THE Federal Government has insisted that it won’t pay members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for the periods the were on strike this year.
Minister of Education Mallam Adamu Adamu stated the Federal Government’s position on the issue while addressing journalists at the State House on Wednesday.
ASUU had embarked on an indefinite strike action on February 14. But the strike was called off in October following an order of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN).
However, the union members got half salaries at the end of October, a move which did not go down well with the lecturers.
Commenting on the plans by ASUU to embark on a protest over the half salary salary payment, Adamu said the position of the Federal Government was that the lecturers “would not be paid for work not done”.
Also reacting to claims by ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodoke, that paying the lecturers on pro-rata basis was a ploy to make them casual workers, the minister said: “Nobody can make university lecturers casual workers.”
ALOY Ejimakor, lawyer of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has written to the European Union (EU) stating that the medical condition of his client is worsening.
Ejimakor, a Special Counsel to Kanu, wrote the letter to the EU on Wednesday, November 16 and posted a copy on his Twitter page @AloyEjimakor.
Today, I sent a 6-page Letter with 4 Annexures to the European Union in Nigeria, seeking its urgent intervention in persuading the Government of Nigeria to do the RIGHT THING by complying with extant court/tribunal decisions & permit MNK his right to independent medical care. pic.twitter.com/OrOD6oroyz
He believes that the Federal Government would listen to a plea from the EU.
The lawyer urged the EU to urge the Federal Government to cease further criminal prosecution of Kanu and instead constructively engage him in seeking a political solution to the Biafran question.
He pleaded with the EU Delegation in Nigeria to urge the Federal Government of Nigeria to promptly implement the opinion of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and the judgment of the Federal High Court of Nigeria (Umuahia) regarding Kanu’s case.
He also claimed that the Nigerian government is detaining Kanu in solitary confinement.
“Your excellency, our decision to lay this matter before the EU Mission in Nigeria (and, by extension, to your home governments) was propelled by the stellar human rights record of the EU and the supranational diplomatic influence the EU or the Mission can bring to bear on the Government of Nigeria and persuade it to do the right thing.
“We are also very alarmed at the worsening health conditions of Mr Kanu, exacerbated by the inhumane detention conditions to which he is being subjected, including his solitary confinement since June 27, 2021.
“We trust, therefore, that your mission and home governments will give the most urgent and expeditious attention and consideration to our humble prayers,” the lawyer stated.
Ejimakor added that the intervention of the EU would be necessary in urging the Federal Government to be “guided in all matters relating to Mr Kanu by the letters and spirit of the United Nations Working Group Opinion, the judgment of the Federal High Court of Nigeria (Umuahia), the judgment of the High Court of Abia State and the judgment of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria”.
He also asked the EU to urge the Federal Government to cease further criminal prosecution of Kanu and instead constructively engage him in seeking a political solution to the Biafran question.
Although the Court of Appeal had discharged Kanu in October, the Federal Government claimed that he was only discharged and not acquitted.
Kanu was controversially extradited to Nigeria from Kenya in June 2021.
THE Abuja division of the Federal High Court on Monday adjourned Kanu’s trial indefinitely.
The presiding judge, Justice Binta Nyako, said the court would await the decision of the Supreme Court on appeals that were lodged by both the Federal Government and Kanu’s defence team.
During proceedings on Monday, November 14, the prosecution team led by the Director of Public Prosecution, M.B. Abubakar, informed the court that Kanu refused to present himself for his planned re-arraignment on new charges filed against him by the Federal Government.
Last week, the Federal Government filed an amended seven counts of terrorism against the detained IPOB leader.
The amended charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, contained all earlier sustained allegations against Kanu.
Appeals filed by the Federal Government and Kanu are pending at the Supreme Court.
The Federal Government is challenging the Court of Appeal judgment that quashed the 15-count terrorism charge it entered against Kanu.
NINE persons were reportedly killed on Tuesday, November 15, by unknown gunmen in Maikatako community, Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The ICIR gathered that the gunmen stormed the community late in the night and set many houses on fire.
A resident of Maikato community, John Bature, who spoke to The Punch on Wednesday, November 16, said they had retired to their beds when they heard sporadic gunshots.
Bature said, “On Tuesday, we did not sleep owing to an attack on our community by gunmen. It was by the grace of God that I was not killed. Many of our people have already retired to their beds when some persons carrying guns entered the community and started shooting around 9:30 pm. Many people who tried to run were shot. Only this morning, I learnt that nine of the villagers were killed by the gunmen who also set several houses ablaze.”
Confirming the incident, the spokesman for the Military taskforce in charge of maintaining peace in the state, Captain Oya James, said the timely intervention by security operatives saved the situation.
James confirmed the attack but wouldn’t give a precise casualty figure.
“It was around 11:00 pm on Tuesday that somebody alerted us of an ongoing attack in a community along Bokkos road. We quickly deployed our men and the intervention was very helpful in stopping the attackers in their mission.
“Those killed were not up nine. I will get back to you to give you the actual figure but the situation is calm now, ” he said.
Efforts by The ICIR to get the reaction of the Plateau State Police Command were not successful.
Spokesperson of the Command Alfred Alabo could not be reached on the phone.
ONE Hundred days to the 2023 presidential election, scheduled for February 25, 2023, the leading candidates are battling hurdles which may affect their chances of becoming Nigeria’s next President, The ICIR reports.
Going by projections, the leading candidates are Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).
The APC is the ruling party and its candidate, Tinubu, will be counting on the ‘incumbency factor’ in his quest to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari. The PDP is the major opposition party and still retains a large and vibrant support base across the country, having been in power for 16 years – from 1999 to 2015. The LP, hitherto one of the numerous political parties on the fringes, has been galvanised by the ‘Obedient’ movement centred around its flagbearer and to a large extent, is now seen as the ‘Third Force’.
Checks by The ICIR indicate that these three leading candidates are contending with hurdles, which may damage their chances, as the election draws nearer.
Spirited opposition from the G5 governors is a major threat that can truncate Atiku’s latest quest for the Presidency. A ghost from the past, in the form of drug trafficking allegations, and a tendency for gaffes, threaten Tinubu’s ambition. An unexpected, damaging attack, launched by Anambra State governor Charles Soludo, could dissipate gains made by Obi.
Atiku at the mercy of G5 governors
The G5 governors – Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) Femi Makinde (Oyo) and Samuel Ortom (Benue) may well turn out to be Atiku’s nemesis in the presidential contest. Having governors in your party is a major advantage in Nigerian national elections but as things stand at the moment, Atiku cannot count on the governors, who are openly leading a mutiny in the PDP.
The governors have continued to undermine Atiku’s presidential ambition at series of regular public events, which appear to be organised just to provide a stage to knock the PDP presidential candidate.
“To hell with Atiku and any other Fulani man. And any man supporting Atiku and all that is an enemy. I want this to be known as long as I am governor. They should go and tell him. You want me to be a slave for a Fulani. Anybody supporting Atiku is an enemy of Benue,” Ortom declared while playing host to other members of the G5 in Makurdi, Benue State capital, on November 6.
Already, the Rivers State chapter of the PDP has decided against campaigning for Atiku ahead of the general elections. Despite being a PDP-ruled state, there are reports that people are not allowed to paste Atiku’s posters in the state.
Wike is the leader of the G5. Having lost the PDP presidential ticket to Atiku, he was subsequently overlooked as running mate, despite reports that a committee headed by Ortom endorsed him as the party’s VP candidate.
Atiku’s pictures and posters were conspicuously missing when the Rivers State chapter of the PDP launched campaigns for the 2023 elections in Port Harcourt on October 24. Going by normal practice, state chapters simultaneously campaign for the presidential flagbearer while canvassing votes for party candidates for all the elective positions. But it appeared that the PDP had no presidential candidate when Wike launched the party’s campaign in Rivers State. Atiku was ignored.
He made this clear, saying: “Some have asked me why they did not see the presidential candidate, the party chairman’s photos in our campaign vehicles. I said what are you talking about? The presidential candidate entered my state and picked members of the Presidential Campaign Council without the governor of the state having a contribution.
“So they said they don’t need me to campaign for them. They don’t want Rivers people to campaign for them. Would you force yourself?”
Atiku’s ability to make peace with the G5 governors, particularly Wike, would go a long way in determining the outcome of his presidential bid.
Going by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) records, Rivers has 3,532,990 voters – the fourth highest number of registered voters.
INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu
Only Lagos (7,075,192), Kano (5,927,565) and Kaduna (4,345,469) have more registered voters.
Drug trafficking allegations, gaffes stalk Tinubu’s presidential ambition
Drug trafficking allegations against the APC flagbearer have refused to go away, despite well rehearsed denials over the years.
The 59-page court document seen by The ICIR alleged that funds in an account held in First Heritage Bank with account number 263226700 operated by Bola Tinubu represented proceeds of narcotics trafficking in violation of US laws and consequently ordered that the funds amounting to $460,000 be forfeited to the government.
The Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign dismissed the document as “the same old tale”, adding that it was a campaign of calumny and an attempt to wake up the carcass of a drug allegation in America that had since been buried in 1993.
Evidence suggests that Nigerians are very much interested in the alleged drug trafficking allegation.
Announcing the increase in traffic to its site, PlainSite.org said visitors were drawn to Tinubu’s drug trafficking case files.
Tinubu’s drug trafficking links continue to be the subject of intense debates on the social media as Nigerians weigh their options ahead of the polls.
Tinubu is also contending with reactions to his tendency to commit expensive gaffes during major public outings.
The latest gaffe – at the flag-off of the APC presidential campaign in Jos, Plateau State capital, on November 15 – appeared to be an own goal scored in favour of the opposition PDP.
“God Bless PD…” the presidential candidate said, stopping just in time to change the statement to “God bless APC”.
The PDP has been celebrating the gaffe, which is akin to an earlier incident in October when Tinubu hailed Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai for his creativity and resilience “in turning a rotten situation into a bad one”.
Tinubu’s campaign team, which described the October incident involving El-Rufai as a “slip of tongue” will once again find words to try to convince Nigerians to ignore the gaffes and concentrate on their candidate’s qualities.
Obi faces credibility questions after Soludo’s attacks
The LP candidate Peter Obi has positioned himself as a candidate who would turn Nigeria’s ailing economy around, if elected President next year. The former Anambra State governor has promised to turn Nigeria from consumption to production.
Not a few Nigerians believe and trust the LP candidate, judging by the burgeoning popularity of the ‘Obedient’ movement.
Out of the blues, Anambra State governor Charles Soludo – Obi’s kinsman – launched an attack that could undermine the LP candidate’s credibility.
Obi has been praised for his performance as Anambra State governor. He was reputed to have made sound economic investments for the state, besides leaving a sizeable amount in the state’s coffers for his successor.
But, in interview with Channels TV’s Politics Today on November 11, Soludo, a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, said Obi’s alleged investment in the state is “worth next to nothing”.
Obi governed Anambra on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), which he eventually left for the PDP.
Soludo is a member of APGA – the only governor outside the APC and PDP.
Asked about Obi’s investments for the state, Soludo said: “I don’t know about the investment. I’m not talking about the investments of any of my predecessors. By the way, the one (Obi) that you talked about I don’t know about that. I think there was something I read about somebody speculating about whatever investment. With what I’ve seen today, the value of those investments is worth next to nothing.”
Newspaper headlines from the interview screamed ‘Obi’s investment in Anambra next to nothing’ and the Obidients took to radio, television and various social media platforms to hit back at Soludo.
Soludo took the attack further by dismissing Obi’s chances in the presidential election. According to him, Obi can’t win, and knows he can’t win. “Let’s be clear: Peter Obi knows that he can’t and won’t win. He knows the game he is playing, and we know too, and he knows that we know,” the Anambra governor said.
Obi, and his supporters have dismissed Soludo’s comments, suggesting that the governor was on a vendetta mission, or working for opponents, but there are concerns that some of his (Soludo) claims could undermine the credibility of the LP presidential candidate.
AMAZON is to lay off 10,000 employees, about three per cent of its over 1.5 million workforce as of September 30, media reports said on Wednesday.
This is coming after Twitter and Meta downsized their workforce.
An official post by Amazon’s Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology Beth Galetti said economic uncertainty will halt hiring to balance the workforce while managing challenges.
According to the BBC there are LinkedIn posts by workers who claim they have been impacted by Amazon job cuts.
Employees affected include those in Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant business, Luna cloud gaming platform division and Lab126 – the operation behind the Kindle e-reader.
Amazon’s founder and chairman Jeff Bezos warned about the United States economic downturn last month, while the company’s share price fell by 40 per cent.
While big technology firms Twitter and Meta have downsized their workforce to cut costs, Microsoft, Stripe and Salesforce have also announced staff cuts.
An anonymous insider told the BBC that the job market had changed due to remote work.
“The last two years has been great for job opportunities because of remote work meaning you don’t have to isolate a job search to your local area. So that’s seen the scramble for talent become very competitive and wages have gone up really high.
“What we’re seeing now is a contraction in budgets and staffing,” he said.
He added that technology companies, including Amazon, may be hit hard as there are lots of workers who are not providing much value and must be cut off.
TWITTER’s $8 blue tick subscription service will be relaunched on November 29 following the insurgence of fake accounts and impersonators, according to Elon Musk.
This was disclosed in a Tweet by the ‘Chief Twit’ on Tuesday.
“Punting relaunch of Blue Verified to November 29th to make sure that it is rock solid,” Musk said in the tweet.
Punting relaunch of Blue Verified to November 29th to make sure that it is rock solid
Initially, the blue tick verification was bestowed on celebrities, governments and other public figures after their profiles were confirmed.
After Musk took control on October 27, Twitter announced the $8 blue tick fee on November 6 as a way of generating revenue.
But this led to increased fraudulent accounts, making the microblogging platform pause the service temporarily.
Going by reports, it has been a chaotic three weeks since the CEO clinched the $44-billion deal.
BBC reported that “verified” accounts impersonating names of politicians, celebrities, and major organisations began trolling the platform.
Major brand handles such as Apple, Nintendo, BP and Chiquita were suspended.
Trolls posing as high-profile figures such as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, United States President Joe Biden, former Presidents Donald Trump and George W Bush, and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, were also removed.
Musk himself was impersonated using his company Tesla.
Tech gurus like Brandon Borrman had predicted that the new Twitter Blue subscription would be used by nefarious posers and scammers to crumble trust on the social media site.
The microblogging site declared last week that Twitter would be suspending accounts found wanting.
THE Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Mahmood Yakubu, has stated that the commitment of the electoral body is to deliver free and credible elections to Nigerians.
The INEC chairman spoke in a message to mark 100 days to the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Yakubu also warned political parties and their supporters to conduct their campaigns peacefully and do away with anything that can cause rancour, divisiveness and violence.
“It is exactly 100 days before polling units open at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 25, 2023, for national elections (Presidential and National Assembly) and two weeks later on Saturday, March 11, 2023, for State elections (Governorship and State Houses of Assembly).
“As I have said repeatedly, the Commission’s allegiance is to Nigeria. Our loyalty is to Nigerians who want free, fair, credible and verifiable elections supported by technology, which guarantees transparent accreditation and upload of polling unit results for citizens to view in real-time on Election Day.”
He also reiterated INEC’s determination to deploy technology in the conduct of the general elections, emphasising that there is no going back on the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
“It is for these reasons that the BVAS and the IReV were introduced. There is no going back on the deployment of BVAS and IReV for the 2023 general election.”
Yakubu promised to continue regular engagement with political parties, civil society organisations, the media and other critical stakeholders towards a peaceful and successful election.
“Similarly, we will continue with our regular engagement with political parties, civil society organisations, the media and other critical stakeholders.
“Above all, Nigerians deserve the right to know about the progress we are making and the challenges (if any) we confront in our preparations for the General Election.
“Accordingly, in a couple of weeks, the Commission will start bi-weekly media briefings followed by weekly briefings as we get closer to the election. In the week leading to the election, there will be daily briefings.
“I seize this opportunity to call on all citizens to participate fully in all electoral activities, particularly the ongoing display of the Register of Voters for claims and objections, as well as a collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs). I also call on political parties and political leaders to conduct their campaigns peacefully, eschewing divisiveness, rancour and violence,” Yakubu added.
He said INEC would continue to play its part diligently and appealed to all stakeholders and, above all, citizens to play their own part so that collectively, Nigeria can have a successful election.
NIGERIA’S untamed poor economy, largely spurred by exchange rate problems, unsustainable subsidy payments, increased energy price, and the recent floods, pushed up inflation figures in October.
According to figures that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released on Tuesday, November 15, inflation figures rose in October on year-on-year basis to 21.09 per cent.
That was 5.09 per cent points higher than the 15.99 per cent rate recorded in October 2021, the NBS disclosed.
On a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate for October 2022 was 1.24 per cent, 0.11 per cent lower than the 1.36 per cent rate recorded in September 2022.
The general price level in October 2022 for the headline inflation rate (month-on-month basis) declined by 0.11 per cent.
The percentage change in the average consumer price index (CPI) for the 12 months ending October 2022 over the average of the CPI for the previous 12 months period was 17.86 per cent, showing a 0.91 per cent increase, compared to the 16.96 per cent recorded in October 2021.
Economic watchers say the Federal government needs to take urgent measures to tame the double digit inflationary pressure on the economy.
The Chief Executive Officer, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprises, Muda Yusuf.
The former Director-General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, Muda Yusuf, said the government may need to lower tariffs on some staple food imports to lessen the inflation effects on Nigerians.
“For Nigerians to be able to, at least, buy food this December, the government must lessen tariff on some staple food imports. If you look at the price in the markets, you could see inflation is doubling, and with Nigeria’s currency problem, it could get worse,” Yusuf said.
A financial analyst, Robert Omotunde, told The ICIR that the government needed to fix the exchange rate problems, which he said were affecting Nigeria’s food imports.
Robert Omotunde, an economist and investment consultant.
“Exchange rate is tied to inflation and tied to an import dependent nation like Nigeria. If we allow market principles to operate, there will be no need for speculation. What we have done is that we have restricted the market, and the players in that market are looking at an alternative market,” Omotunde said.
THE Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly Bamidele Oloyeloogun has told the state High Court, sitting in Akure, the state capital, that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has no right to prosecute him.
Oloyeloogun is being tried for alleged corrupt practices alongside another lawmaker Bankole Felemu-Gudu, and a staff of the assembly, Olusegun Kayode.
He was accused of misappropriation of N2.4 million belonging to the state assembly.
The fund was reportedly meant for a seminar, which the lawmaker and the civil servant were supposed to attend but allegedly did not.
Lawyer to the Speaker Femi Emodamori told the court in his objection that the EFCC had no right to try his clients for alleged corruption as the state already had its own version of the EFCC – the Public Complaint, Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption Commission passed into law and signed by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in January this year.
According to him, his client is accused of financial crimes involving the finances and assets of the state, and since the state had its own version of the law, the EFCC should leave the prosecution of the case.
Counsel to the EFCC Fredrick Dibang objected to the claim and said the court had jurisdiction because the law enacted by the state assembly was contrary to the Acts of the National Assembly that established the EFCC.
The presiding judge Justice Adegboyega Adebusoye fixed the hearing for the objection and counter-objection for November 25, 2022.
In July, an Akure High Court in Ondo State granted the EFCC the order to prosecute Oleyeloogun and others for the alleged N2.4 million fraud committed in 2019.
Justice Adebusuyi granted the order following an application by the lawyer to the anti-graft commission, Dibang, seeking the prosecution of the lawmakers for alleged fraud.
THE Cross River State Government has begun a deworming exercise across the 18 local government areas of the state in a bid to prevent Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) amongst children.
The initiative seeks to prevent soil-transmitted helminthic, a disease that affects minors between the ages of five to 14 years.
The Director General of the Cross River Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Janet Ekpenyong flagged off the deworming exercise on Tuesday, November 15, at the Government Primary School Anantigha in Calabar South Local Government Area.
While explaining that the disease is endemic in about nine local government areas of the state, Ekpenyong noted that the five-day exercise would target 8000 children in the eighteen LGAs.
“Today we are here for deworming and that is because it is an issue of concern to us. Despite what a child eats, once there is a worm, they will begin to manifest, and the child will start looking malnourished.”
Ekpenyong who represented the state governor, Ben Ayade, disclosed that the preventive measure is the administration of mebendazole.
“Globally, about 1.4 billion are affected by the soil-transmitted helminthic and about nine local government areas are endemic with the disease. That’s why we introduce the deworming exercise. We are hoping that we can reach 8,000 children. With mebendazole, we are reaching those between five and 14 years of age across the entire state.
“I encourage caregivers and parents to take advantage of this exercise, and take them to the health facilities for deworming. We no longer want to see our children suffer from these diseases,” she said.
Ekpenyong stressed that the exercise is to ensure children, especially those in primary and secondary schools who are also between the ages of five to 14 years, are dewormed against the soil-transmitted helminthiasis.
“This is because helminthiasis is one of the very common tropical diseases in our communities and when there is worm infestation in a child, such a child would be affected in so many ways. It could prevent the child from absorbing nutrients and vitamins from food. It can also cause problems like anemia and stunted growth,” she added.
Speaking on the intervention by the state government, the representative of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Chogudo Sule, said, “The school feeding programme was concerned about the daily nutritional requirement of school children across Nigeria, which can be achieved through nutritious meals in conjunction with periodic deworming to boost the immunity of children and assist their bodies fight against infections.”
