The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Biodun Ogunyemi is obviously angry with the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, for telling a lie that the sum of N25 billion has been approved by the Federal Government for university lecturers as Earned Academic Allowance (EAA).Reacting to Adamu who said during his valedictory press briefing on Tuesday announced the approval of the sum of N25 billion as Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) for the lecturers, Professor Ogunyemi said that the Minister was not sincere about the alleged approval of the fund, adding that the Union has been seeking the said amount since February but has been tossed from one office to another without result.
He warned that for failing to abide by the agreement it reached with the Union before the strike was suspended in February, the Federal Government should be blamed for any further disruption of the Nigerian university system.
Professor Ogunyemi emphasized the N25 billion supposedly approved as part-payment for the outstanding arrears of the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) was supposed to have been done within the context of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOA) signed between the federal government of Nigeria and ASUU on 7th February 2019.
“Following the signing of the MOA, the union expected, as agreed, that the N25 billion EAA part-payment would be paid between 25th February 2019 and 28th February 2019.
“As we speak today, there is no evidence that mainstreaming of EAA into the annual budget, beginning from this year, has been done. Indeed what has been going on is the tossing around of the agreement document between the offices of the Minister of Education and Finance.
“All our efforts to track the said N25 billion at the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation have proved abortive. This is not only unacceptable to us but disheartening and frustrating to our members across the country.
“It is frustrating because we have visited the Ministry of education at least three times and written letters to the Ministry since we signed the MOA in February 2019, all to no avail. This is a complete breach of trust on the part of the government.”
Professor Ogunyemi said that the union expects nothing less than the immediate release of the N25 billion to their members who are entitled to such claims and the mainstreaming of EAA into the annual budget as agreed in the MOA.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared Algeria free of malaria where it was first discovered. Algeria therefore becomes the third African country to eliminate one of the world’s leading killer diseases.Information available to us hinted that with no recorded cases of malaria in three consecutive years, Argentina was also declared malaria-free – the second country in the Americas after Paraguay in 45 years to wipe out the disease, which kills more than 400,000 people a year.
WHO’s regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, confirmed that Algeria “is where the malaria parasite was first discovered in humans almost a century and a half ago, and that was a significant milestone in responding to the disease.”
“Now, Algeria has shown the rest of Africa that malaria can be beaten through country leadership, bold action, sound investment and science. The rest of the continent can learn from this experience.”
Although WHO has declared 38 countries malaria-free since 1955, the fight against malaria has stalled as malaria-carrying mosquitoes have become resistant to drugs and insecticides in bednets that protect people from being bitten while sleeping.
Algeria is the third African nation to become malaria free, after Mauritius in 1973 and Morocco in 2010, which brings economic benefits, said Abdourahmane Diallo, head of the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership to End Malaria.
“Malaria-free status provides external economic benefits … enabling them to free up resources to address other health and development priorities and improve worker productivity and school attendance,” he said.
Crisis-hit Venezuela is one of the countries that has seen a sharp rise in malaria cases as its health system collapses amid hyperinflation and recession.
In 2017, there were 406,000 cases of malaria in Venezuela, up roughly 69 percent from a year before, the largest increase worldwide, according to the WHO.
Source: Reuters
President Muhammadu Buhari in a handshake with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammad Adamu whose acting appointment was confirmed by the Police Council, presided over by the President. It took place today, Thursday, May 23 at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Photo by Sunday Aghaeze.
Alhaji Atiku AbubakarThe Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last general elections in Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has been exonerated from an allegation that he held secret meeting with the leadership of Boko Haram in Dubai sometime this year.
A highly respected source in the intelligent community hinted that when the report was first made, security operatives with link to international scenes conducted an independent investigation.
“We found out that the Gulf News newspaper which was purported to have published such news was cloned. The real Gulf News newspaper did not publish such story on the day Atiku’s story was published and in the same edition.”
This is even as Atiku, today, Thursday, raised alarm that there are plans by those he described as unscrupulous and anti-democratic forces to contrive skirmishes in the coming weeks aimed at smearing his personality.
In a statement by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku said that it is becoming revealing the grand plot being orchestrated by some agents of evil to stage-manage pockets of upset targeted at attacking his reputation.
“We wish to blow the whistle as an early warning alert of the grandiose scheme being put together by some unscrupulous elements aimed at jeopardizing the reputation of His Excellency Atiku Abubakar in the coming days and weeks.
“By the merit of what is beginning to unfold, there are plans to create some upset across the country whereby alleged perpetrators of such crimes will engage in phantom names dropping of Atiku Abubakar and some senior personalities in the Peoples Democratic Party.
“Already, we are abreast of some other plans to plant fictitious stories in some mushroom media outlets aimed at discrediting Atiku and his political party, the PDP.
“It therefore becomes preponderant that we alert the public of this demonic plan and to say that it will be imprudent to compromise the peace and security of Nigerians in order to score a cheap political goal.
“Towards this end, and for the umpteenth time, we call on the federal government to be awake to its responsibilities of providing security and ensuring peace, and to desist from actions and utterances that are capable of exposing our fault lines.
“It is very unsettling that senior administration officials, especially those who are the mouthpiece of government will make reckless but calculated comments to tarnish the image of Atiku Abubakar and government will sit idly on it.
“With the conclusion reached by Premium Times’ investigative reporting that there is no evidentiary prove to back the claim by Lai Mohammed that the opposition was planning to upstage the government, we demand that the information minister should be arrested for raising false alarm and an apology rendered to Atiku Abubakar and the PDP.”
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Governors of the 36 states, their deputies and other members of the National Economic Council (NEC), today, Thursday, held a special valedictory meeting to end the first term of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.At the meeting, presided over by Professor Osinbajo, the legacy document which highlights the activities of the Council and its resolutions between 2015 and 2019 was presented.
Osinbajo said that the legacy document is important because it chronicles sector debates and resolutions and ensures that the next NEC is given a chance to implement or complete implementation.”
The Vice President called on Nigeria’s political elite and leaders to do more to advance the country’s unity and its future prosperity.
“The privilege of executive leadership at this level is one that only a few can have. Thirty-six governors and deputies, One President and one Vice President; 74 men and women of a nation of 200 million people. On this elite group rests the destiny and future of all our people.”
“In the next few years, our population will double with the attendant challenges of jobs, education, healthcare, hard infrastructure and security. Every nation that has moved its people from misery to prosperity has depended heavily on its political elite; you and I. Our people have nowhere else to look or to go. It is at our collective table that the buck stops.
“Because you have led your States for these many years, no one can advise us on the importance of unity or the importance of tempering our utterances with wisdom, moderation and concern for those who are the usual victims of fratricidal or religious conflict. The ordinary Nigerian has no problems with his brothers and sisters of different tribes or religions; they share the same issues to a decent existence, food on the table, good shelter, and security of life and livelihoods. Unfortunately, frequently our political elite sometimes out of advancing selfish political agendas or seeking relevance, recklessly stoke the fires of ethnicity and religious conflicts. We must, as leaders who have a duty to keep the peace and welfare of our States must not only rise above the temptation to take advantage of fault lines, but openly condemn and restrain those who do.
“To those departing this Council let me say that your task is not done. Use your influence and reach to the advantage of the Nigerian people. You have seen and heard the enormity of our National problems your advice, counsel and actions will always help. Do something in your States, or other States by way of advocacy and action on education and healthcare or jobs.”
In their remarks, Council members representing each geopolitical zone, including Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, commended the Vice President for his chairmanship and leadership style, and humility, noting that the VP treated all equally regardless of party affiliations,
The Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, noted that the VP “led a strong team through various areas requiring attention in the economy. He made robust efforts in security giving direction, confidence and comfort.”
In the same vein, the Borno State Governor said, the Vice President “provided leadership and in the past 4 years, he exhibited humility, giving everyone a sense of belonging.”
Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode said VP’s leadership produced a “robust and purposeful NEC group, consistently stayed together pursing same goals, adding that subsequent governors would have to emulate their predecessors.” He also thanked the VP for the payment of backlog of salaries when they just got into government.
“Governors never had cause to be known by party lines, because VP provided quality leadership and encouraged freedom of expression. He accommodated every comment made, contributions in the past four years. The Unity in the council is unprecedented. He showed concern during the pipeline vandalism, brought peace and happiness in the region and his visit back then is still fresh in their memories. Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria is also a success recorded by the Council,” added the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel.
Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha said the VP “is a patriotic Nigerian, who smiles over issues when one expects him to react negatively. The humility he displays is very rare. There’s great difference between NEC of the past and NEC under VP’s leadership. The speed with which issues regarding the country were handled were second to none. NEC became a family under the leadership of the VP.”
The NEC is made up of the Vice President, Governors of all the States of the Federation, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and others.
Mrs Maryam UwaisThe Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment, Mrs. Maryam Uwais has given details of how her office spent N470.8 billion from 2016 to 2018 and $22 million recovered Abacha loot on social investment programmes across the country.
The Presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has shown remorse over the withdrawal of Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa from the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal as a result of pressure mounted on her by his legal team and the PDP.In a statement he personally signed today, Wednesday, Atiku said: “I have great respect for her, being a pioneer and advocate for gender equality and female empowerment.”
According to him, his legal team’s objection was not a reflection on Justice Bulkachuwa’s character or competence.
The PDP presidential candidate commended Justice Bulkachuwa for withdrawing from the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal Panel hearing his petition against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Her action showed courage and is an act of patriotism. She has, by this action, increased the confidence the public have for the judiciary.
“Not only do I commend her, I also pray, especially in this holy month of Ramadan, that Justice will be done by the tribunal according to the fear of God and not in keeping with respect for the powers that be.
“May God bless the judiciary and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
All the ministers who will be leaving the Federal Executive Council (FEC) shortly before President Muhammadu Buhari is inaugurated for a second term in office on May 29, today, Wednesday, took turn to recount their experiences under the leadership of the President in the last four years of his first term.
We reproduced here, comments of some of the ministers, including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo:
Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo:
I thank Almighty God for preserving our lives to serve our nation this past four years. I will like to thank Mr. President for the opportunity to serve as your vice president and your running mate twice. My deepest gratitude comes from the great trust that you reposed in me at all times.
I will never forget when you were going on medical leave in May of 2017 and you said to me that you will not falter my discretion as acting President in anyway. In keeping with your character and style, you kept your words.
Mr. President many know of your personal integrity, discipline and capacity for hardwork but many will not know just how humorous you are. I remember you Mr. President telling me once that the we should observe the cabinet members who go out often during meetings, that they were actually going out to finish the coconut and peanut. And since then I have noted carefully all those who go out looking very serious but I’m sure they end up finishing the coconut and peanut as Mr. President said.
I want to use this opportunity to greet our cabinet colleagues, this has been an exceptionally patriotic and talented team. Everyone brought experience, knowledge, wisdom and selflessness to council deliberations at all times. I treasure the friendship that we have built with ourselves and among family members in the last four years. I pray that you will all go from glory to glory, that you will never fail or fall. As we all us depart from council, I pray that the lord that has guided us this far will be our help in the years to come in Jesus name.
Just to mention for the record that I was elected chairman of the association to which Dr. Ngige referred the one to which Adams Oshiomhole, Ngige and El-Rufai are members, not because I’m the Vice President but because I’m the tallest member
Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama:
Thank you for the opportunity, despite the fact you didn’t know me from Adam. But your leadership has been such that you treated everyone the same, whether you knew them before or not. In fact unless one was told, one would never know who you knew before.
Mr. President, no one in the history of the country has held as many top leadership position as you have so it is intimidating to be called upon to advise you on any matter. But you are humility personified.
I will recall a few very short anecdotes that highlight a few of your many qualities.
In Poland, you showed your humility when after a long tiring day, you were kept waiting by the Deputy Prime Minister. I advised you to leave but you preferred to wait patiently and you were proved right, it was a wonderful meeting.
In Mali, you showed very strong stoicism physical courage to continue participating in a meeting when you were ill. You later needed a long medical treatment.
On The Gambia, you showed decisive leadership when you surprised some presidents at a meeting by telling them to be in Abuja in two days, they came. At the working lunch, you called the Chief of Defence Staff and told him to call his counterparts in four countries, plan launch ed land, air and sea move towards Gambia, that was the era of Yahya Jammeh. History.
In Nairobi, you showed great deftness and dribbling skills. We prepared too long speech for you, we saw that five minutes time limit was being rigorously enforces. After you told me you had to leave for a while and I should sit in your place and deliver your speech. While I did I read so fast the interpreters could not keep up. You came back and asked me with a smile if I had deliver the speech and I said yes sir with great difficulty! Lesson learnt.
I have learnt so much from you sir.
Mr. President, you assembled a great cabinet from advisers and it has been a joy to work with each and every one of them.
Your choice of VP was a truly inspired one. You both are a dream team – match made in heaven. Remember James Ocholi our late colleague and brother and former minister of state Labour, May his soul continue to Rest In Peace.
I pray that God will continue to guide, protect and bless you both as you embark on your very well deserved second mandate.
We fought the good fight, finished the race and keeping faith. Thank you Your Excellency. Nigeria is respected around the world thanks to you.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Heineken Lokpobiri
Mr. President, let me join my colleagues in thanking you for appointing me a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. What I have learnt in the last three and half years I have not learnt in my 12 years as a parliamentarian. I was a speaker in Bayelsa state of Assembly in 1999, I was a Senator in 2007 to 2015 but in the last three and half years cannot be equaled to what I learnt as a member of cabinet.
So my appointment is something that I will cherish in the rest of my life. I enjoyed cordial working relationship with the Vice President and members of the cabinet within this period of my appointment and I’m very glad to say that your leadership style is exemplary, it was God ordained and I always tell people that you came at a time thatGod wanted you to come. I have always told people that what saved this country is because of your integrity as the world sees you as a man everyone can trust.
The president’s integrity is different between Nigeria and Venezuela that has more oil than us but has been in crisis since 2015.
Mr. President, as you go to the next level, let me suggest that as president of Nigeria, you’re the president of the black world, you have enormous responsibility, so you need all the times to attend to other matters apart from the FEC proceedings and so it is my very humble submission that in the next level, let the office of SGF develop standing order that will regulate proceedings of the FEC that will save Mr. President a lot of time to attend to other matters.
That will prevent some of my colleagues that will talk for four or five times as they would be allowed to talk only once. You will only be allowed to talk twice if you’re the one presenting the memo. It will be nice if we see some of the reforms take place so that we will be able to save Mr. President enough time.
Minister of Communication, Barrister Adebayo Shittu:
I want to congratulate Mr. President for the wisdom in selecting the current members of the cabinet. There is no doubt that while there was some delays in appointing cabinet members, a lot of people had grievances of sort but the fact that you succeeded in appointing this creme of Nigerians has justified the fact in the sayin ‘ it is better late than never’. There is no good for you in rushing to appoint the cabinet only for you to have problems along the way.
So, I wish to say that the lateness or the delay has been worthwhile because over the last three and half years we have had one team which has been very compact, focus and determine to contribute its quota under your leadership.
Minister of Defence, Muhammed Manir Dan Ali:
Upon assumption in 2015, we met ill-equipped armed forces with low morale and the standard of discipline in the military was eroded due to partisanship over the period of time, leading to neglect of its constitutional role. As you may recall at the time this administration was inaugurated in May 2015, 1/3 of the local government areas of the northeast was under the control of the insurgents, Boko Haram with bombing across the country.
Similarly, under your leadership the ministry of defense has recorded a lot of achievements, some which include the review of national defense policy, increased occupational capability of the Armed Forces, conduct of internal security and the decapacitation of Boko Haram among others.
Despite all these achievements recorded so far, the nation is still experiencing serious security challenges especially in Northeast and North central. These challenges are not insurmountable. The Armed Forces and other security agencies are doing their best to address these problems.
Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu:
As a journalist who have been very critical of government and perhaps a nobody, I would never have become a minister, but not for this gesture of Mr. President
I will like to thank Mr. President for giving freedom, since I became a minister the president has never ask me to give anybody a contract or directed me to employ anybody and I think this is very rare. In addition, I will like to thank the Vice President for his humility. Like I have said in other occasions, Nigeria has never been lucky to have a combination like this. The president who is famous for integrity and the Vice President who is a true man of God.
Sir, both of you have the greatest burden on your shoulders to ensure that this alliance that produced you prevails and its maintained. And sir, it will not prevail until something is done because immediately after you what will happen to Nigeria if you are not succeeded by your own type of integrity, then we are going back to something worse than the one you succeeded. This is very important; I hope this occupies your mind, the next cabinet and perhaps the party.
The ministry of education should not get less than N1 trillion.
Minister of Finance: Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed:
We have been compelled to learn wealth of knowledge, skills and experience from each other. For me, every encounter I had with Mr. President is like going to school. Today I’m proud to be graduating with first degree from the PMB’s school of governance, integrity, accountability and due process. I’m proud to say that I was in the department of EMT that was ably chaired by His Excellency, the Vice President which will all call silently as workaholic who expects you to be there sometime till 2:am.he is never tired
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu;
My appointment was unique because prior to now, I have never been in politics prior to my appointment. Unlike many people, I didn’t know Mr. President directly but you gave me the twin portfolios of managing director of NNPC and minister of state petroleum. This put on me the responsible to try and cleans that ministry so that it will be useful to Nigerians.
I have had the unique privilege of working with mr President directly, different from being my president, he was my direct boss. In that prior we had worked together to deal with many problems that beset that industry. Problems of fuel scarcity, dwindling production, and transparency, crisis in the Niger delta and fiscal federalism and the TSA ultimately captured most of the earnings of this country from that sector.
We have done that with very many sacrifices, this is probably the first president that i will know who would have served four years and I can attest that no oil bloc has been given to him neither to him. I can also attest that there is no contracts that he has shown interest personally neither have I. This is probably the first crop of ministers that worked with no official residences and sometimes from their personal cars.
But I have learnt that if you come to serve Nigeria you have come to sacrifice and if you can’t serve with sacrifice then there is no need to serve.
Three things I have learnt from you which have been very very helpful, in the first is the power of silence, especially if you don’t have anything to say that is meaningful. The second is the power of calm when the water is turbulent and the third is the audacity of integrity. That integrity is what has led us to take some of the bold steps that we have taken that ordinarily Nigerians wouldn’t have forgiven inclusive of the lifting of the price of petroleum products which was essential at the time.
I thank you me president for these lessons and the guardians.
Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi:
Let me begin by thanking God for the opportunity Mr. President has availed me to serve.
I met a lot of people in the cabinet.
Mr. President if I exceed the three minutes it’s not because I failed grammar in school; I had credit in grammar. As a student of grammar, we are told to summarize and that is exactly what we have done.
Mr. President, I met you first in 2007. I have never saw you before because when you were the head of state I was a student in university of Ibadan, a radical one at that; a Marxist. So, we were among those who demonstrated against some of your policies. You recalled when you came to my chambers in 2007, I wished you good luck and you turned to me and said, don’t wish me good luck, wish me the best of luck.
Recall that I told you, you are the best material to be president of Nigeria but unfortunately the elites will not allow you to be president and I was in PDP. I said they will not allow you and your chances of beginning the President was high.
The next time I met you was not in person but through phone. You called me after I had defeated the governor of plateau for my second term as governor’s forum chairman. You said to me that you were so elated that you gave somebody free money. I was impressed.
Mr. President, let me thank you for not converting me to Islam. I say that specifically because in 2014, when I walked into a Christ the King Catholic Church, I was literally chased out of the church as a governor because I was accused of supporting a man whose agenda was to Islamize Nigeria. And in Rivers state they begin to call me Alhaji Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi. I thank you because they have dropped the Alhaji and back to Mr. Chibuike Amaechi.
I was told in the cause of the campaign that you were autocratic and therefore you will not be democratic. Most of us are not happy that you have moved from your autocratic nature of yours to an extreme democrat that everything puts to test of the people, to the extent that the people now feel that the only way things can go on in this country is by the rule of law. We all know that the rule of law is the beginning and the end of this government. Talking about the financial impunity that we saw before, people were making money without having any productive capacity for that.
Minister of Niger Delta, Usani Uguru Usani:
I have seen the passion of Mr. President trying to get the ministers. I have seen Mr. President trying to make the minister comfortable but the laws or lack of laws have not allowed it, in this case leaving us with so much sacrifice as ministers. In this sacrifice we have had a lot to learn which has enriched my experience.
I will like to suggest that in the second run of this administration, there should be deeper discussions for policy articulation which will informed all participants in that administration of the update of whatever decisions the government takes.
Abike DabiriChairman of the Nigeria Diaspora Commission (NDC), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has fingered Egyptian and Ethiopian Airlines in the running of illegal drug cartels across Nigeria’s international airports.
Speaking today, Wednesday, at an investigative hearing by an ad-hoc Committee of the Senate set up to look into the circumstances leading to the arrest, last December, of a Nigerian lady, Zainab Aliyu by Saudi Arabian authorities, Dabiri-Erewa said: “we have other foreign and local Airlines operating at our Airports. But Egyptian and Ethiopian Airlines have drug cartels operating at our International Airports. They operate alongside local collaborators. It is not Air Peace, not Arik Air, but Egyptian and Ethiopian Airlines”.
This was even as the Chief Security officer at the Federal Airport Authority (FAAN), El-Yakub Usman Lamir, revealed that scanners at the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, were not configured to detect drugs, adding that there are 15 security agents involved in checking luggage at the point of entry and exit but that the number had been reduced as a result of frequent complaints by air travelers.
President Buhari with his service chiefsShocked by the dare devil attacks by bandits in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State yesterday, Tuesday which resulted in the death of five local vigilante, President Muhammadu Buhari has asked both the acting Inspector of Police, Mohammed Adamu and Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin to constitute an assessment team to intervene immediately in the state and bring a feedback.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Katsina police command, Gambo Isa confirmed, in a statement in Katsina that five persons who were members of the local vigilante were killed by bandits in Faskari Local Government Area during the exchange of fire.
He said that the killings occurred at Sabon-layi village of the local government area when members of vigilante group popularly called “Yan sakai” entered into a forest and engaged the bandits in a fight.
He said that the police search team led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the area evacuated the corpses and discovered a bandits camp inside the forest that was abandoned by the criminals.
The police spokesman said a manhunt has begun to arrest the bandits.
In a quick reaction, the President, in a statement by his senior special assistant on media and publicity, today, Wednesday, instructed the security chiefs to find out how the operation was carried out by the perpetrators, not minding the Holy month of Ramadhan.
The President, who has been briefed on the criminal and political intents of the attacks in Katsina and other parts of the North, described the carnage as senseless.
President Buhari vowed that all those who have been instigating violence in the North and other parts of the country will be exposed and made to face the wrath of the law.
The President commiserated with the Governor and people of Katsina State over the losses even as he prayed to Allah to comfort those who have lost loved ones.
Source: NAN.
