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Abuja
Expressing disappointment over the recent action of the govt of the United States of America, listing Nigeria on the its watch list of terrorist nations the upper legislative arm of the National Assembly said the position highly unacceptable.
The Senate therefore gave the US government a –one- week ultimatum to delist Nigerians from this list for extra-security screening.
Briefing Senate correspondents the chairman of the Senate committee on media and Information, Senator Ayogu Eze said the Senate would on resumption tomorrow take a holistic look on the issue and would not hesitate to take a definite position in case the American authorities refuse to retract its decision.
The Senate’s spokes person pointed out that the decision of the US authorities was rather too harsh as the alleged aborted terrorist attempt by Nigerian born Umar Abdulmutallab was an exception that should not have been generalised.
He also noted that there was yet no evidence to blame the security lapse on the Nigerian authorities.
Senator Eze has maintained that given the relationship that has existed between America and Nigeria, it is most unfair for America to take such hasty conclusion without even adequate consultations with the authorities in Nigeria.
He affirmed “This is not acceptable to us and we are going to do whatever we can as a nation to prove to America that we will not take this.
Lagos
The overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministers, (MFM), Dr Daniel Olukoya has rewarded 20 first class graduates from Nigerian universities with car gifts.
The gesture was aimed at “improving academic excellence and reward “diligence,” Olukoya said, adding that it was also to stimulate similar performances four undergraduates and dissuade youths from negative influences.
The new car owners are Adesanya Abosede from Department of English, UNILAG, Alabi Olakunle, Bio-Chemistry, Ambrose Ali University, Aluko Damilola, French, Unilag, Anifowose Abiodun, Chemistry, Unilag, Dosunmu Olakunle, Chemical Engineering, UMLAG, Edaogbogun Blessing, Accounting, OAU; Ezeji Maxwell, Mechanical Engineering, FUTO, Owerri, Iwoatan Temidayo, Botany, UNILAG, Jegede Bolaji, Chemical Engineering, UNILAG and Nwachukwu Hope, Physics, Nasarawa State University. Others are Ogiri Kingsley, Sociology, UNILAG, Okafor Chiweoke, Economics, UNN, Olabatunyi Oluwole Isaac, Plant Science, OAU, Oyindamola Tolu, Computer Science, UI, and Sonubi Adeyemi, Mathematics, UNAAB.
Presenting the keys to the first class products, wife of the General Overseer, Pastor (Mrs) Shade Olukoya said it was to motivate them to always remain focused in life.
Oyo
An Oyo based group, G23 has advised the political elites in Oyo State against fanning embers of negative sentiments, recrimination and destructive tendencies in assessing governance. Rather, it said they should be guided by values such as objectivity thoroughness and sincerity of purposes, which are hallmarks of decent articulate and thoroughly bred elites.
At a news conference jointly addressed by both president and general secretary of the group, respectively, Comrade Isiaka Emeka and Prince Oluwakayode Afonju, the group commended Otuba Adebayo Alao-Akala for imparting positively on the socio-economic lives of the people of the state, especially Oyo town and its environs.
According to the group, some of their unprecedented achievements of the state government within the last two years in Oyo town and its environs alone is the rehabilitating asphalt overlay of township roads, covering over 30 kilometres.
Similarly, the chairman of Oyo West Local Government, Mr Wale Ogunmole has rehabilitated and tarred 18 kilometres road, constructed three classrooms in each of the 13 primary and secondary schools, provided potable water and upgraded 10 health centres.
Kaduna
Concerned by mounting intrigues and speculations over President Umar Yar’Adua’s health and rumours of succession plots, Northern elders have summoned a special extra-ordinary meeting.
Dependable sources in Kaduna informed The Tide that the meeting summoned under the auspices of the ACE’s National Working Committee is scheduled to take place tomorrow.
It was also gathered that a political committee has been set up by ACF leaders to draw up an action plan in addition to making recommendation about major political issues and steps to be taken by Northern leaders.
Insider in ATC insist that while several groups and individuals are plotting various schemes regarding the presidency and the vice presidency, despite recent information that President Musa Yar’Adua’s health is improving, the ACF is still determined to ensure that all appropriate constitutional process are followed.
Ekiti
A federal lawmaker, Iyiola Omisore, has called on the judiciary to brace up and save democracy from collapse.
Omisore said the judiciary is now on trial as the nation witnesses full blown democracy.
The two-term Senator made the appeal as the new Chief Justice of the Federation (CJN), Aloysius Kastina-Alu emerged as successor to Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi.
His swearing-in by the outgoing CJN, following the absence of President Umaru Yar’Adua now hospitalised in King Faisal Hospital, Saudi Arabia, has however, heralded serious controversies.
Omisore, who made the remark in a chat with newsmen at the governor’s office in Ado-Ekiti on New Year’s eve, also disclosed that all the democratic institutions in the country including the citizenry are on trial.
Plateau
The Plateau State Police Command has initiated an investigation of the state Moslem Pilgrims’ Welfare Board (MPWB) officials over allegations that some intending pilgrims who paid go on hajj last year were excluded from the exercise.
Public Relations Officer of the command, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mohammed Lerama, disclosed yesterday that the Police had invited officials of the board based on the petitions received from the affected people.
However, Lerama declined further comments on the matter.
Chairman of the board, Alhaji Awwalu Dankurma, was seen yesterday at the Police Headquarters being questioned by a team of Police investigators.
Edo
The Edo State Police Command yesterday said it lost 20 of its men in various confrontations with criminals while 17 policemen in the state were dismissed for various offences last year.
The Commissioner of Police, Danlami Yar’Adua, while briefing journalists on activities of the command last year, said there was no case of bank robbery in Benin City, the state capital and other major towns in the state, except in Sabongida-Ora, Aganebode and Ibillo, which were foiled by his men.
Yar’Adua also said that attacks on billion vans, which became rampant in the first quarter of last year, reduced drastically later in the year.
He added that the command recorded a total of 1,025 cases of robbery, murder, kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, obtaining by false pretence, stealing, burglary, house breaking and store breaking.
Two thousand, five hundred persons benefitted from the medical outreach conducted by the Kebbi chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Gwadangwaji Community in Birnin-Kebbi Council Area of the state in August.
The outreach covered dental and gynaecological cases and awareness campaign on cancer, particularly cervical cancer.
NMA Chairman in Kebbi, Dr Murtala Muhammad-Dandare, told The Tide’s source in Birnin-Kebbi on Wednesday that the outreach was conducted after its 2023 Annual General Meeting.
He said the NMA in Kebbi organised the outreach in collaboration with the Kebbi State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KECHEMA) to provide free and quality healthcare service.
“We organise the outreach in collaboration with KECHEMA annually as part of programmes for our annual general meetings.
“We conducted outreaches in other council areas in the past, but a bigger outreach is being organised to cover free surgeries.
“In the August outreach, beneficiaries requiring surgeries were noted for the oncoming outreach”, Muhammad-Dandare he said.
The Chapter Chairman also told the source that the outreaches were usually funded through members’ monthly contributions and donations by individuals and organisations.
“We rely solely on our members’ monthly contributions and sometimes donations by philanthropists and organisations.
“We appreciate KECHEMA and thank the organisation for its efforts and assistance in the procurement of drugs and the provision of logistics,”, he said.
Muhammad-Dandare called on the State Government to assist the association to expand the outreaches to remote communities of Kebbi.
The Federal Government on Wednesday conducted the second phase of computer-based Confirmatory Promotional Examination (COMPRO II) for junior cadre officers in public service across the nation.
The examination conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), had a total of 9, 618 candidates from paramilitary and junior officers from the core Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), who participated in the exams nationwide.
Speaking after touring Abuja centres, the Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, commended JAMB management for proper conduct of the exams.
“As you can see, the exam has been well organised and this is the first time we are holding a CBT for junior COMPRO candidates. Last year was for the senior cadre officers and I commend the level of their comportment.
“The way they have handled the system for now is encouraging and I believe by the time we come back next year for the same exercise, things will be better”, he said.
Ogunbiyi, however, identified some areas of lapses to include accreditation of officers which he said would be addressed before the next conduct of such exercise.
He said the reason behind the initiative by the Federal Government was part of its vision to reform the public service by going digital and to improve civil servants in the course of their work.
“In the first instance, the COMPRO is to test the ability and how well the public officers know the public service and to test the level of their potential to handle the assignments given to them as public servants.
“What we are doing now by going digital is part of reforms of the nation’s public service”, he said.
He said over the years, the service had been handling bulk questions papers and a lot of human interface in assessing officers.
“But going digital, we are now reducing the human contacts, it is done seamlessly. So it is what you put there, that is what you get back”, he explained.
Also, Mr Ateboh Ademu, Director, Learning and Development, office of the HOCSF, said Head of service office was satisfied with the level of performance of the exercise.
“As the Director of learning and development, the assessment so far as we have witnessed by all indication is excellent, is even beyond expectations, the attitude.
“The conducts of candidates and handling of the whole exercise have been done excellently”, he said.
Ademu gave assurance of non compromise of the system to sustain the needed standards.
According to him, having examined some of the problems encountered during the first conduct of the exam, the office of the HOCSF in collaboration with JAMB have put some measures on ground to address all observable challenges.
In the same vein, Mrs Blessing Garuba, one of the candidates from Nigeria Immigration Service, commended the innovative of computer-based examination for public servants in Nigeria.
Garuba added that it had improved her horizon as she could confidently operate computer on her own.
“When I heard about the exam I was panicking but going into the exam hall, I found out that it is all what I know. Besides, I have learnt a lot resulting from using computer”, she said.
The Tide’s source reports that the Federal Government had in 2022, introduced the computer-based examination for the senior cadre officers across all MDAs to fulfill its agenda of improving public service to a global standards.
The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) says it is strengthening existing partnership with the Nigeria Police to curb vandalism and energy theft with its network franchise area covering the South-East.
Head of Security in EEDC, Mr Frank Ejiofor, said this during a courtesy visit to the new Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, CP Kanayo Uzuegbu, in his office in Enugu on Wednesday.
Ejiofor also noted that the visit was part of EEDC’s strategy to collaborate with its critical stakeholders.
“The EEDC is using this opportunity to solicit for continued support of the Nigeria Police Force against the various activities that impact negatively on our company’s operations.
“Some of these activities include vandalism of electricity infrastructure, energy theft and assault on our officials among others”, he said.
He also lauded the commissioner on his efforts to curtail the security challenges in the state.
Responding, CP Uzuegbu, assured EEDC of the Police Command’s willingness not only to support its operations but also its readiness to attend to any call on them for assistance.
The commissioner commended EEDC for its socio-economic impact and development in the country especially in the area of job creation for the teeming youths in the state.
Accompanying Ejiofor to the courtesy visit were EEDC’s Head, Corporate Communications, Mr Emeka Ezeh; Head, Customer Service, Mrs Ijeoma Ogudebe; District Business Manager, Ogui District, Mr Chimezie Chukwu, and the Chief Security Officer, Ogui District, Mr. Jonathan Arum.
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