Nation
THE STATES
Ondo
Governor Olusegu Minimko is to be honoured by the people of Ondo town during this year’s Ekimogun day celebration.
The event will take place at the Oba Adesanoye civic centre, Ondo state and unlike part editions, Miniko is sole awardees this year, a statement said, Tuesday.
According to the organisers: The 2009 Ekimogun Day celebration has been specially dedicated to Mimiko to appreciate and honour God for his election as the indigene even to become governor of the Sunshine State since its creation in 1976.
Ekimogun Day is a yearly event which started since 1987 as special day set aside by the Ondo people to celebrate their common heritage, industry and achievements.
Oyo
The Nigerian Civil Service Union (NCSU) has invited a campaign for a special salary scale for its members in the service of state government nationwide.
The union also said that ongoing labour’s demand for N52,000 minimum wage will not affect its campaign for the special salary scale.
This was disclosed by the national president of the union, Comrade Shuaib Mohammed, at the delegate’s conference of the Oyo State Council of union in Ibadan at the weekend.
New members of State Executive of the union at the conference.
His comment came as the new Oyo State Council chairman, Comrade Kehinde Oporiude, called on aggrieved members to return to the fold.
Just as medical workers, teachers and others deserve special salary scale, Mohammed said members of his union deserved special pay in view of strategic role they perform in government service delivery.
Mohammed also described the wide desparity between the salary of permanent secretaries and directors in various state ministries, saying it is a clear case of imbalance.
The union leader said a situation where permanent secretaries earn over N400,000 while their fellow directors a paltry N80,000create a feeling of cheating and dissatisfaction among senior government workers.
Ekiti
All the six South West Governors and prominent traditional rulers will meet again to fashion out means of collectively developing the zone Governor Olusegun Oni is hosting other members of the council next Tuesday at the Government House, Ado-Ekiti.
The meeting which at one time or the other had had in attendance the Ooni of Ife, the Alaafin of Oyo and chairman of traditional councils of states of the south west will at this gathering set out the modalities and programmes that can allow the political and natural rulers of the zone create a common pattern of development that would, at the end, become a vital contribution to the growth of the country.
According to the coordinator of the council, Alao Adedayo who is also the publisher of Alaroye Group of Newspaper, attempt to always bring the royal fathers together with the governor is borne out of the desire to ensure that the leaders come together, plan together and work together for the development of Yoruba land, irrespective of their political or religious differences.
Sokoto
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’adAbubakar has frowned at mass failure of examination organised by the West African Examination Council (WAEC0 and National Examination Council (NECO) for students across the country and urged the federal government to reintroduce the Teachers Colleges and reorganise the National Teachers Institute (NTI).
The Sultan made this call in Sokoto to during his address to the nation in the occasion of Eid-el-Kabir.
Alhaji Abubakar described the situation is very disturbing, “we have taken note of the mass failure of students at this year’s WAEC and NECO examinations. The situation is disturbing and we are calling on the federal government to find out reason for this.
“Since we are optimistic that the problem might not be unconnected to the failing standard of primary education in the country, w e therefore appealed to the Federal Government to reintroduce Teachers College and the re-organisation of the National Teachers Institute (NTI) in order to improve the quality of education.
Plateau
A businessman, Alexander Ejukorlem has petitioned the Pleateau State Police Command over the alleged invasion of his house by some gun wielding policemen who supervised the removal of roofing zinc, doors and other fittings they carted away.
Mr Ejukorlem alleged that the policemen numbering 14 and who claimed to be citing on instructions invaded his company’s premises located at No. 26 Jengre Road in the afternoon of October 27 to carry out the action.
“The men were fully armed intimidated all the residents of the premises and ordered everybody out of the premises. They were in company of some men and boys who we did not immediately know their identity.
“The boys climbed the roof under the watchful eyes of the policemen and removed the zinc, doors windows netting, burglary proof electrical cables, fitting and other items of the property where we lived with my brothers and officers of the company” the petition said.
Abuja
The conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has condemned the presidency over comment that President Umaru Musa Yar’Adu is full committed to the implementation of the Justice Mohammed Uwais committee report.
Special Advisers to the president on media and publicity, Mr olusegun Adeniyi on Sunday last week in a publication on pages of newspapers not (The Nation) captioned “who is afraid of the Uwais Report? Said even before the enactment of the enabling legislation on electoral reforms, President Yar’Adua has clearly demonstrated his unwavering commitment to the reform agenda.
His words: “But it would appear that with his conceptions about the Uwais Report (which many of the critics have not even bothered to read) the public is being misled into believing that this government is not committed to electoral reform. Nothing can be farther from the truth.
“This same report has been placed in its entirety by the President before the National Assembly which clearly is not a rubber-stamp institution.”
CNPP furious about this in a statement recalled that contrary to the twist from the presidency, the Uwais Report against the rules of the both chambers of the National Assembly did not accompany the seven tepid Executive Electoral Bills adding that it shows clearly that the presidency handled the Uwais Report with a “long spoon.”
It said in the defence of president Yar’Adua’s demonstration of practical commitment to Electoral Reform. Adeniyi rolled out series of court ordered bye-elections conducted by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) but failed to note that the retention of Professor Maurice Iwu as an axe-man, after his record of gross misconduct in the 2007 sham elections is less than honourable.
Niger
The Anglican Bishop of Bida Diocese, Right Reverend Jonah Kolo, has blamed the fall in moral and academic standard in public schools on the forceful take over of missionary schools over thirty years ago by government.
Making a call for the return of such schools back to the original owners, the clergyman said that for the on-going reform in the education sector to produce the desired result, concerted efforts should be made to revive the moral and academic standard of students from our schools.
Kolo who was speaking in Minna ahead of today’s thanksgiving service to round off the 10th anniversary of the Diocese, maintained that it was time for the government to shed off some of the self inflicted burden on itself, by returning schools owned by the missions to the original owners.
Aside from these, the Bishop also observed that most of the schools taken over by government are in bad shape.
He said, “government has a lot to cater for; hence the attention given to these schools have failed to produce the desired result. Let government handover the schools back to the church.”
The Bishop attributed the current intervention of the church in the establishment of schools from primary to tertiary levels to the deplorable condition and standard of the sector.
Kano
Statement of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kano State, Alhaji Sidi Ali has said that the war against corruption in Nigerian cannot be left to the government alone.
Alhaji Ali who said this in an interview with newsmen in Kano, also called on the National Assembly to pass the freedom of information bill.
According to him, government need the collective effort of all to prosecute the war against corruption, stressing that until this is done, the situation will continue to remain the same.
“Government is prosecuting corruption but with the individuals that are put in leadership, is difficult to know what is in the heart of somebody.
“The government cannot prosecute itself, the government appoint people and these people have to go by government,” he said.
The PDP chieftain, also denied that there is division between the Northern Union (NU) and Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), stressing that the ACF which is the apex organisation in North is a cultural organisation and it non political.
“In his word, I am a member of the Northern Union, I am also a member of the ACF, and I can tell you that there is no division.
“The ACF that we all belong to, is a cultural organisation and non-political. However, with the Northern Union, we failed that there not much action you can do without politics.”
Kwara
It will amount like covering the moon with the palm of the arm for some state governments to implement the new tax regime in Nigeria, as many are yet to deliver the dividends of democracy to their people.
The chairman of the Northern Union, Dr Olusola Saraki has stated, just as he said the northern union was toying with the idea of making the group have national spread.
The strongman of Kwara politics, who told reports in Ilorin, the state capital said the issue of taxation has become imperative to engender more positive growth in the economy, lamented that with poor performance from some political leaders, it will be difficult to implement the policy.
On his opinion on the agitation for the creation of more states and local government area, he said it would be difficult to create new states and councils under a democratic dispensation more so as the Nigerian federalism was not the type practiced elsewhere across the globe.
Lagos
Nigeria has been urged to gear up for the post-oil era if the country wants to continue to be relevant in the scheme of things globally.
This is the subject of the lecture delivered recently in Lagos and organised by leadership watch in collaboration with science medicine research institute based on the United States.
The lecture tagged: Nigeria in a post oil era delivered by a team of American based Nigerian investors, with representatives of government in attendance said that Nigeria is reminded that these are the last days of the oil era.
The guest speaker, Dr Alphonsus Ekwerike said Nigeria has a lot of other things to offer the world outside oil.
“Nigeria in a post oil regime will be a vibrant era because a door will be opened for the people to go into innovations.
“Oil is not the only mineral we have in this country. We have other minerals, we have solid minerals” he said.
The Senate yesterday approved the bills for the establishment of Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences and College of Education, Bende at its plenary session.
The two bills sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon . Benjamin Kalu came to the Senate for concurrence after the approvals from the House of Representatives.
The Deputy Leader of the Senate, Sen. Lola Ashiru in the absence of the Majority Leader presented the recommendations of the Lower Chamber for consideration and Concurrence .
The Bill for an Act to establish Federal College of Education, Bende in Abia State seeks to provide full-time courses, training in technology, applied sciences, commerce, social sciences, arts and humanities among others.
Kalu had in his lead debate stated that Bende has remained undivided since its creation in 1976, even though with the size of four local government areas as found in comparative federal constituencies.
“Despite its strategic location in Abia and sharing a border with Akwa Ibom, with a growing population and landmass, there is no tertiary institution in the Federal Constituency operated either by Federal or State Government. Bende deserves to have the presence of a tertiary institution to serve the education need of the teeming youthful population, especially now that the need for well-trained educationists has risen. This is accompanied by the need to fill the gaps created by both the consequences of brain drain and the lack of qualified educationists to provide quality training at all levels of education,” he said.
For the bill seeking the establishment of Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences, Bende, Abia State, he said when it becomes law, the university will be charged with the responsibility to, among other things, offer full-time training leading to the award of degrees in medical and health sciences.
Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi
South East Caucus of the Senate has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immorttalise late Professor Humphrey Nwosu considering his commitment to achieving a practical democracy for Nigerian.
The Senators visibly angered by the Senate’s rejection of the need to immortalise the late National Electoral umpire who stood for democracy through the turbulent 1993 elections stormed out of the Senate Chambers and spoke to the press .
The Chairman of the South East Caucus, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe ( Abia South), as he did in plenary on Wednesday, presented a motion for immortalisation of Humphrey Nwosu by naming the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) , after him , for laying the foundation in 1993 and conducting the freest and fairest Presidential election in the country .
The late Professor Nwosu was the National Chairman of the National Electoral Commission ( NEC) , now known as Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) , who through option A4, conducted the June 12, 19993 presidential election , adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the country.
Abaribe in the motion co – sponsored by 15 other Senators , said late Humphrey Nwosu deserved to be immortalised like other heroes of the June 12 , 1993 presidential election .
He also urged the Federal Government to honour the late former electoral umpire with post humous national honours .
But Abaribe’s request , seconded by Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) and supported by Senators from the South East including forner Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi ( Kebbi North) , was roundly rejected by other Senators who said the deceased deserved no immortalization .
Specifically , Senator Adams Oshiomhole ( Edo North) , in his contribution to the debate said the motion to him, was nothing but an attempt to manipulate and rewrite history.
“ Professor Humphrey Nwosu as NEC Chairman in 1993, failed to deliver on the June 12 , 1993 Presidential Election for lack of Courage
“ He who is not ready to die for something , will die for nothing
“ If he was afraid of the gun from announcing the election results and winner in 1993 , he cannot be rewarded now , more so, when many Nigerians died for what he inadvertently created “, he said .
Nneka Amaechi -Nnadi
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, says the Nigerian Military is committed to facilitating sustainable food security in the country through the establishment of farms.
Musa said this in Abuja yesterday during the unveiling of the Defence Farm and Agro-Allied Products Logo.
He noted that the agricultural sector played crucial role in guaranteeing food security which was requisite for sustainable national security.
He said that the adverse impact of climate change, environmental degradation and conflict across some parts of the country had continuously threatened food security with dire consequences on national security.
According to him, to address this, the Defence Headquarters in May 2023, conceptualised the Defence Farm and Agro-Allied Products initiative.
“This is with the aim of keying into the federal government’s efforts at addressing food security challenges in the country.
“The initiative which aligns with the ‘People Centric’ policy thrust of my leadership concept is aimed at creating job opportunities and enhancing rural infrastructural development while significantly contributing to food security in the Country.
“Considering the extensive consultation, planning and preparation made by the committee thus far, I am optimistic that the Defence Farm and Agro-Allied Products initiative will have a positive transformative impact on host communities while enhancing national security.
“With similar initiatives replicated across the country, I envision a future characterised by modernised farming techniques in which the agricultural sector significantly contributes to economic growth and national development.”
The CDS enjoined all members of the Armed Forces and the general public to embrace the initiative and maximise its associated gains.
He expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, for his sterling leadership and relentless pursuit of national peace, security and economic prosperity.
He also appreciated the efforts of members of the committee who worked assiduously to actualise the initiative.
Earlier, the Chairman, Defence Farms Committee,