NYSC’s Participation Has Enhanced Electoral Credibility In Nigeria – Yakubu Gowon

July 26, 2019

Former military Head of State, retired General Yakubu Gowon has said that collaboration between the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has given credibility to Nigeria’s elections.

Dr. Gowon, in an address delivered on his behalf by General Ahmadu Ali, pioneer Director General of the scheme, at a sensitization workshop on the National Youth Service Corps Act, CAP. N84 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, listed the achievements of the scheme.

Some of such achievements of the NYSC, according Gowon, include national unity, educational development of the country and development in the health sector.

“The scheme is involved in Legal Aid work, rendering pro bono Legal services to the indigent members of the society.”
Gowon said that though the original enabling statute was repealed by Decree 51 of June 16, 1993, which is now National Youth Service Corps Act CAP. N84, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, “the objectives of the Act have remained constant and very relevant to the contemporary challenges of our dear nation Nigeria.”
According to him, the establishment of the scheme was not misplaced.
“I am very proud to note that the establishment of the National Youth Service Corps in 1973 by my administration was not misplaced, judging from the laudable achievements of the scheme.”
Also speaking during the opening ceremony of the sensitization workshop, the Director General, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, said that given the current realities of the continuing relevance of the NYSC, “we have recognized the need to provide avenue for enlightenment of Nigerians on the enabling Act and the various aspects of our operations. This is based on our firm belief that the roles of stakeholders are better played if the provisions of the enabling law are clearly understood.”
The DG advised professional bodies who request for corps members for specific areas to desist, saying: “I consider it appropriate to remind professional bodies who have been inundating us with requests for posting of Corps members to specific areas of endeavours for Primary Assignment that such requests are not in tandem with the provisions of the NYSC Act from which our posting policy is derived.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Corps members are assigned to serve in areas where their services are required in line with national needs, with priority given to rural transformation.”
The DG therefor urged Nigerians “to familiarize themselves with the NYSC Act for better understanding of the policies and operations of the Scheme.”
A minute’s silence was observed in the course of the programme for Precious Owolabi, a corps member serving with Channels TV. Owolabi was killed during last week’s clash between members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, popularly known as Shiites and the police in Abuja.

WAEC Releases 2019 May/June Senior School Results

Editorial staff

July 26, 2019

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the results of 2019 May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Head of National Office (HNO) of WAEC, Olu Adenipekun, who announced the release at a news conference in Lagos today, July 26, said that a total of 1,020,519 candidates who sat for the 2019 May/June WASSCE for schools obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

He said that there is an improvement in candidates’ performances in 2019 when compared to that of 2018 in the same examination.

About 1,596161 candidates registered for the examination from 18,639 recognised secondary schools in Nigeria.

Adenipekun said that, of the number of candidates who registered for the examination, 1,590,173 sat for the examination which was also administered to some candidates from some schools in Benin Republic, Cote d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea, where Nigerian curriculum for the Senior Secondary School was used.

According to him, a total of 1,309,570 candidates also obtained credits and above in a minimum of any five subjects, with or without English Language and or mathematics.

The HNO said that results of 180, 205 candidates who sat for the examination were withheld in connection with reported cases of examination malpractice.

He told journalists that the cases were being investigated, adding that reports of the investigation would be presented to the appropriate committee of the council in due course.

The HNO said that 1,468,071 candidates who sat for the examination had their results fully processed and released while 122,102 others had a few of their subjects still being processed.

Adenipekun gave the assurance that efforts were being made to speedily complete the processing so that all the affected candidates would get their results fully processed and released subsequently.

According to him, 299 of the candidates who sat for the examination are visually impaired, 842 have impaired hearing, 158 have low vision, 75 are spastic cum mentally challenged and 85, physically challenged.

I’m Baby Governor, Dapo Abiodun Of Ogun Admits

July 26, 2019

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun has described himself as a baby governor still learning the rope.

Speaking to news men last night, July 25 at the end of the Presidential Policy Retreat held in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Governor Dapo Abiodun said: “I think for me as a baby governor, this experience is a very exciting one coming from what we had – KPMG, McKinzey, NESG, fellow governors and so many people.”

He said that all the stakeholders came together, particularly with the input of the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole “and we all deliberated on so many issues all geared towards moving Nigeria forward in the right direction.

“It’s been a very exciting opportunity. We talked about increasing the ranking of Nigeria on the global Ease of Doing Business Index which basically shapes perspective and the willingness of anyone to come and invest in Nigeria. We talked about affordable housing in Nigeria, we talked about how to achieve that.

“A a lot of time was spent on the disposable income of our citizenry and how did they save to own a home.

“So consequently, we spoke about affordable loans – how do we access loan that would be affordable not loans at 18 percent. We spoke about security, particularly we spent time discussing about security. I am sure you are aware that we the governors of the South West have gotten together and we are discussing the issue seriously. “Graciously, one of our members from the private sector suggested a national security trust funding mechanism which requires that private sector puts together considerable amount of money and also the federal government would match that fund and that would be managed by the private sector.

“It’s something similar to what Lagos State has in place with all the governors. It’s something that accountability would be put in place. So we spent a lot of time on security because security is very important and I recall that I mentioned the fact that for me and Lagos, Ogun stands to benefit from everything that Lagos cannot provide.

“We are there to provide what Lagos cannot afford to have and that is why we are called the Gateway State. We are gateway to at least four states and we are also bordered to another country.

“I mentioned to them that only last night (Wednesday) there was a kidnap situation on Lagos-Ibadan expressway, and this morning (Thursday morning) on my way to this conference, there was an attempt to kidnap four people. They kidnapped two and two escaped. That Lagos-Ibadan expressway is the busiest highway in this country, not only that it is so important to the economy of my state, Lagos State and the entire country.

“The minute people begin to leave in fear, the minute people begin to have that foreboding fear that something may happen that way, it would kill the economy of the state and the country.

“How do we say we are creating an enabling environment for a public-private partnership when people cannot move freely from Lagos to Ogun an hinterland without the foreboding fear of being kidnapped.

“We spoke about road infrastructure, different funding mechanism as agriculture and we spoke about healthcare. There was the emphasis that states should take ownership of healthcare and agriculture.”

Governor Abiodun said that Ogun State under his Leadership, has started a lot of reforms part of which is the setting up of Ogun State investment office.

Experts Hand 10 Next Level Agenda To Buhari

Greenbarge Reporters

July 26, 2019

Experts, including the governors of the 36 States of Nigeria, local and foreign captain of industry and government have handed over ten policy agenda to President Muhammadu Buhari after a two-day brain storm at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Presidential Policy Dialogue, which was meant to lay a solid ground for the attainment of the Buhari government next level agenda, took a look at different development models of other developed countries and fashioned out unique model for Nigeria, ahead of the assumption of duty by members of the new Federal Executive Council.

President Buhari, at the close of the two-day session last night, July 25, thanked the experts for making the time to discuss how his government can build a better Nigeria.
“From the presentations, discussions and exchanges, I could clearly see the patriotism and commitment you all have for this country. This gives me hope that we will surely leave a better Nigeria for future generations to come.

“As we come to the end of this Presidential Policy Dialogue Session, the key proposals made by the experts are for the Federal Government to consider the following strategic initiatives over the next four years:
a. Stimulate significant investments in the industrialisation of agriculture;
b. Develop policies that will facilitate private sector participation in infrastructure projects;
c. Introduce policies and regulatory changes that will unlock growth potentials in the petroleum sector – both upstream and downstream;
d. Aggressively improve the ease of doing business by reducing bureaucracy and improving inter agency collaboration;
e. Providing incentives for investors especially in agriculture and power sectors;
f. Facilitate construction of mass and affordable housing to propel economic growth and reduce the massive housing deficit;
g. Launch of a consumer credit scheme with the Banking Sector for citizens to have access to long term and affordable mortgages and consumer credit;
h. Address our security challenges by working in collaboration with the private sector;
i. Fix the power sector by addressing some of the regulatory uncertainties and operational shortcomings of the key players;
j. Drive efficiency in public service delivery through realignment of the Ministries, Departments & Agencies (MDAs) and implementation of e-governance solutions”
President Buhari promised that the proposals put forward by the experts will be discussed and finalised with the new ministers at executive level for implementation.
“Although most of the proposals were targeted at the Federal Government, I also want to remind the State Governors to do their part especially in the areas of education and health care, which are within their constitutional responsibilities.
“Our collective goal is to implement initiatives that will lift our citizens out of poverty through mass employment and social safety nets. This is achievable with the right fundamentals in place. We must all keep in mind that a successful economy is one where prosperity is felt by the majority.”

FG, States, LGs Share N762.5bn From June Allocation

Editorial staff

July 25, 2019

The Federal Government, States and Local Government Areas (LGAs) shared N762.5 billion as federal allocation for the month of June.

Mr Ahmed Idris, the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), said this on Thursday in Abuja, while addressing newsmen at the end of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting.

He said that the gross statutory revenue of N652.9 billion received for the month was higher than the N571.7 billion received in May by N81.21 billion.

He said revenue from Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) and Companies Income Tax (CIT) increased significantly, Value Added Tax (VAT) increased marginally while Royalties, Import and Excise duties decreased considerably.

Idris added that the shared amount comprised the month’s statutory distributable revenue of N652.949 billion.

He also said that the gross revenue available from VAT stood at N108.6 billion as against N106.8 billion distributed in the proceeding month, resulting in an increase of N1.8 billion.

On the sharing formula, he said the Federal Government received N309.4 billion representing 52.68 per cent, while states received N201.15 billion representing 26.72 per cent.

The AGF said that local government areas received N151.3 billion representing 20.60 per cent while oil producing states received N38.7 billion as 13 per cent derivation revenue.

Idris also said that N61.91 billion was allocated as cost of collection, transfer and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) refund.

He added that the Excess Crude Account (ECA) balance stood at 111.2 million dollars. (NAN)

Nigeria Labour Congress Advises Shiites To Stop Violence In Their Protests

Greenbarge Reporters

July 24, 2019

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has advised leadership of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shiites, to eschew violence in their protests over the continued detention of their leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky.

In a statement, the President of the Union, Ayuba Wabba said: “we therefore urge the leadership and members of the Shi’ite sect to not only eschew violence but be guided at all times by those fundamental principles/rules and practices of peaceful protest.”

Wabba stressed that the right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by the 1999 constitution (as amended), saying that such right cannot be abridged by anybody.

“The exercise of this right which the organized labour has routinely exercised in spite of occasional objections has helped in strengthening our democracy in no small way. In fact, at the risk of sounding immodest, we at Labour have become the symbol of popular street protest in Nigeria.

“Congress, from years of peaceful protests has covered some mileage for its members and generality of Nigerians. In the years of those protests, it was guided by discipline (even in the face of provocation) and principles of peaceful engagement.”

The Labour leader also advised the security forces to be guided by the rules of engagement, saying that it is reprehensible and completely objectionable to turn against peacefully- protesting people offensive weapons.

“Rights are available to all citizens, nay, humanity, in equal measure. Thus, the Shi’ite members should not be prejudiced or profiled for vindictive treatment.

“We call upon the government with every sense of responsibility and concern for our national security, to deal imaginatively with the issue of El-Zak-Zakky whom it has kept in detention in defiance of a court order to release him from detention.

“We expect the Government to be firm but flexible, use the stick and carrot approach. It is no sign of weakness.

“Nigeria is bigger than any organization and no one can hold it to ransom. While we support Government’s right and duty to maintain law and order, we equally urge it to do so with the benefit of its previous experiences in dealing with sects.”

Senate Commences Screening Of Ministerial Nominees

Editorial staff

July 24, 2019

The Senate has commenced the screening of the ministerial nominees, forwarded to it on Monday evening by President Muhammadu Buhari for confirmation.

So far, 10 ministerial nominees out of the 43 sent by President Muhammadu Buhari have been screened.

Those screened included Sen. George Akume (Benue), Sen. Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Sen. Olurunimbe Mamora (Lagos), and Rep. Emeka Nwajuiba (Imo).

Also screened were Uchechukwu Ogah (Abia), Mrs. Sharon Ikeazor (Anambra), Adamu Adamu (Bauchi), Dr Ogbonaya Onu (Ebonyi), Olamilekan Adegbite (Ogun), and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers).

President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, who presided over the exercise, described the performance of all the nominees who appeared before the Senate as “impressive”.

He also announced that the exercise would continue on Thursday and listed those to be screened to include Sen. Tayo Alasoadura (Ondo), Mustapha Shehuri (Borno), Retired Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (Kano), Niyi Adebayo (Ekiti) and Timipre Slyva (Bayelsa).

Also to be screened on Thursday are Mrs. Ramatu Tijjani (Kogi), Mohammed Abdullahi (Nasarawa), and Sunday Dare (Oyo).

Nigerian Inter-Bank Forex Market Gets CBN’s $210 Million Boost

Editorial staff

July 24, 2019

The Nigerian inter-bank foreign exchange market received another boost of $210 million from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) following transactions concluded yesterday, July 23.

The CBN Director in charge of Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor, who made this known today, July 24, said that authorized dealers in the wholesale sector of the market received $100 million, while the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and the invisibles segments were allocated the sum of $55 million each.

Okorafor said the bank’s Management is happy with the prevailing stability in the Nigerian foreign exchange market, adding that there has been continued stability in the foreign exchange market and the steady accretion to country’s external reserves.

The spokesman said that the CBN would also continue its intervention in the forex market to ensure liquidity, maintain stability and meet customers’ demand.

At the last bank trading, the sum of $298.7 million and CNY39.6 million were injected into the Retail Secondary Market Intervention Sales (SMIS) and on the spot and short tenured forwards segments of the foreign exchange market.

Meanwhile, the Naira today, July 24, exchange at an average of N357/$1 in the BDC segment of the market.

Regardless Of Who Is In Charge, We Value Cordial Relationship, Buhari Tells New British PM

Editorial staff

July 24, 2019

President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Boris Johnson, the new British Prime Minister, even as he said that Nigeria looks forward to continuation of the good relationships that bind us together for many years.

“We value this relationship so deeply that, regardless of who is in charge, this relationship should survive the political changes in the UK.’’

The Nigerian leader, who also praised the immediate past Prime Minister, Mrs. Theresa May for providing visionary leadership for the country, in a statement today, July 24 by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, said that Nigeria respects the choice of British people “and we are ready to work with the new Prime Minister to improve our close relations.

“Britain has been one of Nigeria’s most reliable allies, especially in supporting the efforts of this administration to improve security and stamp out corruption and graft.”

Buhari commended the British democratic model, describing it as one of the most successful systems in the world, which has survived time.

US StateTravel Ban Confirmed Electoral Malpractices -Atiku’s Media Aide

Editorial staff

July 24, 2019

Paul Ibe, a media aide to the Presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has said that the US visa ban on politicians who undermined Nigeria’s democracy has confirmed the malpractices that characterised the 2019 elections.

In a statement today, July 24, Paul Ibe who claimed that Atiku won the election, referred specifically to the US State Department statement by its spokesman, Morgan Ortagus on Tuesday, July 23, which is “we condemn those whose acts of violence, intimidation, or corruption harmed Nigerians or undermined the democratic process.”

“Speaking further, Mr. Ortagus said, “the Secretary of State is imposing visa restrictions on Nigerians believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy in Nigeria. These individuals have operated with impunity at the expense of the Nigerian people and undermined democratic principles and human rights.”

Paul Ibe said that the US statement is a vindication of Atiku’s position that the 2019 elections were “undermined” by the actions of state actors and institutions.

“We also wish to thank the United States of America for standing with the Nigerian people against those whose desire it is to truncate our democracy.

“Finally, we urge the Nigerian people not to despair. There is hope on the horizon. There is light at the end of the tunnel. The myriad of security, economic and social challenges Nigeria currently faces, which has resulted in our nation becoming the world headquarters for extreme poverty will, God wiling, soon be over, with the prospect of purposeful and result oriented leadership.”

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