FCTA Warns Against Ram Sales In Undesignated Areas

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July 1, 2022

The Authority of the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has warned against the selling of rams in none designated areas in the Federal Capital City.

The Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Mr Attah Ikharo issued the warning while inspecting the designated areas n Abuja.

The Minister’s Aide said that the administration would not allow persons selling ram to litter the city.

Attah cautioned that anyone caught selling ram in areas not approved it would be confiscated and taken to court.

According to him, the administration will approach the judge and pray the judge to give them a forfeiture order, when that is granted the ram will be taken to the orphanage, less privileged homes and prison.

He further disclosed that the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) headed by Mr Osi Braimah, had set up a committee which has been up and doing.

He explained that the committee had been reinvigorated to check the sales of ram and warned persons not to sell ram in areas not designated.

Attah advised ram sellers to get proper guidance on how to go about selling the ram without violating the law.

Court Orders Immigration, Others To Release Ukpo’s Biodata To Ekweremadu, Wife

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Koko Lawrence

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July 1, 2022

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A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Identify Management Commission (NIMC) and some banks to release the biodata information of David Nwamini Ukpo to the detained former Deputy President, Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice.

Justice Inyang Ekwo gave the order in a ruling on Friday after listening to the lawyer to Ekweremadu and his wife, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN).

Ekweremadu and his wife had in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/984/2022 urged the court to among others, order the defendants to supply them with the certified true copies (CTC) of David Nwamini Ukpo’s biodata information in their care to aid their (plaintiffs) defence in their trial before a United Kingdom Magistrates’ Court, where they are accused of plotting to harvest Ukpo’s organ (kidney).

Other defendants in the suit are: the Comptroller General (C-G), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS); Stanbic-IBTC Bank; United Bank of Africa (UBA) and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) Plc.

At the mention of the case on Friday, Awomolo withdrew against NIBSS, following which Justice Ekwo struck its name off the suit.

Minister, CSOs Seek Review Of Laws To Protect The Poor

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Olasunbo Okoromi

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July 1, 2022

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Stakeholder have called for a review in laws that punishes poor people far more often and more harshly than the wealthy, often through pretrial detention and cash bail.

The call was made at a National conference with the theme ‘Nigerian Criminal Justice System: The Criminalisation of Poverty in Nigeria’.

The conference was organised by a civil society organisation, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), in Abuja.

The conference was to examine Nigeria’s dysfunctional criminal justice system, which the organisers said unequally and disproportionately affected the poor and the most vulnerable in the society.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen, said it was imperative to review the justice system to support people faced with economic obstacles, rather than incarcerating them.

Tallen represented by Mrs Kenechi Umeh, an Assistant Legal Adviser in the ministry, said laws that incarcerate people who were unable to pay debts, fines, bail bond, accentuate poverty rather than solved it.

She further said there should also be well thought-out poverty alleviation programmes that entailed technological skills acquisition, vocational training, micro-lending intervention solutions, as a panacea to poverty.

Also speaking, the Executive Director, RULAAC, Okechukwu Nwanguma said that the event was aimed at finding ways to end the criminalisation of petty offences in Nigeria.

He said that this was necessary because the criminal justice system in the country, disproportionately affect the poor.

Nwanguma said that there were situations where people were sent to jail for stealing yam while `big men’ who steal huge amount of money get away with their crimes.

He said that the poor also constituted the majority of persons awaiting trial and who may never have the chance to appear in court again after the initial arraignment, as they may be forgotten by the system.

“Petty crimes committed by the poor attract more law enforcement action than big crimes committed by the rich.

“More often, the rich have the means and ways and can hire Senior Advocates or buy their ways through.

“So criminal justice in Nigeria, just like human rights violation, has a social class bias targeting mainly the poor and the most vulnerable in Nigeria.

“We think that the criminal justice system that criminalises the people needs to be addressed,’’ he added.

Nwanguma, therefore, said it was imperative to reform the judiciary system to become fair and just, ensure speedy dispensation of justice and equal protection to both the poor and the rich, without discrimination.

The Keynote Speaker, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu who spoke on the topic `Criminalisation of Poverty in Nigeria, the Dimension, Effects and Solutions’, said that criminal law and its institutions provide the framework to which lawful society defends itself and its values.

Odinkalu said there was need to train the judiciary, decriminalise the polity and empower citizens to create a more egalitarian society.

Also speaking, Mr Emmanuel Nwakeze, of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS), said that the poor suffer more from cases of missing case files and delayed justice while in prison in custody .

Nwakeze said that although the NCS Act 2019 has a lot of provisions of protecting inmates, its implementation was slow because of poor budgetary allocation.

He observed that transfer of judges also cause setback during trials, leading to prison congestion.

The Country Director, Amnesty International Nigeria, Osai Ojigho, said the judicial system should be reformed to fast track justice delivery.

`We do not need more people in jail for no good reasons or in pre-trial detention for many years.

“One step to addressing this would be to decriminalise petty crimes,” he said.

Ojigho said CSOs and relevant stakeholders should work to end the criminalisation of poverty in the society.

The conference was organised with support from the Open Society Initiatives for West Africa

Germany, Nigeria To Sign Accord On Return Of Benin Bronzes

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Koko Lawrence

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July 1, 2022

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Germany and Nigeria are set to sign an agreement in Berlin Friday paving the way for the return of centuries-old sculptures known as the Benin Bronzes that were taken from Africa in the 19th century and displayed in German museums and elsewhere.

Governments and museums in Europe and North America have increasingly sought to resolve ownership disputes over objects that were looted during colonial times.

A British colonial expedition stole the bas-relief Bronzes along with a vast number of other treasures in 1897 from the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in what’s now southern Nigeria.

The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, an authority that oversees many of Berlin’s museums, announced last year that it was beginning formal negotiations on returning pieces that are in its collection. Many of them date from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

The memorandum of understanding will be signed by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Culture Minister Claudia Roth, as well as Nigeria’s Culture Minister Lai Mohammed and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zubairo Dada.

Final details of the restitution have yet to be announced, but the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation says it expects to keep some of the Bronzes on loan from Nigeria.

The Smithsonian removed 10 Benin Bronze pieces from display at its National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., and announced a new ethical return policy this year. Other U.S. museums have also begun discussions about returning such objects, while France declared last year that it would return the so-called Abomey Treasures to Benin as part of a wider effort to make amends for colonial wrongs.

Many of the objects remain in the British Museum, which has resisted calls to return them.

2023: INEC Advise Parties To Upload List Of State Elections Candidates Before July 15

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Koko Lawrence

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July 1, 2022

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reminded political parties that the deadline for uploading list and particulars of their nominees remains July 15.

The commission made the disclosure in a statement issued by Festus Okoye, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, on Thursday after the commission’s meeting held in Abuja.

He said that INEC met and deliberated on a number of issues, including the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), the issuance of Certified True Copies (CTCs) of documents and the commencement of the uploading of the list and personal particulars of Governorship and State Assembly Candidates.

“By the Timetable and Schedule of Activities released by the Commission, Political Parties that conducted valid Governorship and State Assembly primaries shall upload the list and personal particulars of their nominated candidates between July 1 and July 15.

“We urge political parties to scrutinize the list and personal particulars of the candidates they propose to sponsor at the election to avoid any mix-up and duplication of names.

“Political parties are advised not to wait until the last day before uploading the list and personal particulars of their candidates.

The Candidates Nomination Portal will shut down at 6pm on July 15,” Okoye said.

He advised political parties that have challenges with uploading documents should contact the commission’s Help – Desk, through the dedicated telephone lines or contact the candidate nomination centre at the Commission’s headquarters.

On the CVR, Okoye said that the exercise would continue nationwide, saying all the Resident Electoral Commissioners and Electoral Officers had been directed to continue with the exercise pending further directives from the Commission.

He said that the commission had consistently reiterated its resolve to continue to provide electoral services to the Nigerian people and register all eligible Nigerians that were interested in registering.

Okoye added that INEC had yet again deployed additional machines to areas of pressure and would continue to serve the people of Nigeria.

“Furthermore, the case at the Federal High Court relating to the terminal date of the CVR came up yesterday, Wednesday, June 29, 2022.

“Based on the request of the commission, the Court granted an accelerated hearing and adjourned the matter to Monday July 4, 2022 for hearing of the substantive matter.

“The Commission will give an update after court hearing next week.”

On the issuance of CTC of documents, Okoye said that the Commission had been inundated with applications for CTCs of various documents.

“So far, 186 requests for CTCs, some running into hundreds of pages, have been processed.

“The Commission is working round the clock, including weekends, to attend to all such requests.

“We wish to assure political parties, aspirants, candidates, and all applicants for CTCs of documents that their applications will be treated expeditiously and will be issued in earnest.”

Teachers’ Union Reject Nine Per Cent Pay Rise

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faith Jegede

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July 1, 2022

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Teaching unions in the Uk have blasted Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi’s offer of a 9% pay rise after the union went on a protest strike.

The conservative (tory) minister appears to have backed away from his position last week that striking would be ‘unforgivable’ and is begging Chancellor Rishi Sunak to bankroll a wage hike for 130,000 junior teachers in England.

However, Mary Bousted, the general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said it was still a pay cut’ when factoring in inflation. ‘If we don’t receive a very much better offer we will be looking to ballot our members in October.’

The union leader added that even under a ‘best case scenario’ that less than half of new teachers would start training this September – with just 12 confirmed places in DT, 40 in physics and 41 in modern languages.

It came after Britain’s National Education Union threatened industrial action if the Government did not increase its offer for most teachers. The National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers union has also threatened that it would ballot members for industrial action in November if the pay rise this year is less than 12%.

Bousted said: ‘9% for beginner teachers does not really shift the dial on the Government’s plan to reach a £30,000 starter salary within two years. In that time, however, teachers will have experienced the intense and excessive workload which leads to almost a third quitting within five years of qualifying’.

She added that more experienced teachers had been ‘subjected to poor pay deal after poor pay deal for many years, and for them a 5% deal would be unacceptable’.

‘It is well below the current RPI inflation of 11.7%. What we need to see is an inflation-plus pay increase for all teachers.

‘Teacher pay has fallen by a fifth in real terms since 2010. Combine this with the high workload – and amongst the highest unpaid working hours – and it is no wonder there is a major problem with recruitment and retention,’ she said.

‘With training numbers through the floor, this has profound consequences for our education system. Add to this schools struggling to make ends meet through periods of underfunding, additional Covid security, and now the cost-of-living crisis.’

And Patrick Roach, general secretary of NASUWT, said the plans ‘did not come close’ to what was needed.

Dr Roach said it was ‘extraordinary’ that the Government had chosen to delay publication of the pay review body report and that ministers had refused to ‘engage in dialogue directly with the profession’.

‘The deepening cost of living crisis together with 12 years of real-terms cuts to teachers’ pay require a genuine commitment to pay restoration for teachers starting in September,’ he said.

‘A typical classroom teacher is today £40,000 worse off than they would have been had their pay kept pace with inflation over the last decade.

‘Talk of a pay award of 5% for the vast majority of teachers doesn’t come close to what is needed.’

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that ASCL was ‘not entirely sure what is new about this’ given that the DfE submission to the STRB in March proposed a two-year pay award of 8.9% and then 7.1% to teacher starting salaries as part of the commitment to raise them to £30,000.

‘The trouble is that it also proposed lower pay awards for other pay points tapering down to 3% and then 2% for teachers on the upper pay scale and for leaders – which is significantly below inflation and represents another effective pay cut,’ he added.

‘This is on top of pay erosion since 2010 which has seen the real value of salaries fall by a fifth and is one of the main drivers of a teacher shortage crisis that is hitting our schools.

‘We are seeking an across-the-board pay award which matches inflation and which also begins to address this long-term attack on teacher pay. We simply must have enough teachers to put in front of classes.’

Last week, Mr Zahawi said that teaching unions taking strike action after the disruption students faced in the pandemic would be ‘unforgivable’ and ‘unfair’.

In March, the Education Secretary said that the unions should ‘show restraint’ by accepting 3%.

Kogi State Governor Inspects Executed Projects Across The State

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Olasunbo Okoromi

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July 1, 2022

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Gov Yahaya Bello of Kogi has expressed satisfaction over all the projects executed in Lokoja metropolis and across the state.

Bello made the statement while addressing newsmen at Kogi State Specialist Hospital Lokoja, shortly after he inspected some projects executed by contractors across the confluence city.

The governor noted that the job was eventually handled by a local contractor, saying he had done credibly well.

He thanked the contractor, being an native of Kogi State, for executing a very good job to his standard at a far cheaper rate.

”So, today we have a remodeled Specialist Hospital, manned by a competent Chief Medical Director, Prof. Yahaya Ozigi and all of his other team in the hospital.

”The medical director is doing very well and all his patients, as well as the doctors, nurses and other workers are expressing their satisfaction in terms of job, pay remuneration and incentive,” Bello said.

He thanked all the stakeholders who had contributed one way or the other towards making sure that quality jobs were executed in the state.

Commenting on other projects inspected, Bello said, ”I am taking aback; all the jobs executed so far are all excellent, ready for commissioning”.

Bello emphasised that he personally inspected all the projects to ensure that they met his taste and quality before inviting President Muhammadu Buhari, APC flag bearer, Bola Tinubu and other dignitaries for commissioning.

The governor added that every other place dimmed necessary to be touched in the city had been captured, saying, ”we will continue to work till the last second in office as the Executive Governor of Kogi State”.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that other projects inspected include GYB Model Science Secondary School, Adankolo, PMB Civic Centre, Ganaja Overhead bridge, among others.

Council inducts 158 Kwara University Medical Laboratory Scientists

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Cleopatra Okohai

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July 1, 2022

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The Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria has inducted 158 newly qualified medical laboratory scientists from Kwara State University.

The Registrar of MLSCN, Dr. Tosan Erhabor, congratulated the university for ensuring the full accreditation of the programme.

Dr. Erhabor, who was represented by MLSCN Director, Education, and Deputy Registrar, Dr. Godwin Aikpitianyi, advocated for the training of more personnel in the health sector to meet the needs of the nation.

He noted that the strides made by the university would boost the profile of the medical laboratory science programme.

The registrar, however, urged that more should be done to ensure staff and students work with the best tools with which to push the frontiers of training and research.

He also charged the newly qualified medical laboratory scientists to avoid quackery and sharp practices, urging them to take their oath as binding them to professional conduct.

In his opening address, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Mustapha Akanbi SAN, stated that the induction ceremony was an important event and contribution to the country’s medical sector.

Represented by Prof. Omololu Fapojuwo, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Administration, Akanbi said the newly inducted scientists would contribute to ameliorating personnel shortage in the profession.

”KWASU is the first institution in the North Central zone to mount and graduate medical laboratory scientists and we are committed to producing total graduates who will drive various sectors of the nation’s economy,” he said.

Akanbi added that the induction ceremony brought the total of medical laboratory scientists produced by the institution to 364.

He urged the inductees to be good ambassadors of the institution through hard work, honesty, and service to humanity.

The Dean of the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, Prof. Emmanuel Ajani, said the university has achieved in the areas of procurement of laboratory equipment, a new laboratory complex, a departmental building, and an endowment of the Faculty Lecture.

According to reports, that the event climaxed with the administration of the Hippocratic oath and induction of the medical scientists into the profession and the council.

The oath-taking and induction ceremony was the third of its kind in the institution.

Niger Delta Group Hails Military Onslaught Against Oil Thieves

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Olasunbo Okoromi

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July 1, 2022

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A group, the Niger-Delta Environment Restoration Coalition (NDERC) has hailed the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) for renewed onslaught against crude oil thieves operating in the region.

The President of the group, Mr Justice Eselomo, gave the commendation in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

Eselomo said apart from saving the country huge amount of money that would have gone into the hands of the criminals, the anti-illegal bunkering operations had helped to save the ‘flora and fauna’ as well as health of the people.

He said the synergy between the service and troops of the different operations in the region had continued to yield positive results.

The group attributed the renewed vigour with which the troops had been going after the economic saboteurs to the determination of the Chief of Defence, Gen. Lucky Irabor, to rid the region of economic saboteurs.

Eselomo, however, solicited the cooperation of the people of the region to enable the armed forces to deal with the menace that had caused environmental degradation, pollution and put people’s health in danger.

Kogi specialist Hospital to recruit Doctors, Consultants

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Cleopatra Okohai

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July 1, 2022

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The newly renovated Kogi Specialist Hospital is set to employ more doctors, consultants and nurses for effective and efficient service.

The Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Prof. Isah Adagiri-Yahaya, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Lokoja on Thursday shortly after Gov. Yahaya Bello visited and inspected the renovated hospital.

“With the turnaround of the hospital by our hardworking governor, we are set to employ more doctors, consultants, nurses, lab scientists, amongst others, to give the general public better services.

“In fact, with the kind of facilities we have now, they (public) should expect better services from us; more so that the governor has given us a standing approval to employ qualified and determined staff.

“We presently have 50 doctors in our 14 departments and each of the departments must have a consultant.

“We have four consultants in Optics and Gynaecology, ENT Surgeon, General Surgeon, Opthalmology and Psychiatric but we need more of them,” he said.

Adagiri-Yahaya expressed gratitude to the governor for ordering for the purchase a Citi-Scan Machine and an Advanced Life Support Mobile Clinic or Ambulance for the hospital.

He said that the ambulance, which had all the necessary facilities, would soon be delivered to the hospital alongside the Citi-Scan Machine.

He said that once they arrived. they would be kept at the newly constructed Diagnostic Centre.

According to him, the Citi-Scan Machine will go a long way in helping accident victims and cancer patients in and outside the state.