians’

    Bayelsa State government yesterday urged youths to protect their future by identifying and shunning political desperadoes ahead of 2019 elections.

    Commissioner for Information and Orientation Daniel Iworiso-Markson told youths that desperate politicians would adopt wicked measures, including riding on the blood of youths to power.

    Speaking to a group of youths under the auspices of the National Union of Ogbia Students (NUOS), Iworiso-Markson appealed to them to avoid being used as instruments to cause violence and destabilise the state.

    He said desperate politicians were interested in exploiting youths to win elections and thereafter abandon them only to return to beg them with money after four years.

    The commissioner urged the students to stand firm and resist the usual gimmick but to support aspirants known for their performance and love for the people.

    Iworiso-Markson told them to be peaceful during elections, saying, “your lives are more important than the ambition of a desperate politician”.

    The Information chief said his passion in life was to see to the development of young people with the capacity to rule their world.

    He assured them of his support in their programmes, particularly the campaign against social vices in Ogbia.

    “Let me thank you for coming and for taking up the sensitization to curb the rampaging issue of cultism, abuse of alcohol and drug addiction. It is imperative to curb these menace as well as proffer possible solutions needed.

    “I endorse the programme and affirm my total support. This is because the rate of cultism and other social vices in Ogbia is alarming.

    “There is a general break down in the family and when you have a broken home, social vices are inevitable. So we will address the problem from the root because we don’t want any Ogbia child to die due to cultism again”.

    The group’s leader, Damini Patrick, earlier commended the government of Governor Seriake Dickson for developing Bayelsa, especially Ogbia Local Government.

    He listed projects, such as the construction of Imiringi and Opume bridges, which are about 90 per cent completed, internal roads, among others.

    Damini appreciated the commissioner for his contributions towards development of Ogbia and youths, in particular.

    “The Ogbia students are really proud of you for piloting the affairs of the Restoration Government in this ministry gallantly. And we are strongly behind you.

    “We are here to talk about our upcoming programme. There is a saying that if you want to harvest for a year then you should plant rice, if you want to harvest for 10 years you should plant tress but if you want to invest for hundred years then educate a child. And education to us is path to success.

    “Dr. Goodluck Jonathan established a school in Otuoke because he knew that through education a better council is assured. But recently in Ogbia kingdom, our youths are deviating from education and now indulge themself in cultism, alcoholism and drug addiction and so many other social vices.

    “I and my executives came together and said we need to fight this, this is a collective effort and we came up with the theme; curbing social vices in Ogbia Kingdom. So we thought it wise to see you as our representative in the restoration government to assist us in this programme”.

  • Lawmaker urges youths to shun crime

    A lawmaker representing Apapa in Lagos State, Mr. Ayodeji Joseph, has urged youths to shun crime.

    He stressed the importance of skill acquisition, saying it was the panacea for unemployment.

    Joseph, who spoke at the weekend during the 1st Youth Summit organised by the Deputy Leader of Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Legislative Council, Emmanuel Oputa, in Marine Beach, Lagos, said youths should engage in productive and legitimate activities.

    Oputa, who is also the councillor representing Ward ‘F’, said: “Today’s event tagged: ‘Youth Know Yourself’, is part of my efforts in contributing to the growth and development of the society by investing in our youths.”

    The guest speaker, Mr. Moses Bamgbose, identified lack of skills and competence as factors inhibiting the development of youths.

  • We must shun ‘do or die’ politics, warns Jega

    We must shun ‘do or die’ politics, warns Jega

    The immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has urged politicians to desist from the “do or die” mentality.

    This, he said, has characterised the political process in the country for a long time.

    Admitted that conduct of elections in the country is a difficult task, Jega advised them to always abide by the rules guiding the conduct of elections.

    He praised the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) over the last July 22 Local Government elections.

    Noting that there are no perfect elections, the former INEC boss said the best of the commission was good enough.

    Jega spoke yesterday during a visit to the Yaba LASIEC headquarters.

    Accompanied by a former INEC Commissioner, Prof Lai Olurode, he stressed the importance of voters’ education by Election Management Bodies to make the electoral process more inclusive.

    He, however, added that funding civic and voters’ education programmes requires a lot of finances, which many electoral commissions might not have the capacity to undertake.

    He urged Electoral Management Bodies to partner donor agencies for assistance, adding that everybody should be concerned about the integrity of the electoral process.

    LASIEC Chairman Justice Ayotunde Phillips (retd) hailed Jega for introducing the Card Reader for the conduct of elections.

    The commission, she said, is planning to use it in the future election.

    This, she said, will enhance the transparency and credibility of the electoral process.

    According to her, the commission would have acquired the necessary technological infrastructure and expertise which would be deployed to modernise the electoral process in the state.

  • Statistician urges labour to shun strike

    Statistician urges labour to shun strike

    The Office of the Statistician-General in Osun State has urged labour unions not to embark on strike.

    In a statement, the Statistician-General Prof. Wasiu Gbolagade said what the state needs at “this critical time is the cooperation of everyone”.

    According to him, the government is trying its best to satisfy the citizenry.

    He said: “From our available records and database, the Osun State government does not owe workers on levels One to Seven a single naira till date. The government has been paying all their emoluments and other entitlements as at when due. The percentage of the workers that fall into this category is 82 per cent.

    “However, other categories, which do not fall into these categories, are senior workers who are entitled to substantial amount of running costs per month, apart from their normal 75 per cent or 50 per cent of their monthly salaries.

    “Also, from available records, the workers on Level 8 and above are enjoying participation and attendance of conferences, workshops, among others, which attract some monetary benefits, apart from salaries.”

    The statistician-general, who reminded workers that “life is give-and-take,” advised labour unions to think twice before leading workers on a strike that “would do no one any good”.

    Labour unions, last Friday, declared an industrial action over non-payment of workers’ full salaries.

    The labour unions, comprising Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Joint Negotiation Council (JNC), ordered their members to begin indefinite strike after Christmas holiday on December 27.

    According to the labour, the strike was to make the state government yield to their demands because the 21-day ultimatum by labour unions had expired.

    The state chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Jacob Adekomi, on Friday, declared the indefinite strike at a media briefing in Osogbo, the state capital.

    Adekomi, who said there was no basis for the state government to further pay modulated salaries to categories of workers, said labour unions would no longer accept the embargo placed on promotion of workers since 2012.

    The labour leaders said there was no going back on the action unless the state government acceded to their demand.

  • Why professionals can’t continue to shun politics, by Emmanuel

    Why professionals can’t continue to shun politics, by Emmanuel

    •ExxonMobil Executive Director Inoyo is CIPM President

    Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel has urged professionals in the private sector to take interest in the public service to ensure that the democratic system is strengthened.

    Emmanuel, who spoke at the investiture of Mr. Udom Inoyo as  President of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos, explained that having more private sector professionals in the political system would tidy up the political process.

    “In mature democracies and economies public service attracts the best in those societies. As professionals in politics, we  can start a new conversation that is predicated on selfless service to our people and in the process show that government and governance can indeed be a force for good,” he remarked.

    Emmanuel, while comparing process in the public and private sector, said recruitment and appointment in the private sector is mostly based on merit and driven by set criteria; unlike in the public sector, where election and appointment into positions are based on a number of other complicated balancing acts.

    The governor, who revealed that in his more than two years in office, he has learnt new dynamics in human relations and management, said although it takes twice as much hard work in the public sector to manage passions that may have been shaped by zero-sum tendencies, he said what is most important is for leaders, irrespective of the criteria that threw up the members of their team, the team combination and dynamics, must still be able to lead them towards achieving set goals.

    “While this task is much easier and straightforward in the private sector considering set standards and criteria which are adhered to by all players, it is a lot more challenging in the public sector considering the multiplicity of contending considerations,” he explained, adding that this divergence in practices and approaches between the public and private sectors suggests that players in both sectors have a lot to learn from each other, and hence, the need for continuous collaboration between the two sectors.

    Emmanuel said he has directed the state’s Head of Service (HOS) to initiate the process of collaboration with the CIPM towards enhancing the professionalism, competency and capability development and certification of officers who are in administrative roles the state’s civil service. He promised to monitor the programme as well as the effectiveness of those trained and certified.

    Emmanuel, while congratulating Inoyo, assured the body that with its new president, the institute is assured of continuous adherence to professional standards and unwavering commitment to integrity- values he noted have stood the institute out as a premier training facility for professionals.

    Inoyo called for increased collaboration between the private sector and government to leap-frog human capacity development in Nigeria.

    He observed that Nigeria’s huge population is its biggest asset and to fully harness the human potential, there is need for government and the organised private sector to strengthen partnerships with a view to better manage the abundant human resources for improved productivity and profitability. “When human resources are well managed, bottom-line will be impacted”, he added.

    The new President  called for collaborative efforts among governments and other stakeholders, such as CIPM for effective human capital utilisation.

    Inoyo said: “There is need for more engagement between government and professional organisations such as CIPM towards developing human talent. The CIPM was established to regulate the practice of human resource management in Nigeria and to promote excellence in the acquisition and application of knowledge and skills by professionals thereby enhancing sustainable national development.

    Inoyo, who is executive director, Human Resources at ExxonMobil, pledged to work with the Akwa Ibom State government and other partners and stakeholders to enhance human capacity development across Nigeria.

    The immediate past president, Mr. Anthony Arabome, commended the institute’s succession process. He said over the years, the institute has taken deliberate steps to enhance an early realisation of its vision of being a foremost people management organisation.

  • Recession: NLC urges Fed Govt to shun IMF

    Recession: NLC urges Fed Govt to shun IMF

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the Federal Government not to seek solution to the recession from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    It warned against resorting to other external institutions for help, arguing that the solutions to the challenges could be found in this country.

    During the National Delegate Conference of the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFFWW), its President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said  for the country to be restored to growth path, the government should design policies that would bring back industries, create jobs, revive electricity and revalue the currency.

    He emphasised the need for the government to encourage the growth of the informal sector, resume local production of petroleum products, develop solid minerals and tourism, among others.

    “We do not need any lecturing from the IMF or any external institutions to do this. We have vibrant and experienced experts that can develop policies on these. Indeed, the government should, as a matter of urgency, convene a conference on the economy or assemble an all-inclusive team to develop an economic recovery framework that is people driven and people focused,” he said.

    He argued that the recession was not only a result of corruption but the continued adoption of policies imposed by neo-liberal institutions against the wishes of Nigerians.

    Wabba appealed to federal and state  governments to save the construction industry from collapse by paying the debts owed contractors.

    He said the construction industry was inactive because of the refusal or inability of governments to pay for jobs done and mobilise contractors for new jobs.

    “In view of the considerable harm and pain this has brought upon everybody in the chain, especially workers, I would want to use this opportunity to call on federal and state governments to without further delay, pay their debts to both local and international contractors. I have no doubt this will stimulate the economy in no small measure,” he said.

    Wabba called on members of the union to continue to support the  leadership of the union, saying that without their support, the leadership would not  be able to contribute effectively to the promotion and defence of workers’ rights as well as the advancement of good governance.

    “Do not allow yourselves to be distracted by those who seek to weaken us by attempting to divide our ranks. Be focused and remain committed to the struggle we know!  I urge you to continue to remain faithful to the historical tasks that your union is known for by way of actively participating  in action/activities that will ensure positive change; people driven governance and national progress,” Wabba added.

  • ‘Why foreign investors shun Nigeria’

    Foreign investors are wary of doing business in Nigeria because the country is perceived as not investor friendly.

    Speaking with reporters yesterday in Abuja,  a foreign investment broker and Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Footprint to Africa, Osita Oparaugo, said investors are put off by how difficult it is to do business in the country and the painful fact that both private and public entities in the country have no scruples discarding an agreement reached with foreign investors if they discover that the initial agreement was not in their favour.

    To address this problem, Oparaugo commended the  administration for initiating the Presidential Council on Ease of Doing Business which he described as as “good.”

    Oparaugo warned: “We must learn to stick to terms of Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs); institutionalise continuity in government policies, projects and programmes even when there is a different party or government in power.”

  • Shun materialism, GKS tasks Christians

    The Chairman, Executive Board God’s Kingdom Society (GKS), Brother Godwin Ifeacho has called on Christians to shun materialism and remain watchful as the coming of the Lord draws near.

    Ifeacho spoke last Sunday at the one-week long Christian Feast of Tabernacles organised by the church at the St Urhobo Square, Salem City, Warri, Delta State.

    The programme attracted thousands across the country with bible lecture, musical festival, children assembly and Christian possession.

    The high point was when members from Lagos, Oyo, Calabar, Abuja, Kano, Edo, walked from Urhobo town to Sapele, stadium road in Delta State with much fanfare.

    Ifeacho said Christians must not make acquisition of material things their main preoccupation.

    According to him:  “It is the blessings of God that gives true riches which one will enjoy with peace and which most importantly gives one everlasting life in God’s kingdom when fully established by Gods grace. That is what we should seek after.”

    He highlighted the vanity of inordinate and insatiable desire for material things with the erroneous belief that one’s life is secured by abundance.

    “We are not sufficient of ourselves and so we have to acknowledge that it is by the grace of God that our plans, which are according to his will, would bear fruit or be successful,” he stressed.

    He lamented that unbridled quest for materialism has created massive corruption, which is killing the nation.

    “Corruption is the single most critical contemporary threat to development, democracy and human security in Nigeria.

    “It is responsible for most of the conflicts that are presented in ethnic and religious terms,” he said.

    He lamented many church leaders cannot teach their adherents to live godly lives, be diligent and to continue in well doing.

    Instead, he said they make people believe that gain is godliness or evidence of blessing from God.