Nation
THE STATES
Ekiti
Teachers working in Ekiti public schools on Monday defied the state government by shunning the Teachers’ Development Needs Assessment(TDNA) examination.
The examination, which was postponed thrice over disagreements with the teachers, was supposed to commence with a training session between 9:am and 12 noon.
However, investigation indicated that all the examination centres were empty with only a few supervisors, Area Education Officers of councils and security men in sight.
Investigation also revealed that rumour had been milling around Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, since Sunday that all the 39 designated centres had been laced with fetish substances.
FCT
An Abuja Senior Magistrates’ Court on Monday sentenced one Collins Kelechi of Ako Estate, Abuja, to eight months’ imprisonment for damaging the property of one Mrs Ipole Chinwe of the same address. He was sentenced on a two-count charge of wrongful restraint and mischief.
The Presiding Magistrate, Aliyu Shafa, said the sentence followed the convict’s confession that he committed the offence. He sentenced the convict to two months’ imprisonment with an option of N2000 for the offence of wrongful restraint.
Shafa also sentenced the convict to six months’ imprisonment for the offence of mischief with an option of N2000 fine and ordered that the sentences should run concurrently.
Earlier, the Police Prosecutor, Paul Anigbo, had told the court that the case was reported by Chinwe on June 17, 2010.
Jigawa
Some residents of Dutse in Jigawa have observed that the environment has become filthy since the commencement of rainy season and called for an immediate action to clear it.
A cross section of residents in Dutse on Monday said that many places in the town were stinking due to heaps of waste.
A resident of Gidan-dubu, Malam Sule Adamu, complained that the streets were littered with polythene materials and drains with refuse and other garbage.
Another resident, whogave his name as Rabiu Sabo, said faeces carelessly disposed in polythene bags was polluting the environment.
Sabo expressed fears that, if such wastes continued to be disposed indiscriminately, inhabitants would be exposed to diseases.
Katsina
The Katsina State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Aminu Gado, said on Monday that the State Government has ordered the recruitment of 200 casual workers to serve as security guards in schools.
Kado made the disclosure when he paid a courtesy call on the state’s Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abdullahi Magaji, in his office in Katsina.
He said the measure had become necessary to stop rampant cases of stealing of facilities in the 56 secondary schools in the state.
Kado also directed each of the 36 Local Government Areas in the state to post four security guards to its schools and praised the state’s police command for recovering items worth millions of naira stolen from the 56 secondary schools.
Kebbi
The Kebbi Government has inaugurated an 18-member committee to prepare a position paper on the review of the 1999 Constitution.
The Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Aliyu, inaugurated the committee in Birnin Kebbi on Monday.
He urged the committee to deliberate on wide-ranging issues, adding that the committee’s proposals would be expected in two weeks.
“Among the issues to be deliberated are devolution of powers, creation of states, role of traditional rulers, fiscal federalism, immunity clause, rotation of executive offices as well as residency and indigene provisions.’’
Kogi
The Kogi Government has appointed Prof Olugbenro Jegede, the pioneer Vice Chancellor of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), as the Secretary to the State Government.
Jegede, whose appointment is contained in a statement issued in Lokoja on Monday, replaced Alhaji Musa Ahmadu, who held the office since 2005.
The statement, signed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy, Mr Jacob Edi, said the appointment of Jegede, an indigene of Ogori in Kogi Central Senatorial District, took immediate effect.
Jegede is the Secretary -General of the Association of African Universities with headquarters in Accra.
Kwara
The Kwara Government on Monday blamed its late payment of salaries of government workers on the delay in the release of statutory allocation from the Federation Account.
Mr Demola Banu, the state Commissioner for Finance, told newsmen in Ilorin that the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) was supposed to meet on 13th of every month while disbursement of funds to states was to be made within a week.
“The money will be transferred to the respective states so that they would be able to meet their commitments, but the meeting for sometime now has been held on 20th, 28th at times. “ This had been causing delay in the payment of salaries,’’ the commissioner said.
The delay, he added, was responsible for the late payment of pension.
He also explained that the state had a major challenge in the payment of local government staff in May, saying:
Nasarawa
The Nasarawa State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised Gov Umaru Almakura over his plan to build a N1 billion airport in Lafia.
The state Chairman of the party, Mr Yunana Iliya, made the criticism while addressing newsmen, shortly after an expanded executive meeting of the party in Lafia on Monday.
He said the airport project was elitist as it would serve the interest of only about 1 per cent of the state population.
“As far as PDP is concerned, we wish to lend our voice to the cry of our people who oppose the construction of an airport in Lafia. “This is an elitist project; those who will use the airport will constitute less than 0.01 per cent of our population,” he said.
Iliya said that in a state, such as Nasarawa State, where most of the people were peasant farmers, the money for the proposed airport would be more useful in the improvement of agriculture and construction of rural roads.
Oyo
The Under-Secretary in charge of African Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Adamu Abas, says some state governments in the North are not doing enough to combat the effects of climate change.
Abas said in Ibadan that such states ought to do more because the effects, especially that of desertification, was more pronounced in the North.
He, however, commended Lagos which, though a southern state without problem of desertification, had planted four million trees.
Abas said the Federal Government had carried out many initiatives across the country to curb the effects of climate change. “What we need to do now is to encourage the states to do more, “ Abas said.
Plateau
The police in Plateau on Monday confirmed that two bombs were discovered in the premises of a hostel at the University of Jos on Sunday.
The Police Commissioner, Mr Emmanuel Ayeni, said the officers were able to detonate one of the bombs while the second exploded, injuring no person.
He said: “when my officers and men with the Anti-Bomb Squad arrived in the scene, they were able to detonate the second bomb and luckily, the one that exploded did not harm anybody or cause damage to the hostel block.’’
Ayeni said that although the police had begun investigation, no suspect had been arrested, describing the incident as criminal.
Yobe
The Yobe Youth Network for Justice (YYJ) has challenged Senators representing the three senatorial districts in the state to emulate Sen.Ahmed Lawal, of Yobe North in the execution of development projects.
The group’s Chairman, Bashir Tahir, who made the remark in an interview on Monday in Damaturu said that the state was proud of Lawal’s performance in debating issues on the development of the state, especially the creation of shelter belt and proposed constructions of earth dams.
“ We have also acknowledged his outstanding role as Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts in the National Assembly,” he said.
The chairman, however, listed the award of scholarship to150 students of tertiary institutions, execution of water projects in 56 villages and 900 Youth Empowerment Projects as some of his excellent achievements in the state.
Zamfara
The Zamfara House of Assembly has passed 10 bills and 29 resolutions since its inauguration in June last year, the Speaker, Alhaji Sanusi Rikiji, said, at a news conference to mark one year of the assembly.
He said the house also adopted reports of 16 committees set up to investigate some aspects of the state administration.
He said some of the bills were those for the enactment of laws for the establishment of the state agency for the control of HIV/AIDS, debt management, cotton development agency and the 2012 budget.
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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