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Interior Ministry Denies Demanding Bribe From Applicants

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Interior Ministry Denies Demanding Bribe From Applicants

The Ministry of Interior has denied charging fees from applicants seeking recruitment into the Nigeria Immigration Service.

Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Fatima Bamidele, said in a statement on Tuesday that the ministry did not collect N1,000 as processing fee from applicants as speculated.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Ministry of Interior and the Nigeria Immigration Service do not charge and will not accept money for jobs,” she said.

The permanent secretary explained that the current recruitment was in continuation of an earlier effort by the ministry to recruit officers manually into the Nigeria Immigration Service which was marred by controversies until it was discontinued.

“Consequently, a new ICT-based recruitment exercise had to be adopted for the purpose of fairness, transparency and accountability in line with the transformation agenda of the government,” she said.

According to the statement, a consultant was engaged to provide an Internet platform to enable applicants access the application forms that will enable the ministry process the applications.

It said the consultant was authorised to charge a maximum processing fee of N1,000 per applicant to cover the cost of scratch card to gain access to the site.

Bamidele said: “This is intended to save the applicants the cost of travelling to Abuja to submit their applications, as well as avoid other inherent risks including unauthorised middlemen activities and other abuses”

The statement further warned that “Anybody who demands for and accepts money or bribes for jobs into the services under the ministry will be appropriately sanctioned in line with extant regulations guiding discipline in the service.”

 

Egypt’s Police Shuts Down Brotherhood’s Newspaper

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Egypt’s Police Shuts Down Brotherhood’s Newspaper

Egyptian authorities have shut down the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice newspaper in Cairo.

It is the latest move aimed at crushing the Islamist movement, the Brotherhood said on Wednesday.

The move follows Monday’s decision by an Egyptian court to suspend the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood and any of its associations.

“We the journalists of the Freedom and Justice newspaper condemn the security forces for closing down the headquarters of the newspaper,” the Brotherhood said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.

Police stormed the building overnight and removed the contents. A source at the Cairo Security Department said the raid followed Monday’s court ruling which banned the Brotherhood and ordered its funds seized.

“A court ruling was issued to do it on charges of inciting violence and terrorism in the recent past,” a security source said, referring to the operation.

Since the uprising following President Mohammed Morsi’s removal by the military on July 3, there has been no agreement on figures for victims of the crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, but estimates of the detained range from 1,000 to 8,000.

 

Jonathan Appeals For Seat On UN Security Council

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Jonathan Appeals For Seat On UN Security Council

President Goodluck Jonathan has urged the UN assembly to endorse Nigeria’s candidature for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council.

The UN Security Council is the most powerful branch of the UN. It has power to authorize the deployment of UN member states’ militaries, can mandate a cease-fire during conflicts, and can enforce penalties on countries if they do not comply with given mandates.

The council is composed of representatives from 15 countries of which five are permanent members and ten rotating members.

Citing reasons for this request at the UN General Assembly’s high-level debate at its Headquarters in New York on Tuesday, Jonathan said that Nigeria’s election to the UN Security Council will further enhance international peace and security, noting that the country’s performance on previous occasions when it held a non-permanent seat on the council was commendable.

“Our support for the United Nations Security Council in its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security has been total and unwavering. We have, in previous membership of the council, demonstrated both the political will and capacity to engage in key council responsibilities,” he said.

Jonathan also called for faster action toward the democratisation of the UN Security Council, stressing that Nigeria and other developing countries were concerned about the lack of progress in the reformation of the UN.

“I believe that I express the concern of many about the slow pace of effort and apparent lack of progress in the reform of the United Nations, especially the Security Council. We believe, strongly, that the call for democratisation worldwide should not be for states only but also for international organisations, such as the United Nations” he stated.

He noted that the democratisation of the Security Council was desirable for the enthronement of justice, equity, and fairness and also for the promotion of a sense of inclusiveness and balance in the world.

Jonathan also called for a renewed and concerted effort, by the international community, to effectively resolve all issues that currently impeded global peace, stability and progress.

His words: “Our world continues to be confronted by pressing problems and threats. No statement that will be made during this session can exhaust the extent of these problems. The world looks to us, as leaders, to provide hope in the midst of crisis, to provide guidance through difficult socio-political divisions and to ensure that we live in a better world”.

The President further stressed that “the reign of terror anywhere in the world is an assault on our collective humanity”.

Earlier, in a wide-ranging call to action delivered as he opened the General Assembly’s annual debate, UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon urged world leaders to shoulder their responsibilities on peace and security, human rights, arms proliferation and sustainable development, calling for increased global commitment to the United Nations system and the principles on which the Organization was founded.

“Let us empower the United Nations to be more than a first responder or a last resort,” he said, pointing to the ever more entwined fates of Member States and the transformed global landscape in which new ways of governing, partnering and problem-solving had to be found.

Stressing the size of the opportunity before world leaders, he said it was their job to serve their various peoples – “We must prove ourselves fit for purpose,” he emphasized.

Describing the Syria crisis as “the biggest peace and security challenge in the world”, Ki-Moon said it had torn the country apart and left the Middle East dangerously destabilized.

He called on the Syrian government to fully and quickly honour its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, with the international community bringing to justice those responsible for the “worst chemical weapons attack on civilians in a quarter of a century”.

Turning to development, he noted “remarkable gains” made through the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, but also lagging progress on some targets as well as growing inequality.

Echoing the Secretary-General’s comments and citing the theme he had chosen for the sixty-eighth session – “The Post-2015 Development Agenda: Setting the Stage” – the Assembly’s President, John Ashe said the new development framework was expected to have poverty eradication as its central and overarching goal, and to address the inseparable link connecting economic growth, equity and social inclusion, and environmental sustainability.

He added that there was an urgent need for tangible results and action by the Assembly, while, on the other hand, high levels of pessimism and cynicism persisted.

“Let us prove the naysayers wrong,” he urged.  “Dogged determination and a commitment to negotiate and work cooperatively would be required to achieve that and to make multilateralism work effectively,” he added.

Ashe also charged participants not to see the annual gathering of world leaders and dignitaries as just “another September routine or tradition”, but as an opportunity for Member States and other stakeholders to recommit to the noble ideals at the Organization’s core.

Anambra: APC Inaugurates 25-Man Campaign Committee

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Anambra: APC Inaugurates 25-Man Campaign Committee

The All Progressives Congress, APC, on Tuesday inaugurated a 25-man campaign committee to ensure victory for its governorship candidate, Chris Ngige, in the Anambra governorship election.

Some of the members of the committee include the publicity secretary of the party, Lai Mohammed, the national women leader, Sharon Ikpeazu and the national organising secretary, Osita Izunaso.

Others are the deputy national youth leader, Uzoma Igbonwa, the South-east vice-chairman of the party, Anyim Nyerere and George Muoghalu.

Inaugurating the committee in Awka, the Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, called on the people of the state to make monetary donations towards the campaign project as a covenant, assuring that Ngige would deliver on his mandate.

He noted that the governorship contest was “between Ngige and others in Abuja”.

“I am here for one reason; that Anambra has been in confusion for too long. The people of the state are tired of being controlled from Abuja,” Okorocha said.

The governor described Ngige as a trustworthy individual who would use the resources of the state for its development.

“He has assured me that he will make education free and change the state for good. Within two years, he brought development to the state. Imagine what would have happened if he had remained as governor for eight years,” Okorocha added.

In a remark, Lai Mohammed said that Ngige was a candidate to beat at the elections, describing the donation towards the campaign as worthy of emulation.

“What happened today only happened in the first republic during the time of Action Group where farmers and artisans contributed to the election of candidates. Okorocha has reminded us of our glorious past. What it means is that we are signing a contract with the people,” he said.

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On his part, Ngige commended party faithfuls for making donations towards his campaign, saying such had never happened since he joined politics in 1998.

“I have never seen where people came for inauguration and drop money. It is a covenant that you have all made with me of which I will fulfil,” he promised.

He also urged supporters to guard their votes at the polling units during the elections scheduled for November 16.

 

Nasarawa To Set Up Peace Committee

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Nasarawa To Set Up Peace Committee

The government of Nasarawa State says it would setup a reconciliatory committee drawn from all sections of the society that will foster peace and unity of citizens in the state.

Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura said this on Tuesday against the backdrop of the recent violent killings resulting form clashes between the Ombatse militia group of Eggon and the Alago ethnic group, while receiving a delegation of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, led by the Bishop of Anglican Diocese and Chairman of the state CAN Miller Meza, at the Government House Lafia.

Against the backdrop of the recent violent killings resulting from clashes between the Ombatse militia group of Eggon and the Alago ethnic groups, the governor stated that the committee will handle the provision of relief materials to those affected as a way of helping to reduce the hardship they face.

Al-Makura expressed appreciation for the visit as well as the efforts of the association towards sustaining peaceful co-existence amongst citizens and urged them to continue the campaign for a violence-free state.

He said further that his administration would continue to seek lasting peace and will ensure that all those responsible for the loss of innocent lives in the clash were brought to book.

About 50 people were said to have been killed in the clash that occurred two Sundays ago and many houses and properties destroyed by fire.

Sources close to the workings within the state said that some members of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly and some members of the National Assembly from the state are working in tandem on how to ensure that President Goodluck Jonathan declares a state of emergency in the event that the spate of violence does not abate.

Meanwhile, troops deployed by the state to ensure peace and security are already yielding positive results, the Information minister, Labaran Maku has said.

Maku assured that government would continue to partner with stakeholders in the state to guard against the recurrence of such violence.

“We will continue to work in concert with all stakeholders in Nasarawa State; with all community leaders to make sure that we rein in all persons and groups that constitute a threat to public peace in our state,” he stated.

The crisis, according to the minister, cuts across the three Senatorial Districts of the state – from Awe to Doma to Ekye to Mararaba Udege to Kokona – and parts of Nasarawa Eggon.

Sacked ABU Registrar Challenges His Removal

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Sacked ABU Registrar Challenges His Removal

Isa Abbas, the sacked registrar of the Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria, has challenged his removal before the National Industrial Court in Kano and is asking the court to restrain the university’s authorities from appointing another registrar, pending the determination of his case.

In his application, Abbas, through his counsel, Garba Shehu, prayed the court to stop the university’s authorities from any act capable of prejudicing his chances of being reinstated.

The defence counsel, Yusuf Sani, also filed a counter motion, urging the court to allow the university to appoint a new registrar in order not to cripple the operations of the office.

“We want the court to allow us to go ahead and appoint a new registrar. There are many students who want to collect their results but could not do so due to the absence of a substantive registrar,” Sani added.

The presiding judge, Justice Lawal Mani, after hearing arguments from both sides, adjourned the case to December 12.

Speaking to newsmen after the adjournment, counsel to the plaintiff said his client could continue to perform his duties pending the determination of the case.

 

Traffickers Lure Victims With Scholarship Bait – NAPTIP

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Traffickers Lure Victims With Scholarship Bait – NAPTIP

By Jessica Tamaradonye/Asaba

The penchant by many Nigerians to seek foreign scholarships has become a new goldmine for human traffickers, it has been revealed.

The Nigerian National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters, NAPTIP, which made the revelation, said that human traffickers now get victims in the name of procuring scholarships for them in foreign countries.

The agency made this know Tuesday through its Benin Zonal coordinator, Cordelia Ebinringa at a capacity building workshop for law enforcement agencies on modern trend and new methods of human trafficking and child labour.

Ebinringa observed that traffickers were exploiting the gullibility and ignorance of Nigerians on global trends in human trafficking, adding that there was a need for cooperation between NAPTIP and security agencies and other stakeholders in the country.

Represented by Nduka Nwawene, the NAPTIP zonal coordinator lamented that the collaboration between the agency and security agencies which yielded results in the past had dwindled.

Explaining the reason behind orgainsing the workshop she said: “The purpose of this workshop is principally to bridge this knowledge mainly in the area of intelligence gathering as well as avail us the knowledge of new techniques employed by human traffickers in perpetrating the crime of human trafficking.”

She stated that all stakeholders in the fight against human trafficking had to be abreast of information and trends in the global was against human and child trafficking in order to achieve desired results.

Kaduna House Sacks Speaker, Deputy

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Kaduna House Sacks Speaker, Deputy

The Speaker, Kaduna State House of Assembly, Usman Gangara, and his deputy, Dogara Mato, were today impeached by 19 out 34 members of the Assembly.

A new speaker, Shehu Usman Tahir, representing Giwa West Constituency was immediately elected while Peter Adamu representing Kagarko Constituency was elected as new deputy speaker.

Tahir, who addressed journalists shortly after his election, said the impeachment was done out of the desire for change and debunked claims that it was influenced by Vice President Namadi Sambo.

Moves to remove the leadership of the House started last month following allegation of poor leadership and failure to carry members of the Assembly along.

Only 26 lawmakers witnessed the event as the former speaker, his deputy and six other principal officers were absent when the impeachment proceeding presided over by Philemon Usman was carried out.

The aggrieved members had last month issued the former speaker and other principal officers of the house a 30-day ultimatum to resign on grounds of incompetency and alleged gross misconduct.

In January, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,  arraigned Dogara before a Federal High Court in Kaduna on a six-count charge bordering on contract over-invoicing and criminal diversion of funds to the tune of N17 million.

Ex-FBI Agent Confesses To Leaking Confidential Information

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Ex-FBI Agent Confesses To Leaking Confidential Information

An ex-FBI agent, Donald Sachtleben, has pleaded guilty to leaking national defence information to a reporter about an al-Qaeda bomb plot and to child pornography charges.

The plea agreement calls for him to be sentenced to a total of 140 months in prison – 43 for the national security offenses and 97 for the child pornography charges.

In May 2012, the Associated Press, through the help of Sachtleben, published an article describing a successful effort to disrupt a plot by Yemen-based al-Qaeda militants to bomb a US-bound airliner.

The ex-FBI agent according to a court document signed, said he disclosed secret information to a reporter on May 2, 2012.

Nine days later he was arrested on separate charges of trading images of child pornography online, having been identified during an investigation into another man accused of possession of child pornography and after seizing phone records of the news agency.

Official said the information jeopardised an international intelligence operation and put lives at risk.

“It put the American people at risk, and that is not hyperbole,” US Attorney-General, Eric Holder said, ranking the national security disclosure as among the most serious he had ever seen.

“This unauthorized and unjustifiable disclosure severely jeopardized national security and put lives at risk,” deputy Attorney-General, James Cole said in a statement.

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He added that: “To keep the country safe, the department must enforce the law against such critical and dangerous leaks, while respecting the important role of the press.”

The Associated Press declined to comment on its relationship with Sachtleben, but reported he had pleaded guilty “to revealing secret information for an Associated Press story”.

Sachtleben worked for the FBI as a bomb technician from 1983-2008 and held top secret security clearance.

 

Peace Direct seeks correspondents in Lebanon, Nigeria and Somalia

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Peace Direct seeks correspondents in Lebanon, Nigeria and Somalia

Peace Direct, an international Non-Governmental Organization that supports local peacebuilding in conflict zones worldwide is currently seeking ‘Local Correspondents’ to report on peacebuilding work in Lebanon, Nigeria and Somalia & Somaliland for the Insight on Conflict website.
Nigerian Local Correspondent will be expected to focus on the north of the country.
Peace Direct requires someone with contacts in the Non-Governmental Organization, NGO or peacebuilding sector, a strong interest in the media and reporting, and excellent written and spoken English.
The role is ideal for someone pursuing a career in journalism or within the NGO sector. Local Correspondents should be based in the country they cover; those with exceptional links to the peacebuilding sector in that country may be considered.
The role is not full-time and is not salaried, though Local Correspondents do receive a small stipend and payment for work published on the website.
The work is best suited for people with a passionate desire to share information on peacebuilding with a wide audience.
Local Correspondents are expected to:
– Investigate and supply information on local peacebuilders.
– Submit posts to the Insight on Conflict blog. The blog gives space to Peace Direct and the Local Correspondents to respond instantly to developments in conflicts around the world. It also offers a place for more personal reflections by the Local Correspondents on their work.
– Reply to any enquiries relating to their work, for example, requests for further information on peacebuilding in their region.
– Ensure that information on peacebuilders in their section is up to date – Peace Direct updates this information every 6 months.
Interested correspondents for Lebanon, Nigeria or Somalia & Somaliland should send a CV, writing sample, and a short covering letter outlining your suitability for the role to joel@peacedirect.org before October 1, 2013.

 

 

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