Category: News

The six weeks Free Holiday Lesson organized by the Executive Chairman of Nkanu West LGA, Hon Uchenna Callistus Ejim in all the four development centers has come to an end with the Council Chairman awarding one year scholarship to 24 students with outstanding performances; six from each of the four lesson centres.

In addition, the Council Chairman distributed 10,000 copies of exercise books to students at various lesson centres to support their return to school after the long holiday. All the teachers and Neighbourhood security agents who participated in the program were also rewarded accordingly for their dedication and services while the program lasted.

Ejim who announced the scholarship awards during the closing ceremonies held respectively in the four development centers that make up Nkanu West LGA noted that the gesture was to encourage brilliant students in their academic pursuit whilst also spurring others towards excellence.

The Council Chairman who was represented by his Deputy, Hon. Oscar Chijioke Ngene stressed that his desire to invest more in education is in line with His Excellency Governor Peter Mbah’s plan to raise the standard of education in Enugu State.

While addressing the students, teachers and parents at St. John’s Primary School, Agbani, during the closing ceremony, Hon. Ngene noted that “the council is happy because the time and resources invested in this program yielded the expected positive result. Apart from keeping our children busy and off the streets during the long vacation, the free holiday lesson also offered them the opportunity to acquire additional knowledge to become more useful to themselves and the society.

“I want to use this opportunity to inform you that the current administration of Nkanu West LGA under the leadership of Hon. Uchenna Ejim is determined to ensure that the younger generation enjoy quality education without any hindrance whatsoever.

“The scholarship awards and writing materials shared to the students here is to encourage all of them to aspire for academic excellence.

“We are giving serious attention to all public institutions in Nkanu West LGA, including but not limited to public schools, health facilities, Security, construction of over 22 culverts & bridges, opening up of inter & intra-community link roads, construction of virgin 3.7km asphalt road with dual concrete drainage works in Ogirishi, Obinagu Uwani Akpugo, among other numerous people oriented projects cum programmes”, Ngene stated.

Other lesson centres visited by the deputy chairman and his entourage included Boy’s Secondary School Ozalla, Boy’s Secondary School Akpasha, and Technical College, Akpugo.

Moreso, Hon Uche Ejim has offered to register 20 best CBT students in the just concluded one month free Intensive ICT Training Program for JAMB examination. According to the Chairman, the 20 students must posses at least five credits in their SSCE including English and Mathematics.

A total of 53 students participated in the one month Free Intensive Computer Training which took place at the well equipped Nkanu West ICT Training Centre, located at the Council secretariat, Agbani.

Some students who spoke on behalf of others at the various lesson centres expressed their gratitude to the Council Chairman and prayed for the success of his administration, promising to do their best to make Nkanu West proud in their academics.

At St. John Primary School, Agbani, a nonprofit organization known as Maka Odimma Amakpu Agbani also gave out scholarships worth two hundred thousand naira (#200,000) cash to eight best performed students from Agbani/Amurri zone.

While presenting the awards to the 8 benefiting students, the representative of the group, Mr Samuel Freeman Nnamani noted that “Maka Odimma Amakpu Agbani is a nonprofit organization that supports good governance in Nkanu West LGA and beyond. We appreciate the performance of the Executive Chairman of Nkanu West LGA, Hon Uchenna Callistus Ejim who has broken an unprecedented record by successfully organizing 6 weeks Free Holiday Lessons, fully sponsored by the Local Government Council.

“As a way of showing our appreciation, solidarity & support to the leadership of Hon Uche Ejim, we decided to reward brilliant students in our own way. With us here is 1,500 copies of exercise books and a cash of #200,000 to be distributed accordingly to the beneficiaries of the Free Holiday Lesson which has ended today”, he said.

Freeman thanked members of the Maka Odimma Amakpu Agbani, especially Mr. Akunnaya Moota for committing their resources towards the development of their community.

In company of the Deputy Chairman were the SLG Mr Sunday Nneji M, Leader of Nkanu West Legislative Council, Hon. John Okorie, the local government Supervisor for Education, Hon Tony Umanu, Special Adviser to the Executive Chairman on Political Matters, Hon. Emeka Nwodo, Personal Assistant to the Chairman, Hon. Paul Nwodo.

Others include the Councilors representing Ozalla, Hon Chukwuma Ani, Ibite Akegbe Ugwu, Hon Sunday, Akpugo Ward 1, Hon Chibuike Felix Ani. Others are Hon Chijioke Hector Nnaji, Senior Special Assistants to the Chairman among others.

Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Republic of Cuba to further enhance collaboration in the field of Innovation, Science and Technology between the two countries.

The signing ceremony which took place Saturday on the sidelines of the G77+China Summit at Hotel Palco La Habana, is the high point of Nigeria’s participation at the summit.

Minister of Innovation, Science & Technology, Uche G. Nnaji signed on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The bilateral agreement will focus on R&D as well as human resource development and would further deepen partnership between the two countries.

The areas of cooperation covered by the bilateral  agreement include biotechnology; scientific Investigation and innovation; technological development; human resources development; specialist Exchange in the area of Science and Technology; technologies transfer for development areas.

After signing the MOU, the Minister praised President Bola Tinubu for his visionary leadership which has resulted in the signing of the agreement.

He assured that Nigeria would maximise the opportunities provided by the bilateral agreement, emphasising that the implementation of the agreement will commence in earnest.

Nnaji expressed his determination to put in place the appropriate mechanism to work out the modalities for programme of action.

Also speaking, Vice President Kashim Shettima averred that Nigeria places high premium on South-South cooperation as a platform for promoting sustainable development of the global South.

It would be recalled that before the commencement of the Summit, the Vice President had told his Cuban counterpart during his visit to him, that Nigeria would use the opportunity offered by the Summit to sign very important MOU with Cuba for agricultural, scientific and technological development.

Arise News

The United Arab Emirates has contradicted claims by the Nigerian government that it is to lift a year-long visa ban on Nigerian travelers.

An official from the Gulf state told CNN: “There are no changes on the Nigeria/UAE travel status so far.”

The source asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

The UAE said in a notice last October it will no longer issue visas to citizens from Nigeria and 19 other African nations. It did not provide further details. Obtaining a 30-day tourist visa was relatively easy until the UAE abruptly stopped issuing the visas to Nigerian nationals.

Flights between both countries were stopped last year after Dubai’s Emirates airline suspended its operations in Nigeria citing trapped revenues.

The carrier said it could not access and repatriate its funds amounting to $85 million withheld in Nigeria.

Earlier this week, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu met with UAE leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi where both men “finalized a historic agreement,” according to a statement released by the Nigerian government.

The government said in the statement that the agreement paved the way for the lifting of the visa ban, including the immediate resumption of flights between both countries.

“Furthermore, by this historic agreement, both Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines are to immediately resume flight schedules into and out of Nigeria, without any further delay,” a statement by Nigeria’s presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale said.

However, a statement by the UAE government later Monday said both leaders had during the meeting, “explored opportunities for further bilateral collaboration” with the hope of “reinforcing ties between the UAE and Nigeria,” but did not mention lifting the visa ban or flights restarting.

In a follow-up statement, Nigerian government spokesman Ngelale said officials from both countries needed more time to finalize agreement details, contradicting his earlier statement.

“Given the agreement struck between the two Heads of State, there is need to allow cabinet officials from both sides to work out the finer details and finalize the cross-sectoral agreements,” he said, adding that “Everyone can now allow the process to work itself out organically, devoid of speculation.”

An elite’s playground

There was much jubilation from excited Nigerians when it was announced that the visa ban was lifted.

Dubai is a popular destination for thousands of Nigerian tourists. It is also a haven for real-estate investors from the country.

Before the pandemic, Nigerians ranked among Dubai’s largest foreign real-estate investors, with investments valued at nearly $2 billion, according to local media reports citing the Dubai Land Department.

Before the ban, Emirates Airlines operated two daily flights from Lagos, Nigeria, to Dubai, and one daily flight from the capital Abuja to Dubai.

CNN

In its lead judgement that was prepared by Justice Tijani Abubakar, the Supreme Court, held that Nnaji and his party, filed an invalid brief of argument.

It held that the appellants failed to adduce any cogent reason why the invalid process they filed should be relied upon to invalidate governor Mbah’s election victory.

According to the apex court, since the appellants’ brief of argument was legally defective, it ultimately affected the substantive appeal.

Consequently, it dismissed the case of the appellants for being incompetent.

It will be recalled that the Court of Appeal in Enugu had on July 18, also dismissed Nnaji’s case against Mbah.

The appellate court held that the appeal marked:CA/E/E/EP/GOV/EN/01/2023, lacked merit, even as it upheld the verdict of the Enugu State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which affirmed governor Mbah’s election victory.

Besides, the appellate court awarded a cost of N250,000 each, against Nnaji and the APC.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had at the end of the gubernatorial poll in Enugu state, declared that Mbah garnered a total of 160,895 votes to defeat Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party, LP, who scored 157,552 votes.

While Frank Nweke Jnr. of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, came third with 17, 983 votes, Nnaji, came fourth with 14,575 votes.

Dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, Nnaji, filed a petition to challenge Mbah’s victory.

He insisted that Mbah was at the time of the election, not eligible to contest, alleging that he presented a forged certificate to INEC, in aid of his qualification.

More so, Nnaji argued that Mbah was not duly elected by majority of the lawful votes cast during the election.

He, therefore, prayed the tribunal to disqualify Mbah, Edeoga, and Nweke and either declare him the winner of the poll or order INEC to conduct a runoff election between him and other candidates, excluding Mbah and the PDP.

However, in a verdict it delivered on June 20, the Enugu state governorship election petition tribunal dismissed the petition on the premise that it was not filed in compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.

Not satisfied with the judgement, Nnaji went before the appellate court to set aside the decision of the tribunal.

In the alternative, he urged the appellate court to order the tribunal to hear his petition on its merit, a prayer the court refused on Friday.

Vanguard

It, however, pointed out that United States’ federal law, prevents it us from providing any further information about Tinubu’s record, without consent or unless allowed to do so via court order.

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar,  had alleged that documents showing that Tinubu graduated from Chicago State in 1979, were not authentic, and had highlighted it as grounds to nullify Tinubu’s election victory.

The certificate was  issued in 1979, and signed by university President Elnora Daniel. But Daniel didn’t arrive at CSU until 1998 and left about ten years later.

Submitting false records to the National Election Commission before the vote should nullify the election, Atiku had claims.
At a hearing in Chicago this week, Atiku’s lawyers had asked a federal judge to compel the CSU officials to turn over Tinubu’s academic documents and appear for depositions. Judge Jeffrey Gilbert of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois did not rule on the request.
CSU’s lawyer, Michael Hayes, told Gilbert that the university wouldn’t be able to certify Tinubu’s diploma under oath.

A CSU spokeswoman said the university could confirm the president graduated. However, it cannot authenticate the diploma because it was a ceremonial document and not part of a student’s official academic file.

Earlier this month, the Presidential Election Petition Court had dismissed Atiku’s claim against Tinubu’s February 25 election. But the PDP presidential candidate continues to fight the president’s academic results in Chicago.
But in the statement CSU issued to CBS yesterday, the university explained: “As an educational institution, we are sometimes asked to provide information related to student records. Federal law known as FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) protects the privacy of student records and limits what an institution can release.

“In August 2023, a request was made to the U.S. federal court for the university to provide information related to educational records concerning Bola Tinubu, the President of Nigeria, and a former CSU student.

“The university has confirmed Tinubu attended CSU and graduated in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree. Federal law, however, prevents us from providing any further information without consent or unless allowed to do so via court order.

“CSU is confident in the veracity and integrity of our records regarding Tinubu’s completion of graduation requirements and degree certificate. The university is not a party to the Nigerian legal proceedings that spurred this request, and a U.S. federal judge will determine whether the university will provide further requested information.

“Our response to the request for Tinubu’s academic records has been entirely consistent with our practices, policies and federal law. We would respond in exactly the same manner for any request for any student information by a third party.”

Chicago State University Statement to CBS:
As an educational institution, we are sometimes asked to provide information related to student records. Federal law known as FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) protects the privacy of student records and limits what an institution can release.

In August 2023, a request was made in U.S. federal court for the university to provide information related to educational records concerning Bola Tinubu, the President of Nigeria, and a former CSU student. The university has confirmed Tinubu attended CSU and graduated in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree. Federal law, however, prevents us from providing any further information without consent or unless allowed to do so via court order.

CSU is confident in the veracity and integrity of our records regarding Tinubu’s completion of graduation requirements and degree certificate. The university is not a party to the Nigerian legal proceedings that spurred this request, and a U.S. federal judge will determine whether the university will provide further requested information.

Our response to the request for Tinubu’s academic records has been entirely consistent with our practices, policies and federal law. We would respond in exactly the same manner for any request for any student information by a third party.

Arise News

*Insists airlines must have reciprocal rights under our BASAs

The federal government through the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, yesterday, disclosed that it was working on the final details on the United Arab Emirates visa issue.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, made the disclosure at the closing ceremony of the 7th African Aviation Summit in Abuja.

Keyamo, while speaking, stressed that it was crucial for airlines operating between Nigeria and the UAE to have reciprocal rights as per Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASA).
He also stressed the importance of balanced and fair treatment between the two countries.

The minister who addressed concerns regarding trapped funds, assured that efforts were being made to ensure that the trapped funds of foreign airlines were repatriated

“We are working the details out. When two countries agree at the very top level then of course all the government operatives will begin to work out the tiny details.

“So, we are beginning to work out all the tiny details. I met with Emirate before I left UAE, I met with Etihad before I left UAE and we are working out the details.

“The timeframe, we cannot say. Kicking off an airline operation again on a route, it is not that you will go and grab one empty plane sitting in a place. “There is no idle plane sitting anywhere, they have to reschedule their flights, restart their routes again, and all kinds of things.

“All kinds of permission will be taken from local authorities and of course, I made the point in speaking with them and I made it clear that they will have to give our airlines reciprocal rights under our BASA.”

He said further: “That is the point I insisted on, and they did say that any spot we need, they will give us as much as we give them those spots within Nigeria.”

Speaking on the issue of trapped funds he said, “Mr. President is very concerned about that, in fact, it is one of the issues we went to discuss in the UAE. I spoke with the minister of finance and the coordinating minister of the economy and he has given an indication that within the next few weeks, the Central Bank of Nigeria will be very clear as to the programme within which these issues will be addressed.

“They will be paid off; these are not loans; they are trapped funds. It is only the issue of liquidity that is our problem. The issues of liquidity are being addressed as I speak right now.

“It is something that the president is very concerned about, and that issue, I said that we have addressed it in the UAE and very soon, you will hear from the financial sector,” the minister concluded.

This Day

Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, announced the restoration in a series of tweets on his X handle on Thursday evening.

“I am delighted to announce the successful restoration of the national electricity transmission grid, thanks to the diligent efforts of our skilled engineers,” Mr Adelabu said.

He said normal power supply has been reinstated across the affected areas.

“We will maintain our round-the-clock efforts to address the root causes of the disruption and proactively resolve underlying issues, ensuring the smooth operation of the electricity grid.

“We understand the inconveniences caused by the recent power outage and sincerely apologize for any disruptions you may have encountered during this period.

“Your patience and understanding have been greatly appreciated during the restoration process,” he said.

Mr Adelabu said the current state, strength, and capacity of the national grid may not be at the desired level, ongoing projects are actively working to improve, strengthen, and expand the grid infrastructure.

“New initiatives are also in progress. We are dedicated to taking all necessary measures to ensure grid stability and reliability, closely monitoring the situation to prevent future disruptions.

“Our commitment to delivering an enhanced power supply in the country remains unwavering. Thank you for your support,” the minister said.

Background

Nigerians were on Thursday morning thrown into darkness after the national grid system collapsed.

The system is operated by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) from Osogbo, Osun State.

Some of the nation’s electricity distribution companies confirmed that the grid collapsed in the early hours of Thursday, as most of their feeders were out.

The federal government said the collapse of the grid was causedby a fire outbreak on Kainji/Jebba 330kV line, leading to about 356.63MW generation loss.

The latest collapse is coming weeks after the TCN announcedthat the country’s power grid had maintained uninterrupted stability for over 400 consecutive days.

The TCN had in August said the Nigerian power grid has recorded an unparalleled period of stability in the history of the power sector, operating without any major disruptions or systems collapse for a span of 400 consecutive days.

“This milestone signifies a remarkable advancement in the nation’s efforts at strengthening its power infrastructure and ensuring a reliable and dependable electricity supply to distribution load centres for onward distribution to electricity customers nationwide,” the company said in a statement.

In recent years, the power sector has experienced many broad challenges related to electricity policy enforcement, regulatory uncertainty, gas supply, transmission system constraints, and major power sector planning shortfalls.

In 2022 alone, the country’s national grid collapsed eight times.

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