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Senate Blasts Buhari, Says He Is Out of Tune With Nigeria’s Reality

By
Mosali Edunosa
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…Condemns Budget Allocation for Mine Exploration, Steel Development

The Senate, meeting in Abuja on Monday, accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration of being completely out of touch with reality in the country.

A clearly enraged Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, Mines, Steel Development, and Metallurgy stated that the federal government proved by its “meager financial allocation” to the industry that it was unsure what it required to properly diversify the country’s economy.

Tanko Al-Makura (APC Nasarawa South), Chairman of the Committee and former Nasarawa State governor, slammed the Ministry of Solid Minerals and Steel Development’s budget, claiming that “the yearly ritual called budget is garbage in, garbage out, which will not take the country anywhere in terms of required diversification.”

“The type of budgeting process being carried out in this country over the years is stereotypic one. It is wrong for budget to be conceptualized in the ministry, enveloped and forward to the National Assembly for approval “.

The Senator representing Kogi West, Smart Adeyemi tolled Al-Makura’s position when he spoke to newsmen on the sideline of the committee’s interface with ministry officials that the N23.4billion 2022 budget estimates was “grossly inadequate and a clear indication that the federal government was not in tune with the realities on ground.”

Presenting the budget before the Committee of the Upper Chamber, the Minister of State (Mines and Steel), Dr Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah, gave a breakdown of the figure, noting that out of the N23.4billion budget profile for the Ministry in 2022, N10billion is for personnel cost , N1.47billion for overhead cost and N11billion for capital Projects .

However Senator Adeyemi queried “how on Earth would a Minister propose N82billion for procurement of Mosquitoes net and a sector as important as the Solid Minerals, given N10 or N11billion?” he fumed.

“Ajaokuta Iron and Steel Complex that can give jobs to about 50, 000 Nigerians is lying fallow in a country with army of unemployed youths who can stage Revolution at any time.

“Nigeria is bleeding from this envelope form of budgeting riddled with repetition of line items and allocations on yearly basis.

“Government may be building infrastructure but building infrastructure is not as good as creating wealth through diversification of the economy.

“The best way of doing this is to remove whatever bottleneck hindering continuation of work on Ajaokuta Steel complex and get it completed “, he said

But the Minister in his response said envelope budgeting was not the creation of the ministry as it affects other government agencies.

“My appeal to you distinguished Senators on the current model of budgeting is for the National Assembly to seek the attention of the President.

“Operating with envelope as far as yearly budget is concerned, doesn’t make one think out of the box. It makes one looks stupid.

” We have the passion to drive the development of the country and transform into reality , the Vision of Mr President like other patriotic Nigerians in one public Office or the other,’ he said .

He further stated that even with the envelope budgeting and lean resources, the Ministry has changed the narrative of low internally generated revenue to very appreciable figures now.

“In recent past, it used to be N2billion on yearly basis but has increased to N6.2billion now with a target of hitting N10billion by the end of the year “, he said.

However, as a result of short notice given the Ministry for the budget presentation, the Committee later reschedule Monday next week for detailed Defence of 2021 budget implementation and presentation of 2022 budget estimates respectively.

Bandits Attack Baptist Church In Kaduna, Killing Two People, Kidnapping Dozens more — CAN

By
Uche Kingsley
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Gunmen stormed the Baptist Church in Kakau Daji, Chikun Local Government Area, Kaduna State, murdering two and kidnapping hundreds.

Rev. Ishaya Jangado, President of the Kaduna Baptist Convention, comfirmed the occurrence but stated that the actual number of persons abducted had yet to be determined at the time of reporting this story.

“The event happened this morning, but we don’t know how many people were taken,” he stated.

There was no official confirmation from the state government or the police, since the Kaduna State Police Command’s spokesman, ASP Mohammad Jalige, could not be reached when contacted because his mobile phone was not connected.

While reacting to the occurrence, Rev. Joseph Hayab, chairman of the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, said it was “another tragic narrative of how bad our insecurity has become.”

Hayab added: “Citizens are being killed like chickens with only press statements as consolation.

“These evil people have troubled us for too long.

“I condole with the families of the Baptist denomination and Kaduna Christians for these losses and urge our security agencies to separate war against enemies of Nigerians from politics. No one knows who will be the next target.”

JAMB, Institution Announces Admission Waivers To Widen Inclusiveness, Attract Foreign Candidates

By
Roland Edet
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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the management of Nigerian tertiary institutions are set to give waivers for specific types of candidates who meet admission requirements in order to attract more overseas candidates and broaden inclusiveness.

To that end, JAMB and institutions have announced that all applicants in foreign nations, Correctional Centers, and the Blind and Deaf Candidates will be excused from pre-admission institution screening tests.

In its weekly bulletin, JAMB declared that the lists of the respective candidates in these categories would be made accessible to the various Tertiary Institutions for guidance and necessary action for each year preceding the admission exercise.

“This extraordinary waiver is to be viewed as affirmative and inclusive measure for the accommodation of the impacted candidates,” the Board said.

“The Board and the Tertiary Institutions would ensure that candidates from these categories, who meet minimum requirements are admitted and their progress monitored in the various institutions for confirmation of the effectiveness of the policy as directed by the 2021 Policy Meeting.

To guide against prospective candidates taking undue advantage of the waiver, JAMB said that measures would be put in place to forestall unjustifiable benefits from the exemption policy.

“For instance, only candidates who are either foreigners or Nigerians that have been confirmed to be residents in foreign countries and are products of foreign school systems can enjoy this privilege in the interest of internationalization of the nation’s Tertiary Institutions.

“A Nigerian with less than six (6) month-stay in a foreign country is disallowed from taking the UTME in any foreign country. “This effort is to enhance the intake of international students into our tertiary institutions to improve their global rating,” JAMB stated.

Besides, the Board explained that it is at the moment, working on some policy directions to make our universities attractive to foreign students.

Recalled that The Times Higher Education (THE), a renowned global body that creates university rankings to assess university performance on the global stage, had over the years rated the nation’s universities zero, except UNN on the enrolment of international students.

Nigerian University Bursars To Study Ghana’s Revenue Generation System

By
Toyin Adebayo
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The Association of Bursars of Nigerian Universities (ABNU) has hinted that several of its members have been to Ghana to evaluate the university revenue generation system.

This , according to the association was done to improve support for Nigerian academic institutions in the face of decreasing statutory allocation.

This was revealed by the Association’s National Chairman, Dr. Victor Imagbe, on Monday in Abuja at the Association’s ongoing Annual Conference and Award.

Imagbe, who is also the Bursar at the University of Benin, stated that the Association had initiated active orientation for its members on how to get intervention money through TETFUND, in addition to searching for ways to enhance school revenue creation.

He noted that, as administrators of the university system, bursars have used their skills to maintain industrial harmony and a calm environment by routinely meeting with all unions.

According to him, the award granted by his Association to both the Accountant General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, and the Executive Secretary of TETFUND, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, was meant to both recognize and motivate others.

He said, ” We have sent delegation to Ghana to understudy the revenue generation in their Universities system. We need to collaborate to ensure that we have a world class Universities. We have also been collaborating with universities outside the country.  

” The conference will give all the bursars to understand how to access funds available at TETFUND and the reports they are supposed to be monitoring and proper management of the intervention of the funds that TETFUND is managing. 

” Bursars have always been having meetings to address some of the issues within the University system. Apart from funding which is a major challenge in the system.  We want to look at how you can generate funds , attract investment and intervention funding to Universities. 

” We have encountered our members that they should be able to attract funding.  Almost all the Bursars are already becoming academicians, most of them have become Ph.D holders and they know the importance of education. 

” As managers of the Universities we are also  ensuring a peaceful environment, and that is why we always have meetings with all the unions in the school to give them adequate information, so that they will not hold government to ransom”, Imagbe added.

Buhari Leaves Abuja For Scotland To Attend Climate Change Conference

By
Ola Akinola
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President Muhammadu Buhari will leave Abuja on Sunday, October 31 for Glasgow, Scotland, to attend the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) (UNFCCC).

On Tuesday, November 2, the President is due to deliver his national statement during the conference’s High-Level session for Heads of State and Government.

Buhari’s speech at the summit is scheduled to highlight Nigeria’s primary priorities and actions to combat climate change, as well as progress on the country’s transition to a low-carbon economy in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.

The meeting, hosted by the UK in collaboration with Italy, will bring parties together to assist accelerate action toward the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Given Nigeria’s leadership in climate action and as a signatory to the Paris Agreement, COP 26 will provide a unique opportunity for the Nigerian delegation to collaborate with other parties to advance the conference’s main goals, which include securing global net zero by mid-century and keeping 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach; adapting to protect communities and natural habitats; and mobilizing the much-needed funds to meet the set targets.

According to Garba Shehu, President Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, President Buhari would attend certain side events held by US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron in Glasgow.

He will be accompanied by Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sharon Ikeazor, Minister of State for Environment, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (Rtd), and Amb. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, Director-General, National Intelligence Agency.

Buhari will then go to Paris, France, on an official visit to reciprocate the French President, Emmanuel Macron’s, earlier visit to Nigeria, as well as attend the Paris Peace Forum 2021, the fourth edition to be hosted by the French President.

It will bring together Heads of State and Government, CEOs of key multinational corporations, and many civil society players to develop tangible solutions to the immense difficulties faced by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to improve global governance in COVID-19 times.

The Summit will focus on fostering a more stable and inclusive recovery by addressing the various gaps in global governance, launching efforts to better care for the global commons, and proposing new action principles for the post-COVID world.

The Nigerian government will host the Nigeria-Paris Forum while the President is in Paris.

The event is intended to draw a gathering of Nigerian and French businessmen, government and business executives, diplomats, and journalists in the hopes of exhibiting potential on both sides and bringing awareness to bear on Nigeria’s current security, economic, and investment conditions.

He is scheduled to return to the country following the engagements.

National Research Grants Could Hit N10 Billion by 2022–TETFund

By
Roland Edet
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The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) is certain that the yearly allocation to the National Research Fund (NRF) will exceed N10 billion by 2022.

Professor Suleiman Bogoro, Executive Secretary of TETFund, stated that the agency’s Board of Trustees has approved N8.5 billion for NRF funding in 2021.

Bogoro made the remarks during a virtual conference on ‘Democratization of Higher Education in Nigeria through Open Access,’ which was co-hosted by TETFund and the Training Centre in Communication, Nairobi, as part of activities commemorating International Open Access Week.

According to the TETFund Boss, the Board of Trustees generously accepted N5 billion for NRF in 2019 following the agency’s petition, which was increased to N7.5 billion in 2020 and N8.5 billion in 2021.

“Over the last two and a half years, we have raised monies available for study,” he says.

There are two types of grants: institution-based grants and National Research Fund grants.

According to him , “Over the last two and half years now, we have raised funds available for research. They are two categories; institution based and National Research Fund.

” The institution based has a ceiling of about may be $3,600 US dollars and it is for mainly basic research while the higher ceiling grant of about 92 or 93 US dollars is the National Research Fund aimed at promoting applied research, and to that extent, in 2019, I made case to the Board of Trustees of TETFund to increase the threshold.

” It used to be a kind of seed money. Seed money of N4 billion for eight years but from the year 2019 to last year and this year, we increased it to N5 billion annually. Last year we increased it from N5 billion to N7.5 billion and this year it is N8.5 billion and we are hoping in 2022 it will move to N10 billion”.

He hinted that NRF is one of the major platforms put in place by the government through TETFund to support the academic community in research to achieve specific objectives, particularly in the area of science, technology and innovation.

While expressing the readiness of TETFund to always mainstream open access/science through massive support for Research and Development (R&D), Bogoro said the Fund had recently established 12 Centres of Excellence across the country.

He said the move was aimed at supporting cutting-edge research mainly in universities so as to provide solutions to various problems bedeviling the society as well as position Nigeria as a major player in the knowledge economy.

“We are increasing emphasis on Science, Technology and Innovation to solve societal problems,” Bogoro said, even as he said democratisation of higher education in Nigeria would improve more access to research and its supportive platforms to the schools and the society.

Bogoro also revealed that TETFund has developed a project impact tracking system to evaluate the correlation of its spendings on research and results so far achieved.

“Precisely and coinciding with the time, we realised that we need to know the impact of our research and so we have worked on and concluding a process of software that will help us to evaluate the impact of the research grants, so that we are not just throwing money on research exercise but we need to evaluate the impact, ” he said.

Also speaking at the webinar, the Technical Adviser to the TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Dr Popoola Mustapha Ayodele, harped on the decolonisation of education research and technology in Africa.

He said, “Our educational system is still colonised, we must do away with old traditions and adopt new paradigms…., the traditional practice of closed systems should be done away with” .

Bello To Develop An All-inclusive Medical City In Abuja To Stem Tourism

By
Toyin Adebayo
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0

FCT Minister Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has said that Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) plans to develop an all-inclusive medical city in Abuja.

While adding that efforts were also underway to make Abuja a center for medical excellence to mitigate medical tourism abroad.

According to him, this would feature world-class lodgings for international doctors, patients, relationships and tourists, who require only short walks to get to the medical centers in the medical city.

This indication was expressed by Bello when members of his FCT Chair, Dr. Celestine Unie, received the FCTA courtesy visit by the Nigerian Urological Surgeons Association.

In the words of the Minister, “Usually, as a city, we try to encourage these gatherings. Actually, we are trying to position the city of Abuja as a conference centre and gradually, we are also trying to encourage it to be a centre of medical excellence so that we can really stem the tide of medical tourism”.

“Already under construction, which I can share with you are very important centres of medical excellence. For instance, the Afreximbank, which is a multilateral financial institution headquartered in Cairo Egypt, for which Nigeria is a major shareholder, is already constructing a 500-bed multifaceted facility to be managed by one of the international medical groups, the Minister” added

He equally use the medium to pledged the support of the FCT Administration for the activities of medical professionals towards the development of the Territory’s health sector while stating that stakeholders in the Abuja project are being encouraged to join hands with the Administration towards making the FCT a Centre of Medical Excellence.

Commending the decision of the association to hold its Annual Medical Conference in Abuja, the Minister expressed satisfaction with the cordial relationship between the FCTA and medical professionals and the role the latter have played in the development of the FCT health sector.

The Minister said that the unique location of Abuja makes it the best choice for conferences and that the nation’s capital was gradually being recognised as a hub for conference tourism in Africa.

Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Dr. Celestine Undie, had solicited the support of the FCTA towards the success of the association’s Annual Conference scheduled to hold in Abuja.

He said the conference will bring together urologists from across the country in the diaspora to share knowledge and ideas while complicated urological surgeries would be performed by the visiting surgeons during the period.

Also present at the meeting were: the Acting Secretary of the  Health and Human Services Secretariat, Dr. Mohammed Kawu, Head, Medical Services, Hospital Management Board, Dr. Osagie Osayande and other staff of the FCTA.

PDP National Convention: Ekweremadu Urges Newly Elected Officers To Reconcile Aggrieved Members

By
Ola Akinola
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0

Former Deputy President Senate, Ike Ekweremadu has urged the newly elected leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the just concluded 2021 National Elective Convention in Abuja to extend hands of fellowship and assuage aggrieved members of the party.

Saying, Nigeria is in dire need of rescue from the clutches of divisiveness, criminal cartels, vaunting bandits and insurgents, collapsing economy (to put it mildly), and secessionist agitations occasioned by injustice and marginalization;” the PDP must mobilize to rescue the country from poor governance while redirecting it to development and economic growth.

This was contained in a which was signed by his Media Adviser, Uche Anichukwu, the former Deputy President of the Senate noted that the election “would give the PDP the much-needed renewed vigour and focus required to rescue Nigeria.

“There is no doubt that we have in place a highly promising team led by a widely-accepted, disciplined, experienced, and pan-Nigerian politician in the person of Distinguished Senator Iyorchia Ayu, that will help mobilize party faithful and Nigerians at home and the Diaspora for the success of this mission.”

Senator Ekweremadu who also chaired the Screening Appeal Panel of the Convention further commended the leaders and elders of the party, and also the Chairman of the National Convention Planning Committee and Adamawa State, Ahmadu “giving the party a highly transparent, seamless, and credible convention,” adding that its success “has disappointed the evil wishers.”

“We are one big family and the larger national and party interest should always prevail, especially at a time like this when the nation is seriously threatened,” he noted.

Late Afenifere Spokesman’s Wife, Yinka Odumakin, Gives Birth To Twins In US

By
Roland Edet
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0

Dr. Joe Okei Odumekin, widow of Afenifère’s late spokesman Yinka Odumakin, was delivered of twins- boys and girls in a US hospital with on Wednesday 27 October 2021.

The mother and the babies are very healthy.

The “miracle” birth fulfilled Odumakin’s request that a new baby be named after him towards the end of his stay on earth.

The couple got married in 1997, had their first baby girl in 2000 and the second, a boy, in 2003. While the girl was named after Joe, the boy was named Abraham after the late Afenifere leader, Pa Abraham Adesanya.

The girl’s was named after Joe and Abraham was named after Pa Abraham Adesanya, the late head of the Afenifere.

18 years after the last birth, the twins came.

After surviving a 3-day coma in 2020, and a few months before falling into the disease that eventually claimed his life but unexpectedly, he and his wife had a great yearning for a new child.

Thank God Joe didn’t dither or dilute, since she took the time he got sick and never recovered.

Joe had great news, but he have never heard word of his wishes because he didn’t make it out of the ventilator .

He had prophesied, however, what the baby or the baby need to be called if his wishes become reality.

YO was so accurate in his predictions that he provided the babies’ names and advised his wife how he may raise the children.

While many may interpret this to mean that YO had premonition about his death, it was only a strong desire expressed by him to have babies that he would dot over and who would possibly step into his “aluta” shoes.

It’s a dream come true!

4,000 Decampees From PDP, APGA Received By FCT State Minister

By
Toyin Adebayo
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0

In the run-up to the elections of February 2022, about 4000 supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Party of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) defected from their Opposition Parties to join the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).

FCT Minister of State Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu welcomed the decampees to the fold of the APC and guaranteed the ruling party members justice and equality whilst urging those who still have to join.

She expressed enthusiasm that the majority are former leaders of the PDP and the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) opposition in the Federal Capital, describing the event as a “harvest,” with over 4,000 members. The minister said he was very excited about this event.

In addition, Aliyu challenged them to use their political influence to support the party in 2022 and beyond.

In turn, she took the opportunity to urge both the old members and the new members of the ruling party to work in peace, to respect the law and to emphasize the predominance of the decision of the party.

According to her; “we are here today to receive over 4,000 of our brothers and sisters who have decided on their own to join the ruling APC. They came from various political parties especially the major opposition parties, the PDP and APGA. We appreciate them.  

“They have keyed into the agenda of the second term of the incumbent chairman, the second term of credible governance, the second term of competent leadership, the second term of solid management of our common patrimony in Kwali area council”.  

Aliyu, who acknowledged that the occasion was  not to kick off campaign for the council elections, however, tasked party members to support continuity in governance.  

Earlier, the APC Chairman in FCT Abdulmalik Usman, revealed that some of the decampees are founding members of the All Progressives Congress before they jumped ship  

His words , “Today we are here to make another history, the history of receiving our brothers, some of whom we started this party together. Our brothers and sisters whom we struggled hard to form this party at that time. So it is a welcome back home for these members sitting here today.  

“Honourable minister, you know Kwali very well because Kwali and Gwagwalada are 5 and 6. When we were in opposition, never had PDP tried us in this two area councils. We are here to receive these people back home. They travelled somewhere and they said the atmosphere there is not conducive for them.  

“Coming back home, they are back to meet their brothers and sisters in good health and we have nothing against them than to receive them back to their house. We are not here to campaign because we don’t want anybody to indict our party”.  

He expressed the confidence that come February 12, 2022, the APC will win the entire six area councils and the 62 wards in the nation’s capital.  

Responding on behalf of other decampees, Usman Jiya, Former APGA Aspirant, assured party faithful that their return to APC was to consolidate on the achievements recorded by the incumbent chairman of Kwali area council, assuring that all members of their dedication and team spirit in the forthcoming area councils poll.  

The highpoint of the event was the presentation of symbolic broom to the leaders of the decampees by the FCT Minister of State and the party chairman. Other decampees include Hon Salihu Kolo, former state PDP Deputy Chairman, Hon Usman Jiya, former APGA Aspirant, Hon Habila Bwaba, former PDP state vice chairman, Hon Maimunat S Adamu amongst others.  

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