Nation
THE STATE
Ogun
Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State, at the weekend held its first convocation ceremony with a call on the country leaders to take serious steps towards industrial revolution.
The University’s chancellor, Prof. Akin Mabogunje who made the call in his speech also stressed the need for mankind to establish a new relation with its environment “If it is to continue to live and work in relative peace, safety and security.”
Gombe
Gombe State Commissioner for Health, Dr Muhammad Isa Umar, has said that a bill would soon be presented to the state House of Assembly for the transformation of Gombe State Action Committee on AID (GOMSACA) to a full-fledge agency.
The commissioner disclosed this while delivering a speech during the International Centre for AID Care and Treatment Programmes (ICAP) and local council stakeholders’ forum in Gombe.
Osun
A call has been made to the Federal Government to extend part of the Education Intervention Fund (EIF) and Education Trust Fund (ETF) being enjoyed by the public universities to their private counterparts in the country to enhance the development of the nation’s tertiary education system.
The call was made by the Vice Chancellor of Bowen University and Chairman Committee of Vice Chancellors and Registrars Private Universities (CVCRPU), Prof Timothy Olagbemiro.
Speaking during the fourth convocation of Bowen University Iwo, Osun State at the weekend, the vice chancellor noted that the request would assist private universities to fulfill their objective by providing qualitative education for the overall development of the society.
Olagbemino who under scored the role private universities have played since the liberalisation of the educational sector said proprietors of such institutions also deserve the support by the government in the spirit of equity, fair play and social justice.
He urged President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to consider the demand by CVCRPU saying that the government should also be sensitive to the development in the private educational sector if the objective of revamping the nation’s university system is to be achieved.
Kaduna
The Kaduna State government has donated 200 motorcycles to the state police command in order to check the rising crime rate in the remote areas of the state.
Disclosing this to journalists recently, the state Police Commissioner, Tambari Yabo Muhammad, said the command has all the while received support from the government in order to fight crime.
He said: “Before I came to the state, the government had launched the Operation Yaki exercise and as at today, over 70 Hilux vehicles have been given to the command to check crime. And the interesting aspect of the exercise was the donation of over 200 motorcycles by the state government to curtail crimes in areas that were not accessible to vehicles. All these were tailored toward making the state a crime free state and model to other states of the federation.
“We want to acknowledge that it is not only in the city that crimes are rampant but in the remote areas as well where access is difficult.
With the new motorcycles, I believe my personnel can move in and check the rate of crime. This is a plus to the state government and I am yet to see any state that has done this in recent times,” Muhammad said.
Tambari Mohammad who was formerly at the Lagos Airport added that closed circuit television cameras, connected to the state command, would soon be mounted in particular locations to monitor events throughout the state.
Oshogbo
Tragedy struck at the weekend in Oshogbo, Osun State, when a mobile police man shot and killed a septuagerian identified as Mr Jacob Odedeji.
Odedeji and members of his family were returning to Lagos from Oyan, Kwara State, where the wedding of his son took place.
The solemisation of the deceased son’s wedding, according to sources, was held at Saint Peters Anglican Church, Oyan, less than an hour before the incident.
We learnt that Odedeji’s driver allegedly refused to stop when waved down by policemen at a road block in front of the moribund Oshogbo Stell Rolling Company.
Another version of the story had it that the policeman was provoked when the driver refused to part with a N20 graft demanded from him.
Angered by the drivers stance, one of the policeman allegedly shot into the car, killing Odedeji on the spot and injuring another occupant of the car who was later rushed to Osun State General Hospital, Asubiaro, Oshogbo.
The policeman reportedly shot sporadically into the car and escaped the area immediately, apparently for fear of a mob attack.
The shooting engendered a melee in the entire neighbourhood as commuters and motorists scampered for safety, creating a traffic bottleneck.
Osun State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) confirmed the incident.
Benue
Governor Gabriel Suswan of Benue State has called on solar energy experts in the country to promote their skills and expertise, so that Nigeria can use them to solve the power problems of the nation.
Speaking at the weekend in Makurdi during the Annual Meeting of the Solar Energy Society of Nigeria, Suswan urged the experts to make themselves more available because those who plan to use solar energy as an alternative means of scheming the power problems of the country were not aware of the existence of local experts in the sector.
The governor stated that Nigeria had abundant sunlight, which is the primary raw material for solar energy, pointing out that there was no need why the country should be importing experts in this area with the huge potential it has.
He declared that with the success of the solar powered streetlights in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, his administration had concluded plans to extend the same facility to the major towns of the state to provide illumination for the people at night.
Suswam said that in the quest to enhance the availability of power in the state for industrial and domestic use, his administration has invited alternative energy experts from Canada to explore the wind energy potential of the state.
He promised to contribute to the programmes and activities of the Solar Energy Society of Nigeria at all times, describing the society as relevant to the growth of the nation.
Ondo
Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State has been cautioned to beware of sycophants who could make him to derail and not to perform creditably. He was advised to open his doors to those who have genuine interest to make significant contributions to good governance in the state.
The plea was made at the weekend by Pastor William Oluwole Falae of the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Ayo District Headquarters (Assembly centre), at an ordination service in Akure, the state capital.
Falae, who also urged the wife of the governor, Mrs.Olukemi Mimiko, to always pray for her husband so as to bring good governance to the doorsteps of the masses, noted that for them to have meaningful impact in the state, they must do at all times shun wrong advice.
The cleric said people should be very careful when they occupy any exalted office and admonished the governor to have people-oriented programmes so as to move the state forward.
According to him, to bridge the gap between the young and old, there must be recognition of the reality of where we are coming from and where we are heading to which would usher in positive charge.
He also called on the governor to make the villager habitable and comfortable with the provision of basic amenities in order to bridge the gap between the rural and urban centres.
Katsina
Four siblings have died in Katsina metropolis under circumstances that appear to be mysterious. The four youths, namely Halliru Dalhatu, Muntaka Dalhatu, Bashir Magaji and Zaidu Salihu aged between 19 and 23, were found dead in a shop in Kota Guga, where they had slept the night before.
An eye-witness who spoke with newsmen said the deceased were hale and hearty before they went to sleep in the shop, but were found dead early the next day.
He said it was about 7a.m that shop owners in the area realised that the shop was still close, and the youths had not been seen around.
They raised alarm and forced their way into the shop and found all four of them dead. Police later invited parents of the decease to the scene and the bodies taken to the state’s General Hospital in Katsina for autopsy.
Traders around the scene said they suspected the deceased might have died from suffocation or food poisoning as a local drink, fura denunu, was sold in the shop.
The state Police Commissioner, Mr Dan’ azumi Doma, who confirmed the incident, said the police also suspected food poisoning, as possible cause of death. Doma said the command is expecting medical reports from the General Hospital, while investigation of the case is on going.
Lagos
The Federal Government has appealed the judgement of a federal High court in Lagos which declared the deportation of the vaswani brothers and thirty other Indians illegal last week
The Government has also urged the court to stay execution of its judgement pending the determination of the appeal filed at the court of appeal in Lagos.
The Vaswani brothers were deported over allegations of evading payment of custom duties on imported rice.
Justice Mohammed Liman of the federal high court voided government’s letters withdrawing the expartiate quota to the foreigners declaring the action as null, void and of no effect whatsoever.
The judge, who held that due process of law and fair hearing was not followed in the entire process culminating in the deportation set aside the decision, further restrained government from confiscating or selling the business premises of the foreigners and disturbing them from carrying out their business.
Citing section 18, 19 and 45 of the Immigration Act, Justice Liman said governments action, “is an administrative one which must be based on law and the constitution empowers the court to determine whether those actions are in accordance with the law.
Kano
Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau has said that the contruction of Kanawa International Market sited in the state capital would cost N15 billion.
Governor Shekarau disclosed this at the weekend while speaking with journalists shortly after the inauguration of the National Executive Council members of the Moslem Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) in Gombe.
He added that the project was conceived to be executed under the Public Private Partnership (PPP), noting that the state government had provided a land for the project in which over N400 million was spent for compensation and resettlement of the villages that were displaced as a result of the project.
According to him, the proposed market, which after completion was expected to be the biggest market in the West African sub-region, would among other facilities, house a telecommunications centre, banks, clinic, school, among others.
Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration says it will henceforth sanction any plot owner with overgrown weeds in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The Minister, Senator Muhammad Adamu Aliero made this threat on Thursday in Abuja during an unscheduled inspection of some strategic locations in some Districts of the Federal Capital City, Abuja aimed at personally assessing the performance of operational departments of the FCT administration.
The Minister reiterated that plot owners should take possession of their property and keep them clean or else the FCT administration will clean them but for a cost.
“The government cannot sit down and fold its arms to see overgrown grasses taking over strategic locations in the Federal Capital City while the men of the underworld gladly take advantage,” he restated.
Senator Aliero warned that all affect property owners are hereby advised to cut such grasses and keep them clean or face sanction by the FCT Administration.
Nation
SIM-NIN: Subscribers Kick Against Today’s Deadline, Demand Extension
The National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers has requested that the Nigerian Communications Commission extend the deadline scheduled for the disconnection of telephone lines not linked to National Identification Numbers beyond Friday, March 29, 2024.
The subscribers’ body argued that telco agents were failing to capture all necessary information needed for verification, just as it also cited difficulties in uploading the captured data on the National Identity Management Commission’s server.
The President of NATCOMS, Adeolu Ogunbanjo, told The Tide’s source last Wednesday that NCC needed to order telcos not to disconnect telephone lines, considering the ongoing difficulties faced by subscribers.
The telecom regulator had insisted that there would be no changes to the deadline for the next phase of disconnection
The disconnection process was rolled out in stages, with the second phase scheduled for March 29, 2024, following the initial phase that occurred on February 28, 2024.
The third phase is slated to commence on April 15, 2024, as previously announced.
Earlier, the Director of Public Publicity at the NCC, Reuben Mouka, told The PUNCH, “We issued a publication that you can refer to. We specified certain deadlines and stipulated that subscribers who do not comply with the directive would be barred. And that has not changed.”
The National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers has requested that the Nigerian Communications Commission extend the deadline scheduled for the disconnection of telephone lines not linked to National Identification Numbers beyond Friday, March 29, 2024.
The subscribers’ body argued that telco agents were failing to capture all necessary information needed for verification, just as it also cited difficulties in uploading the captured data on the National Identity Management Commission’s server.
The President of NATCOMS, Adeolu Ogunbanjo, told the source on Wednesday that the NCC needed to order telcos not to disconnect telephone lines, considering the ongoing difficulties faced by subscribers.
The telecom regulator had insisted that there would be no changes to the deadline for the next phase of disconnection
The disconnection process was rolled out in stages, with the second phase scheduled for March 29, 2024, following the initial phase that occurred on February 28, 2024.
The third phase is slated to commence on April 15, 2024, as previously announced.
Earlier, the Director of Public Publicity at the NCC, Reuben Mouka, told the source, “We issued a publication that you can refer to. We specified certain deadlines and stipulated that subscribers who do not comply with the directive would be barred. And that has not changed.”
At the last deadline on February 28, 2024, about 40 million lines that were not linked to NIN were barred.
The NATCOM president said before the first deadline, subscribers had appealed to the NCC for a one-month extension.
However, the NCC explained that there was no issue as the process was designed to occur in phases.
According to the president, the Operator’s Consumer Centre stands as the primary location for consumers to complete their registration fully, with data provided there being verifiable.
However, the president noted that telecom agents were bypassing crucial information during the registration process, resulting in incomplete registrations of subscribers.
“For example, during interactions with telecom representatives, some agents fail to collect all required the information from subscribers.
“If a subscriber cannot provide certain details, agents often leave the registration incomplete. Consequently, these incomplete registrations are deemed unverifiable,” he said.
Further, Ogunbanjo noted that NIMC also shares responsibility in this process.
He said the challenges often arise when telecom companies attempt to upload collected data on NIMC’s server, owing to network issues.
“These network difficulties, beyond the control of subscribers, hinder the timely completion of the registration process,” he said.
“NIMC’s inadequate network infrastructure exacerbates the problem. While they intend to accept data uploads, technical issues prevent them from doing so effectively.
“We urge the NCC to address NIMC’s shortcomings, improve their services, and acknowledge that meeting the deadline will be challenging given the current issues,” the president added.
NIMC is a statutory Nigerian organisation that operates the country’s national identity management systems.
NIMC’s enrollment figures as of December 31, 2023, stand at over 104.16 million unique records.
About 530,345 Nigerians in Diaspora have gotten NINs. 59.12 million male and 45.04 million female Nigerians have NINs.
When The PUNCH reached out to NIMC for comments on technical glitches, the Head of Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke, clarifies that the commission’s server has consistently remained operational, debunking reports suggesting otherwise.
He emphasizes that the NIMC’s services are fully functional and accessible to all users
“Our server has never been down. You can go to the various NIN centres and confirm.
Adegoke further explained the process for subscribers to link their NIN to their SIM cards,
“These individuals only need to submit their NIN and complete the verification process through their respective telcos providers.
He encouraged those who have not yet obtained their NIN to visit any NIMC centre for enrollment.
Adegoke assured Nigerians that upon enrollment, individuals can expect their NIN to be available within three hours.
However, for those requiring corrections, such as rectifying date of birth errors, the process may take up to 72 hours.
Last week, the National Identity Management Commission and the NCC issued a joint statement unveiling a strategic partnership aimed at simplifying the NIN-SIM linkage procedures for telecommunications subscribers nationwide.
Both agencies reaffirmed their dedication to enhancing the processes involved and improving efficiency regarding the NIN and SIM card linkage initiative.
They acknowledge the importance of this initiative in bolstering security measures and enhancing service delivery across the country.
The SIM-NIN linkage initiative is a crucial step towards improving the integrity of subscriber data and enhancing security measures within the telecommunications industry.
The NIN-SIM linkage policy was initially introduced by the Nigerian government in December 2020. This directive requires all telephone line users in Nigeria to associate their SIM cards with their NIN.
In December of the previous year, the NCC issued a directive stipulating that all telecommunications operators in Nigeria, including major providers like MTN, Airtel, and Globacom, among others, must enforce complete network barring on all phone lines for which subscribers have not provided their NINs by February 28, 2024.
Barely two weeks ago, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project issued a warning to take legal action against the NCC if it does not revoke the directive instructing network providers to block the phone lines of individuals who have not linked their SIM cards to their NINs.
Nation
Reps Query N15bn Payment To Remita
The House of Representatives’ Public Accounts Committee has queried the N15billion payment made to Remita from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation for two years.
This is just as the committee accused the Central Bank of Nigeria and commercial banks of complicity in the sharing of the N15billion remittance.
The committee’s Chairman, Bamidele Salam, made the allegation at the resumed investigative hearing on revenue leakages in Abuja yesterday.
Remita is a payment solution that helps individuals and businesses make and receive payments, pay bills, and manage their finances.
The round table: Delta Bloodbath: Senate Meets Service Chiefs As Troops Comb Creeks.
Salam said that the Remita payment from the OAGF from 2016 to 2018 was questionable, adding that the OAGF paid the money without agreement or contract.
“The money is an illegal payment. There was no budget provision. So, where did they source the money from?” the chairman queried.
“If someone pays N150,000 as a Remita, you will pay 7.5 per cent Value-Added Tax in addition to it.
Salam said that the Remita payment from the OAGF from 2016 to 2018 was questionable, adding that the OAGF paid the money without agreement or contract.
“Ordinarily, that whole sum of VAT ought to go to the Federal Inland Revenue Service, but what they are doing in this transaction is that they will now add that VAT to the N150.000.
“They will add it up, gather the money together, and take it to the CBN,” he claimed.
He said, “System Spec and Remitta, both collecting revenue for the Federal Government, will share 50 per cent, while the banks and the CBN will also have their share.”
He said that by the time the committee finished its reconciliation, “I am very sure that hundreds of billions of naira will be the VAT component that was not remitted to FIRS.”
Salam stated that each bank ought to take the money and directly remit it to FIRS.
“Now, Remita is saying that each of those collecting the money will come and calculate the money that has been shared into shreds. Now, how do we track this kind of money? “he asked.
The Director, Banking Services, CBN, Mr.Ahmed Abdullahi, said it was necessary to source for an alternative way of remitting revenue, adding that Remita and System Spec were selected because they had been rendering similar services to banks.
The Chief Accountant, Treasury Single Account Department, Oyewole Adewale, representing the Accountant-General of the Federation, accused the CBN of not honouring its letters to reconcile the revenue accrued to the country through the Treasury Single Account.
He noted that the OAGF had developed a system where all revenue generated by the Ministries of Departments and Agencies of Government could now be monitored with little or no interference.
The Director, Remita Payment Services Ltd, Aderemi Atanda, while reading the summary of the TSA collection record, maintained that 10, 20, and 50 per cent were shared among CBN, commercial banks, and Remitta respectively.
Collections, he noted, often vary, saying, “In 2015.
Nation
Nigeria Needs Community-Driven Police, Not State Police -Shekarau
Former Governor of Kano State, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, has said that the country needs to adopt community-driven police rather than establish state police.
Shekarau noted that it would be more effective in addressing the current security challenges in the country.
The former minister of education spoke in Akure at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) during the launch of a book titled ‘The Psychology of Growing Old: A Personal Experience for both Young and Old,’ written by Sehinde Arogbafa.
Shekarau argued that community police would be better controlled than state police as well as devoid of political and religious leaders’ influence.
He the involvement of communities in state policing would enhance trust, cooperation, and collaboration between the police and the citizens.
Shekarau argued that community police would be better controlled than state police as well as devoid of political and religious leaders’ influence.
He the involvement of communities in state policing would enhance trust, cooperation, and collaboration between the police and the citizens.
“I’ve been an advocate of community policing. It is different from what is being paraded as state police. Community policing means community watch.
“There is hardly any community in Nigeria that does not have what we call the vigilante group. All we need to do is the government should organise them, the government should own is up, and the government should promulgate a law.
“If I may give you an example of Kano, I’m sure you must have had experience with the Hisbah Guards; that is community watch. We set up a committee of 12 elders in every ward to do the selection of 20 responsible and respected young men for the Hisbah Guards. And we recruited them and mandated that the local government take charge of them. We’re paying them allowances. And they know everybody in the community.
“Within one to two years in Kano State, ask anybody; we don’t have any vices, no drugs, nothing in all the communities because that is community watch.
“We have over 10,000 Hisbah Guards in Kano; I did not nominate a single one; not a single party leader nominated one. It was all the elders in the community. The government created a law; we didn’t leave it in a vacuum. The number one assignment of the Hisbah Guards was to support and complement the work of all the Nigerian armed forces and the police. And they were working with them peacefully.
“Ask anybody in Kano today, and they will tell you that people prefer to report their cases to the Hisbah Guards office rather than even the police stations or even going to court. What we need in Nigeria is community watch, not just when you ask a state to create 2000 to 3000 state police bombarded by party thugs, and you will find out that you are going back to the same intimidation. There will be abuses by political leaders.
“But if you allow the communities to select with the backing of the government, the government will pay them all their allowances, provide vehicles for them, and support them, and there is a chain of command from the state to the local governments, to the wards, and even to the villages.
-
News2 days ago
Delta Bloodbath: Tinubu To Attend Slain Soldiers’ Burial, Today
-
News2 days ago
‘Rivers People Are Now Breathing Fresh Air Under Fubara’
-
News3 hours ago
INEC Disowns LP National Convention
-
Nation2 hours ago
Reps Query N15bn Payment To Remita
-
Oil & Energy4 days ago
Army Begins CNG Conversion Of Vehicles, Trains Officers
-
Sports4 days ago
‘Expect New Players Against Mali’
-
Nation4 days ago
FG, IFAD Target Poverty Reduction In Northern Nigeria
-
Sports2 days ago
African Games: Minister Promises Swift Preparation For Egypt 2027