Presidency Didn’t Give Us Money, NANS Tells ASUU

January 5, 2019

President Buhari Receives In Audience NANS Executives Jan 3, 2018

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has denied the accusations that it received N150 million from presidency, saying that President Muhammadu Buhari was not the type that offers bribe.

The leadership of NANS distanced itself from the purported allegations by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The students said Buhari, a known person in character and style to virtually all Nigerians, would never dole out such amount of money for any reason, which would not be of any national benefits or developments.

The students Union body said in a statement signed by Mr Adeyemi Amoo, it’s National Public Relations Officer (PRO).

Amoo called on Nigerian students to discountenance the allegations by ASUU, saying that the association was ready to protect the interest of all the students.

President Buhari on January 3, met with the leadership of the Nigerian Students to resolve issues with ASUU and the meeting centred on ways to smoothen unresolved issues that led to the industrial action.

“Our attention has been drawn to the purported and sponsored allegation, that NANS had been bribed by President Muhammadu Buhari with a sum of N150million to protest against ASUU.

“We commend the well-meaning, intellectual and genuine civil society groups for not falling cheap for this blackmail, as we’ve gotten informed and reliably that they’ve also been lobbied by ASUU to join them in pushing such blackmail.

“We are not surprised that this blackmail isn’t flying beyond the pseudo groups they’ve been able to arrange and mobilise with cash.

“President Muhammadu Buhari, is a known person in character and style to virtually all Nigerians, even the oppositions knows that Buhari will never give out such amount of money for any reason(s) that is not of national benefits or developments.

” No doubt this propaganda might have seen the acceptance of the masses if it wasn’t targeted towards Buhari himself.”

Amoo explained that NANS had earlier declared November 17, 2018 as a nationwide day of mass action tagged: “SAVE EDUCATION RALLY ” held simultaneously across the states of the federation, to protest the incessant strikes across universities, polytechnics and colleges of Education.

He added that in October 2018, NANS national leadership, met with the Minister for Education, to fine-tune ways of putting a long term end to the regular carnival of strikes in the educational sector.

“We thereby demanded as the major stakeholders in the sectors, to always have representatives at the meeting of ASUU with Federal Government, as this was targeted towards adding to the strength and voice of ASUU, so as to make government yield to there demands in time.

“The Federal Government on her own side sees the request of been an observer at the negotiation table with ASUU as a welcome development.

“NANS was invited twice to the meeting of Federal Government with ASUU, ably represented by the NANS national president, Danielson Akpan, but was walked out twice by the ASUU leadership, insisting that such negotiations must not be done in the presence of younger ones.

“NANS leadership begins to wonder what reasons might be behind the blind insistence of ASUU that NANS must not observe the meeting, when the Federal Government has wholeheartedly approved our attendance at such meetings.”

Amoo said the NANS leadership, ordinarily would have informed the students and the general public on this actions by ASUU, but decided not to give room for the government, to see the actions as an advantage to blackmail the ASUU.

He added that NANS after exhausting all means, resolved to issue an ultimatum to the Federal Government and ASUU to return to negotiation table to urgently safe students from getting involved or addicted to various forms of social vices.

According to him, NANS, in the course of getting things resolved urgently, sorted an audience with president Muhammadu Buhari, which was granted and held on January 3 at the presidential villa.

“At the meeting, NANS appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency resolve the ASUU strike, for him not to lose the support of over 20 million Nigerian students.

“This was the statement of the NANS president at the meeting as against the cheap blackmail that NANS has assured Buhari of mobilising 20 million votes for him.

“NANS, therefore, uses this medium to inform Nigerian students and Nigerians at large, that its leadership will not, and has not and will not for any reason sell the interest and integrity of our dear organisation.

“Conclusively, we want to tell ASUU that NANS is not for sell, we have not and will not turn our struggles to source of empowerment,” he said.

NAN

Resumption Date For Unity Schools Shifted To Jan 12

Editorial staff

January 5, 2019

Date for the resumption by the students of the Unity Schools across the country has been shifted from January 5 to 12.

A circular today, Saturday, to the parents, signed by the Director of Basic and Secondary Education in the Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Lami Amodu did not however give reason for the change in the date.

Presidency To PDP: Buhari, Amina Zakari Don’t Share Family Relationship

Editorial staff

January 4, 2019

The presidency has chided the Peoples Democratic Party over another lie regarding the status of Hajiya Amina Zakari, a national commissioner with the Independent National Electoral Commission.

In a statement on Friday, Malam Garba Shehu, the senior special assistant on media accused the PDP of publishing a mendacious press release, in which it made equally baseless accusations regarding Hajiya Zakari, about her neutrality and integrity in next month’s election.

Shehu said Zakari in the first place was originally appointed by the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan and was only reappointed by Buhari.

Second, Zakari is not a blood relation of President Buhari as the PDP had claimed.

Said Shehu in the press release on Friday:
“In their desperation, they forget that it was the PDP government that appointed her in the first place and they keep lying, as they have been caught doing on so many issues, by imputing a blood relationship between her and President Muhammadu Buhari.

“President Buhari and Commissioner Amina Zakari don’t share a family relationship. An inter-marriage occurred in their extended families, so the imputation of blood relationship between the President and the electoral commissioner is a simple lie.

“What is even more curious about all the fuss coming from the PDP is that they, as a ruling party picked Mrs Zakari, judging her by her own merit and made her an electoral commissioner.

“She served so well with distinction as can be verified from the records that President Buhari approved the recommendation that she be reappointed, as he did other PDP nominees for second-term of four years.

“PDP, therefore, has no moral right to keep harassing this hardworking mother unless they have a hidden agenda.

“By this statement, the PDP is guilty of scoring an own goal and two, of harassing an innocent citizen on the basis of a lie, pure and simple”, Shehu said.

CBN Injects $210 Million In First Forex Intervention In 2019

Editorial staff

January 4, 2019

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Friday made its first intervention in the inter-bank sector of the Foreign Exchange (FOREX) market for 2019 with a sum of 210 million dollars.

The CBN Director, Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor, said the wholesale sector of the market received 100 million dollars, while the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) received 55 million dollars.

Okorafor said another 55 million dollars was allocated to customers requiring foreign exchange for business and personal travels, tuition or medical fees.

The CBN spokesman said the apex bank would continue from where it stopped in 2018 in order to maintain the stability being enjoyed in the market.
He noted that the Bank had made commendable effort in keeping the exchange rates at the current levels.

Okorafor said the current capital flow reversals from the emerging markets were expected to bring out pressures on the market rates.
He, however, assured that, in spite of the anticipated pressures, coupled with the forthcoming elections, the bank was committed to maintaining the current exchange rate policy, given the level of reserves.

“The CBN is determined to sustain a stable exchange rate as it continues to put in place relevant measures to shore up the country’s reserves,” Okorafor said in a statement.

Meanwhile, one United States Dollar exchanged for N360 in the Bureau De Change segment of the market on Friday in Abuja.

We No Longer Owe Pensioners- Buhari Declares

Editorial staff

January 4, 2019

President Receives Leadership Of Nigeria Union Of Pensioners At The Council Chamber, State House Abuja Jan 4 2019

President Muhammadu Buhari has said his administration has put a stop to the dehumanization of federal pensioners by ensuring they were paid their entitlements and backlog of arrears as at when due.

The President made the statement when he received a delegation of Nigeria Union of Pensioners led by the acting president, Comrade Musa Ayuba Dallatu, at State House.

President Buhari declared that the welfare of pensioners had remained a priority for his administration since May 2015, noting that the retirees deserve timely payment of their emoluments, recognition, and respect for their work and dedication to the country during their active working years.

‘‘In recent times pensioners were ignored, neglected and even persecuted. We have put a stop to that. As you yourselves have confirmed today, we have begun regular payment of monthly pensions and payment of backlog of arrears.

‘‘The Federal Government released N45 billion accrued rights for the contributory pension scheme and N22.4 billion to start payment of ex-Nigeria Airways pensioners,’’ he said.

President Buhari told the pensioners that the Federal Government also bailed out States to address salary and pension arrears including Paris Club refunds, even as he had authorised schemes for the restoration of Niger Delta Steel Company pensioners, NITEL/MTEL pensioners and Biafra Police war veterans’ pensioners.

Reviewing the actions taken so far by the administration in connection with the pension industry, the President said the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) had saved N4.9 trillion per annum as a result of payroll clean-up under the Civil Service verification exercise.

He added that the Directorate which supervised the payment of pension arrears to over 50,000 verified Civil Service Pensioners, also oversaw the payment of N917.6 million to 432 war retirees.

According to the President, under his watch, PTAD completed full payment of N5.8 billion to police retirees in August 2018 while in November 2018, N13.7 billion was paid to parastatal retirees and N18 billion to civil service Pensioners.

On the requests by the pensioners, including the implementation of the National Policy on Pension Parity and the National Policy on Social Security on Health and Other Related Matters of the Elderly, the President promised to do all within his powers to address them, subject to the availability of funds.

The leader of the delegation had also sought the President’s intervention on the five percent counterpart funding for the payment of local government pensioners and retired primary school teachers which was arbitrarily stopped in 2010.

Comrade Dallatu appealed for the payment of outstanding pension arrears, gratuities and death benefits that have accrued over the years, among others.

Commending President Buhari on the regular payment of pensions, Dallatu said: ‘‘we are bold to say without fear or favour that you have made our lives better than you met it in so many areas, which among others include regular payment of monthly pensions.

‘‘It is an incontestable fact that since the advent of this government under your able leadership, payment of monthly pensions has been more regular than ever. In fact, if the truth must be told, Mr President Sir, we have never had it so good.’’

President Buhari Approves N161 Billion For TETFund

Editorial staff

January 4, 2019

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the sum of one hundred and sixty one billion naira for TETFUND 2019 intervention activities in all benefiting tertiary education institutions in the country.

The fund is to be used of the provision of critical infrastructures and fund research activities in the schools.

The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Dr Abdullahi Baffa stated this while briefing newsmen on Activities of the Fund in Abuja.

The approval of the one hundred and sixty one naira for the 2019 TETFund intervention activities by President Muhamadu Buhari was in compliance of TETFund Act 2011

The sum indicates that while each public university in the country will get an allocation of over seven hundred million naira, the public polytechnics and colleges of education will all get above five hundred million naira

The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Dr Abdullahi Baffa expressed confidence that the effort would boost higher education in the country

Dr Baffa urged the institutions to visit TETFund office for their allocation letters

Dr Baffa explained that the board of trustees of the fund had approved the enlistment sixteen new beneficiary institutions and they have been presented with certificates

The institutions include:

Nigerian Army University, Biu, Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, First Technical University, Ibadan, Air Force Institute of Technology, Kaduna, Binyaminu Usman Polytechnics, Hadejia, College of Education, Billiri, Gombe state, College of Education, Kangere, Bauchi State, College of Education, Lanlate, Oyo State and Federal Polytechnic Ukana, Akwa Ibom State.

Others are Gateway Polytechnic, Sapaade, Ogun State, Ogun State Institute of Technology, Igbesa, Ogun State, Federal Polytechnic, Saki, Oyo State, The Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa, Oyo State, University of Medical Science, Ondo state and Enugu State Polytechnic Iwollo, Enugu State.

Dino Melaye Surrenders, In Stable Condition – Police

Editorial staff

January 4, 2019

Senator Dino Melaye being taken to Police hospital after he allegedly slumped

The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) said Senator Dino Melaye has surrendered to the police investigation team earlier deployed to his house.

In a press statement signed by police spokesman, DCP Jimoh Moshood said Melaye is in stable condition and investigation into the case of culpable homicide against him was on going.

Moshood said, “Dino Melaye wanted by the Police for criminal conspiracy and attempted culpable homicide, committed on 19th July, 2018, when Senator Dino Melaye and his armed thugs attacked Police personnel, shot and wounded SGT Danjuma Saliu on stop and search duty along Aiyetoro Gbede, Mopa Road in Kogi State has surrendered to the Police Investigation Team on wait at his residence, today, 4th January, 2019 at about 1500hrs.

“The Police Officer, Sgt. Danjuma Saliu, is yet to recover from the gunshot injury he sustained during the attack and still under intensive medical care in the hospital.

“The Police Investigation Team had since 28th December, 2018 at about 1000hrs arrived the residence of Senator Dino Melaye with a duly obtained Warrant of Arrest to effect his arrest to answer to a case of Criminal Conspiracy and Attempted Culpable Homicide against him under investigation in the Kogi State Police Command.”

“Senator Dino Melaye on sighting the Police Team locked up himself in the building to evade arrest.”

Moshood said he is expected to answer to a case of Criminal Conspiracy and Attempted Culpable Homicide against him under investigation in the Kogi State Police Command.

He said, “the Police Investigation Team cordoned off the building and continued to be in wait for eight days for Senator Dino Melaye to obey the law and surrender himself for arrest.

“While the Police Investigation Team was waiting, Senator Dino Melaye granted an interview monitored on Television Stations that he was not in Abuja.

“This claim eventually was discovered to be completely false as Senator Dino Melaye surrendered to the waiting Police Investigation Team today at his residence in Abuja at about 1500hrs.

“Senator Dino Melaye is currently in Police custody for investigation, and subsequently, taken to Police hospital, Abuja for medical attention and he is in stable condition.

“Investigation into the case of criminal conspiracy and attempted culpable homicide against him is on-going.

“The case will be taken to court on completion of investigation,” the police statement said.

Saudi Arabia Explores Investment Opportunities In Gwadar

Greenbarge Reporters

January 3, 2019

The Saudi Arabian ministry of Energy; Industry and Natural resources has gone to Gwadar, situated on the southwestern Arabian Sea coast of Pakistan in search of investment opportunities.

The ministry’s officials together with businessmen and investors were today, Thursday, in the Port of Gwadar in Pakistan, which is the focal point of Pakistan and Chinese Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Information from the Saudi government, issued by Faheem, said that those on the entourage were advisor to the Minister of energy, Ali Ghamidi and advisor to the Minister of Media in Saudi Arabia, Fahim Alhamid.

Speaking during the visit, the Saudi Ambassador, Malki expressed happiness that the visit will afford the Saudi government delegate an experience of all the wonderful investment opportunities.

“The visit will enable them to take quick and better decisions for investment in the area in near future.”

He said that Gwadar and CPEC have a lot of features and opportunities for trade and investment that Saudi investors can take advantage of, especially under the indicators that the government of Pakistan has promised to provide incentives and services for enhancing Saudi investment in the region.

He added that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is eager to invest in a Pakistani Chinese Economic Corridor and very soon the projects will be announced and initiated thereon.

Nawaf said that the Saudi investment will contribute to promote economic stability in Pakistan as per the commitment made earlier when Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan meet with the King Salman and the Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman on his visit to the kingdom. On that occasion Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan stated Saudi Arabia as brotherly nations, tied by the emotions of the people of both the countries with respect.

Accompanying the investment delegation from Saudi Arabia during this visit were Fahim Alhamid advisor Minister of Media Saudi Arabia who also said that the Gwadar project is full of investment opportunities and the Saudi delegation visit was a unique chance to see all the development and opportunities on offer.

Students Beg Buhari To Look Into Cases Of Students Expelled For Political Reasons

Editorial staff

January 3, 2019

The Executive Committee of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to look into the plights of students that were expelled from various tertiary institutions for what it called ‘political reasons.’

The student union leaders, who paid a visit to the President today, Thursday at the Presidential Villa, stressed the need for the President to restore dignity to the nation’s education system.

The Presidential visitors, who did not give details of the students that were so expelled and the institution from where they were expelled, appealed to President Buhari to also step in over the incessant strikes in the education sector.

The union leaders, led by its President, Comrade Danielson Bamidele Akpan, also appealed to Buhari to involve more youths in governance.

They expressed appreciation on the efforts of the Buhari’s government in the transformation of the transportation sector as well as the decimation of terrorists in the Northeast.

The President asked the students to continue to plead with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), to call off the strike and become more committed to their jobs.

The President assured that he will speak with the lecturers’ body “so that they don’t encroach on your efforts to qualify in time.

He said that he had explained in details while presenting the 2019 budget estimates, the earnings and expenditure and therefore expected the elite to understand the position of the government on certain issues.

The President advised the youths to start preparing themselves to lead the country.

“There is a tendency for you to think that you can do better than anybody, but it is very good for you to know the facts whhat leadership entails. “

He assured Labour leaders that, having been in positions of leadership at various stages in life, and with the experience, he means well for Nigerians and indeed, workers, and should be allowed to fix infrastructure so that more Nigerians could be taken out of the poverty cycle.

“I am totally loyal to this country. Whatever I do is in the interest of the ordinary people, especially those who do not have the benefit of being educated, and are just trusting whoever is leading them.”

Buhari expressed gratitude to the students for appreciating some of the things his administration has been able to put in place and called on them to mobilise support for government, as it strives to make Nigeria a better place.

For My Husband, Buhari, It’s 4+4 – Aisha

Greenbarge Reporters

January 3, 2019

Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari displays the popular sign of second term of four years each (4+4) at the inauguration of the Women and Youth Campaign Team of President Buhari Campaign Council at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Nigeria today, Thursday, January 3.

1...1,1341,1351,136...2,499 Page 1,135 of 2,499