Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Mrs. Wale Fwa, the only female member in Adamawa Assembly, has described as encouraging the growing number of women aspiring for elective offices in the 2011 general elections in the state.
She told newsmen in Yola that the women should not relent in their efforts at joining the political class and also called on others nursing political ambition to be courageous and come out to declare their interest.
The PDP lawmaker, who is representing Demsa Constituency, declared her interest to re-contest the seat, saying she would love to see more women joining her in the state assembly.
Bauchi
Hajiya Yelwa Tula, a renowned woman politician in Bauchi, has called on women to use their numerical strength to vote for women candidates at all level of representations in the 2011 elections.
Tula, who made the call in an interview with newsmen in Bauchi, urged women to show greater interest in politics so as to ensure effective gender representation in governance.
‘’Politics cannot be left to men alone. We have all it takes to change the course of history through the electoral process,’’ she said.
The woman politician urged women in Bauchi State to close ranks and vote for gender-friendly candidates at various levels of representations.
Ekiti
Ekiti State Government is to spend N1 billion on the construction of classrooms in public primary schools under the 2009 SUBEB/UBEC projects, an official said.
The Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB), Mr Dayo Adeyeye, told newsmen in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday that the project would include the provision of furniture.
He explained that the projects, which would be executed in the 16 local government areas of the state, would involve the construction of 26 storey buildings, blocks of three and four classrooms with offices and computer and library projects.
FCT
The Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) has aligned itself with the decision of leaders from the northern part of the country to drop the zoning policy in the interest of democratic governance.
A spokesman of the party, Mr Jimoh Abdullahi, told newsmen in Abuja that the decision against the “unwholesome campaign” would be in the best interest of democracy in the country.
“If eleven sons of the same father will form a formidable national team, let them go ahead and represent the country to deliver result.
Kaduna
A member of House of Representatives, Joseph Gumbari has urged the Church to go beyond preaching against crime and initiate steps that would create jobs to curb idleness and minimise temptation to crime.
Gumbari, who is aspiring to represent Southern Kaduna in the Senate in 2011, was speaking in ECWA Church, Biniki, where he delivered a paper on “the importance of skills acquisition to the youths of Southern Kaduna’’.
He urged the Church to partner with local and international Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) to establish skills acquisition centres where youths could train to facilitate self-reliance.
The legislator advised youths against waiting on unavailable white-collar jobs but to seek ways of exploring their hidden talents to achieve success in life.
Kano
The Kano State Directorate of Societal Re-orientation has lauded the efforts of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Sen. Bala Mohammed, to rid Abuja of prostitutes.
The Director-General of the agency, Malam Bala Muhammad, said in a statement that the measure was necessary to prevent the territory from being taken over by unscrupulous persons.
He noted that “this unfortunate trend has reached such alarming stage that if all hands are not put together to fight it’’, its consequences would be disastrous for the society.
“This is because the menace is on the increase with young ladies as well as teenagers continuously flooding into the federal capital for a better life,” Muhammad said.
Kebbi
The Emir of Argungu in Kebbi State, Alhaji Samaila Mera, has called on the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to embark on intensive campaign to re-orientate the people on the 2011 general election.
Mera, who received the state NOA Director, Alhaji Umar Babuga, in Argungu said government organs were expected to embark on campaigns to encourage Nigerians to support good leadership.
He also called on state and federal authorities to ensure adequate funding of the agency to ensure people were enlightened on government programmes and policies as well as make the people part of decision making..
He said the agency was better placed to re-orientate the people on the irrelevance of ethnicity, rumour mongering, tribalism and the need to engage in activities that would usher in good leadership and development.
Kogi
The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) says it will revolutionise agriculture, power and energy, if voted into power in 2011.
The Vice-Chairman, North Central zone of the party, Alhaji Abu Onaji, gave the assurance on Thursday while speaking with newsmen in Lokoja.
Onaji, a onetime General Manager of Kogi State Broadcasting Corporation, Lokoja, said the party would evolve people-oriented philosophy of selfless service to improve the well-being of the people.
He said that the party was determined to wrestle power from the ruling PDP in 2011, adding that agriculture and power sectors would be prioritised.
Lagos
The Chairman, Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Dr Samuel Adedayo, on Saturday urged the Lagos Metropolitan Development and Governance Project (LMDGP) to be more procative in upgrading slums in the area.
Adedayo made the call in Lagos when the wife of the state Governor, Mrs Abimbola Fashola, inaugurated some projects in the LCDA.
He said that bureaucracy employed by the LMDGP had stalled the reconstruction of 15 roads and projects in three schools in Apapa-Iganmu LCDA. This has tasked our people’s patience beyond limit and has become a source of embarrassment and pressure on our administration”, he said.
He said the cardinal objective of his administration was to ensure even development in various wards that constituted the LCDA.
Niger
The Chanchaga Local Government Council in Niger State executed development projects worth N437.9 million between April 2008 and June 2010, its chairman, Alhaji Yakubu Sallau has said.
Sallau made the disclosure on Saturday in Minna at the inauguration of a primary health care clinic constructed by the Council.
He listed the projects to include the renovation and construction of classrooms and provision of instructional materials amounting to N204.3 million.
Others are the construction of primary health care centres in Kpakungu, and provision of other health facilites, which gulped a total of N53.8 million.
He said that N40 million was expended on environmental sanitation within the period, while the provision of boreholes in different parts of the local government area gulped N19.4 million.
Osun
NYSC Director-General Maharazu Tsiga has urged corps members to contribute to the success of credible election in 2011.
Tsiga, who made the appeal at Ede on Wednesday when he visited the orientation camp of the National Youths Service Corps, said INEC would need the services of 400,000 corps members as electoral officers during the elections.
He said their involvement in the elections would drastically reduce the cases of electoral fraud characterised with previous elections.
Tsiga said the scheme had been one of the unifying factors in Nigeria, adding that those calling for the scraping should be enlightened on its importance.
Sokoto
The Nigerian Ambassador to Argentina, Mr Nduka Kanu, has advised the Federal Government to take pro-active measures to effectively tackle the problem of kidnapping to restore confidence in the populace.
He told newsmen in Sokoto on Thursday that it was not in the culture of Nigerians to be involved in the evil act.
Kanu said that kidnapping posed a great threat to the survival of the nation’s democracy, adding that government should put in place approriate security arrangements to guarantee the safety of Nigerians.
He stressed the need for vigillance and adequate internal security to ensure smooth implementation of people-oriented programmes by the three tiers of government.
He also called for more political tolerance and understanding among Nigerians to ensure free, fair and transparent elections in 2011.
Yobe
Dr Shettima Saidu, Provost, Federal College of Education Potiskum, Yobe State says upgrading colleges of education to degree awarding institutions would reduce the pressure on the universities.
Saidu told newsmen on Saturday in Potiskum that the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) should be empowered to accredit colleges to award degrees.
He said the NCCE should be empowered to accredit colleges of education that have met the requirements to award degrees to reduce the pressure on universities.
He explained that, the FCE had gone a long way in striving to become a centre of excellence in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Zamfara
Due to the recent lead poisoning in Zamfara State, the National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has advised the government to broaden the scope of its environmental assessment.
The tragedy claimed about 153 lives, according to government figures.
Alhaji Abdullahi Bindawa, the agency’s Director for North West zone, gave the advice while speaking with newsmen in Gusau.
Bindawa said that widening the assessment beyond the affected areas, would serve as a preventive measure against future outbreak of mining related disasters.
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.
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