Category: News

By Jabiru Hassan, Kano.

Many schools across kano state remained closed as a result of an announcement made by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Unions midnight directing the commencement of a strike defying court orders that all strikes should be suspended pending the for a resolution between government and the Labour Union.

Our correspondent who monitored the impacts of the NLC directive reported that many schools were seen closed while the student of both male and girls schools were also seen confused and returning home with discouragement which is vary much paining to parents.

Some of the pupils told our correspondent that they are not happy with the strike and some of their senior colleagues may lose their examinations because of the strike action where they called on the federal government and the labour leaders to urgently resolve the tussle for the progress of the nation.

A Young man Pirfa Durfa , has trekked from Mile four village of Langtang South Local government council of Plateau state to Jos the state capital to express his excitement over the victory of Hon Vincent Venman Bulus at the Court of Appeal .

It could be recalled that the Court of appeal last week Tuesday declared APC’s Vincent Venman Bulus as the winner of the February 2023 Federal House of representatives seat for Langtang South/ Langtang North constituency .

The Youth who trekked over 200 kilometres to visit Venman expressed confidence that the rep member elect would bring massive development to the constituency .

He stated that his action was a sacrifice he deemed fit to honour Hon Venman for his commitment to humanity.

Speaking after a warm reception at Hon Venman’s home in Jos , Pirfa Durfa who is popularly called Too Much said “I have heard from the radio as well as seen physically , the kind of good things he is doing for his people, and I can proudly say his constituents are solidly behind him .

In his words “This is just a way I feel like celebrating Hon Venman’s victory because of the good things he is doing for the people of his area. We want him to do more for the people.”

“I passed several challenges on the road that would have made me to abort the trip , but I overcame all of them. Here am I celebrating a man who has his people at heart.”

Responding on behalf of Hon Vincent Venman Bulus , his aide Nanbur Kasam thanked the young man for his effort in making history on the victory.

He said, “The Rep member elect for Langtang South/ Langtang North Federal Constituency happily welcomes you to his Jos home .

The rep member vowed to make a difference through effective representation of his constituency at the National Assembly.

“I promise to better the lives of my constituents through timely empowerment and quality engagement with the people at the grassroots level. “I would mortgage a large chunk of my time to addressing societal challenges frontally troubling Langtang North and South residents, ” he said.

By Ogenyi Ogenyi, Uyo

President Bola Tinubu has decried the high level of false narrative and misinformation in the country, saying that the trend is threatening the fabric and existence of the Nigerian state.

He has therefore called on the Nigeria Editors to support the campaign for moral rectitude among Nigerians.

Tinubu’s stated this while declaring open the 19th Nigeria Editors Conference 2023 held at Ibom Icon Hotel, Uyo Akwa Ibom State, with the theme “Stimulating Economic Growth, Technological Advancement: The role of the media” on Wednesday, the president appreciated the Editors for their role in the fight for Nigeria democracy.

The president who was represented by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, however said that the federal government is working to change the systemic moral decline in the country through the implementation of a sustained mass reorientation campaign aimed at fostering unity, patriotism and promotion of positive values among Nigerians.

“We are face with the proliferation of misinformation and false narrative which threaten the fabric of our society. And it is our collective duty to combat this menace through fact checking, responsible reporting, promoting media and digital literacy with which we can fortify our defences against the corrosive effects of false narrative”

“Against the background of imminent systemic moral decline over a long period of time leading to the erosion of our national values, it’s my pleasure to inform you that the ministry of Information and National Orientation is working to change the narrative in our country through the implementation of a sustained mass reorientation campaign that aims to foster unity, patriotism and promotion of positive values among Nigerians

“We seek to collectively reorientate ourselves as Nigerians in the direction of a stronger sense of national identity and shared values. I will therefore appeal to all our Editors to support this campaign for national rectitude among Nigerians.

Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom in his remarks called on the Guild to engender good governance in their reportage to promote the country’s democracy.

“I want to plead that you use the media, to engender a new template of reportage, one that is developmental-oriented, where our leaders are called to account without being overly obtrusive.

“No one desire a pliant media that act like the cheer-leaders to the government, but in trying to break the news, we should be careful not to break the fabric of the society. You need the nation first in order to freely practice your profession.” Eno said.

While commending the media for the support received so far from Akwa Ibom Council of the NUJ, Eno said his administration was open to constructive criticisms and committed to driving a narrative of governance focused at making the rural dweller to reap the dividends of democracy and build trust in government.

Earlier in his welcome address, president of NGE, Eze Anaba said the conference was part of Editors’ contributions to the growth and development of not only the media industry but the country in general.

Anaba tasked colleagues on balanced, accurate, factual, and fair reports and implored them to make use of fact-checking tools, in disseminating editorial products to the people adding that was the only effective and efficient way to discharge their constitutional duty under Section 22 of holding power to account and upholding human rights, the rule of law, good governance, and democratic principles.

He also urged political actors not to suppress the press saying, “always remember that a free press is like oxygen to a democracy. Let nothing be done to stifle the press or shrink freedom of expression and media freedom under any guise.”

Chairman of the conference and publisher of Vanguard Newspaper, Sam Amuka Pemu, who lamented the critical economic situation in the country reminded the Editors to always remove unwanted items in disseminating information to the public.

The Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal has rejected the PDP’s appeal against the re-election of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu in Lagos State. The court upheld the Sept. 25 decision of the Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, stating that the appellants failed to prove allegations of forgery and non-qualification against Sanwo-Olu and his deputy. Meanwhile, the Abuja Division of the court has postponed its ruling in the case of Governor Sule of Nasarawa state, who is challenging the annulment of his election. The tribunal had earlier declared David Ombugadu of the PDP the winner of the March 18 governorship election in a split 2-1 judgment on Oct. 2.

In a recent judgment delivered on Tuesday, Justice Ntong Ntong of the Akwa Ibom State High Court in Uyo has directed the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, the Police Service Commission (PSC), and four other individuals to pay N200m in damages to Peace Robert, a housewife and mother of two, for her unjust arrest and detention.

The ruling was made in response to a case of fundamental rights enforcement brought by the applicant. The court heard that Ifenyinwa Olua had approached Peace Robert in March, seeking assistance in connecting with someone in Europe interested in purchasing euros and paying in Naira. Subsequently, £55,000 (equivalent to N42.9m) was transferred to a Spanish account, leading to suspicion by Spanish authorities of possible illicit funds, resulting in restrictions on the account.

As a consequence, Peace Robert was apprehended by the police. The respondents in the case included the Inspector General of Police, Commissioner of Police, Administration, Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abuja (Mr. Babazango Ibrahim), DSP Yusuf Dauda of Anti-Homicide Section, Alagbon in Lagos, Inspector Celestina Ugbaja of Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, Lagos, and the Police Service Commission.

Justice Ntong Ntong, in his judgment, expressed concern that the police had disregarded legal procedures and acted in defiance of court orders. The court not only mandated the payment of N200m in damages to the applicant but also instructed the IGP and other respondents to return the N15m collected from Peace Robert to the Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, pending the hearing and final determination of the criminal charges against her.

The judge emphasized that the police were not authorized to act as a debt recovery agency and condemned the extortion of N15m from the applicant without completing the investigation or securing a court verdict. The applicant’s counsel, Uwemedimo Nwoko (SAN), applauded the court as the last hope for the common man, while the respondent’s counsel, Akebong Essien, maintained that reporting the matter to the police was justified.

As of the judgment, the police had yet to properly arraign the applicant, who has been in custody since March.

Increases Social Enrollment Register to 260,000

*NLC, TUC commend governor

By Joy Osaji

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has announced cash awards of between N10,000 and N25,000 to the state workers till April 2024 while also assuring that the new minimum wage negotiation would soon be concluded.

Mbah stressed that the welfare of workers remained the priority of his administration, as his laudable goals for Enugu could not be attained without a happy workforce.

Dr. Mbah also announced an increase by his administration of the state social register enrolment from 43,000 to 260,000, promising to lift more indigent citizens through cash transfers and other social interventions.

He made these known during a joint media briefing with the state’s labour leaders at the Government House, Enugu, on Wednesday, saying the administration was also making other social interventions apart from the cash transfer to better the lives of Enugu State workers.

“As you may be aware, since the removal of the petroleum subsidy, we have been in constant negotiation with the labour unions in the state, crafting a way forward on how we can provide palliatives to our teeming workforce.

“So, by the time you put a monetary value to all the social services we have provided, it will weigh well above N100,000 minimum wage.

“But in addition to that, with effect from next month (December), we are going to also make a flat payment to all categories of our workers, beginning from our local government to the primary and secondary school teachers, and civil servants. We are going to categorise them and there will be flat payment of between N10,000 and 25,000, depending on the category. That payment is going to continue till April.

“Our hope is that by the end of April, the committee that is reviewing the minimum wage would have come out with what would then become the new minimum wage in the state. So, from there, we are just going to carry on the implementation of what is then set as the minimum wage”, he stated.

Governor Mbah reiterated the determination of his administration to achieve zero per cent poverty headcount index by 2031, saying the state had set aside N1.5 billion for social development programmes like water and sanitation in the communities in addition to constructing 260 model primary healthcare centers and 260 smart schools with accompanying teachers’ quarters.

“Importantly, the state is just concluding the update of our social register. We have now expanded our social register from 43,000 to accommodate up to 260,000 indigent people in our state. That is also a platform that we are going to use to do cash transfers to engage our indigent ones”, he added.

In their reactions, the state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Fabian Nwigbo and his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Comrade Benneth Asogwa, thanked the governor for his proactive steps towards the welfare of Enugu workers, saying they were happy that Enugu workers did not have to lobby, protest, or embark on strike to have their salaries and welfares addressed.

“I am overwhelmed by your pronouncements this afternoon. We are grateful for the announcement because there was no ‘war-war’ to get this. This one came on a platter of gold. We did not come begging and crying or shouting and agitating. It was out of the abundance of your heart that you decided to greet us with this big news.

“Actually, it has been great for the people of Enugu State, especially the workers under your administration. First of all, our salaries come as and when due. Our promotion is also on the way for 2023. In the past, you have to spend years before you get promoted. So, as workers, we will do all we can to ensure that this government succeeds”, Nwigbo said

Adding his voice, the TUC state chairman, Asogwa, said: “You have made us today to understand that all that you said during the election were no political promises. We have come to realise that you meant business. If you could move this far within a few months of taking over as the governor of Enugu State, that means we are very sure that our tomorrow is bright”.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida has applauded the proposal by the Hon. Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, to enlist and train three million Nigerians over a period of four years, which will make the country an exporter of digital skills.

Maida, who spoke recently in Lagos at the City Business News Summit, said the programme, which has already attracted 1 million applicants, is capable of increasing Nigeria’s pool of technically-skilled persons in the global market leading to potential employers of digital and technical skills in the international scene to begin to engage more Nigerians.

Speaking on the theme of the summit, ‘Repositioning Nigerian Economy through Telecommunications: 2023 and Beyond’, NCC boss noted that, in recognition of the rapid pace of technological advancement that is disrupting industries across the globe, Nigeria’s vision is rooted in the belief that embracing this disruption and fostering innovation will propel the nation toward sustainable growth, economic diversification, and enhanced living standards for all Nigerians.

Represented by the Commission’s Director of Research and Development, Ismail Adedigba, the NCC’s chief executive officer said “the vision is, thus, to accelerate the growth of Nigeria as a global technical talent hub and a net exporter of talent; to deepen and accelerate our position in global research in key technology areas and raise the complexity and dynamics of our economy by significantly increasing the level of digital literacy across Nigeria. In this regard, the Honoruable Minister is looking to create a pipeline of three million technical talents.

“This programme, which has commenced already with over 1 million applications by potential trainees, is expected to increase the level of digital and technical skills among Nigerians, especially young and middle-level talents, to 70 per cent by the end of 2027. This will position Nigerians to productively contribute to the economy and place us in the top 25 percentile of research globally in the key areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), IoT, Robotics, Blockchain, and Additive Manufacturing in keeping with the strategic plan unveiled by the Honourable Minister,” he said.

Maida said the policy direction of the Ministry, which is being driven by five pillars, will deliver on the goals of fostering economic growth and development. These pillars which include policy; infrastructure; innovation, entrepreneurship and capital; trade and knowledge, are the bedrock of the Strategic Vision Plan (2023 – 2025) and form the guide to channel our efforts to harness the potential of the telecommunications sector and drive positive change in Nigeria.

He said the Commission remains committed to providing an enabling environment for the building of the critical infrastructure required to power a strong digital economy, guarantee improved access to quality broadband connectivity, and the efficient management of the nation’s spectrum resources.

“As we work with our supervising Ministry – Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy – to take these steps to provide the enabling environment for repositioning the Nigerian Economy through telecommunications in 2023 and beyond, we call on Nigerians—and especially our compatriots in the media—to tap into the aspects of these interventions that are relevant to them. The ambitious plans we have set out may seem lofty and even incredible, but through strategic partnerships and collaborations with all stakeholders, we believe that they are achievable,” the EVC said.