One civilian was killed and five others sustained various degree of injuries when some suspected Boko Haram insurgents attempted to infiltrate Rann, headquarter of Kala-Balge local government area of Borno State, security source said.
The incident happened when the outlawed group stormed Rann town at about 6: 15 pm shooting sporadically but met swift resistance from the Nigerian troops.
A security source confirmed that the military employed their artillery in the counterattack resulting to destruction of gun truck belonging to the insurgents.
The source said five persons, including two civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) members were wounded in the attack.
He said; “One civilian (a lady) later died from stray bullet that hit her lap. During the attack, five persons were wounded by stray bullets and they are currently undergoing treatment at the military facility.
” The military did not allow the insurgents into the town but started hitting them at the gate. It was outstanding operation for the troops in Rann.”the source said.
Following the Federal Government’s failure to meet April timeline for the implementation of Memorandum of Action (MoA) it entered with the unions, there are clear indications that the non-teaching staff in the Nigerian Universities are warming up for a fresh industrial action.
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) under the aegis of Joint Action Committee (JAC) on February 26 suspended its three-week-old strike after the unions’ leadership signed the MoA with government.
Nigerians pay billions of naira to DisCos despite frequent outages
Meanwhile , members of the unions have begun to mount pressure on their leadership to declare fresh strike, while lamenting that after about 14 months the Consequential Adjustment for the new minimum wage came into effect, government is yet to start its implementation.
Other contentious issues, according to some members of the unions include: inconsistencies in the implementation of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), delay in renegotiation of FG/NASU and SSANU 2009 agreement, non-payment of retirement benefits of outgone members among others.
Speaking to newsmen in Abuja during weekend, President of SSANU, Mohammed Haruna Ibrahim, noted that the leadership of the unions may succumb to the pressure of its members if government fails to do the needful as soon as possible.
According to Ibrahim, “We met with government some few months ago and we had an understanding after going on strike for three weeks. A lot of pressure was put on us; a lot of persuasion and we talked with government and saw the reason to suspend the strike because government tried to paint the picture of being sincere and we needed to give them an opportunity to do one or two things to ensure that our demands are met.
“As you are aware, our demands are not new. These are things that have been lingering for eleven years. We had an agreement with government in 2009 and till today, a lot of such issues are still lagging behind; especially things that involve some payments of our allowances.
“We saw reasons to suspend because we felt government was sincere and the timelines given by government – not us was that by end of April, most of these issues will be sorted. We still believe miracle can happen.
“Outside that a lot of our members are agitated, we are under a lot of pressure to go back to the trenches because even when we called our members to interact with them with pressed on them to give government a chance.
“We are hoping that government will not disappoint us and paint us like liars before our members. Where the government doesn’t meet the timeline, one cannot guarantee industrial peace because we have been taken for a ride for too long.
“Out of the seven issues we tabled before government three or four have been handled. For example, the issue of the visitation panel: currently the panels are all over the universities. Issue of discrepancies in our salaries is also being handled by IPPIS committee.
“But payment of the consequential adjustments for the new national minimum wage and the allowances that are encapsulated in our agreements contained in the earned allowance; these are still things that are lagging behind and there is no end in sight to say the least.”
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has approved a five-year Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) and Capital Expenditure (Capex) benchmark for Distribution Companies (Discos), expected to run from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2026
The commission, in an order copied the 11 Discos, hinted that the review of the capital expenditure allowances were to align with PIPs of the Discos and form the basis to prioritise the implementation of the proposed initiatives.
NERC said, the Discos are expected to commit to the growth parameters, which include the reduction of Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection (ATC&C) losses, reliability, and availability of services, billing, and payment processes as well as metering
The order signed by NERC Chairman, Mr. Sanusi Garba, and Commissioner, Legal, Licensing and Compliance, Mr. Dafe Akpeneye, stated that given capacity growth, the Discos will require investments in the network to adequately plan for the increased demand over the next five years.
NERC added that before arriving at the figures, there had been engagements, which were necessary to instill accountability between the Discos and their customers on their services and justification for associated costs and resulting tariffs.
It added that the meetings were meant to minimise disputes by engendering understanding and trust between the power distributors and their customers and provide an opportunity to engage with customers on the service improvement investment programme.
For instance, NERC directed the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) to reduce ATC&C losses from the current level of 45 per cent to 19 per cent over the next five years, achieve 100 per cent metering of customers by installing 698,606 meters over the next three years as well as improve customer safety and reduce inadvertent accidents.
It also approved the AEDC’s request to increase the number of new customers from the current level of 1.214 million to 3.450 million over the five-year period, plus the go-ahead to embark on network expansion, rehabilitation, and network upgrade projects.
In line with the business rules of the commission, NERC said the proposal by the Discos were reviewed using the principles of completeness and consistency of the description of each component of the PIP and compliance of each component with the guidelines for preparation of PIPs.
The commission, having considered AEDC’s PIP and extraordinary tariff review application in line with the provision of EPSRA and relevant regulations, approved the PIP and CAPEX programme over five years as provided,” the NERC stated.
For the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), NERC approved a growth projection of its customer base from 1.1 million to 1.8 million in the next five years, reduction of ATC&C losses from the current 51 per cent to 29 per cent and grow energy delivered from 2,269GWh to 5,725 GWh.
NERC also gave the go-ahead for the EEDC to spend an annual approved Capex of N13.4 billion, while that of Kano electricity was put at N12.6 billion per annum.
For Yola electricity, NERC approved N5.45 billion annual capital expenditure and instructed the company to reduce ATC&C losses from 66 per cent to 37 per cent in the next five years.
Also , for Jos Disco, the regulatory commission approved N7.8 billion yearly Capex and urged the company to curb ATC &C losses from 61 per cent to 23 during the period.
NERC said the Discos were at liberty to frontload their Capex programmes to attain accelerated service improvements, adding that frontloading of Capex programme in any year shall not exceed annual Capex for the following year in line with the framework for continuous update of the PIPs.
It stated that annual Capex provisions that are unutilised or imprudently expended shall be clawed back during minor reviews of tariffs in line with the requirements of Section 7 of the regulations on the procedure for electricity tariff reviews in the industry.
The approved PIP and Capex programme shall take effect on the 1st day of July 2021 and shall remain effective until the 30th day of June 2026,” NERC said.
Boko Haram has intensifies attack on troops, leading to the death of a commanding officer and 7 others insurgents during an attack on 2 Army bases in Borno State.
The terrorists have intensified attacks on army camps in recent weeks as part of a more than decade-long insurgency that has killed more than 36,000 people
Newsfocusng gathered that the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) arm of the dreaded Boko Haram group on Sunday morning attacked a base in Ajiri, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) away from Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.
A similar attack had been carried out earlier on Saturday night when the insurgents hit a base in Rann in the same state, the military sources said.
In Ajiri, troops fought a two-hour gun battle with the insurgents in gun trucks and on motorbikes who eventually breached the base and forced troops to withdraw.
According to a source, “The commanding officer of the base… paid the supreme price while six civilians who were caught up in the fight were also killed,” one of the military sources said.
Another source confirmed the toll and said militants escaped with weapons from the base.
Late on Saturday, fighters attacked a base in Rann, 172 km from Maiduguri but were beaten back by troops using artillery.
“They came in six gun trucks and met a stiff resistance from troops at the base. Two of the gun trucks were hit by troops artillery fire. The other four fled,” a military source said.
One civilian who was wounded later died in hospital.
President Muhammadu Buhari earlier this year replaced his four top military commanders in a bid to better combat the insurgency that has also displaced more than two million people from their homes since 2009.
ISWAP split from mainstream Boko Haram in 2016 and became a dominant group, launching attacks on military bases and ambushing troops while abducting travellers at fake checkpoints.
Since 2019, the army has mostly withdrawn from villages and smaller bases into so-called “super camps”, fortified garrisons meant to give better protection against attacks.
But critics say the strategy has left jihadists with more freedom to roam untouched in rural areas and made highways vulnerable to kidnappings and assaults.
The Police Command in Ebonyi State, on Sunday, intercepted 753 live ammunition of General-Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG).
The ammunition was said to be concealed in a sack being transported in a commercial vehicle from Abakaliki, the State capital, to Umuahia, capital of Abia State.
This is coming in the wake of recent DSS warning about arms movements and violent attacks on police formations in the South East and South South regions of the country.
Gunmen suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have been blamed for the attacks.
Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, explained that the deadly ammunition was intercepted following intelligence-driven covert operation.
According to him, the interception and recovery of the deadly ammunition, is part of efforts by the Force to identify and crack down on criminal networks and supply chains for weapons and ammunition in and around the country.
Mba stressed that comprehensive investigations aimed at bringing to book all persons linked to the crime are ongoing.
The Force spokesman also disclosed that following investigations into the foiled bank robbery on the Onueke branch of a commercial bank in Ebonyi State which occurred last week Tuesday, Policemen led by the Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Command, last Thursday stormed the hideout of suspects indicted in the investigations located at Oriuzo village in Ezza North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
He explained that the suspects on sighting the Police squad, opened fire on them.
”The Police team engaged them gallantly and professionally. At the end, three members of the gang including two male and one female met their waterloo following bullet injuries sustained during the exchange of gunfire. Other suspects fled in different directions.
”Two Ak47 riffles, five pump action guns, six pistols, fifty Ak47 ammunition, one hundred and twenty-six cartridges, Jack knives, cutlasses, and a 40-page notebook containing inventories of ammunition purchased by the gang were recovered. A Honda Pilot Jeep with Reg No. ABJ 163 NV used for the foiled bank robbery was also recovered by the Police Team,” he said.
There are strong indications that a crisis has hit Nigeria’s moves to procure more COVID-19 vaccine doses as the budget estimates for the procurement are grossly inadequate.
Newsfocusng gathered on Sunday that the budget estimates the Ministry of Health submitted to the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning were based on AstraZeneca vaccine, which is $4 per dose.
Findings, however, indicated that because of the scarcity of AstraZeneca vaccine, as a result of the COVID-19 crisis in India, Nigeria might opt for Pfizer vaccine, which is $20 per dose.
It was learnt that with the cash crunch facing the country, it might be difficult to get additional funds to purchase all the Pfizer vaccine doses needed.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari had at a meeting with the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, in March said he would submit to the National Assembly, a supplementary budget for arms purchase and COVID-19 vaccines.
But the National Assembly on Sunday revealed that it was still awaiting the supplementary budget.
It would be recalled that the Federal Government on March 2 received 3.9 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX, an initiative co-led by the Vaccine Alliance, GAVI, and the World Health Organisation.
The initiative seeks to ensure equitable access to a COVID-19 vaccine by dividing about two billion doses across 92 low-and middle-income countries.
As of May 1, 1,222, 109 Nigerians had been vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
India, which manufactures Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, has halted its export following the spread of a devastating strain of the virus in the country.
According to a BBC report, 190 countries that are under the Covax scheme are likely to be affected as India battles to meet its local vaccine needs.
On Sunday, India recorded 3,689 COVID-19 deaths, 24 hours after it recorded more than 400,000 COVID-19 cases in a single day for the first time.
According to CNN, several Indian states were forced to postpone their vaccination plans on Saturday due to supply shortages.
On Sunday, it was learnt the Federal Ministry of Health’s budget proposal, which was based on AstraZeneca vaccine, might be increased so that the fund could be used to procure Pfizer vaccine.
A top health official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak with the press, said the proposal submitted to the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, were estimates of AstraZeneca which are now scarce.
The official said with the scarcity of AstraZeneca, which cost about $4 per dose, Nigeria may opt for Pfizer, the only other vaccine which had been approved by the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control.
She said, “The estimates we submitted were for AstraZeneca which is the cheapest vaccine on the market. We estimated that each dose would cost $4.
“However, with the scarcity of AstraZeneca, we may have to opt for Pfizer. Unfortunately, Pfizer will cost us about $20 per dose and each person will need two doses. That is $40 per person. They are now talking about a booster jab which will cost an extra $20. In essence, it may cost $60 (N24,600) to vaccinate one Nigerian.
“This problem is not peculiar to Nigeria, but this is what we are facing now due to the scarcity of vaccines. Also, I am sure you are aware that Nigeria is facing a scarcity of funds. So, advocacy remains our best strategy. These are non-pharmaceutical interventions like wearing masks, social distancing and washing of hands.”
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation had in a memo last week stated that it would be making no contribution to the Federation Account because of its huge oil subsidy payments, a situation which has put the government in panic mode.
Security forces have uncovered a plot by insurgents to infiltrate the the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), using tinted vehicles and covered plate numbers.
It was gathered that the joint security task force, comprising the military, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and intelligence agencies, however, has intensified patrols and surveillance in and around Abuja.
Newsfocusng investigation also revealed that the meetings of the joint security task force under the office of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, continued at the weekend.
However, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has debunked reports that the nation’s capital was under terror attack.
A statement by the command said while security forces sustained pre-emptive measures against any eventuality, the reported attack on FCT was a clash of cultists in Mpape, an outskirt of Abuja and not an attack by terrorists.
We gathered that security agents uncovered an unusual number of unauthorised tinted vehicles with covered plate numbers within the city centre.
There are certain categories of political officeholders and security chiefs allowed to use tinted vehicles and covered plate numbers.
Permits are also granted to some citizens after an application is granted.
A security source revealed that “such applications are no longer granted in view of the security situation.”
With the rising number of vehicles with tinted glasses, concerns were raised that the insurgents were conducting a test run preparatory to an attack.
A security source revealed that the strategy was a familiar one applied during the bombing of the United Nations office and the Force Headquarters in Abuja by Boko Haram some years ago.
“It is a familiar pattern. We are working on it”, he said.
The FCT Police Command had last week launched an operation against the use of unauthorised covered number plates and tinted vehicles.
It said the operation had become “extremely necessary due to the recent security threat analysis conducted by the joint (security) team reveals that criminal syndicates now execute their nefarious activities using tinted vehicles with covered number plates.”
The command warned those using unauthorised covered number plates and tinted vehicles within the FCT to desist as violators would be arrested and prosecuted.
Meanwhile, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command at the weekend debunked reports that the seat of power was under attack.
It said a cult clash in Mpape, an outskirt of Abuja, was misconstrued as an attack by terrorists.
It said in the statement by its spokesperson, Mariam Yusuf, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, that there was no such attack on FCT.
It said heads of security agencies had reassured residents of their safety.
According the statement; “The attention of the FCT Joint Security Team has been drawn to a viral publication in social media purporting that the ‘Federal Capital Territory is under attack by Boko Haram Terrorists.
“The Joint Security Team of the FCT wishes to refute the mischievous publication targeted at creating palpable tension amongst the well-spirited residents of the FCT,” it added.
The command said “contrary to the speculation, the Heads of Security Agencies (HOSA) in the Federal Capital Territory in the bid to address security concerns within the FCT, held a strategic meeting on Thursday, April 29, 2021, where the team resolved to deploy alternative proactive crime-fighting measures within the FCT particularly in areas with challenging terrain, including aggressive motorised/foot patrols.
“However, the patrols will be conducted in line with the peculiarities of every terrain within the territory. In other words, the team has adopted the use of motorcycles, horses and other technical means of gathering intelligence to checkmate criminality within the Federal Capital Territory,” it stated.
The police in London are investigating the death of a 40-year-old Nigerian football coach after he was stabbed to death on a busy London street.
Michael Olatunde Fadayomi, who is popularly known as Tunde, was stabbed after a fight that broke out on the top floor of a busy bus in North West London on Thursday.
An eye witnesses said Fadayomi’s teenage son, who was said to be heading to football training, had some problems with someone on the bus and Fadayomi’s intervention escalated the confrontation and spilled out onto the pavement.
The son, whose name had not been ascertained, was said to have desperately tried to intervene as his father was repeatedly stabbed before an ambulance arrived.
Emergency services rushed to the scene shortly after 5pm, but despite the best efforts of paramedics, including a junior doctor who stepped in to help, Fadayomi died.
Police have since arrested a 42-year-old man on suspicion of murder.
Those who knew Fadayomi hailed him as a ‘pillar of the community’ who was ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’.
His neighbor named Vancessa said: “I’m still in shock. A bad word never would come out of his mouth
“He was always with that little boy – his son – since he was born.
“He died saving his kid. He’s a football coach. He was a pillar of the community. It really breaks my heart.”
A witness who tried to comfort Fadayomi’s son after the incident and preferred to be anonymous was quoted as saying: “I was coming from across the road. I saw him on the floor in a pile of blood.
“It is the first time I have seen something like that.
“They were trying to save him. There were four or five people trying to save him.”
The witness continued: “It is sad, really sad. I saw him and he said ‘he was my dad’ and I gave him a hug. It was horrible.
“He was on his scooter. He was just running around; he just didn’t know what to do.
“I asked him and he said it was his dad.”
London newspaper, The Sun, quoted a dental nurse, Tracey Dolling, 43, who rushed across the road to help the victim, as saying: “It’s very, very sad, awful, absolutely devastating.
The boy had some problems on the bus with someone. He called his dad, his dad came down and that’s what happened. Murdered.”
Video footage of the incident – shared widely on social media and seen by My London, shows an argument break out between two men on the top floor of the bus before it spilled out onto the street.
Police are calling on people not to share the footage.
Detectives from Specialist Crime are leading the investigation, led by DCI Claire Hine.
The Federal Government has mandated all state governors and private sector who are yet to implement the thirty thousand naira national minimum wage to do so immediately. The minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Ngige gave the directive in Abuja at the 2021 Workers’ day celebration. Ngige who represented President Muhammadu Buhari said the new national minimum wage was passed into law and so therefore was not a question to pick and choose.
He added that the federal government will not support the removal of National minimum wage from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list.
On the new minimum pension, he assured pensioners that the new increment commences today May 1st, and will reflect in this May salary, while the arrears covers from April 2019.
On minimum wage he said “Private sector, state government and federal government are bound by the laws because we have workers as prescribing that law. It is not the question to pick and choose, we moved the national minimum wage from 18,000 per month to 30,000 per month. It is an irreducible plause, therefore we expect them and people in the private sector to comply”.
On the removal of national minimum wage from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list he said
“I wish to reassure Nigerian workers that minimum wage is minimum amount of remuneration that an employer is required to pay wage earners doe the work performed during a given period, which cannot be reduced by collective agreement or an individual contract. That is one of the major reasons why National Minimum Wage is listed as item number 34 in the exclusive list, second schedule of the Nigerian constitution of 1999 is backed by relevant ILO conventions”
“All pensioners get their pay from May 1st and get their arrears starting from April 2019” he added.
Speaking Earlier, the President Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba called on the federal government to pay all withheld salaries of workers in Federal Health Institutions. Ayuba further lamented that COVID 19 pandemic has further exposed the inherent deficiencies in Nigeria’s social protection system. He therefore called for a sound social protection system that provides a cushioning mechanism in the midst of life circle vulnerabilities.
He said “On this year’s World Health Day, our doctors were on strike because of government’s failure to address the issues bordering on workers welfare and infrastructural deficits. Government has repeatedly breached Collective Agreements and disobeyed court judgments. For instance, it has breached the agreement with the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and also refused to implement the judgements of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) delivered in favour of JOHESU members. We wonder why government who should show example is the one flagrantly breaching court judgments. We call on the federal government to pay all withheld salaries of workers in Federal Health Institutions such as Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owerri, and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Lagos. They should also implement the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS); enforce court judgments delivered by the NICN on November 28, 2019; implement all collective agreements reached with health workers in 2017 and overhaul health infrastructure nationwide We implore government to implement the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for health workers in all the states and local governments across the country, especially Imo, Enugu, Abia and Niger States”.
“we call for a rejig of the world economic system. The current global economic model is flawed. It has entrenched inequality and insecurity for working people and their families both in Nigeria and other parts of the world. In order to promote inclusion and reduce inequality, we call for adequately funded universal public health, education and care. We also demand that Just Transitions for climate and technology should be central in economic planning and policy framing” he added.
Following the Early Access auditions in March, plans are on the way to open audition call for Big Brother Naija season 6 from Monday, May 3 till Sunday, May 16, 2021.
Newsfocusng gathered that, interested participants are expected to record a two-minute video of themselves stating why they should be picked to be a housemate in season 6 of BBNaija. Following this, they are to log on to www.africamagic.tv/BBAudition to fill out the online registration form and upload their videos. The online audition is free and open to Interested male and female participants, who are of Nigerian nationality with a valid identity document, and must be 21 years of age by June 1, 2021.
On the start of the auditions for this new season, the Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe said: “We are strengthening our investment in quality content with another season of BBNaija. BBNaija has become one of the most anticipated TV events across Africa and this season promises to be even bigger and more entertaining”.
The popular reality TV show, which makes a return for a sixth season later this year, has already topped previous seasons as MultiChoice Nigeria earlier announced a grand prize of N90 million which is the highest for a reality TV show on the continent.
