Politics

45-year-old Civil Servant Emerges NANS President.

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The election which took place on Thursday, was disrupted by violence.

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has elected Sunday Asefon as its new President amid chaos and violence that characterised its convention at the old parade ground, Abuja on Thursday.

Asefon, a civil servant with the Ekiti State Government, got 155 votes to defeat his closest rival, Olushola Oladoja, who scored 100 votes.

Sunday Asefon, the 45-year old, reported to be a student of  Ekiti State University, replaced Bamidele Akpan.The election was, on Thursday, disrupted by violence.

About 20 members of the association, who gathered at the old parade ground in Abuja for the convention, sustained wounds from gunshots and machete after thugs loyal to a factional coordinator of the association in Zone D (Southwest) began attacking delegates.
SEE ALSOUPDATED: Violence Rocks NANS Convention As DSS Arrests PRO, Others With Guns0 Comments13 Hours Ago
The thugs, numbering over 20, stormed the venue with dangerous weapons while accreditation of Students Union Government (SUG) Presidents under NANS Zone B and Zone D was in progress.

DSS operatives allegedly arrested the National Public Relations Officer of the association, Azeez Adeyemi, after guns and ammunition were found in a bus belonging to Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY).
The security agency also arrested other occupiers of the bus who are students’ leaders from Ogun State.

Politics

Families of slain Borno farmers get N600,000 each.

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Forty-eight families who were bereaved by the killing at a rice field in Borno State have been given N600,000 by the Borno State Government.

The bereaved families were also given bags of food items by a committee assigned by Governor Babagana Zulum to share items received on their behalf.

The shared fund came from combined support of N20m by the Northern Governors’ Forum and N5m by the North East Development Commission.
The committee chaired by the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Saina Buba, undertook Thursday’s distribution in Zabarmari.

Zabarmari, where the victims lived, is located in Jere, central part of Borno State. A total of 13,000 bags of rice, maize and beans, 1,300 cans of vegetable oil, 2116 cartons of seasoning cubes, 1,083 sachets of tomato and 650 sachets of salt, which were donated by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, were also distributed.
Buba noted that each family was to combine the N600,000 cash and food items to reduce the hardship resulting from gaps in access to livelihoods created by the death of mostly male victims, who are breadwinners of those affected.

Lifestyle, Politics

Governor Seyi Makinde , Emotional As He Recounts How He Missed Final Moments With Late Mum.

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Oyo state Governor Seyi Makinde on Thursday related how he missed the chance of a final moment with his late mother.

The Governor while speaking in a tribute at the Service of Songs held at The Archade of the Oyo State Government House, Agodi, Ibadan as part of the funeral rites of the late mother, recounted that he had promised to see his mother the weekend after the Ondo election but was unable to pick her calls for the fear of not been able to grant her ‘suspected’ wish of stopping by to see her before the agreed time.

He added that he received the shocking news of her death the following morning noting that although the death of his mother is still a very bitter pill to swallow for him, he will forever cherish the years of relationship he had with her.

Makinde said “It is still very hard for me. The relationship that I share with my mother is like a no other one. I spoke to her on Monday immediately after the Ondo state elections and I told her that I will see her over the weekend, then, I left for Port Harcourt on Wednesday morning.

“And throughout Wednesday she was calling me and I was saying to myself that even if I pick the call, since we were out of town, it wont make any sense because I kind of guess why she was calling me, she wanted me to stop by and see her, so I didn’t pick the call.

“By Thursday morning, they came to wake me up and said, they were knocking on my mum’s door and she wouldn’t answer and then maybe about 15 to 20 minutes later, they forced the door open and they met her, she was gone.”

“It was an experience for me to have spent a little above 52years of my life with my mother. I will forever cherish that relationship.”

In his short exhortation at the event, the Vicar, St Pauls Anglican Church, Yemetu, Dr Samuel Osungbeju recounted the good deeds of the later mother of the Governor calling on others to also remember to take a cue from her.

Other speakers also spoke glowingly of the memory of the late mother at the event which was attend by former Governor Rasheed Ladoja, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state, former Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, President Christian Association of Nigeria, Dr Olasupo Ayokunle, Pastor Femi Emmanuel, Arch Bishop Segun Okubadejo among other notable dignitaries.

Lifestyle, Politics

The Wife Of Kogi State Governor, Mrs Rashida Yahaya Bello, Is Allegedly In Dubai For Weight Reduction.

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Reports reaching us is that, the first lady of Kogi state has been in Dubai over 3 months with her entourage I.e. her mum, children, staff and some family members.

A close source disclosed to us that Mrs Bello reportedly took over 10 ambassadorial suite in Armani hotel Burj khalifa , the tallest building in dubai with one suite worth over $3200 ! N1,552,000 per nite …

According to report, she was in American hospital for weight reduction which made her looking more like a teenager while she also undergone liposuction. Recall that Davido took to his IG stories to compliment her kids whom he met at Dubai mall during one of their numerous shopping..

Politics, World News

Human rights writers association of Nigeria slams inspector general of police.

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The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has slammed the Inspector General of Police over what it termed “open and brazen disobedience and disloyalty to President Muhammadu Buhari” who gave clear directive and instruction openly and publicly to the state governments in Nigeria to constitute, judicial panels of inquiry into police brutality which was the basis of the End SARS protests.

The group in a statement on Thursday, described the decision of the police high command under the headship of Mohammed Adamu to institute a suit at the Federal High Court seeking to abort the proceedings at the different judicial panels of inquiry in different states of the Federation, as disgraceful, and a direct affront to the authority of the President of Nigeria and an unmitigated desecration of the Constitution.

HURIWA stated that it is irresponsible, insanely irrational, and senseless for the IGP to deep his hands into the public to file a case against the same public – his employers, adding that the Nigerian people are the employers of the police.

According to the association, “It is an indescribable disgrace that the IGP wants the court of law to stop the victims of police brutality from ventilating their grievances before the properly constituted judicial panel of inquiry.”

“So, what is the IGP afraid of or are his hands stained with the blood of the innocent citizens killed over the many years by Special Anti-Robbery squad of the Nigeria Police Force?

“Why is the IGP scared of the truth that are coming out from the panels of inquiry and why does he not want the victims of police brutality to obtain justice?

“The suit instituted at the Federal High Court by the IGP is provocative, unconstitutional, illegal, primitive, despicable and must be withdrawn forthwith or the IGP must be asked to refund the money used to institute the matter and be fired.

“The IGP will have to state if the instruction to go to court was given to him by President Muhammadu Buhari in which case Nigerians will have to see that the President is not honest about changing the status quo of policing which is deeply enmeshed in the use of torture and extralegal executions.

“This frivolous suit shows that the police hierarchy indeed supports the use of torture and extrajudicial killings by operatives of the Nigerian police,” the statement said.

Politics

Activities Marking Funeral of Governor Makinde’s Mother Begin.

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The Activities marking the funeral Service of governor Makinde’s mother, Late Abigail Omojolagbe Makinde, has begun in Grand style as Governor Makinde and other Dignitaries received the remains of his mother at his Agodi GRA residence for the lying-in-state.

The remains of Chief Abigail Omojolagbe Makinde got to the residence of one of her Sons, Governor Seyi Amid pomp and pageantry.

Governor Seyi Makinde, his Wife Tamunominini Makinde, the Governor of Bayelsa State, Duoye Diri, Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta States, Alhaji Dawud Makanjuola, and other Dignitaries who received the remains of Late Abigail Makinde prayed to God for the repose of the soul of the deceased and offered their respect during the Lying in State.

Other Dignitaries, Government functionaries, have also been visiting the home of Governor Seyi Makinde to pay their last respect to Madam Abigail Omojolagbe Makinde ahead of other Subsequent Funeral Services.

Governor Makinde, while appreciating the dignitaries who thronged to his residence to pay his mother last respect, noted that he missed his mother and wished she could still be in the land of the living but appreciated God for the fulfilled life his mother lived while on earth.

Mama Abigail omojolagbe Makinde Nee Omoregie died in the early hours of Thursday, October 15, 2020, at the age of 80 and is expected to be buried this Friday.

Politics

#EndSARS: Police Ask Abuja Court To Stop Judicial Panels’ Probes.

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The plaintiff in the suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/1492/2020, urged the court to restrain the Attorneys-General of the 36 states of the federation and their various panels of enquiry from going ahead with the probe focusing on police impunity.

The Nigeria Police Force has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja praying for an order stopping the various states’ judicial panels of enquiry probing allegations of rights abuses and other acts of brutality perpetrated by the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad and other police tactical units.

The plaintiff in the suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/1492/2020, urged the court to restrain the Attorneys-General of the 36 states of the federation and their various panels of enquiry from going ahead with the probe focusing on police impunity.

The defendants, totalling 104, who were sued by the NPF, comprised the Attorney-General of the Federation, the National Human Rights Commission which set up the Independent Investigative Panel sitting in Abuja, the Attorneys-General of the states, and chairmen of the states’ panels.

The decision to set up the various panels of enquiry was taken by the National Economic Council with members including the 36 state governors and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, in the aftermath of the recent nationwide #EndSARS protests demanding an end to police brutality.

According to a report by Punch, the NPF, through their lawyer, Mr O. M. Atoyebi (SAN), argued in the new suit that the state governments lacked the power to constitute the panels to investigate activities of the police force and its officials in the conduct of their statutory duties.

According to the plaintiff, the state governments’ decision to set up such panels violated the provisions of section 241(1)(2)(a) and Item 45, Part 1, First Schedule to the Constitution and Section 21 of the Tribunals of Inquiry Act.

It argued that by the provisions of 241(1)(2)(a) and Item 45, Part 1, First Schedule to the Nigerian Constitution only the Federal Government had exclusive power to “organise, control and administer the Nigeria Police Force”.

It, therefore, urged to, among others, declare that “the establishment of a panel of enquiries by the governors of the various states of the federation of Nigeria, to inquire into the activities of the Nigeria Police Force concerning the discharge of her statutory duties is a gross violation of the provisions of Section 241 (1)(2) (a) and Item 45, Part 1, First schedule, 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Section 21 of the Tribunals of Inquiry Act, Cap.T21, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004”.

The plaintiff also urged the court to declare that “having regard to the circumstances of this case, the attitude of the governors of the various states of the Federation of Nigeria, in this case, is unconstitutional, illegal, null and void and of no effect whatsoever”.

It sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the 3rd to 38th defendants (the state Attorneys-General of the 36 states) “from making or conducting any investigations, sittings, and inquiries and from making or conducting any further investigations, sittings and inquiries in respect of matters affecting the Nigeria Police Force, and or further setting up any panel of inquiry in any state whatsoever in the country”.

Politics

Okorocha to Buhari: Sack all your cabinet members, aides, they have failed

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Former Governor of Imo state, Senator Rochas Okorocha has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sacked all the Minister’s and presidential aides he appointed to help him run the government as they have failed to perform their duties.

He made the call Wednesday in Lafia when he paid a condolence visit to Governor Abdullahi Sule in Government House and the family of the late Nasarawa State Chairman, Mr. Phillip Tatari Shekwo who was murdered by gunmen.

According, to him, “President Muhammadu Buhari should fire the people he hired to work for the country, because they have failed and are not performing in the national assignments assigned them.

“He should do the needful to save the nation from the insult on the leaders. The people are angry with the recent events in the country.

“The culprits who killed people in Borno, the people in Nasarawa and other parts of the country should be arrested and prosecuted. As the killing of people by gunmen should not happen again as it is an insult to the country.

“President Buhari should hire competent hands to develop the country as many countries suffered similar fate before the experience growth and development,” Okorocha said.

Okorocha called on Nigerians to be patient, cooperate with the government to reduce unemployment and hunger ravaging the nation.

In his remarks, Governor Abdullahi Sule said three suspected criminals linked with the death of the late APC Chairman were killed by the military, while one was arrested few days ago and he confessed to the crime and we are waiting for the report from the police.

Politics

Court declines EFCC’s plea to revoke Femi Fani-Kayode’s bail

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The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, refused to grant the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s application, seeking for revocation of the bail granted to the former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode.

Justice John Tsoho ruled that the medical report brought by the defence counsel, Wale Balogun, that Fani-Kayode was indisposed was sufficient reason to reject the application by the EFCC’s lawyer, Mohammed Abubakar.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ex-minister was, on Nov. 10, 2016, admitted to a N50 million bail bond with a surety in the like sum.

Fani-Kayode is accused by the anti-graft agency of diverting N26 million alleged to have received from the ex-National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.) during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

At the resumed hearing, Abubakar, who said the matter was for trial continuation, noted that Fani-Kayode was not in court.

The lawyer stated further that the former minister was equally not in court on two previous occasions, which he argued, amounted to jumping of bail.

Abubakar, thereafter, urged the court to revoke Fani-Kayode’s bail and issue a bench warrant against him.

He also prayed the court to summon his surety to show cause why the bail bond would not be forfeited.

However, lawyer to the former minister Balogun urged the court to dismiss the EFCC’s oral application.

He argued that such an application should be filed formally.

According to him, the prosecutor has narrated some facts and such facts should be on record by way of an affidavit.

Balogun further argued that before the commencement of the sitting, he met with Abubakar and gave him two reasons the ex-minister was not in court.

According to him, I told him that the defendant has been indisposed in the last two weeks.

“I showed him the medical report from the Kubwa General Hospital that the defendant should be on bed rest,” he said.

Balogun said due to his state of health, he could not attend the sister case in Lagos.

Again, the lawyer said he also misinformed Fani-Kayode about the next hearing date.

“We have advised the defendant that the matter was for tomorrow (Thursday).

“It was our error, I mean the lawyers. I even called him (Fani-Kayle) on phone to the knowledge of the prosecutor but he has not picked.

“I have called him more than 20 times just to tell him that the matter was for today.

“His absence today regrettably is due to our fault, the lawyers’ fault. We apologise.

“We plead passionately with ur lordship that the defendant will be in court tomorrow,” he said.

Balogun added that his absence in the last two proceedings was not his making.

“The defendant has always been coming to court before now.

“The last time, it was beyond him because the airspace was shut down,” he said.

Balogun, who said that the reason for bail revocation must be substantial, urged the court not to grant the prosecution’s application.

Abubakar, who responded on points of law to submissions by Balogun, said issues of bench warrant did not require a formal application.

He enjoined the court to take judicial notice of all the reasons adduced for Fani-Kayode’s absence.

Abubakar argued further that the defence counsel, who announced his appearance after he did, had all the opportunity to tell the court why his client was not in court.

He said whatever information Balogun gave the prosecution on the absence of his client in court “goes to no issue because he is not the court.”

Again, the EFCC lawyer said he did not have Fani-Kayode’s phone number to know if his counsel was calling him.

He also argued that it was the personal responsibility of a defendant on bail, under the law, to know when he should be in court.

“Counsel cannot take responsibility for that,” he said.

Abubakar urged the court to grant his application.

Justice Tsoho then asked Balogun for a copy of the medical report.

In his ruling, the judge disagreed with Balogun that an application for bail revocation ought to have been made orally, citing the law to back the decision.

He also agreed with Abubakar that the defendant had a personal responsibility to his case.

The judge, however, said that the reasons giving by the defence counsel for the absence of his client on the two previous occasions when the court sat were justifiable.

Besides, Tsoho, who ruled that the medical report was sufficient to justify the absence of Fani-Kayode in court, declined to grant the EFCC’s application.

He adjourned the matter until Feb. 23 and Feb. 24, 2021, for the continuation of hearing.

Politics

Federal government must apologize to families of slain Zabarmari rice farmers.

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A youth group, the North-east Youth Progressive Alliance, has called on the Federal Government to immediately apologize to the families of the Zabarmari rice farmers massacred last Saturday by Boko Haram insurgents.

Addressing journalists late Tuesday evening at the NUJ Press Centre, Bauchi, the spokesman of the group, Barrister Hussaini Saraki, described the statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media, Mallam Garba Shehu, that the slain farmers did not get permission from the military before going to their farms as most unfortunate.

Describing the statement as uncalled for, Saraki declared that it must be withdrawn with apology tendered to Nigerians, adding that the current insecurity in the North was not what the people bargained for.

According to him, “Whoever made that statement is out of his mind. It is uncalled for and must be withdrawn and apologize to Nigerians immediately.

“The entire North is bleeding and no one seems to care; the leaders among us have chosen to remain silent, watching how innocent people are being slaughtered while thousands are displaced and made refugees in their own country.

“This was not part of the bargain made, neither was it the supposed dividend of democracy promised to our people.”

The group equally called on the Federal Government to ensure that the families of the slain farmers are adequately compensated with a view to relieving them of their pains.

Lamenting the various security challenges bedevilling the North, North-east Youth Progressive Alliance spokesman called on the government to, as a matter of urgency, bring to an end all forms of insecurity in the region.

The group called for the recruitment of Borno youths into the Nigerian Army, Police and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), adding that such youths recruited should be deployed to help in the fight against insurgency in their state.

He stated that it was obvious that the current strategies deployed in the fight against insurgency in the North-East had failed, going by the fact that Boko Haram is still carrying out attacks, particularly the latest one.

Politics

Residents Flee As Gunmen Invaded Taraba Community and Killed Four people .

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The gunmen, who set fire to several houses, attacked the community at about 11.20 pm on Saturday for more than 30 minutes, without being checkmated by the police or military personnel.

Gunmen suspected to be Jukun militias have invaded Tor-Iorshaer community, Rafinkada ward in the Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State, killing at least four persons who had just returned to their community based on the state government’s directive.

The gunmen, who set fire to several houses, attacked the community at about 11.20 pm on Saturday for more than 30 minutes, without being checkmated by the police or military personnel.

Survivors of the attack, who spoke with SaharaReporters, lamented that many of the residents had returned to the community, based on a directive of the State Governor, Darius Ishaku, that normalcy had returned to the areas and that the security agencies would ensure the protection of the lives and property of the indigenes.

The gunmen, however, struck on Saturday, sacking the Tor-Iorshaer community without any visible presence or intervention of the security agencies.

The deceased were identified as Godwin Meer, Oryina Sunday Mdooga, Alfred Sylvanus Mchivga and Ayar Chia.

A resident, who gave his name only as Bitrus, told SaharaReporters, “This attack is one of several attacks in the past that made us, the indigenous people of the community, to flee our homes to neighbouring states for safety. No security agent seems to be in view despite a military camp within the community.

“Many of us are returnees. We acted based on the Taraba State government’s directive that the crisis was over, that all displaced people should return. But on returning home, we were suddenly attacked again and killed by the Jukun militias.”

Another survivor noted that the community forwarded the letters of their return to all the relevant security agencies in the state, requesting for security presence, but got nothing.

“We had been displaced for close to two years without the government’s intervention. Meanwhile, it was the Taraba State Government, who issued the directive for the displaced persons to return home to their ancestral land that the crisis was over,” the survivor said. 

A government official said the only way to resolve the crisis was to ensure that the security agencies do their work and do not take sides with any ethnoreligious interests in the state.

Politics

Zabarmari Attack: Religious Scholars Say President Buhari Has Failed On Security Grounds.

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It seems that Islamic scholars in Nigeria withdraw their support for the Muhammadu Buhari led government as a result of what they say is a lack of focus on addressing security issues, especially in the North.

Many scholars interviewed by the BBC have said that President Buhari’s government must work hard to address the country’s security crisis or else God will be angry with it.

The red card comes after suspected Boko Haram militants killed at least 43 farmers in the northeastern state of Borno.

Mallam Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, a prominent cleric in Kano State, told the BBC that President Buhari must change his approach to the security situation in the north.

“We call on God-fearing leaders to know that he will question the lives of the 200 million people living in Nigeria. This government promised us that they will do their best to see that they take action on security, agriculture and livestock as well as corruption,” he said.

President Buhari

He added: “These three things are now getting worse and worse in this country”.

Mallam Halliru Maraya also said that it was clear that the Buhari administration had failed to protect the lives of the people.

“The government’s main function is to protect the lives and property of the people and to provide welfare to the people as enshrined in the constitution. This shows that the main function of the government is clearly failing. In fact, the government has failed.” he said.

For his part, Malam Musa Yusuf, popularly known as Asadus-Sunnah, focused on clerics who remained silent despite the killings in northern Nigeria.

According to him: “Any cleric who goes to the pulpit on Friday and does not come out to speak on this issue of insecurity is a traitor to the society and Islam. There is no reason to kill people. you go up to the pulpit and preach to them about the importance of charity or supererogatory fasts.

He reminded the silent scholars that if they see that this problem does not affect them now, they should know that if it continues to happen one day it will come to them.

During President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency, clerics prayed and chanted slogans as insecurity ravaged northern Nigeria.

But since President Buhari came to power, their voices have rarely been heard, except now that they have tried to tell President Buhari the truth.

Politics

Professor Ekanola Emerges as New UI Acting VC.

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Professor Adebola Babatunde Ekanola has emerged as the acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan.

The Ayeye Ibadan-born Professor, who is from the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts of the premier University was appointed by the Senate of the University after a voting process.

The appointment was made after a directive from the Ministry of Education, through the National Universities Commission directing the Senate of the university to appoint one of its own in acting capacity for the institution.

During the course of the meeting which was thoroughly guided by adherence to standard procedures, the Senate decided that the process would be by voting and not by concensus.

Sources revealed that it took about two hours of discussion for an aggrement to be reached by the Senate, after which a call for nominations and seconding of nominations was made.

Senate members nominated for the election included Professor Adebola Babatunde Ekanola (Current Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic) and Professor Olanike Adeyemo (Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research Innovation and Strategic Partnerships).

Others included Professor A. Oluleye (former Dean, Fauclty of Technology)
Professor Adigun Agbaje (Former Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic) and
Professor Gbemisola Oke (former Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic).

According to speakers at the meeting, it was important that the Senate took a united decision with demonstrated transparency in order to guard the autonomy of the university and prevent interference from government and politicians.

Afterwards, members of Senate were duly accredited afresh, and voting took place through secret ballot.

Professor Ekanola scored 275 votes to emerge the winner; Professor Olanike Adeyemo (13 votes); Professor Oluleye (80 votes); Professor Agbaje (15 votes); and Professor Oke (14 votes), even as the Senate ratified the results and immediately adjourned.

Politics

About 25m Nigerians Set To Benefit From FG’s Solar Program – FG

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The federal government will next week commence the process of installing five million solar home systems in under-served and off-grid communities across the country.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity in the Office of the Vice President, Mr. Laolu Akande confirmed the development on Monday. The program is expected to benefit about 25 million Nigerians.

The program will include the assembly and manufacturing of components of off-grid solutions to facilitate the growth of the local manufacturing industry, while use of local content will be incentivized, Akande added.

It is also expected to create about 250,000 jobs including in manufacturing, assembling, installations, maintenance, and payment systems.

Beneficiaries of the program will pay between N1,500 and N4,000 monthly to access power from the solar system.The solar program is part of plans devised by the Economic Sustainability Committee, which is chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

According to government sources, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will make available funds to the private companies in the solar power sub sector involved in the manufacture, assembling, installation, servicing of the solar systems, at rates ranging between 5 to 10 percent, way below the current commercial lending rates in the country.

Politics

FG rejects N81m bill to cut Abuja stadium grass.

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The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, has revealed that the sports ministry rejected a bill of N81m to cut the grass at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.

Dare revealed this in a tweet on Sunday.

He tweeted, “The ministry was given a bill. The ministry did not accept. It will be detrimental to spend such an amount and it can be better invested.“If we tell Nigerians we used N81m to cut grass, which is not even available, there will be an outcry.“The funds are not really there for us and that is why we are partnering with private investors to bring back the key components of our infrastructure.”

Earlier, it was reported that the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development proposed to spend a total of N798.75m on various projects at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja in 2021.
The breakdown of the sports ministry budget for the 2021 fiscal year which was gathered by our correspondent showed that there are seven different projects to be carried out at the Abuja stadium.

While four of the projects were listed as ongoing projects, three others were listed in the 2021 budget as new projects.

The ongoing projects are rehabilitation of street lights, panels and electrical works at package A and B of the stadium which would cost N60m, construction of National Stadium Medicine and High-Performance Centre with N300.75m budgeted and reconstruction of second training pitch which is expected to gulp N90m.
The last of the projects listed as ongoing is the general maintenance of the package A and B of the stadium which would cost N250m.

Politics, World News

Farmers Killed By Boko Haram Didn’t Have Military Permission To Farm- Garba Shehu

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Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity has disclosed that the farmers slaughtered by Boko Haram terrorists on Saturday didn’t have military clearance to be on the farm.

This he stated on Monday during an interview with the BBC where he spoke about the unfortunate incident in which terrorists on Saturday, mercilessly killed not less than 43 farmers in the Zabarmari area of Borno State, about 20km away from Maiduguri the state capital.

Shehu in a reaction to the sad incident noted that while most of the area has been liberated from the insurgents, the military needs to give clearance/approval before farmers can return to their farms or locals resettle in the area.
He however noted that the farmers killed on Saturday didn’t have military clearance to be on the farms.

Asked if it was not a case of blaming the farmers for their own death, the presidential spokesperson said the victims are not been blamed but the truth must be said.

In his words, “The government is sad that this tragic incident has happened. 43 or thereabout of innocent farm workers, most of them had their throats slit by a heartless band of terrorists. People need to know what it is like in the Lake Chad Basin area.

Mallam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity has disclosed that the farmers slaughtered by Boko Haram terrorists on Saturday didn’t have military clearance to be on the farm.

This he stated on Monday during an interview with the BBC where he spoke about the unfortunate incident in which terrorists on Saturday, mercilessly killed not less than 43 farmers in the Zabarmari area of Borno State, about 20km away from Maiduguri the state capital.

Shehu in a reaction to the sad incident noted that while most of the area has been liberated from the insurgents, the military needs to give clearance/approval before farmers can return to their farms or locals resettle in the area.

“Much of those areas have been liberated from Boko Haram terrorists but there are a number of spaces that have not been cleared for the return of villagers who have been displaced. So, ideally, all of these places ought to pass the test of military clearances before farmers or settlers resume activities on those fields.”

He added that before the people can return to such places, lots of military clearance needs to be done to make it habitable again for civilians.
The military is not present in every inch of space in that area. Even if the people are willing to go back, a lot of those areas have been mined and mine clearance needs to be carried out and those areas must be cast as being ok for human habitation or agricultural activity,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nigerians have renewed their calls for President Buhari to sack the current service chiefs and bring in fresh hands to tackle the growing insecurity in the country.

Politics

Six Killed In Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Accident.

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Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps in Ogun State, Ahmed Umar, confirmed that the incident happened around 7:00am.

Six persons on Saturday died in an accident, which involved a truck and a Honda Pilot Sports Utility Vehicle in the Ogere area of Lagos-Ibadan highway.

Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps in Ogun State, Ahmed Umar, confirmed that the incident happened around 7:00am.

According to him, the road crash was caused by speeding and loss of control on the part of the SUV driver.

He stated that the driver of the Honda Pilot marked LSR 525 FY, was on “lost control of the vehicle and subsequently rammed into the moving truck with registration number KRV 716 ZV”.

Umar added that an injured passenger was taken to Idera Hospital, Ogere, for treatment while the deceased were deposited at FOS morgue in Ipara.

Politics

Lagos-Ibadan Railway To Begin Commercial Operations December 7 —FG

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The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has disclosed that commercial activities will begin on the Lagos-Ibadan Railway December 7, 2020.

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, made this disclosure when he visited the site, in the company of the Managing Director of NRC, Fidet Okhiria, for his monthly inspection of the ongoing work.

At the Agege substation, Amaechi expressed dissatisfaction at what he described as the slow pace of work, and appealed to the contractor, the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) to engage more hands to speed up the pace of work.

He also informed the on-site personnel of the contractor that he would return December 19 to ascertain the progress of the project.

The Minister also debunked media reports that the government is requesting an additional $650million loan for the completion of the project.

Recall that the Federal Government had recently come under criticism for requesting an additional loan despite the claim that the job was at 90 per cent completion level.

Amaechi during the inspection, however, clarified that the government never requested an additional loan for the project, saying the $650million loan that has long been approved was for the Lagos-Ibadan and Itakpe-Warri lines.

Politics

ASUU agrees to call off strike, to receive N70bn.

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The Academic Staff Union of Universities has agreed to call off its eight-month strike which has grounded academic activities in the public universities since March.

The union leadership reached the consensus during a meeting with the government team led by the Minister of Labour and Employment,  Dr Chris Ngige, in Abuja, on Friday.

The government also pledged to pay N40 billion as the Earned Allowance and N30bn for the revitalisation of the university system bringing the total payment to N70 billion.
The FG further agreed to settle the arrears of salaries of the lecturers before December 31.

This is happening one week after the Federal Government  accepted the demand by the ASUU that they be exempted from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) pending the approval of their proposed payment system,  the University Transparency and Accountability Solution(UTAS).

ASUU is expected to report the agreement to its organs and then communicate their decision to the government after which a date for the calling off of the strike would be announced.
A source revealed that ASUU insisted that the agreement should not be announced until it has been approved by its members.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Ngige said the parley was fruitful, adding that the government made a proposal to ASUU which it would take back to its members.

He said, “Many issues were discussed at the meeting including salary shortfall, the payment system and revitalisation of the university system. I am positive that all the issues would be resolved at our next meeting.”
The ASUU President, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, simply said everything Ngige said was correct and declined further comment.

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