The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Author: Editor

  • INEC considers making NIN a precondition to voters registration

    The Independent National Electoral Commission is considering making the National Identity Number a precondition for registering voters when the continuous voter registration exercise commences in a few weeks, The PUNCH has learnt.

     

    A national commissioner at INEC disclosed this during an interview with The PUNCH on Tuesday.

    He said the NIN would help tackle challenges of underage voting, alien voting and other challenges associated with registration.

     

    The national commissioner, who wished to remain anonymous because he was not authorised to speak, said a final decision would soon be reached.

     

    The INEC official explained that the permanent voter card was only supposed to be in use for a maximum of 10 years, adding that most countries rely on a national database and not the Permanent Voter Card for voting.

     

    He said, “The NIN is the ideal. When we want to begin the continuous voter registration, we may consider it because ordinarily, a national identity card is what should be used for voting. When the PVC was introduced, it was meant to be in use for 10 years and the assumption was that within those 10 years, the national identity card would be in use by a majority of Nigerians.

     

    “I can tell you that the NIN will be one of the preconditions for registration when the CVR starts. We are trying to harmonise all databases.”

     

    When contacted on the telephone, the Director, Voter Education and Publicity, INEC, Nick Dazang, said he could not say for sure if the NIN would be a precondition for registration, adding that meetings were still ongoing.

     

    He said once a final decision had been made, INEC would officially inform Nigerians.

    When asked if the NIN would be made compulsory for new registrants, Dazang said, “When we reach the bridge, we will cross it. For now, we have not announced the date for the registration exercise to begin and the conditionality. When we are ready, the commission will announce the procedure for the continuous voter registration so the commission has not taken a decision in respect of that.”

     

    The INEC director said the commission was also looking at how to ensure that the registration is done amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic.

     

    INEC has not registered any Nigerian in over two years, a development which civil society groups have criticised.

    The commission had announced in November that the registration exercise would begin in the first quarter of 2021.

    Several government organisations have made the NIN a precondition for obtaining documents.

     

    The Nigeria Immigration Service had in 2019 made the NIN a precondition for obtaining a passport while the National Examination Council and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board said recently that only persons with their NINs would be eligible to sit for exams.

     

    The Federal Road Safety Commission also said recently that persons applying for driving licences must possess their NINs.

     

    The demand for the NINs by government agencies has forced thousands of Nigerians to gather at enrolment centres of the National Identity Management Commission in flagrant disregard of COVID-19 protocols.

     

    NIN, SIM linkage will assist in fishing out criminals – FG

    Meanwhile, the Federal Government on Tuesday said the linking of NINs to subscribers identification modules would assist it in fishing out criminals.

    The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, said this in a statement issued in Abuja by the Director Public, Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission, Ikechukwu Adinde.

     

    According to the statement, the number of Nigerians, who have collected NINs, has increased to 47.8 million.

     

    Pantami advised Nigerians to protect their NINs, adding that subscribers should not sell their NINs or allow others to use them for registration.

     

    “For any action committed with the SIM good or bad it will be officially traced and attached to the NIN owner,” the minister warned.

     

    The statement further stated that at the end of a review meeting on Tuesday, the Technical Implementation Committee under the Ministerial Task Force reported significant progress in the NIN-SIM linkage.

     

    The NCC stated, “So far, a total of 47.8 million NINs have been collected by the mobile operators. At an average of three to four SIMs per subscriber, this means many millions will be linked up before the deadline in February 2021.”

     

    On December 15, 2020, the Federal Government said after December 30, 2020, all SIMs that were not registered with valid NINs on the network of telecommunications companies would be blocked.

     

    It later extended the December 30, 2020 deadline following widespread opposition against the earlier announcement. It gave three weeks extension for subscribers with NINs from December 30, 2020 to January 19, 2021.

     

    It also gave six weeks extension for subscribers without NINs from December 30, 2020 to February 9, 2021, but many organisations had called for further deadline extension or outright suspension of the NIN registration process due to the large crowds who had yet to have their NINs.

     

    Reacting to the report of the committee, the minister on Tuesday expressed satisfaction with the achievement.

     

    He also expressed the Federal Government’s appreciation for the commitment demonstrated by all stakeholders and citizens and urged them to submit their NINs before the February 9, 2021 deadline.

     

    Crowds overwhelm  NIMC  centres

    In a related development, despite the assurance by telecommunication firms that telephone lines that were not linked to NINs would not be deactivated on Wednesday, many Nigerians still thronged the NIMC registration centres on Tuesday.

     

    In  Abuja, it was observed that most NIMC centres recorded large turnout of residents as Nigerians struggled to get their NINs before the February 9, 2021 deadline.

     

    Two of such centres,  which witnessed huge number of people, who wanted to register as of the time one of our correspondents visited were the one on the premises of the Nigeria Customs Service, Karu and the one at Kenuj School, Jikwoyi.

     

    Those, who spoke to The source at the two centres expressed frustration at what they called the slow pace of registration.

     

    “I have been here since 5am to pick a number. Up till now, it is not yet my turn to be registered,” a student, Yusuf Garba, told The source at  11am at one of the centres.

    ‌

    Another student, Esther Davies, had a more pathetic story to tell. He stated, “I came in here with my brothers at  5.30am. Our dad drove us here and left for work. Since 5.30am, it was just around 10am that we were told we could not be registered today.

     

    “They told us to come back on Friday and that we should endeavour to come very early and see if we may be lucky that day,” he said.

     

    Another prospective registrant, who identified himself as Abubakar, said he had earlier tried his luck with centres in the city centre with the hope that those ones would not be crowded.

     

    “I thought the centres in town will not be crowded, but I was wrong. I have been going from Mararaba to city centre since last week without luck. That’s why I decided to try this place too,” he said.

     

    Also, residents who gathered at the Public Service Institute of Nigeria, Kubwa, complained that the registration at the location was slow.

     

    “This whole thing is not moving as planned and it is better for the government to extend the deadline because a lot of people have not obtained their NINs,” one of the residents at the PSIN centre, Stanley Okoroduru, said.

     

    In Rivers State, applicants, who besieged the NIMC office in Port Harcourt, said the process was frustrating.

     

    An applicant,  who identified himself as  Otukupe, said more centres should be created.   “If you go in there now, they have only seven computers. So let them open more centres. You can see the crowd here,” he stated.

     

    In Sokoto State,  some residents returned home when they heard that telephone lines without NINs would not be deactivated on Wednesday.

     

    One of them, Sule Nasiru, who spoke to one of our correspondents, said, “I can now return to my tailoring business and come back at a more convenient time after the crowd has reduced. I have been locking up my shop in the last three days just to meet up with the NIN registration.”

     

    In Kwara State, applicants from other parts of the state, went to the NIMC centres in Ilorin, the state capital.

    One of them, Alhaji Isa Olofe, said that he came with many people from Otte in the Asa Local Government Area of the state.

    He said that he was disappointed that they could not register

    Borno State residents also besieged the registration centres in Maiduguri. A displaced person in Kukawa, Mohammed Adamuid, said registration centres in other local government areas were not functioning.

     

    In Gombe State, residents, who mistakenly believed that telephone lines would be deactivated on Wednesday (today)  thronged the NIMC centres as early as 4am on Tuesday.

     

    A resident, Adams Useni, said he was one of those who got the centre early.

    Useni said, “As early as 4:30am, I had got to the secretariat waiting to be attended to, but the staff didn’t resume early. I was able to get a number with the hope of being attended to today (Tuesday.)”

     

    In the race to meet up with the deadline for the NIN, many residents besieged Alausa, the Lagos office of the NIMC.

     

    The source gathered that workers at the Lagos centre were overwhelmed with the crowd, many of whom were made to wait at the gate.

     

    An official at the centre, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said the closing date for the registration was not realistic based on the number of people yet to be registered.

     

    “There are diplomats and envoys who have not even registered. They are not coming out because of COVID-19. We attended to one of them from the UK on Friday and she was complaining that we made her wait for over seven hours. She was lamenting how the government would insist that people register at a time when there is COVID-19. Some of us were just staring at her because seven hours is nothing compared to those who come as early as 5am.

     

    “Today, we attended to a lot of people. On the average, we register 400 people daily.  The local government centres are overwhelmed because Lagos civil servants who should assist them are not around because the government said they should work from home,” the source said

     

    Uncertainty over status of diplomats’ registration centre

    There was also uncertainty over the status of the national identity card registration centre at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has now been designated for registration of foreign diplomats.

     

    The registration centre at the Tafawa Balewa building, Abuja, was earmarked for registration of envoys by the Federal Government last week.

     

    Findings by one of our correspondents on Tuesday, indicated that the centre was still catering only to the foreign affair ministry staff and their families while diplomats had yet to visit the office for the registration exercise.

     

    A senior official said, “The designation of the NIN registration centre at the ministry of foreign affairs is just a proposal; it has not been implemented. The registration centre is a small office and it has been registering the staff for years. Nothing has been added to it.

     

    “I was there on Monday to register the family members of a colleague and the place has not been expanded to accommodate the number of envoys that may come for the registration exercise.”

     

    The source could not confirm if the facility would be designated for diplomats only or expanded to register both diplomats and ministry officials and their family m embers.

     

    When asked about the status of the centre, the ministry’s spokesman, Ferdinand Nwonye, said he did not have any information on it.

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • NDLEA recovers two suit cases (21.9kg) of cocaine at Abuja Airport

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has recovered two suitcases of cocaine at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

     

    The narcotic, weighing 21.9 kilogrammes, was the largest single seizure made by the Airport Command of the NDLEA.

    This was disclosed in a statement on Monday by the Principal Staff Officer, Public Affairs, NDLEA, Jonah Achema.

     

    Achema, a Deputy Commander of Narcotics, said the two unaccompanied and unclaimed suitcases were discovered after the arrival of Ethiopian Airline ET 910 in Abuja from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

     

    Name tags attached to the bags indicated that they belonged to one Akomaye Ife and Nze Lusaka U.

     

    The statement said during the inward clearance of the flight, the vigilant officers of the command became suspicious upon noticing that the two briefcases were abandoned on the conveyor belt without any of the passengers claiming them.

     

    It stated, “The NDLEA commander directed the officers to keep an eye on the suitcases and informed the airline and its handlers of NDLEA’s interest in the luggage.

     

    “After a few days of no one claiming the luggage, the commander formally contacted the station manager of Ethiopian Airline and NAHCO Aviance, being the handler for the airline, indicating the suspicion of the agency of the suitcases and placed a standing order that NDLEA should be invited before the luggage would be released to the owner or in the event that the luggage would be returned to the point of embarkation.

     

    “After many weeks of no claim by the owners, the commander informed the airline on the need for search to be conducted on the unclaimed suitcases.

     

    “The airline officials, including the baggage handler along with the Department of State Services, Aviation Security and Nigeria Customs Service, were invited to the NDLEA office where the search was conducted.”

    According to the agency, the first suitcase was searched and found with three blankets out of which two contained parcels of transparent nylon which housed whitish substances suspected to be hard drugs.

    ‌

    Field tests proved positive for cocaine and weighed 10.750kg.

    The box had a baggage tag with the name Akamonye Ife.

    The second suitcase reportedly contained 22 packs of shirts with one parcel of drugs concealed in each of the shirts and covered with a blue carbon paper containing a transparent nylon.

    “The substance was also field tested and returned positive for cocaine and weighed 11.150kg. The second suitcase had a baggage tag with the name Nze Lusaka U. The drug seized made a total of 21.9kg.

    “According to the NDLEA Airport Commander, Kabir Tsakuwa, investigation is ongoing and the command is currently liaising with the Ethiopian Airline to get more information in order to unravel the identity of the couriers,” the statement explained.

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • City Guards – By Onochie Jon-Igwesi

    City Guards – By Onochie Jon-Igwesi

    In May 2015, the country had, few months back, concluded and announced the results of her general elections. Incumbents were already de-dusting their shelves and files, preparing documents to hand over to the Elects come May 29, 2015. Most elects, with the exception of the President-Elect, as we would later come to find out six months after he assumed office, had already made a list of their intended appointees and presumably notified them of their selection and the offices they would be appointed into in the coming weeks after the swearing in.

    In the midst of this atmosphere, in that month, I was driving home one sunny afternoon through the Zik Avenue-Agbani road axis; it was those days when all the traffic lights on the roads of Enugu were operational-it seemed it was a matter of policy then for a faulty traffic or street light in Enugu to be fixed within ten days.

    Oh! Those good old days when Enugu had begun emerging as, arguably, one of the fastest developing cities in Africa. People domiciled in Enugu South LGC would recall that then, there was a body responsible for enforcing traffic rules especially apprehending defaulters, known as City Guards. To drag more persons into their net, they had a traffic rule, a very obnoxious one at that, that barred road users from driving on Amber light. It was this rule that I unknowingly flouted at the Zik Avenue-Depot-Agbani road axis traffic light and they quickly gave me a hot pursuit, unknown to me, with their power bikes, finally catching up with me at Eso Bus Stop. They impounded my car and we proceeded to their office at Enugu South LGC headquarters to pay a ludicrous fine of fifty thousand naira. Did I mention that the moment we got to the council’s headquarters they unscrewed my number plates? Argh! It was a terrible experience.

    While I waited to speak with their boss, he received a phone call. At the end of the call, he began to laugh and told a friend of his in his office that a certain Commissioner in Barr. Sullivan Chime’s cabinet just called him to quickly release his younger brother’s car that was also impounded by City Guards for breaking a traffic rule. He said he blatantly told the commissioner that he won’t release the car until the fine was paid. At this point, he was laughing uncontrollably. He said the commissioner tried raising his voice at him and he hung up on him. He then dropped the bombshell “it’s like this commissioner thinks he still has powers. He doesn’t know he has few days left to the end of his office”.

    You see, no one ever rises to political power by openly affirming his importance or his need to want to enjoy the perks that come with political power. And once you rise, like cubes or grains of sugar will attract ants, you attract peoplei. This is not the problem. The problem is why people in power suddenly become so disconnected from reality, pretending that all is well, refusing to tolerate objections, even the mildest and best-intentioned reprimand, censure and dissidence. They will at first, preach to love the truth, then mid-way, keep at armlength all those who can speak truth to power.

    They become so puffed up that they ingloriously assume they have attained perfection. The crude power holders snuff out in pitch darkness these noble ones and the less crude ones buy them over with appointments, monies, contracts and what have you. And when those whose critical voices would have helped shape their government understand the tradition, they hush their tones or criticize loudly to get the attention of the power holders and be rewarded-then all voices die down.

    They now forget that the dearth and death of democracy is the lack of naysayers. Any government that publicly celebrates the absence of opposition need not seek a soothsayer to tell her that she is in comatose, for some of those they have surrounding them at that point are what someone has referred to as friends of office. Nna, no one steps on burning coals with a bare foot, stop killing yourself by yourself, don’t shut up opposition.

    The reality of what you are doing now may begin to dawn on you, like that commissioner, days just before you leave office. When you leave office and suddenly people begin to publicly say things about you which they couldn’t say to you while you were in office, probably, you caused it. You shut their mouths up for too long and your exit from office has opened it. You think you’re using them, right? Lol! You don’t know they’re actually using you to further their own agenda. Doubt this at your risk. The billboards, newspaper felicitations, jingles and support groups may not be a true reflection of public opinion. They are merely giving you what you want.

    To save yourself, you had better assemble a small group of courageous, wise and truthful men and women to routinely tell you where you’re getting it wrong. If possible, please don’t give them appointments. You can pay them from your overhead or security vote but if you must give them appointments for reasons you know best, then give them the leeway to speak truthfully to you.

    In addition, find yourself one whom an American Journalist, Louis McHenry Howe, once called a toe holder- a grounding confidant that de-elevates leaders from the isolated and dizzying heights of power. I hope you find this useful.

  • Senate in chaos as Petroleum ministry spends N98.4m on flyers and leaflets

     

    The Senate Public Account Committee has described as unacceptable the payment of N98.4m by the Petroleum Resources Ministry for the printing of leaflets.

    The flyers, according to the 2015 Auditor-General for the Federation’s report, was meant to create awareness campaign for the Petroleum Industrial Bill.

     

    The report, currently being scrutinised by the National Assembly, also stated that the fund was released without due process.

     

    The Chairman of the Senate panel, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, also faulted the payment of N39m was into the accounts of two persons for the purpose of monitoring the ministry’s project within the Federal Capital Territory.

     

    The AuGF query on the matter read in part, “Contrary to the procurement process, an entry in the cash book for the sum of N98.4m was made in favour of a company for printing of leaflets for awareness campaign programme for the Petroleum Industry Bill.

     

    “There was no formal award of contract and it was also observed that the approval for the payment was via memo presented by the Director (Press) to the Ministerial Tender Board meeting of 9th and 11th October, 2013.

     

    “The permanent secretary had been requested to take procedural disciplinary measures against the erring officers in line with provisions of extant regulation.”

     

    However, the ministry in its written response to the query explained that massive publicity needed to be created, hence the awareness campaign programme.

     

    The response read, “Adequate publicity was made: M/S Dangrace and Partners Limited were selected based on proven capabilities and competence.

     

    “It should be stated that veritable costing proposals were submitted and approved before the authorisation for the award and production of Petroleum Industry Bill leaflets.

     

    “The (Media) Department complied with necessary rule and procedure.”

    Also, the AuGF in another query, faulted the payment of N39.7m into the bank accounts of two officers for the purpose of monitoring the ministry’s projects located within Abuja.

    The query said contrary to the e-payment policy of the Federal Government, the total sum of N39.7m was paid to 178 staff of the ministry for project monitoring and evaluation in 2014.

    Not satisfied with the ministry’s explanation, the Senate panel directed the officers involved to return the mo ney to the federation account.

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • SAMSUNG CORRUPTION SCANDAL: The Chief and vice chairman of Samsung Electronics jailed for 2.5 years

     

     

    The de facto chief of South Korea’s Samsung business empire was jailed for two and a half years on Monday over a sprawling corruption scandal, Yonhap news agency reported, in a ruling that deprives the tech giant of its top decision-maker.

    Lee Jae-yong, known professionally in the West as Jay Y. Lee, is a South Korean business magnate and the Chairman of Samsung. He is the eldest child and only son of Hong Ra-hee and Lee Kun-hee, Chairman of Samsung until his death in 2020, and is his father’s successor.

    Lee jae-yong

     

    Lee Jae-yong, the vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics, the world’s biggest smartphone and memory chip maker, was found guilty of bribery and embezzlement and was immeiately taken into custody, Yonhap said.

    A South Korean court sentenced Samsung Electronics vice chairman Jay Y Lee to two and a half years in prison, the court said on Monday, which will have major ramifications for his leadership of the tech giant as well as Korea’s views toward big business.

    With this, Lee will be sidelined from major decision making at Samsung Electronics as it strives to overtake competitors, and from overseeing the process of inheritance from his father, who died in October, crucial to keeping control of Samsung.

    Lee, 52, was convicted of bribing an associate of former President Park Geun-hye and jailed for five years in 2017. He denied wrongdoing, the sentence was reduced and suspended on appeal, and he was released after serving a year.

    The Supreme Court then sent the case back to the Seoul high court, which issued Monday’s ruling.

    Under South Korean law, only a jail term of three years or fewer can be suspended. For longer sentences, the person must serve out the term barring a presidential pardon. With Lee returning to jail, the year he already served in detention is expected to count toward the sentence.

    Monday’s sentencing can be appealed to the Supreme Court, but because the Supreme Court has already ruled on it once, chances are lower that is legal interpretation will change, legal experts said.

    “In a case sent back by the Supreme Court, there is a narrower range of options for the judges’ bench… but it’s also true that the Supreme Court can’t really touch the final court’s sentencing,” said Rha Seung-chul, a lawyer not connected with the case.

     

    Source: compiled

  • FG insists on Wednesday deadline, citizens call for extension of date

     

    The Federal Government on Sunday insisted that the deadlines given for the registration of all Subscriber Identification Modules with valid National Identity Numbers were still in force.

    It also declared that the NIN was mandatory for diplomats who reside in Nigeria, as well as for all other lawful residents across the country.

     

    Asked whether the Federal Government had eventually advised the Nigerian Communications Commission as regards the deadlines for SIM registration with NIN, the Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Ikechukwu Adinde, told our correspondent that nothing had changed.

     

    On Thursday, The PUNCH exclusively reported that the NCC was awaiting the advice of the Federal Government as regards the stipulated deadlines.

     

    “The deadlines are still in force; there is no update for now and just like I told you last week, if there is any change you will be communicated,” Adinde stated on Sunday.

     

    Calls for deadline extension are mainly due to the large crowds that gather daily at the various offices of the National Identity Management Commission, as many telephone subscribers had yet to get their NINs.

     

    On December 15, 2020, the Federal Government declared that after December 30, 2020, all SIMs that were not registered with valid NINs on the network of telecommunications companies would be blocked.

     

    It later extended the December 30, 2020 deadline following widespread opposition against the earlier announcement and gave three-week extension for subscribers with NIN from December 30, 2020 to January 19, 2021.

     

    It also gave six-week extension for subscribers without NIN from December 30, 2020 to February 9, 2021, but many organisations had called for further deadline extension or outright suspension of the NIN integration process.

     

    This came as the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, declared on Sunday that all diplomats living in Nigeria must have NINs.

     

    The minister approved the setting up of a NIN enrolment centre at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs for diplomats. The desk would be set up on January 19, 2021.

     

    A statement issued in Abuja by Pantami’s aide, Femi Adeluyi, stated that the centre would provide support for members of the diplomatic corps and would be managed by the communications ministry through NIMC.

     

    The ministry stated that the centre was being set up based on the request of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, in order to simplify the process for diplomats.

     

    It said, “The NIN is mandatory for diplomats who will reside in Nigeria for a continuous period of two years or more.

    “It is also mandatory for all other lawful residents in the country as stated in Section 16 of the NIMC Act 2007.”

     

    It stated that the law had made it mandatory for Nigerians and legal residents to obtain a NIN since 2007.

    It, however, noted that compliance had been low, until recently.

     

    It said the communications ministry was committed to creating an environment that was conducive for all Nigerians  and legal residents to obtain their NINs.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Dangote completes the construction of Nigeria’s longest rigid pavement located in Kogi State

    The Dangote Group says it has completed Nigeria’s longest rigid pavement located in Kogi State.According to a statement issued by the group on Sunday, the 43KM Obajana-Kabba road constructed by Dangote Industries Limited, has been described by motorists as the country’s most strategic highway aiding travellers between the North and the South.

     

    The Project Director, Olatunbosun Kalejaiye, expressed his excitement on the completion of the Corporate Social Responsibility Project to be used by Nigerians, adding that while the rigid pavement had been completed, the company was dressing the shoulders.

     

    Site Engineer, Samuel Obosi, assured that the dual carriage way would be durable and less susceptible to potholes and repairs like asphalt road.

     

    He added that it would crash the rate of road accidents in the country.

    The Bajana of Obajana Land, King Idowu Senibi, described the project as gigantic and the first of its kind anywhere in Nigeria.

     

    “This is a great opportunity for us and many generations to come. Our society will be opened as you can see vehicles and commercial activities have started coming up. May God Almighty bless Dangote and all his staff,” he stated.

     

    Speaking in the same vein, the traditional head of Akpata Land, Frederick Balogun, said his people were very proud of Aliko Dangote, adding that the Dangote Cement Obajana plant had brought honour and respect to their kingdoms.

     

    The King of Okebunku Land in Kabba Bunu Local Government, Timothy Omonile, also noted that the construction of the road had helped cut down the criminality rate in the state.

     

    He commended the president of the Dangote Group and charged other philanthropists to emulate him, adding that that was the only way Nigeria could develop its economy a nd infrastructure.

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Ex minister of commerce, Jubril martins kuye is dead, Buhari and others mourn

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have expressed sadness over the death of former Minister of Commerce and Industry, Sen. Jubril Martins-Kuye.

    Jubril Martins-kuye

     

    The Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State-born former minister passed away yesterday morning at the age of 78.

    President Buhari, in a statement by Femi Adesina, said third republic legislator and minister of state, finance and commerce and industry, would be sorely missed for his insight on issues of development, particularly in tailoring budgets that reflected needs of the people, with his emphasis on full implementation.

     

    Ogun governor, Dapo Abiodun, said the demise of the former minister marks the end of an era and significantly underscores the depletion of the rank of elder statesmen, men of faith and progressive politicians in the country.

     

    A statement issued in Abeokuta by his media aide, Kunle Somorin, quoted the governor as saying: “I have personally lost a great pillar of support, who offered useful advice to advance my political career

    “I am yet to come to terms with the passage of Senator Jubril Martin-Kuye, because this is one death that inflicts not just a deep pain, but one that will linger for long, and a loss of immeasurable proportion for me as a person, to his immediate and extended families as well as the political establishment he belonged.”

    Also, the PDP in the South-West described the death of former minister of commerce and industry as a loss to the party and the country as a whole.

    The party, in a statement by Lere Olayinka, said: “The death of Senator Jibrin Martins-Kuye has deprived the PDP of one of its strongest pillars and greatest Iroko trees in its political forest.”

    The PDP implored its members, especially those in Ogun State and the Martins-Kuye’s family, to take solace in the fact that the deceased contributed his quotas to the development of the party and Nigeria as a whole.

     

    “The death of Senator Jubril Martins-Kuye is no doubt a loss to us in the South-West PDP and we will continue to pray, trusting that God in His infinite mercies will grant his soul eternal rest.

    “We urge our members and supporters, especially those in Ogun State, to be consoled by the fact that he lived a fulfilled life worthy of emulation to the future generations of Nigerians.”

    Similarly, the APC, Ogun State chapter, described his death as the passing away of one of Ogun’s finest politicians.

    In a statement issued in Abeokuta by the Publicity Secretary of Ogun APC Caretaker Committee, Tunde Oladunjoye, the late politician was described as an “uncommon bridge builder, patriot and a very humane, courteous and humble politician whose model was politics without bitterness.”

     

    The statement reads futher: “Either as a federal minister or as a Senator of the Federal Republic, Pa Martins Kuye gave a very good account of himself as an accessible community leader, grassroots mobiliser, moulder of people and builder of bridges. He was renowned for his propounded principle of ‘salt solution’, which abhorred sectarian tendencies within  political party formation.”

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • COVID 19: Apprehension, tension grips both teachers, parents and other stakeholders as schools resume today

    Anxiety and fears have gripped both teachers, parents and other stakeholders as schools resume today amid the spike in the second wave of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

     

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), yesterday, expressed fears about the safety of their members returning to classrooms nationwide against the backdrop of the frightening number of cases recorded daily in recent times.

     

    National President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, and ASUP National President, Mr. Anderson Ezeh, said from indications, there were no preparations on ground to show that COVID-19 precautions were in place to ensure safe resumption of schools.

     

    Prof. Ogunyemi said there was no sufficient evidence on ground to show full compliance of COVID-19 protocols as released by the Federal Government in 2019. He picked out two conditions that must be met before resumption of schools, which are readiness on part of schools and assessment of compliance by stakeholders such as government officials, staff unions and students.

     

    He said: ‘’We are demanding that government should take responsibility. We have proposed to government to try virtual learning if physical learning will not be possible. In most schools, infrastructure that would drive online learning are not available.

     

    ‘’Our members are ready to work. We want government to guarantee their health and safety. As we speak now our members are being owed four to 10 months salaries. Our members are not ready to work on empty stomach.’’

     

    Ezeh said ASUP has been constant with its position that government and institutions are not ready for resumption, adding there is nothing on ground for safe resumption. Apart from questionnaires sent and filled, there is nothing on ground to guarantee the safety of lecturers and students.’’

     

    He said ASUP members have been directed that any polytechnic where safety measures on COVID-19 is not adequate, they should not go for lectures. The union leader said government had all the time to provide safety facilities in the institutions, but failed to do so and are asking schools to reopen.

     

    The Federal Government want to turn our members and students to guinea pig, ‘’why is government directing schools to reopen when COVID-19 figures are high. This does not make sense.’’

     

    President of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, said parents are already to provide basic safety needs of their wards, stating ‘’we have directed all state PTA to monitor the resumption and ensure safety measures are met by schools and parents.’’

     

    He said NAPTAN is desperate to have the children back to schools and appealed to government to ensure schools are provided with safety facilities to protect teachers and support the schools to ensure compliance of the protocols.

     

    President, National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, said the decision to throw Nigerian children back to school was wrong and should be reversed as quickly as possible, expressing fear that such decision could herald unprecedented disaster.

     

    “The decision is a disaster in the waiting. Obviously, the basic safety tools that would make schools safe for children are completely absent in most schools in Nigeria particularly in public schools. Did government screen the teachers and students ahead of resumption?

     

    “Countries of the world are not in hurry to throw children into the schools. United Kingdom school system is locked, so is United States and Canada. So where are we getting our yardstick from?.

     

    “Over 700 people were infected the last time NYSC camp was opened. We have observed that most of the screenings going on in Nigeria, particularly in hospitals, are for people who are seeking clearance to travel abroad.

     

    “In health care facilities, COVID-19 is spreading with little or no checks. Recently, over 25 doctors were infected with COVID-19 in Nasarawa State University Teaching Hospital. In University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, over 20 doctors were infected including pediatricians, and so they would spread the virus among their families.”

     

    He maintained that NARD is opposed to the reopening of the schools, suggesting that online classes should continue as being the case in other countries of the world battling COVID-19 pandemic.

     

    But President, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Otubela Abayomi, confirmed to Daily Sun that its members have been properly sensitised as regards the COVID-19 safety protocols as advised by NCDC.

     

    “Our members throughout the country have already complied with the safety protocols. They have provided the needed items in the schools. We have also held seminars and trainings for all the stakeholders within the school system. Teaching and non teaching staff were engaged separately on what to do as regards the safety protocols.

     

    “We also engaged with the pupils/students on their expected roles. Also, parents were also engaged on their own responsibilities. We set up a committee called COVID-19 Protocol Compliance Officers (COPCO). They move round the school to check the level of compliance with the safety protocols. Their job is to remind and call the attention of the school authorities to any breach of the protocols.”

     

    In addition to that, he said that NAPPS has directed schools to adopt staggered resumption, particularly schools with high population, so they could spread the classes into morning and afternoon session, even though available data indicated that majority of the private schools have fewer population.

     

    He also confirmed that members have adopted the option of spending few hours in school as against spending about seven to eight hours in school. “Students would be spending about four to five hours in school. We have also adopted staggered break so that all the children would not come out at the same time for break,” he said.

     

    Delta cancels transfer of 4,500 teachers

    Delta Government has announced cancellation of recent transfer of over 4,500 secondary school teachers across various communities.

    The cancellation, Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Patrick Ukah, said, is as a result of increasing rate of COVID-19 infections.

     

    Ukah, in a statement, explained that the pandemic has already affected the adjusted academic calendar, adding that transferring teachers at this time would lead to further loss of academic hours as the affected teachers would need time to adjust and settle down in their new schools.

     

    Rivers tasks media on public enlightenment on pandemic

    Meanwhile, Rivers has charged the media to intensify partnership with the state government in the the fight against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic through aggressive public awareness strategy.

     

    Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, who gave the charge at a meeting with media executives, expressed worry at the spike in the spread of the pandemic in the state, saying it needed increased media enlightenment campaigns.

     

    Nsirim stressed the need to carry out an aggressive public enlightenment programme to effectively educate and inform residents of the state on the need to strictly observe all the COVID-19 protocols as measures to protect themselves from the deadly pandemic.

    “As major stakeholders in the state, it is important that we see this as part of our corpor ate social responsibility to begin to do something very fast.”

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • NNPC: Nigeria generated $120.49m in September from oil exports

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Sunday announced a total export receipt for crude oil and gas valued at $120.49m for the month of September 2020.

    NNPC’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Kennie Obateru, said the figure was contained in the September 2020 edition of the corporation’s Monthly Financial and Operations Report.

    He said in a statement issued in Abuja that the $120.49m crude oil and gas export receipt was a 16.28 per cent improvement on the $100.88m posted in August 2020.

    The report showed that out of the figure, proceeds from crude oil amounted to $85.40m, while gas and miscellaneous receipts stood at $25.31m and $9.78m respectively.

    The September 2020 MFOR also indicated a trading surplus of N28.38bn, lower than the N29.6bn surplus in August 2020.

    The reduction in surplus, according to the report, was as a result of lower contribution from the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, which recorded zero crude oil lifting from the Okono Okpoho facility during the month due to ongoing repairs.

    Other NNPC subsidiaries including the Integrated Data Services Limited, National Engineering and Technical Company Limited, Nigerian Gas Marketing Company, Petroleum Products Marketing Company and NNPC Retail recorded 268, 234, 21, 422 and 41 per cent trading surpluses respectively over their previous month’s performance.

    In the gas sector, a total of 223.82 billion cubic feet of natural gas was produced in the month under review, translating to an average daily production of 7,460.8 million standard cubic feet per day.

    From September 2019 to September 2020, a total of 3,039.05bcf of gas was produced, representing an average daily production of 7,730.35mmscfd during the period.

    Period-to-date production from Joint Ventures, Production Sharing Contracts and NPDC contributed about 69.1 per cent, 20.29 per cent and 10.61 per cent respectively to the total national gas production.

    Out of the 221.91bcf of gas supplied in September 2020, a total of 140.45bcf was commercialised, consisting of 36.37bcf and 104.08bcf for the domestic and export markets respectively.

    This translates to a total supply of 1,212.17mmscfd of gas to the domestic market and 3,469.45mmscfd of gas supplied to the export market for the month.

    ‌

    This implies that 63.29 per cent of the average daily gas produced was commercialised, while the balance of 36.71 per cent was re-injected, used as upstream fuel gas or flared.

    Gas flare rate was 6.66 per cent for the month under review, representing 492.93mmscfd when compared with average gas flare rate of 5.84 per cent i.e. 439.90mmscfd for the period of September 2019 to September 2020.

     

    To ensure effective supply and distribution of Premium Motor Spirit across the country, a total of 0.59 billion litres of PMS translating to 19.59 million litres/day was supplied for the month in the downstream sector.

    During the period under review, 21 pipeline points were vandalised. This represents about 43 per cent decrease from the 37 points recorded in August 2020.

    Of this figure, Mosimi Area accounted for 90 per cent of the vandalised points, while Port Harcourt Area accounted for the remaining 10 per cent.

    The NNPC stated that it was collaborating with the local communities and other stakeholders to reduce and eventually eliminat e the menace of pipeline vandalism.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • 2023 Elections: Nwodo emphasizes the importance of restructuring the country before the next Election

     

    The immediate past President-General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo socio-cultural group, Chief John Nwodo, has called on the Federal Government to initiate and conclude the process of restructuring the country before the 2023 elections to avoid a situation where some sections of the country may boycott the exercise.

     

    He said Nigeria used to be the envy of nations, given its pedigree in education, agriculture and well-being of its people because there was a regional system of government that allowed regions to enjoy sovereignty over their national resources until the system was thwarted. He, therefore, cautioned that to avoid the “coming catastrophe”, Nigeria must restructure.

     

     

    Nwodo, who was the ninth president-general of the apex Igbo group, spoke in Lagos on Friday at the 17th Chief Gani Fawehinmi annual lecture, with the theme, ‘The constitutional history of Nigeria’s dysfunction: Any pathway to indivisibility and common progress?’

     

    The event, organised by the Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, was also attended by the Governor of Borno State, Prof Babagana Zulum, human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), legal practitioners and human rights activists, among others.

     

    There have been agitations for the restructuring of the country so that states or regions could control their resources.

     

    Several prominent individuals and sociocultural groups, especially those in the southern part of the country, have stressed the need to restructure the country, insisting that the current system was tantamount to a unitary system of government, which they said could not work for a diverse nation like Nigeria.

    Nwodo, who was a keynote speaker at the event, explained that there was a time the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy was agriculture, and that all the regions had different items they were producing and exporting, which availed them funds to develop their regions.

     

    He added, “There was only one reason why things worked so well then. We had a regional system of government that allowed regions to enjoy sovereignty over their national resources whilst paying royalties and taxes to the Federal Government. Our domestic security was independent and uncontrolled by the Federal Government.

     

    “Suddenly, the army came to power and abrogated our constitution, turned us into a unitary state and imposed a unitary constitution on us. They seized our natural resources and donated them to the Federal Government to share without adequate respect for derivation.”

     

    Speaking on what must be done to avert “the coming catastrophe”, he said, “Nigeria must restructure and give its component units sovereignty over its natural resources provided they pay royalty or some form of taxes to the Federal Government to maintain federal responsibilities like external defence, foreign missions, customs and immigration.

     

    “Emphasis must return to agriculture and education. Domestic security must remain in the hands of the federating units because living safe in Nigeria today is by luck. The secularity of the Nigerian state must be respected. These irreducible minimum conditions are not negotiable. If it does not happen, we will have no alternative but to go our separate ways.

     

    “Processes to begin our restructuring as a nation must be concluded before the 2023 elections so as to avert a situation where sections of the country may boycott the elections and present the country with a constitutional force majeure.”

    Nwodo, who was a two-time minister, also decried a situation whereby the President and federal lawmakers exclusively share the appointment into the Independent National Electoral Commission, saying Nigeria could learn from South Africa and the United Kingdom.

     

    He stated, “In South Africa, the Chief Justice appoints the head of the electoral body and he does so first by advertising for those who are qualified to be in the commission to apply. After people have been nominated, he publishes the list of those nominated and those who have been objected to are delisted before the final stage.

     

    “In the UK, the electoral commission is headed by the speaker but composed of all political parties in the ballot, making rigging impossible. That is why results are announced instantaneously after the collation of results. Nigeria must restructure. So long as INEC and state electoral commission members are appointed by the President and governors respectively, there will never be a free and fair election.”

     

    He said despite the country’s abundant human and natural resources, it remained the poorest nation in the world and a major importer of things it produces.

     

    Speaking on education, Nwodo said Israel, United States and some other countries were leveraging education to come up with world-class innovations while Nigeria maintained a record of having the highest number of out-of-school children, coupled with some immoral practices, like sex-for-grade, in higher institutions.

    He added, “If the source of knowledge is contaminated, like a contaminated water reservoir, can you get clean water. Our higher institutions must be devoid of sharp practices and acts capable of compromising their integrity within and outside our borders. Education, road and agriculture are critical areas in the development of a country’s economic potential.”

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

     

  • 2023 Presidency: Borno State governor reveals why power should shift to the South

     

    The Governor of Borno State, Prof Babagana Zulum, said on Friday that for the sake of fairness, power should return to the south in 2023. He faulted the suspicion that any part of the country could not be trusted with power, perhaps for the fear of secession.

     

     

    He stressed that there was a need for fairness in the country, adding that marginalisation had become the loudest concern from the citizenry.

     

    He spoke in Lagos on Friday at the 17th Chief Gani Fawehinmi annual lecture, themed ‘The constitutional history of Nigeria’s dysfunction: Any pathway to indivisibility and common progress?’ which was an event organised by the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja Branch, to celebrate the life and times of the late Fawehinmi. The governor stated that one of the pathways to common progress was for fairness to reign in the country.

     

    Zulum, who was accompanied by some commissioners and special advisers, explained that power should shift to other sections of the country.

     

    The incumbent President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) is from the North-Western state of Katsina and is serving his second and final term in office.

     

    The governor said, “I’m persuaded that other sections of the country should be given the opportunity to lead in 2023, why not? It is constitutional.”

     

    Zulum, who reeled out the criteria set by the constitution for anyone to contest the Presidency, as contained in Section 131 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), asked all the persons from the South-East and South-South at the event to rise. He then told them that once they met the four conditions stated in the Section, they were also qualified to contest the presidency.

     

    The section reads, “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President if (a) he is a citizen of Nigeria by birth; (b) he has attained the age of forty years; (c) he is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party; and (d) he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.”

     

    Speaking further on the issue of fairness as regard 2023, he stated, “Consequently, my response to the question posed by the theme of this programme is that yes, there are pathways to indivisibility and common progress; we must collectively agree that we need to do more to demonstrate fairness to every constituent part that made up this country. That is the constitution.

     

    “We need to understand that pedestrian suspicion is not an empirical or legal reason to deny any section of the country from participation in the leadership of this country. We are fast moving towards a point of inevitable tension.

     

    “One of the loudest concerns from the public is marginalisation. Therefore, we must as a matter of necessity create an environment that is conducive for everyone. People must feel the impact of the government and that government is responding.”

     

     

    The governor also said south-easterners should negotiate for power rather than expect others to leave it for them.

     

    He said, “To our friends and brothers in the South-South and South-East particularly, only God gives power but you have to negotiate for power. Negotiation becomes easier when you make friends across the divide. If we negotiate for power, we don’t always get everything we want, but we will normally mention every clause th at covers everything we need.

    “I said this because I have heard many people say ‘they don’t want to give us power’ but assumptions and projections will never actualise your aspirations. We must all remember that God gives power but human beings negotiate for it. Every interested party must be prepared to negotiate for it.”

     

    The governor also expressed reservation over the age limit of 40 as the minimum to contest the presidency, noting that in many countries around the world, people below 40 had become world leaders.

     

    He said, “Let me state here that I have a problem with the age limit set at 40, because whatever is the logic behind it, it is difficult to consider it valid in contemporary times.”

     

    He cited several examples of presidents or prime ministers who got to power under the age of 40, including President Emmanuel Macron, who became the President of France at the age of 39; Sanna Marin, who became the Prime Minister of Finland at 34; and Joseph Muscat who became the Prime Minister of Malta at the age of 39, among many others.

     

    “We must review our constitution to reflect this current reality in our country and provide greater access to the greatest number of our citizens,” he added.

     

    He admonished Nigerians to familiarise themselves with the 1999 Constitution, saying even though there are issues with the document, he believed strongly that it could still produce good results when faithfully discharged.

     

    He added, “If governance were to be a religion, the constitution would be its holy book. You know your Bible, you know your Quran, know your constitution. Gani Fawehinmi fought for a people’s constitution. We cannot let him down. Let us work to build bridges and drive a people-oriented constitution that would make Nigeria better for everyone.

    “We must make the constitution of Nigeria work for all Nigerians and not just some Nigerians. Our system of government must give people a voice while delivering services to them, including security of lives and property.”

     

    The Chairman, NBA, Ikeja Branch, Mr Bartholomew Aguegbodo, said the event was to celebrate the life of late Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), whom he described as a great and courageous fighter who stood for what he believed to be right. He lamented that public interest litigation, which Gani did passionately, seemed to have become a thing of the past.

     

    He added, “This is a challenge to all of us in practice. Also, this occasion reminds us all that the man we honour today had an idea he lived for; that legal practice is not only for money-making but also standing for the oppressed.”

     

    Also, the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Kazeem Alogba, said the judiciary was always ready to associate with the good programmes of the NBA, as he commended the Ikeja branch of the association for immortalising Fawehinmi.

    Represented by Justice Lateefat Folami, the CJ said, “The Chief Judge commends the activities of the NBA for immortalising a great lawyer like Chief Gani Fawehinmi. He played a big role in developing the legal jurisprudence of this great nation, like the production of the Nigerian Weekly Law Reports, which is a very great resource and legacy Chief Fawehinmi left for us. There is no good lawyer that doesn’t have NWLR in their library.”

     

    Others at the event included the immediate past President-General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nwodo; Mr Femi Falana (SAN); former NBA Vice-President, Mr Monday Ubani; spokesperson for the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Mr Yinka Odumakin; Executive Director, Enough is Enough, Ms Yemi Adamolekun; Folarin Fal ana, aka Falz the Bahd Guy, and others.

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com