Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The Adamawa Government, has intervened in the dispute
between the newly appointed 35 development area administrators with their
predecessors over who has the right to official cars.
There was a running battle between the newly appointed
administrators, who insisted on having
the official cars from their predecessors.
Declaring government’s position to newsmen on the
development, the Chief of Staff to Governor
Murtala Nyako, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abba, said the out-going
administrators were the rightful owners of the cars, which he confirmed had
been monetised.
Abba, who is also the acting commissioner for information,
said the state government had directed the new administrators who had
confiscated the cars from their predecessors to return them.
He said that the government had also directed those still
hunting their predecessors to desist forthwith.
The chief of staff said, “with this development, the matter
has been settled for good.’’
Jigawa
The Jigawa House of Assembly, passed a bill for the establishment of a
Farmers/Pastoralists Board, the Speaker, Alhaji Adamu Ahmad, said in Dutse.
Ahmad said in an interview in Delta, that the
executive-sponsored bill was aimed at checking the incessant crisis between
farmers and herdsmen in the state.
He commended the administration of Governor Sule Lamido for coming up with the bill
which, he said, would provide lasting solution to the problem of farmers and
pastoralists.
According to him, conflict between the two groups has
minimised since the inception of the present administration in the state.
Ahmad said that the House had also passed a bill to
establish the state Arts Exhibition and Multimedia Censors’ Board.
Kaduna
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has urged
Christians not to stay away from church activities, particularly at this time
of persecution.
The Chairman of the Kaduna State chapter of CAN, Rev. Samuel
Kujiyat, made the call in Kaduna recently.
He stressed that the recent developments in the country
notwithstanding, Christians should always strive to propagate the gospel,
adding that if Christians refrained from preaching the gospel, the perpetrators
of the persecution would have an upper hand and be encouraged to commit their
evil plans.
Kujiyat, who spoke at the 19th Synod of the Diocese of
Kaduna, Anglican Communion, however, prayed for God’s intervention and
protection for the Christian faithful.
Kano
The Joint Security Task Force (JTF) and operatives of the
State Security Service (SSS) have in Kano arrested three suspected gunmen at
Gadar Bayero, near Taburawa Kano.
The State SSS Director, Mr Bassey Ettang, announced this
while briefing newsmen. He said the suspects were apprehended during an early
morning raid at a hide out at Tamburawa, a Kano outskirt.
“The operation was carried out based on an intelligent
report of the activities of the terrorists who operate at the outskirts of Kano
now. “We were able to recover some quantities of primed Improvised Explosive
Devices (IEDs) ready for detonation, together with military uniforms used by
the gunmen.’’
Kebbi
The Controller of Prisons in Kebbi, Alhaji Othman Musa, has
com-mended the Emir of Zuru, Alhaji Sani Sami, for assisting in the reformation
of minor offenders to be good members of society.
Musa, who gave the commendation in Birnin Kebbi urged
members of the public to emulate the Emir to ensure that prison inmates came
out as better citizens.
He said the nation’s prisons were facing the challenge of
blending their inmates to fit into the society after their jail terms,
considering that some of them felt abandoned by relatives and the society.
“We would strive to erase the stigma placed on the inmates
by the society to prevent them from transforming into hardened criminals,
deviants and social misfits. “The people need to emulate the Emir of Zuru,
Alhaji Sani Sami, who had facilitated the release of minor offenders as well as
assisted them with tools to learn skills that would enable them blend into
society.”
Kogi
The President, National Council of Women Societies (NCWS),
Kogi chapter, Mrs Mary Olowosegun, has
advised women to show commitment to politics in order to reflect their real
strength.
Olowosegun newsmen in
Lokoja, that she was disappointed at the low turnout of women aspirants for the
forthcoming local government election in the state.
She said it was the zeal that women aspirants displayed in
politics that would generate financial support for them.
The women leader said that she was planning to have a meeting
with the representatives of the association in the rural areas to help
sensitise the women in the state towards the forth coming local government
election.
Kwara
A cleric, Uztaz Abdulfatah Abiona-Ibrahim, has urged wealthy
Mus-lims in the country to always provide assistance to the poor, particularly
during the last 10 days of the Ramadan.
Abiona-Ibrahim, an Ilorin-based Islamic scholar, made the
call while delivering a sermon at the “A” Division Police Station Mosque in
Ilorin, recently.
He said the call became necessary because of the blessings
attached to the last 10 days of the Ramadan known as the “Night of Majesty.”
The cleric also urged Muslims to ensure that their
Zakatul-fitri (gift) was observed in accordance with the provisions of the
Quran and Hadith. He said the gift could be in form of food stuff presented to
the less privileged.
Ondo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has predicted that the
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would win the October 20 Ondo governorship
election.
Obasanjo stated this
in Akure at a rally organised by the PDP ahead of the election. At the
rally tagged “ Unity Rally,’’ the governorship candidate of the party, Chief
Olusola Oke was handed over the party’s flag.
Obasanjo described Oke as very credible, and urged the
people of the state to vote for him.
“I want to start by thanking our brothers and sisters
outside Ondo State who have come to flag off the campaign to bring PDP back to
the state. “We have a creditable candidate for Ondo State, Olusola Oke is a
good leader that can be taken by his words,’’ he said.
Ogun
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God
(RCCG) Pastor Enoch Adeboye, says the church has foreign missions in 160
nations of the world.
He disclosed this at the Special Holy Ghost Service which
commenced on Friday night as part of activities marking the 60th Convention of
the Church.
Adeboye said that the church opened branches in 13 countries
in the last one year in addition to the existing 147 nations where the church
operated.
According to him, God expects RCCG to be present in all
nations of the world. He, however, expressed optimism that the goal would be
achieved soon.
Adeboye, who announced that a total of 11,162 weddings were
conducted by the church in the last one year, added that 68 women were
delivered of babies inside the camp ground, venue of the convention.
Osun
Some residents of Modakeke in Osun have commended the state
government for introducing compulsory environmental sanitation twice in a
month.
A resident, Mr Oluwaseun Ajibade, in Modakeke said that the exercise would ensure the good
health of the citizens. “Health is wealth; the basic concept of the bi-monthly
sanitation in Osun is to make people healthier and by implication, prolong
their lifespan,’’ he said.
Ajibade, who spoke during the initial observance of the
sanitation, reiterated that the exercise would promote healthy living among the
citizens of the state.
A resident of the Oke-ola area of Modakeke, Mrs Omolabake
Goriola, commended the government for
the initiative, condemning the manner in which some residents disposed of their
refuse.
Oyo
The Oyo State Government says it will soon begin the payment
of the retirement entitlements of primary school teachers and local government
workers via e-payment.
A statement by the Chairman, Oyo State Local Government
Staff Pensions Board, Chief Lasisi Ayankojo, in Ibadan said that the policy was
aimed at checking fraud in the payment of pensions and gratuities.
The state government recently uncovered a N2.6 billion pension
fraud in the board. The interim investigation of the board’s account between
September 2010 and March, 2011, which exposed the fraud, allegedly indicted 10
civil servants.
Ayankojo said that the e-payment would also help to
streamline pension payment, while reducing the troubles usually associated with
the payment of pension.
Taraba
The Proprietor, Beautiful People Driving School, Jalingo, Mr
Francis Ejembi, has advocated proper training for both commercial and private
drivers to reduce the high rate of road accidents on Nigerian roads.
Ejembi, who gave the advice in Jalingo, in an interview said
that most of the road crashes occurred as a result of ‘gross disregard’ for
road signs due to little or no training by drivers.
He said that a well-trained driver would not wait for
officials of the FRSC to tell him to put on his seat belt because he should
know the importance of seat belt to his safety.
“Proper training of drivers is one of the development agenda
of the United Nations Vision 20:2020. “A well trained driver knows that he has
to do routine checks on his vehicle, put on his seat belt and respect the
rights of other road users.
Yobe
The Yobe State Commissioner of Police, Mr Patrick Egbuniwe,
has confirmed that gunmen engaged security operatives in a shoot-out at the
Bindigari area of Damaturu.
Egbuniwe said in a telephone interview that the shoot-out
ensued when security operatives went to the area on security patrol.
“Gunmen as usual, have engaged our security operatives in a
shoot-out. “The operation is still on in the area, so we can not confirm
casualties yet. Other parts of the town are, however, calm and security
operatives are on top of the situation,’’ Egbuniwe stated.
Meanwhile, many residents have deserted the streets of the
city for safety.
Six soldiers and one civilian were killed on August 5 in a
suicide bomb attack along Gashua Road in Damaturu.
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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