Category: News

Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has promised corps members posted to the state a monthly stipend.

The Governor made the pronouncement during the closing ceremony of the 2023 Batch B Stream 1 Orientation course, held at the NYSC camp, Wannune, Tarka local government area of the state, on Tuesday.

Alia promised that each corps member posted to the state will now be paid ₦15,000 monthly by the state government, while Medical Doctors will be paid ₦100,000 each.

This is coming on the heels of reports of mass redeployment by corps members posted to the state.

It was gathered that 1,500 corps members of 2023 Batch B Stream 1 were posted to the state, out of which 800 corps members had sought redeployment.

However, a source from the state office of NYSC disclosed that some of those who had submitted redeployment forms have withdrawn them following the pronouncement of the state governor.

The official, who pleaded not to be mentioned, said, “Following the promise made by the governor, as I am talking to you now, many of those who earlier sought redeployment from Benue have started coming back to withdraw the redeployment form.”

“About 1,500 corps members were posted to Benue State for the Batch B Stream 1, out of this, 800 corps members sought redeployment from the state.”

It was reliably gathered that there had been a high number of corps members redeploying from the state due to poor welfare.

Addressing the corps members, the governor charged them to be dedicated to duty and contribute their part in nation-building as they begin the journey to serve their fatherland.

He said, “Remember that you are part of the larger vision to build a better nation. Each one of you possesses unique skills and talents that can contribute to the growth and development of our beloved state and country at large.”

“Embrace your role as ambassadors of change, and let your actions reflect the values of integrity, innovation, and compassion.”

Earlier in his address, the Benue State Coordinator of NYSC, Mr Abe Dankaro Ashumate, appreciated the Governor for his magnanimity and for making the welfare of the Corps Members his priority, by providing food and other very important items for the corps members while at camp.

He cautioned the corps members to avoid acts that will endanger their lives, such as staying out late, attending night parties, visiting dangerous places, and accepting lifts and gifts from strangers.

“At all times, you should be good ambassadors of the NYSC, your families, and institutions of graduation.

Therefore, you must be wary of acts that can portray the scheme in a bad light, especially, drug abuse and trafficking, cybercrimes, and spreading of fake news amongst others,” Dankaro cautioned.

Tribune

The Federal High Court in Lagos has granted leave to the suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, to serve on the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr Yusuf Magaji Bichi, the court’s ruling admitting him to bail.

Justice Nicholas Oweibo specifically granted Emefiele permission to publish the bail ruling, delivered on July 25, in three national newspapers circulating within the court’s jurisdiction.

The court held that the publication through substituted means would be deemed as good and proper service on the prosecutor.

Channels Television’s Judiciary Correspondent, Shola Soyele, gathered that the move is preparatory to contempt proceedings against the DSS and its Director General.

Through his lawyers, the suspended CBN Governor had filed the ex-parte application, on the 28th of July, seeking to advertise the court’s ruling following his rearrest by operatives of the DSS despite the court order remanding him in the custody of the Correctional Centre pending the perfection of the bail conditions.

Justice Oweibo had granted Emefiele bail in the sum of N20 million with one surety in like sum after the Federal Government arraigned him on a two-count charge of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

The defendant had pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Other conditions attached to the bail included that the defendant must produce a surety who is to be the owner of a landed property within the court’s jurisdiction or to be a public or civil servant not below the rank of a deputy director.

The court further ordered that the surety is to file two passport photographs with an affidavit of means.

Emefiele was also ordered to deposit his passport with the court registrar.

In an affidavit filed alongside the exparte application, which was sworn to by one Samuel Adeogun, the deponent averred that despite the order granting bail to the defendant, the DSS re-arrested and whisked him away from the premises of the court.

Adeogun also submitted that with the actions exhibited by the secret police, it will be impossible to serve the DSS personally and that it is important to bring the order and the ruling of the court to the notice and attention of the complainant as well as the respondent for prompt action.

Channels TV

The Peoples Democratic Party has dismissed the nationwide broadcast by President Bola Tinubu as a bag of empty propagandist promises aimed at diverting attention from his lack of preparation for the task of governance.

National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, said this at an ongoing media conference, in Abuja.

He explained that the broadcast was a rehash of promises made by his party the All Progressives Congress in 2015.

According to him, the same party promised three million jobs on an annual basis a promise which has remained unfulfilled for over 8 years.

He accused the President’s handlers of hurriedly putting together another set of promises which he has no intention to fulfill.

The PDP argued that the plan to distribute money to Nigerians was simply “Trader money 2.0”

Ologunagba also said the President’s speech was empty as to what plans his administration has to address the security challenges as well as concerns of Nigerians in the riverine areas because only road transport was mentioned.

Vanguard

The Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has expressed deep concern regarding the impending nationwide protests announced by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).

While recognizing the constitutional right to peaceful protests, Egbetokun has appealed to the involved parties to ensure the demonstrations remain peaceful and not be hijacked by miscreants.

The IGP, acknowledging the labour unions’ grievances, emphasized the importance of constructive dialogue in resolving the issues.

In this regard, he has directed the Commissioners of Police across various commands and supervisory Assistant Inspectors-General of Police to engage with the NLC and TUC leadership to find common ground regarding the protests.

In a statement on Tuesday, Dr. Egbetokun reiterated the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to ensuring the safety and security of citizens during the protests.

He further affirmed that the Police would not tolerate any act of vandalism, gangsterism, or extortion that threatens public peace and order.

In light of the potential security challenges the planned protests might pose, the IGP has ordered a watertight security strategy across the country. He called on all police officers to remain vigilant, professional, and uphold the highest standards of conduct.

Additionally, the IGP urged all stakeholders, including the NLC, TUC, and civil society groups, to choose peaceful dialogue as the most effective means of addressing grievances.

He reassured them of the Police’s commitment to maintaining a secure environment conducive for open dialogue and constructive engagement.

Channels TV

The Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja has reserved judgement in Atiku Abubakar’s petition challenging President Bola Tinubu’s victory.

Haruna Tsammani who led the five-member panel of the court said on Tuesday that a date for judgement in the suit would be communicated to parties.

The electoral commission, INEC, had on 1 March declared Mr Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the 25 February presidential election.

But Atiku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) urged the court in his petition to nullify Mr Tinubu’s victory on grounds of non-compliance with the Nigerian constitution and the Electoral Act.

Earlier at Tuesday’s proceedings, INEC’s lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud, urged the court to dismiss Atiku’s suit for “lacking in merit.”

In INEC’s final argument, Mr Mahmoud told the court that Atiku “failed to discharge the burden placed on him by law” in proving his allegations against the conduct of the election.

He contended that Atiku’s case centred on alleged “non-compliance with the electoral act and INEC guidelines and regulations” which the petitioner did not substantiate.

The electoral umpire’s lawyer said the deployment of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System machines and INEC Results Viewing (IReV) for the presidential election was “successful.”

“The evidence (before the court) showed that these innovations around accreditation and authentication were successful.

“The information generated by BVAS were stored on the Amazon Web Services (AWS). The evidence before court showed that AWS is the secure and reliable Amazon services across the world,” Mr Mahmoud argued against Atiku’s claim that the IReV portal was compromised by INEC in favour of Mr Tinubu.

Asked by the court to clarify issues around electronic transmission of results and uploading of results on IReV, Mr Mahmoud explained that Atiku and the PDP “contrived in their mind an electronic collation system. The evidence does not support that. There is no such thing.”

He further said “the glitch which disrupted the real-time upload (of presidential election results from the polling units) only lasted for 4 hours 50 minutes on election day.”

“Second point of disagreement is that this glitch was contrived as a result of human interference. But Atiku failed woefully to establish that there was human interference.

“The evidence before the court showed clearly that the election went well smoothly at the polling units and results were well collated,” Mr Mahmoud told the court.

On the issue of statutory requirement of 25 per cent votes in Abuja, Mr Mahmoud said the argument “is illogical” as it goes against the express provisions of the Constitution.

“The FCT must be treated as if it were a State. We submit that the case for noncompliance has not been made, the FCT argument has to fall on its face,” the lawyer argued, praying the court to “dismiss this petition.”

In Mr Tinubu’s closing argument on Tuesday, his lead lawyer, Wole Olanipekun, said manual collation of the presidential election results did not diminish the credibility of the electoral process

“Uploading results to IReV whether manually or electronically plays no role in collation of results; it does not add or decrease the number of votes. Collation is physical and manual,” Mr Olanipekun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said.

He contended that Atiku had “abandoned his petition,”owing to his inability to prove his case.

Mr Olanipekun told the court that Atiku resorted to “attacking” Mr Tinubu’s person instead of proving his allegations.

“The court cannot give to the petitioners what they have not asked in their final written address. It is my submission that Atiku is a meddlesome interloper.”

He told the court that Atiku won a paltry one quarter of the two-thirds of votes in Abuja as stipulated in the constitution.

Drawing the court’s attention to the issue of mode of transmission of results, Mr Olanipekun said a recent judgement of the Court of Appeal in Lagos, “affirmed the discretion of INEC to apply any methodology in transmission of results.”

“We urge your Lordships to dismiss this petition,” Mr Olanipekun argued, adding Atiku merely dumped electoral documents on the court without proving his suit against Mr Tinubu.

The APC on its part, urged the court to dismiss Atiku’s petition for lacking in substance.

APC lawyer and ministerial nominee, Lateef Fagbemi, said Atiku’s “witnesses did not dispute the figures (results) reeled out” by INEC.

“No one presented an alternative figure of results to counter INEC’s declaration.”

Mr Fagbemi, a SAN, argued that the issue of 25 per cent votes in FCT “will give overbearing privilege to FCT voters over and above a majority of Nigerians.”

He prayed the court to affirm Mr Tinubu’s victory and dismiss Atiku’s petition for lacking in merit.

With the close of arguments in the case on Tuesday, judgement has to be delivered before 16 September when the suit will lapse.

The petition was filed on 21 March but hearing in the substantive matter began in May, lasting for three months.

Premium Times

…charges committee on transparency, speedy distribution of relief items

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has rolled out palliatives to mitigate the harsh economic effects of the recent removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government on residents of the state, stressing that his government feels the pains the people were passing through.

The governor disclosed this on Monday in Enugu while setting up the committee for the procurement, storage and distributions of the relief items to the citizens.

He charged members of the committee, to be chaired by the Deputy Governor, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai, to handle the palliatives with transparency, while ensuring the speedy distributions of the items to those in dire need of them.

Governor Mbah who acknowledged the harsh impact the fuel subsidy had occasioned on the people, further said that the subsidy removal would immensely benefit Nigerians in the long run.

While maintaining that he shared in the pains Nigerians were going through at the moment, Mbah expressed the hope that the palliatives would help alleviate their hardships.

He also enjoined the committee to spare no time in ensuring that the palliatives were sent to “homes of those that need them the most in the state.”

According to the governor: “You recall that few months ago the Federal Government of Nigeria removed the fuel subsidy. And as you know, that came with pains, shared pains, even though we believe in the long run, it will be beneficial to the country. The question for us now as leaders is, how do we mitigate those shared pains that our people are going to be exposed to? It is part of what we are doing to see how we can begin to cushion the effects of some these pains. So, what we are doing now is to see how to fix the pains people are going through.

“There are also plans for short and medium term solutions, and that we are going to do in due course. What I am asking you to do is to ensure that this gets to the people who deserve the palliatives. In terms of items that will be distributed, what is extremely important in situations like this, is speed. I also want to, not only be transparent, but to be seen as transparent. We want to show and we want the people to also see that the distribution of the palliatives is done in a transparent way, in a reputable manner, and get to the people who truly deserve them”.

Responding on behalf of the committee members, the Deputy Governor expressed the committee’s readiness to deliver on the assignment and work with the template given to them in ways that would reflect transparency.

He appreciated the governor for meeting the yearnings of the people, even as he assured that the committee would not disappoint in the discharge of their responsibilities.

Members of the committee are the chairman, Association of Local Governments in Nigeria (ALGON), Enugu State, and Chairman of Nkanu East Local Government Area, Hon. Okechukwu Sydney Edeh, ALGON Deputy Chairman and Chairman of Uzo Uwani Local Government Area, Hon. Chukwudi Nnadozie, Chairman of Awgu Local Area, Hon. Pedro Nwankwo and his Enugu East counterpart, Hon. Livinus Anike.

Others are the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Mike Ogbuekwe, Programme Manager of Enugu State Agricultural Development Programme (ENADEP), Dr. Ogbonna Onyeisi, and the head of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Chinasa Mbah.

Protesting workers in Oyo State, on Monday, locked the state secretariat in Ibadan, the state capital, to demand palliatives, upward review of pension allowances and payment of monies deducted from the salaries in the past.

The workers and pensioners were drawn from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and their affiliates.

Led by their union leaders, the workers are also demanding payment of leave bonuses, payment of gratuities to retirees and release of promotion letters for the Years 2021 and 2022.

The protest is currently making vehicular movement uneasy around the governor’s office.

Details later…

The Nigeria Labour Congress has commenced mass mobilisation ahead of its planned nationwide strike scheduled to begin Wednesday to protest the hardship occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal.

In a schedule obtained by our correspondent in Abuja on Sunday, the NLC urged Nigerians to “join us at the Unity Fountain, Abuja on Wednesday, August 2, 2023, at 7 am.”

“There is nowhere in the world where government leaves its citizens totally to the vagaries of the market without some measure of control and protection. The Federal Government should immediately deal decisively with the criminal content of subsidy instead of exposing ordinary citizens to avoidable pain and hardship.

“As a matter of national importance, it is imperative to fix all our refineries to be able to cater to domestic fuel consumption,” the NLC said.

Speaking further on the recent monetary policies rolled out by the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government, the NLC said, “We are concerned that no government acting reasonably leaves its national currency to forces of the market.”

Insisting on its demands, the union reiterated the need for the government to immediately reverse all “anti-poor policies”, and release the withheld salaries of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, among others.

Ahead of its meeting with the Federal Government scheduled to be held today (Monday) and the nationwide strike scheduled to begin on Wednesday, the NLC said the Tinubu-led administration was playing games with the lives of Nigerians.

The congress also called on the government to take seriously the engagement with the labour unions.

Speaking in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Sunday, the National Treasurer, NLC, Hakeem Ambali, recounted how the government shunned the Friday, July 28, 2023 meeting with labour leaders at the State House.

He further questioned the government’s intentions for approving N70bn as palliatives for members of the National Assembly while it continued to “play games” with labour.

He said, “Government needs to take engagement with Labour seriously. The government’s economic policy had meted untold hardship on Nigerian people and workers’ patience is running out. How can the government approve about N70bn to National Assembly members and about N35bn to the judiciary, those who are very comfortable in terms of salary, and continue to play game with Labour?”

Meanwhile, academic unions, such as the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, have also begun nationwide mobilisation of their members for the strike scheduled to commence on Wednesday.

The national presidents of the two unions, in separate interviews with our correspondent in Abuja, noted that as affiliate members of the NLC, they would join in the strike.

The National President, SSANU, Muhammed Ibrahim, said, “We are actively going to participate.”

Similarly, the National President of ASUP, Anderson Ezeibe, said, “Of course, we will join the protest.”

Also, some northern youths, under the aegis of the Arewa Citizen Watch for Good Governance, on Sunday, said they were set to hit the streets of Abuja to protest the subsidy removal, which, they said, had inflicted pains and hunger on them.

The youths also called for the sacking of the Group Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Limited, Mele Kyari, for allegedly misleading the President on the subsidy removal.

This was just as they warned against renewing the Pipeline Surveillance Contract to a former Niger Delta militant, Government Tompolo, by the NNPCL.

Addressing journalists in Kaduna on Sunday, the group’s Publicity Secretary, Aminu Abbas, fingered the NNPCL boss as the brain behind the renewal of the pipeline contract to Tompolo.

According to him, protecting oil pipelines and other national assets should be the responsibility of the nation’s armed forces, failure of which a vote of no confidence would be passed in them.

The group demanded Kyari’s sacking, threatening that it would mobilise its members across the 19 northern states and Abuja, to storm the Federal Capital Territory in protest against the subsidy removal.

But the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, on Sunday, appealed to the NLC to reconsider the planned strike “due to potential threats to sustainable enterprises, decent work, national development, and our industrial relations system.”

NECA, in a statement, expressed worry that the planned strike “could potentially disrupt the economic activities of businesses, especially those in the formal and informal sectors, which could compromise sustainability and job creation.”

“We urge the government to, as a matter of urgency, take immediate steps to ameliorate the economic trauma being faced by workers, Nigerians, and organised businesses. It is no gainsaying that many businesses are shut down and many others are on the verge of closing, which will exacerbate the current unemployment rate and drag many further down the poverty line,” NECA said.

Also, the President has said the Federal Government was receiving support and commendations from the global communities over the removal of fuel subsidy and the foreign exchange regime policies, saying they were yielding positive results.

Tinubu stated this at a Gala/Award Night on Saturday, organised by the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to recognise and honour outstanding civil servants to mark the 2023 Civil Service Week, according to a statement released by the HOCSF on Sunday.

Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, Tinubu appreciated civil servants for their contributions to the economic development of the country.

The President said, “We shall, without delay, cushion the pains being experienced by our people as a result of these measures through several well-targeted interventions aimed at giving adequate relief and succour to a great number of our long-suffering citizens,” he said.

Punch