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Ekiti: Workers Protest Delay In Appointing VC For Adeyemi College

By
Ayodele Oni
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Adeyemi College of Education Workers

By Ayodele Oni

Non implementation of an upgrade of Adeyemi College of Education, (ACE), Ondo to a university status has set the workers against the federal government.

The institution, an affiliate of the Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU) was upgraded to a university status early this year.

Even before its upgrade, ACE has been admitting students for degree programmes and issuing certificates bearing OAU logo and stamp.

Despite this, the institution is being headed by a Provost as a college of education saddled with issuance of National Certificate of Education, (NCE) certificates.

Workers of the institution, suspecting that there is a fraud in the upgrade on Tuesday took to the highway to protest delay in the implementation of some aspects of guidelines of the new status.

The workers under the eagis of non-technical Staff of Adeyemi College of Education, stalled vehicular movement along the Ore-Ondo highway to protest the continued delay.

The staff who are stationed in front of the institution’s gate, explained that they are protesting the delay of the Buhari-led federal government to appoint a Vice-Chancellor for the College turned University.

The protesters said since  January, when the college was upgraded to a university status, the federal government has not appointed a Vice Chancellor for the institution, which is still being headed by a Provost, hence, casting a doubt on the new status.

Investigation revealed that also affected by undue administrative procedure is the Federal University, Oye Ekiti, (FUOYE) that had its name change about four years ago to Adeyinka Adebayo University.

The name change was meant to immortalize a former military Governor of old western state, and father of the minister of industries, late Adeyinka Adebayo.

A university administrator, said  it is easy to upgrade or even change the name of a higher institution, but administrative procedure to effect the new status rests on the National Universities Commission, (NUC) and federal ministry of education.

Again, Kanu Denied Bail

By
Uche Mbah
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By Uche Mbah

A fresh application for bail has been denied the leader of the indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday.

Kanu, who has been standing trial for terrorism related offences, has applied for bail pending the determination of the substantive suit.

This is not the first time he will be denied bail. The court had on March 18, declined to release the embattled Kanu who is currently facing a seven count charge.

The IPOB leader had filed an application through his team of lawyers led by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, asking the court to set aside the March 28 2019 order that gave a fillip for his trial in absentia.

Dismissing the bail request, Justice Binta Nyako, said she’s  not satisfied with the reason Kanu gave for absenting himself from court when he was in self exile.

Citing court records Justice Nyako said Kanu had legal representation on the day his bail was revoked.

“In fact, his sureties told the court that they did not know the whereabout of the Defendant and even applied to be discharged from the matter.

“Therefore, the Defendant was not denied fair hearing,” the judge said.

Nyako held that whereas a court had the onus to vacate a previous order if confronted with a cogent and verifiable reason, “in the instant case, I have not been given any, neither have I been given any reason to set-aside the order.

“The present application amounts to an abuse of court process for attempting to relitigate an issue already decided by the court.

“If the Defendant is dissatisfaction, he has the Appeal Court to go to.

“This application is accordingly dismissed”, Nyako held.

She said Kanu must provide genuine reasons why the previous bail condition was breached.

“Until the issue of the absence of the defendant for his trial, with all the bail conditions breached, is determined, the instant application of the defendant for bail will at best be premature and it is refused.

“However, the defendant is at liberty to re-file the application”, Justice Nyako said.

LAHA Felicitates Gbajabiamila At 60

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Obasa and Femi Gbajabimila

By Akinwale Kasali

The Lagos state House of Assembly, LAHA has described the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila as a worthy Son,  pride of the State and the face of effective legislature in the country.

The Lagos State House of Assembly showered encomiums on Gbajabiamila for discharging his duties effectively without rancour.

LAHA Speaker, Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa and members of the House on Monday celebrated Gbajabiamila for his outstanding performance as the head of Nigeria’s lower legislative chamber. .

The Lagos lawmakers, at a plenary, described Gbajabiamila as one who has made the state proud.

Obasa described Gbajabiamila as “a legislator who carries out his duty with passion and dedication. He has sacrificed his own personal interest in the interest of the people.

“You will recall during the reign of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); he was awarded a national honour, but because he had reservations about the way and manner the country was being managed then, he rejected the offer. This shows that he has always been with the people and serves in the interest of the people. He has also contributed a lot to the development of legislative institutions in this country.”

The Speaker thereafter directed the Clerk Barr. Olalekan Onafeko to transmit a congratulatory letter to the celebrant on the occasion of his 60th birthday.

On his part, LAHA Deputy Speaker,Wasiu Eshilokun-Sanni, in his congratulatory message described  Gbajabiamila as an example of what a legislator should be .

“He has shown that the older the wine, the better the legislature,” he said.

Majority Leader of the House, Hon Sanai Agunbiade, described Gbajabiamila as a man that is charismatic of the office he occupies.

“He is calm, composed and each time you watch him preside, you would know an experienced legislator is presiding,” he said.

The Deputy Whip of the House,  Mosunmola Sangodara, described Rt. Hon. Gbajabiamila is a great leader who has brought developmental projects to Surulere constituency.

“He is a very outstanding man. His success cannot be far-fetched as this trait can be seen in his mother who was once a Local Government chairperson and performed very well during her time,” she said.

In his contribution, Temitope Adewale from Ifako-Ijaye said Speaker Gbajabiamila had shown to the world that there is credence in the legislature .

“We are celebrating a man from Lagos who has risen from the ranks to become the ‘number four citizen’ in the country,” while Sa’ad Olumo said “Gbajabiamila had done everything in terms of quality representation. He has a great impact on us in his capacity and representation.”

Petrol Remains N165 Per Litre FG Warns Marketers

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Pump Price in Nigeria

By Tosin Olatokunbo

Some petroleum marketers have jerked up their pumps price to at least N200 per litre of petrol in the last two weeks amidst scarcity of the products in Nigeria’s major cities. The marketers insist that they need to adjust  the price upward to remain in business.

In spite of this, the federal government has warned that it will sanction any petrol station that sells above the N165 per litre regulated price.

The development came amidst assurance by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC Ltd that the agency has enough stock of PMS, and that fuel queues will clear off in a matter of days.

There is “1.9 billion liters of PMS; Lagos is cleared in a couple of days; we will clear the queues in Abuja,” Adeyemi Adetunji, Group Executive Director, Downstream, NNPC Ltd. said.

According to Farouk Ahmed, Authority Chief Executive, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, the federal government has not increased the price of the product, warning that filling stations selling above regulated price will be shut down and sanctioned.

“We are actually trying to monitor the dispensing to ensure that all the stations with petrol are dispensing all their trucks to reduce the long queues and ensure efficiency in service” he said.

“We are monitoring the depot sales also, checking the number of trucks that loaded; this is a serious fact which we look at.

“There has been a lot of improvement in the distribution of PMS; we have gone round the Airport road and saw a lot of stations selling and discharging fuel.

“The queues are not long like before and the average trucks we have received in Abuja in the last three days are about 140 trucks against 70 trucks to 80 trucks received before; so there is a lot of improvement.

He added that credit also goes to transporters because now they are reacting to the President’s offer of additional N10 as an incentive on their transportation charges, citing improvement in operations.

PDP Is Doomed If Wike Leaves Party- Jibrin

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Nyesom Wike

By Tosin Olagtokunbo

The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Board of Trustee, BOT Walid Jibrin, has warned that the party will be the loser if Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state defects from the party.

The River’s governor has remained silent since Atiku Abubakar, the flagbearer of the party in next year’s presidential election picked Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate.

Since Okowa emerged the running mate to Atiku, the Rivers helmsman has not spoken publicly on the issue, fueling rumour that his silent is pregnant. Not a few insist that Wike is angry, and may be plotting to dump the party.

The visit by top opposition leaders such as Peter Obi, the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Musa Kwakwanso of the NNPP, amongst others in the past two weeks has further raised apprehension among PDP leaders about the future of Wike in the party.

Jibrin said PDP leaders will not allow this to happen, because the party needs Wike and will do all it takes to ensure that he does not leave the party.

The BOT chair said: “We know that governor Nyesom Wike may not be happy. It is the intention of this party to constitute a reconciliation committee that will meet Wike to talk to him, appeal to him, and pray that he will not leave our party.

Governor Wike is “a great man who has been fighting for the party, and the party will not want to see him move to another party

“We will all visit Wike together and if it means kneeling to Wike, we will kneel for him. We respect him. We respect his integrity and honesty in supporting the PDP. It is our belief that in any contest, there must be a winner and a loser.”

Unity Bank: Delta, Rivers Corps Members To Get N10m Business Grant

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Unity Bank’s flagship Entrepreneurial Development Initiative, Corpreneurship Challenge, is set to return for the 8th edition across 10 locations in Nigeria, including a debut in Delta and Rivers states.

The Retail lender kick-started the Corpreneurship Challenge scheme in 2019, with a launch in Lagos and in three other states, which included Edo, Ogun, and Abuja, but with the increasing traction of the initiative among corps entrepreneurs, the Bank has now expanded the programme to 10 states across the federation.

The first expanded edition covered Lagos, Ogun, Abuja, Edo, Katsina, Enugu, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Sokoto, Kano and Kaduna. This edition will hold for the first time in Rivers and Delta as well as making a return to Sokoto, Edo, Abuja, Akwa-Ibom, Osun, Kano, Bayelsa and Enugu.

The Corpreneurship Challenge, which has earned the Bank a national recognition for its impact on youth empowerment and job creation, has continued to elicit growing interest among the corps members, attracting over 2000 applicants and participation in every edition.

In partnership with the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development, SAED, the initiative prominently features a business pitch presentation that provides the participants with the opportunity to present their business plans and stand a chance to win up to N500, 000 cash in the business grant.

Previous editions saw participants pitching business plans from several sectors including software solutions, fashion, fish production, poultry farming, bee farming, retail chains, and piggery to beverages which were assessed based on originality, marketability, and future employability potential of the product and knowledge of the business.

So far, Unity Bank has invested over N100 million in the initiative which has now produced 58 winners since it was launched.

Breaking: AIU Extends Okagbare’s  Ban To 11 Years

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Blessing Okagbare
Blessing Okagbare

By Akinwale Kasali

Sensational Nigeria Sprinter, Blessing Okagbare ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit, AIU has been extended to 11 years. The Nigerian sprint sensation had earlier been banned for 10 years by the athletic governing body.

The Commonwealth Gold Medalist was punished for evading sample collection, and tampering with the doping control process, the AIU said in a statement late Monday night of June 27, 2022.

It would be recalled that in February 2022, a 10-year-ban was handed down to Okagbare by the body after she was found guilty of doping. The ban, has however, been extended by one year.

Okagbare was suspended on July 31, 2021 from the semi-finals of the women’s 100m of the last Olympic Games in Tokyo.

AIU announced that the double Commonwealth Games sprint winner had tested positive for human growth hormones.

Further investigation of the case by FBI revealed that Okagbare was involved in an orchestrated doping plot involving a US-based “naturopathic” therapist Eric Lira.

Southern Govs Back Zamfara’s Call On Citizens To Arm Themselves

By
Ayodele Oni
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Rotimi Akeredolu
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu

Ayodele Oni

The helplessness of State Governments to curtail insecurity in their areas which  compelled Zamfara State to direct its citizens to arm themselves in self defence has attracted the support of Governors.

Chairman, Southern Governors Forum and Governor of Ondo state, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, said on Monday that the situation has led to lack of trust between States and the Federal Government.

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties to the Governor, Doyin Odebowale in Akure noted that the call by Zamfara State Governor portends great danger for the polity.

“The press statement released by the Ministry of Information of the Zamfara State Government on the need for citizens to arm themselves for self-defense, among others, confirms the pervasive loss of confidence in the current security arrangement the Country.

“It signals a situation of near- capitulation on the part of the security agencies centrally controlled by the Federal Government. It portends great danger for the polity.

“It is a sad commentary on the increasing inability and impotence of the Zamfara State Government, and other States, to protect their citizens in the wake of relentless and mindless assaults by terrorists and bandits.

“It suggests a total lack of trust between that State Government and Federal Government on one hand, and the helpless and hopeless situation in which the people have found themselves concerning the security of lives, on the other.

“The stark reality confronting the people of Zamfara leaves the Government with no esoteric option than to lean heavily on the current arrangement.

“The Government and the people of Zamfara State have been pushed to the wall. The feeling of despondency is pervasive in the land.

“We must, however, advise caution. The directive of the State Governor to the Commissioner of Police to issue licenses to qualified citizens to bear arms in the defense of their immediate environments and the State in general is commendable.

“But the NSA and Inspector General of Police may have to issue license to possess a certain category of arms.

“No such licenses have been issued to individuals since 2007, while those which existed had been revoked.

“Therefore, this directive, attractive and compelling in the current circumstances, may be stifled by existing federal arrangement.

“The Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, commends the boldness of his brother Governor, Bello Matawalle, in his bid to confront the security challenges in his State, adopting a pragmatic approach.

“The Governor notes, with great concern, the continued refusal by the Federal Government to grant licenses to security outfits, run by some States, to bear sophisticated firearms capable of restraining, effectively, acts of criminality and brazen impunity with commensurate responses.

“The deliberate policy of the Federal Government to deny exigent regional security outfits of the rights to bear firearms, when it is evident that the security agencies in the country are overwhelmed and distracted by centrifugal forces, is a major factor, among many, exacerbating the current security challenges in the country.

A federal system of government cannot be administered as if the country is a unitary colony, controlled, rigidly, at the centre, while the constituent units are treated as mere outposts.

“This fact, coupled with the logic of divergence and rapid growth in population, imposes no other practicable measure on the managers of this country, including our legislators, than to accept the inevitability of the establishment of a State Police.”

Gov Fayemi Defies Seniority, Appoints New Ekiti Head Of Service

By
Ayodele Oni
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By Ayodele Oni

Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi shocked bookmakers on Monday as he approved the appointment of Mr Bamidele Olugbenga Agbede as the new Head of Service in the State Civil Service.

Rumour has been ripe since about a month ago that another woman, regarded as the most senior in the State Civil Service will succeed Mrs Peju Babafemi who retired from service on June 30.

It was learnt that the woman, presently in charge of one of the service delivery ministries, had since last week cleared her desk and awaiting the government announcement.

However Governor Fayemi announced Agbede, who until his new appointment, is Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works and Transport.

He takes over from the State’s first female Head of Service, Mrs Peju Babafemi, who is billed to retire from the State Civil Service on June 30th, having attained the mandatory 35years in the service.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary, Yinka Oyebode stated that Agbede’s appointment as Head of Service takes effect from July 1, 2022.

Meanwhile, Governor Fayemi has commended Mrs Babafemi for her demonstrated brilliance, diligence and professionalism, which has greatly helped in repositioning the State Civil Service for optimal service delivery.

Agbede, the new Head of Service holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History as well as a Law degree from the Ondo State University (now Ekiti State University), Ado-Ekiti. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2006.

He started his career as a Personnel Officer with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ondo State in 1988.

He was on secondment to the Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC) as Executive Secretary between 2000 and 2004.

Agbede, who hails from Ikole Local Government Area, was appointed Permanent Secretary in December 2012.

He served as Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs (2012 to 2014); Government House and Protocol (2014 -2017); and Ministry of Works and Transport (2017 till date).

The new Head of Service is to be sworn in on Monday, July 4, 2022.

Calm, Relief At Supreme Court As Buhari Swears In Ariwola As CJN; Will Retire In 2028

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Kayode Ariwoola - Swearing-in

By Tosin Olatokunbo

Justice Kayode Ariwoola who was sworn-in Monday afternoon as the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, will retire in 2028 if confirmed, and bearing any other strange circumstances.

He was born on August 22, 1958. The retiring age is 70 years.

Until his appointment, he was the second most senior Justice of the Supreme Court, after the Honourable Muhammad Tanko who suddenly resigned Monday morning over alleged health issues.

He arrived in company of his brother-Justices to the Executive Council Chambers where he was sworn-in by 2.45pm by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Justice Ariwoola from Iseyin, Oyo State, was among the  Supreme Court Justices, who last week wrote a protest letter to the outgone CJN.

The angry Justices had accused their former boss of shortchanging them in running the affairs of Nigeria’s top most Court.

The letter reads in part: “In the past, Justices were nominated to attend two to three foreign workshops and trainings per annum with an accompanying person for reasons of age.

“Since Your Lordship’s assumption of office, justices only attended two workshops in Dubai and Zanzibar. They were not accorded the privilege of travelling with accompanying persons as was the practice.

“Your Lordship totally ignored this demand and yet travelled with  spouse, children and personal staff.

”We DEMAND to know what has become of our training funds, have they been diverted, or is it a plain denial?

“Your Lordship may also remember that the National Assembly has increased the budgetary allocation of the Judiciary.

“We find it strange that in spite of the upward review of our budgetary allocation, the court cannot cater for our legitimate entitlements. This is unacceptable.

“There is general lack of concern for Justices who require immediate or emergency medical intervention,” they added, even as they equally bemoaned the disconnection of internet services at their chambers and official residence.

“Your Lordship, with all due respect, this is the peak of the degeneration of the court; it is the height of decadence, and clear evidence of the absence of probity and moral rectitude.

“Your Lordship, this act alone portends imminent danger to the survival of this court and the judiciary as an institution, which is gradually drifting to extinction,” the angry Justices wrote in the letter titled: “The State of Affairs in the Supreme Court of Nigeria by Justices of the Court”.

Apart from Ariwoola those who signed the letter include: Musa Dattijo Mohammed, Kudirat Motonmori O. Kekere-Ekun, and John Inyang Okoro.

The rest are Chima Centus Nweze, Amina Adamu Augie, Uwani Musa Abba-Aji, Mohammed Lawal, Helen Moronkeji Ogunwumiju, Abdu Aboki, Ibrahim Saulawa, Adamu Jauro, Tijjani Abubakar, and Emmanuel Agim.

Meanwhile, the magazine could not confirm whether the former CJN was forced to resign as a result of the last week’s saga, which many keen watchers of Nigeria’s Presidency said rattled Aso Rock, or on health grounds.

Speculation is that Tanko had Alzheimers. Ariwoola too, allegedly, has medical issues and walks with a walking stick.

He is described as a  patrician and has a sense of fairness. Said a Lawyer: “We are. Ariwoola is calm and friendly. He is a friend to most Lawyers.”

Meanwhile, Justices of the Supreme Court are calm, and relieved, according to sources in the Apex Court, who also say that most staff are happy.

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