Nation
THE STATES
Benue
Police in Benue on Friday said they had deployed 3,325 personnel on special duty across the state for the Easter celebration.
Spokesman of the command, Mr Moses Yamu, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, told newsmen in Makurdi that the measure was to ensure security of lives and property during the period.
He said the figure did not include personnel on essential task force duties in the state.
Yamu said that some of the personnel were posted to churches and other places of worship.
He said that the command had embarked on “Operation Show of Force” to demonstrate its readiness to combat crime and ensure peaceful celebration during the period.
Borno
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says it has uncovered a fake Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) centre in Maiduguri.
The Commandant of the corps in Borno State, Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, told newsmen yesterday in Maiduguri that operators of the fake centre were defrauding applicants.
Abdullahi explained that the centre was uncovered on Thursday at the Kawu Shopping Complex along Lagos Street of the metropolis.
He said that men of the command also arrested one Abizo Precious Idowu, a 31-year-old from Imo who had collected N1,200 each to register about 180 students under the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
FCT
The Federal Government last Wednesday said no fewer than 420,000 people had received meningitis vaccination in Zamfara so as to curb the outbreak in the country.
The Minister of State for Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, announced this after the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in Abuja.
He said that about 70 per cent of meningitis outbreak in the country was recorded in Zamfara.
Ehanire said that all the medical teams had arrived in the state to improve the application of the vaccine.
“As of now, about 420,000 people have been vaccinated in Zamfara state and I can tell you that we are beginning to see the `plato’ that is to say that the epidemic is no more rising,
“It is beginning to flatten out and we hope that it is going to come down soon.
Kaduna
Kaduna state command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said it had deployed over 3000 of its personnel to ensure peaceful Easter celebration.
State Commandant of the Corps, Alhaji Modu Bunu, stated this in a press statement Thursday, issued on his behalf by the Public Relations Officer of the command, Orndiir Terzungwe.
Bunu urged all residents to live in peace as both Islam and Christianity preached peaceful coexistence
He assured that the Corps, in collaboration with other agencies, would provide security before, during and after the festivity.
He warned people in the habit of engaging in acts capable of breaching the peace, that trouble makers would face the full wrath of the law.
He appealed to parents and guardians to intensify monitoring of their wards to prevent them from being victims of criminals.
Kano
The Federal Government last Thursday restated its commitment toward the promotion of heritage sites in the country.
The Minister of Information and Culture made the remark at a retreat for management staff and Curators of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, held in Kano.
The minister, represented by the Director-General, National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Mr Yusuf Abdallah, said promoting the nation’s heritage sites would not only boost tourism, but also create job opportunities and enhance socio-economic activities in the country.
“The government is making efforts to develop and promote heritage sites with a view to boosting tourism in the country for the overall economic development of the nation.
Katsina
Funtua Local Government Council in Katsina State lastThursday confirmed the death of six persons and the hospitalisation of 24 others as a result of outbreak of Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis.
Primary Health Care Coordinator of the Council, Mrs Muibat Abdullahi, told newsmen that the outbreak started from a Quranic (Almajiri) school at Unguwar Dahiru area of Makera ward in Funtua town.
She said authorities were alerted and in response, officials of Medicine San Frontiers (Doctors without Borders) conducted tests on isolated persons’ specimens and diagnosed meningitis type ‘C’, which is different with other cases of meningitis in the country.
Abdullahi said San Frontiers supported them with drugs and other relevant consumables while Katsina state government procured vaccines for immediate immunisation of people around the area.
Kogi
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has said that the decision to probe finances of the state, from 2003 to 2016, was not aimed at settling political scores with his predecessors.
The governor stated this in Lokoja last Wednesday, while receiving the report of a commission of inquiry set up to probe the finances of the state under two previous administrations.
He said that the attempt to look into what went wrong in the past would guide his administration against repeating similar mistakes.
According to him, the exercise is “not a witch hunt or blackmail”.
He lamented that Kogi, created 25 years ago, had remained largely undeveloped due to mismanagement and massive looting of available resources, declaring that the situation would be corrected.
Lagos
Lagos State requires about 720 million gallons of water daily but currently produces 210 million gallons, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said last Thursday
Ambode gave the figure when he received a delegation from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) led by its President, Dr Frank Jacobs, at the Lagos House in Ikeja.
The governor said that the state had a water deficit of about 500 million gallons.
“Water is one infrastructure that we are trying to create in the city; it is clear that we have a deficit.
“The city actually needs a minimum of 720 million gallons of water per day; right now, there is a shortfall of about 500 million.
He said that his administration would continue to bridge the daily deficit of potable water in the state without inflicting tax burden on the people.
The governor said that his administration had intensified investments in the water sector, especially by putting measures in place to revamp the 48 mini water works across the state to ensure optimum performance.
Ondo
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has directed that the ban on logging activities in the free forest areas in the state be lifted.
The government had banned logging activities in the state in March. The directive was announced by Segun Ajiboye, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor on Wednesday in Akure.
However, Ajiboye, said the ban on logging activities in the forest reserve areas in the state remained in force.
“While assuring the people of the state of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu preparedness to work for the general benefit of the people and the development of the state, the ban on logging activities in the forest reserve areas is meant to ensure that the general commonwealth of the people of the state is not pillaged by a few criminally-minded people,” he said.
Plateau
The maiden edition of the Jos Carnival kicked – off last Wednesday, with a fiesta for Plateau State children.
Wife of the Plateau Governor, Mrs. Regina Lalong, accompanied by the children, ushered in the carnival with a walk.
The governor’s wife, in a speech, said that the carnival was, in itself, a testimony to the fact that permanent peace had returned to Plateau.
“That we are holding a carnival confirms that Plateau is stable; it is a clarion call to the whole world to come to Plateau and explore the massive opportunities it offers,” she said.
She said that the carnival would showcase the rich cultural heritage of the state to tourists and remind them of Plateau’s place as the leading tourists destination in the country.
Sokoto
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has commended Nigeria for its swift response to tackle the meningitis epidemic in some parts of the country.
The Country Representative of the organisation in Nigeria, Dr Alemu Wondi, made the commendation in Sokoto State last Thursday when he paid a courtesy visit on the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III.
“We are here to see how to contribute to shorten the period of the outbreak in the state and other parts of Nigeria.
“ Nigeria has also made crucial efforts to eradicate polio, although the country is yet to be certified polio free.
Yobe
The Yobe State Government has constructed 250 toilets and bathrooms in each of the three Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Damaturu , the state capital.
General Manager, Yobe State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) told Alhaji Mohammed Bukar, newsmen last Friday in Damaturu that the toilets were constructed in Pompomari, Kukareta, and Muhammadu Gombe farm camps.
Bukar said that the projects were embarked upon to check open defecation and promote personal hygiene in the camps.u.
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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