Usman Alkali Baba, the IGP of the police, started handing out checks on Thursday to cover insurance benefits for officers who died while performing their duties as well as those who sustained various types of life-threatening injuries while performing their duties.
Approximately 7000 families of deceased officers and those who were hurt or rendered incapacitated in the line of duty between 2012 and 2020 received checks from the IGP totaling more than 13 billion naira during an event held at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
These backlog payments were made possible through the IGP’s passionate drive to ensure that Police Officers are adequately catered for in the event of injury or permanent disability due to the risks associated with policing, and that families of deceased police officers are adequately catered for in the absence of their breadwinners.
The IGP while reiterating the value of human life and wholeness, emphasized that prompt payment of insurance and other benefits due to officers who have met with some misfortunes due to the risky nature of policing in our contemporary environment and unforeseen hazards of policing, would greatly boost their morale and ensure they put in their best in service to the nation.
According to him, “On my assumption in office in April 2021, my attention was drawn to this development. Consequently, an urgent representation was made to Mr. President, Muhammadu Buhari requesting for the release of funds to enable us pay all outstanding claims to the families of deceased Police Officers.
“It was with great relief that Mr. President appreciated my representation and graciously approved the release of the sum of 13,628,535,580.00k to pay the backlog of a total of 6,184 personnel that had previously fallen under the uninsured and uncovered periods of Group Life Assurance and Group Personal Accident Insurance Scheme, covering from Year 2012 – 2020.
“While sympathizing with the families of the deceased Officers, knowing that nothing will bring back their loved ones, I urge you all to judiciously utilize this funds in training your children and be rest assured that the Force under my leadership will continue to do more in advancing you welfare interests and that of serving personnel,” he said.
The IGP further promised better welfare packages for members of the police family either serving, retired, or slain in the line of duty, so as to cement the already existing esprit de corps amongst the components of the police family.
A suspected dynamite explosion shook the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign event in Port Harcourt on Thursday, sending members of the Rivers State chapter into a state of panic.
The explosion at the well-known Igboukwu field, also known as Ojukwu Playground, the location of the APC gathering in Port Harcourt, injured some party members who were present to varying degrees.
Women were observed escorting the injured victims away from the scene of the violent incident.
Although the cause of the explosion and potential perpetrators were unknown as of press time, it was learned that there had been a fight between young people from the Rumuji village and APC, who control the Igboukwu field.
The youths were said to have prevented the party from holding the rally at the field located at the popular Mile one area of densely populated Diobu in Port Harcourt.
The youths, it was learnt had barricaded and shut the entrance gate of the field thereby denying the party access to the field.
A resident of the area who pleaded anoymity said, “there was an explosion suspected to be dynamite. The explosion came with a loud bang and some persons were injured. The party officials had altercation with the youths of the community over access to the venue of the rally before the explosion occured,” the source said.
Rivers State Publicity Secretary of APC , Darlington Nwauju, could not pick his several calls. But Barr Sogboye Eli, spokesman of the APC campaign council confirmed the incident, adding that “the party will issue an official statement after preliminary investigation”.
Rivers State Police Command Public Relation Officer, SP Grace Iringe Koko did not also pick her calls.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, (NLRC) on Wednesday in Abuja, signed a revised Memorandum of Understanding with provisions to prevent unauthorized lottery and gaming practices on telecommunications platforms through information and intelligence sharing.
Prof. Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman of the NCC, noted that the MoU, which will have an impact on the gaming industry, is in line with the Commission’s Strategic Vision Plan (SVP) and is intended to promote ethical business practices for the protection of telecommunications consumers in relation to lottery and gaming activities.
According to him, the cooperation complies with the Commission’s SVP, 2021–2025, which calls for facilitating strategic partnerships and working with other organizations to improve service delivery.
He explained, “The initial MoU expired in 2022, amendments and modifications have been made since no MoU is cast in stone, especially given the industry’s dynamic nature.”
The Director General of NLRC, Mr Lanre Gbajabiamila expressed confidence that the MoU will yield favourable outcomes in curbing illegal online gambling as he shared his hope that NCC and NLRC will achieve their intentions in the interest of gaming stakeholders.
He noted how unapproved lottery and gaming activities and practices undermine the integrity of domestic and global gaming markets to the detriment of stakeholders in addition to undermining consumer confidence in these markets, hence the collaboration with the Commission to arrest such tendencies.
Earlier , the Executive Commissioner (Stakeholder Management), Barr. Adeleke Adewolu disclosed that the MoU was designed to address recent technology information-sharing capabilities, and consumer satisfaction and to enhance areas of co-regulation in line with the Federal Government’s digital economy mandate.
The new MoU replaces one that was first signed by both organizations, which expired in 2022. It provides complementary approaches to deter unapproved lottery/gaming practices on telecommunications platforms through information and intelligence sharing in recognition of how unapproved lottery and gaming activities and practices undermine the integrity of domestic and global gaming markets to the detriment of stakeholders in addition to undermining consumer confidence in these markets.
Under the agreement, following requests from NLRC, NCC shall endeavour to block or disable illegal lottery gaming operators on the telecommunications service providers’ platform in Nigeria and NLRC
The document was developed by a Joint Implementation Committee (JIC) comprising representatives of NCC and NLRC to implement the MoU and other matters that promote collaboration between both organizations in their regulatory functions.
*** Claims We’ve Been pleading with Banks To Pick Up New Naira Notes
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has said that they have been pleading with commercial banks to accept the new Naira notes.
The previous N200, N500, and N1000 notes will no longer be considered legal tender after January 31 according to the apex bank.
With fewer than two weeks to the deadline, there have been worries about this, though.
The CBN used several measures, such as prohibiting over-the-counter payment using the new notes, to control the scarcity.
The issue remained despite the top bank’s instructions to commercial banks to stock their ATMs with the new currency.
At a sensitization programme in Lagos, Kofo Salam-Alada, Head of legal department of the apex bank, said the CBN will go tough on banks that continue to fill their ATM machines with old naira notes as the deadline to phase out the notes nears.
He said, “I can tell you today that the CBN on a daily basis issues new notes. As we speak, banks are with the CBN taking money. We are actually begging banks to come and take money from the Central Bank. We have these new naira notes in our vaults and we are begging banks to come and take it.
“We found out that a lot of things are happening that we need to checkmate, so we stopped withdrawal of new notes over the counter to ensure that everyone can have access to it and not one chief who is known to the manager, walks in, and carts away all the new notes in a particular branch. That is why we said it should be in the ATMs which cannot distinguish people.
“We also have monitors going around banks now. I have been to some ATMs this morning and I have done the reports. We are not mobilising the masses against the banks because the banks are there to serve you, but be rest assured that they will serve you now that they know that the CBN is on them to serve you with the new naira notes.”
Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, said that if he were to become the nation’s next leader, he would undertake the extensive restructuring that the people of the country’s south-west geopolitical zone have been calling for.
Atiku made the statement on Thursday while speaking to a crowd of thousands of Oyo state residents and party leaders who had gathered in front of Mapo Hall in Ibadan, the state’s capital, for his presidential campaign rally.
While lamenting the neglect of the south west, which has long called for restructuring, the former vice president promised that the country would undergo the restructuring that the people have been calling for would be implemented when he gets to power in May this year.
Atiku alleged that the current government at the federal level has failed to restructure the country, despite the fact that the people of the region have been clamouring for it over the years.
While pledging the people that his administration would implement what the current government has failed to do, Atiku noted that his administration will give more powers to states and local government areas.
He added that restructuring of the country will be one of the cardinal points of his administration.
According to him, “I will restructure Nigeria. Restructuring of the country will be achieved during my time. By restructuring, we mean giving more powers and autonomy to the states and local government areas.
“It will be one of the pillars of my government. They have failed to implement it. Vote them out. Vote them out completely.
“From top to bottom, vote for PDP, from bottom to top, vote for PDP. We thank you very much. Vote for PDP so that together, we can match to progress”.
Some of the chieftains of the party who were at the PDP campaign in the state included the Vice Presidential candidate, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, PDP National Chairman, Iyorcha Ayu, his predecessor, Prince Uche Secondus, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state and his counterpart from Balyesa, Douye Diri, former governor of Kogi and Osun states; Idris Wada and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola respectively and Mrs. Titi Abubakar Atiku.
Others are Senator Dino Melaye, former Vice President, Architect Nnamadi Sambo, former governor of Jigawa state, Sule Lamido, Hon. Indidi Elumelu, Abdul Ningi, former governor of Adamawa state, Bonie Haruna, former governor of Cross River, Lyel Imoke, former Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, Senator Philip Aduda, Chief Wole Oyelese, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide, Hazeem Gbolarumi, Prof Abiodun Raufu and others.
The State Government of Lagos has started to take action to regulate the activities of major and Independent Petroleum Marketers operating along major roads and traffic-prone areas within the State in light of the persistent fuel shortage that has persisted throughout the Country and has continued to affect the free flow of traffic in Lagos.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Transportation, the action is necessary to curb the indiscriminate actions of drivers waiting in lines to buy gasoline who frequently park irresponsibly on roads and bridges, obstructing the free flow of traffic.
The announcement also revealed that big and Independent Petroleum Marketers, whose filling stations are located on important highways and locations vulnerable to traffic, will henceforth be allowed to operate only between the hours of 9am to 4pm daily, pending when the fuel shortage crisis subsides.
It added that the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS), Transport Operations Compliance Unit (TOCU) and other Law Enforcement Agencies have been charged to ensure seamless flow of traffic across the State, while admonishing all major and Independent Petroleum Marketers to comply with this directive or be sanctioned.
Funke Akindele, the Lagos State Peoples Party (PDP) Deputy Governorship Candidate, visited significant marketplaces in Lagos Island and asked vendors to cast their ballots for the main opposition party in the general elections of 2023.
The PDP candidate for governor in the upcoming general elections, Dr. Abdul-Azeez Adediran, also known as Jandor, and Nollywood star Akindele gave the traders the assurance that only the PDP will end their suffering in the markets and the state.
The traders flocked and thronged about the actress in awe as she toured Mami Market, Obada Obalende, Obalende Ijeh Market, Ajah Market, and other significant markets in the region.
In each of the markets visited, Akindele assured the traders that the PDP government would alleviate their plights, provide enabling environment, social amenities and soft loans for them to run their businesses.
According to her:” The PDP government would not let them down but would empower them and ensure free and compulsory education for their children with free school uniforms and at least a meal per day.
“The sufferings and hardship in Lagos state is too much. It is time for a real change in our condition and the change is in your hands.
“It is your right to have better Lagos where you have enabling environment for you businesses. Your fate is in your hands, the power is in your hand to rescue the state using your PVCs.
She added, “When we say fight for Lagos, we are not saying you should bring out cutlasses and knives but to bring out your PVCs and use it to install a better governance for yourself and your children.
“I bring a good news to you women that Jandor (Adediran) has made provision for women, children and people living with disabilities,” she said.
Akindele said that the next government would be for women, men, children, old, young and special children.
She urged the traders to go and pick up their Permabent Boters Cards (PVCs) and vote for PDP candidates in all the elections to bring relief to their hardship in the state
Akindele said that: “I will never represent bad deal and that is why I am standing with Jandor (Adediran). We want to take over Lagos state so that we can give you a better Lagos.
“Go and collect your PVCs if you have yours already, please on election day, come out and vote PDP.
“We need a change. The one APC did is enough, we must do another party. Vote all PDP candidates, I beg.”
Akindele, who urged marketers to troop out en mass to vote PDP, assuring them that she would not let the people of the state down.
“I will not disappoint you, we shall protect you and your children as well as the physically challenged people. Let us try PDP and bring in fresh air. We won’t let you down.
“The time has come for a turnaround in the state. We will not renege on promises. We shall reform and turnaround Lagos with the huge wealth in the state.
“We shall build modern markers, provide soft loans, fire service and mobile health care close to markets. Lagos has money to do these.
‘”We will make sure we protect our youths, we will empower them. We will make a change,” she assured.
In an interactive session with Market leaders at Ajah Market, Akindele said that with PDP at the helms of affairs in Lagos State, many of the tears of the traders would be wiped away.
Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, has stated that he will not descend to the low level of personal attacks and lies being spread by his opponents, nor will he join arguments with those who, in an effort to hide their character flaws, use mudslinging and foul language to disparage their fellow candidates.
Atiku stated that he would rather take the high road of decency and statesmanship to continue advancing his manifesto, adding that he is absolutely committed to his contract with Nigeria.
Atiku, in a statement said: “I have since resolved not to descend to the low level of personal attacks and lies being peddled by my opponents. Nor will I join issues with those who, in an attempt to cover their character deficiencies, resort to mudslinging and gutter language, in a desperate attempt to disparage their fellow contestants.
“I’d rather take the high road of dignity and statesmanship to continue to advance our manifesto, as we continue to inform the Nigerian people of how the Atiku-Okowa government intends to stop the slip into the abyss by a country that is so blessed with human and natural resources.
“I will remind them about our past success when I served Nigeria meritoriously as the Vice President in the government that has been adjudged as the best so far since our return to democracy in 1999.
“I want to share our dreams and achievable development plans for our today and our future.”
He promised what he will do when elected as the President, adding, “we shall assemble a team of some of the brightest and best Nigerians that abound within the country and in the Diaspora to assist in rebuilding our country. This is my commitment and my contract with the Nigerian people.
“To this end, my priorities shall include but not limited to unifying the nation to give every citizen that is a Nigerian, every state and every gender, religion and ethnicity a sense of justice, inclusion, equity and trust.”
Atiku further explained that he will ensure that the nation is safe and secure in the country, adding that he government will be preoccupied with resetting the nation’s battered economy.
He said: “We shall not only ensure that all Nigerians are treated equally, but that they feel safe and secure as opposed to the regime of pervasive insecurity that has gripped the entire country for too long.
“We shall also be preoccupied with resetting Nigeria’s battered economy, especially finding sustainable solutions to the recurring issues of debt management, deficits, subsidies and the flagging value of the Naira.
“The boosting of crude oil production, stoppage of oil theft and ramping up of non-oil exports to improve earnings are also top on my priorities.
“The reset of our education, to drive our development agenda, and the restructuring of our socio-economic and political structures will be defining efforts of my administration.
“In addition, Diaspora remittances will be given serious attention, particularly now that it has exceeded Nigeria’s earnings from crude oil to shore up our much-needed foreign exchange needs.”
As Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, launches his 2023 presidential campaign in Oyo state on Thursday, it appears that the alliance between the party’s G-5 governors has broken down. Oyo state governor Engr. Seyi Makinde has agreed to attend.
Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu are the leaders of the G-5 group.
According to a former minister and close ally of Makinde, after a series of reconciliation meetings, Makinde, the only governor of the G-5 running for re-election, has promised to cooperate with Atiku in order to
The Federal Government has presented certificates of registration to the two new academic unions in the university system, the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA).
Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, made the presentation with official gazette in Abuja, at a special press briefing.
Speaking before the formal presentation, Ngige said if a group of people felt that they were no longer useful or were forced out of a union, they reserved the right to aggregate themselves and ask for registration as a union, as guaranteed by Sections 40 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and 87 of ILO conventions.
He recalled that NAMDA and CONUA were earlier issued letters of recognition by his ministry on the recommendation of committees set up by the ministry to consider their applications for registration as trade unions in the university system.
Ngige said, “The certificates are here for you to operate fully as trade unions. Letters have gone to the security agencies, to accord you all rights given to other unions, for your meetings, AGMs and delegates assembly.
“Same has been done to all government ministries, departments and agencies, including the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, so that your check-off dues will be deducted from source and given to you. Don’t behave like ASUU. Render your accounts to your followers and government.”
Reminiscing on the events that brought about the two unions, Ngige said a group of teachers in the university system applied to his ministry in 2018 to be registered as the Congress of Nigeria University Academics and they set up a committee, which did their work and by early 2019, recommended that the union should be registered.
“Nevertheless, we did not register the union because we wanted to make sure that we are on the right path. By 2020, the request came back and this time around, they explained that they had been expelled from the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and therefore denied protection. And that the expulsion was as a result of their unwillingness to go the way of ASUU. They complained of lack of democratisation inside ASUU and lack of transparency in the management of finances of ASUU, just like the ministry pointed out to ASUU that it has not audited its accounts.
“As of the time they were saying this in 2020, ASUU had not audited its accounts for four years. We wrote ASUU, asking them to tender the accounts for the years 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, but nothing was done. So, the committee felt that this association had a case. If check-off dues are deducted from your salary, you have a right to know how they are spent.
“And we as the Ministry in charge do not also know how it was spent whereas it is our law that they are operating. Talking in terms of deduction of check-off dues at source, the RTU 18 and Section 37 of the Trade Union Act, talks about rendering account to the Registrar of Trade Union (RTU). It says that those accounts must be rendered before June 1, every given year.
“The letter was unattended to in 2020. In 2022, ASUU was asked to respond to that letter and show cause why the penalty spelt out in that section 37 of Trade Union Act, should not apply to them. This includes also the withdrawal of the certificate of registration as a trade union, which ipso facto grants them the powers to receive check-off dues from their members monthly from their salaries.
“So, to cut the story short, the ministry decided to register members of CONUA to operate as a full-fledged union and we gave them letter of recognition. By the processes of the law, after the letters of the union is given, you gazette that union. It is part of Section 3 (2) of the Act and this section permits the Minister to regroup an existing union when its functionality is no longer guaranteed. And that is what we have exercised with CONUA.”
Regarding NAMDA, Ngige said the medical doctors in academics, including pre-clinical teachers complained that they were not being protected by ASUU and applied for registration as a union.
According to him, the medical teachers said ASUU negotiations do not cover them, in terms of their welfare, conditions of service and allowances.
“A committee was empanelled to look into it and it discovered a lot of rumblings in the sector, by which after a residency training programme, a medical consultant who has his part 2, coming into academics, loses seniority and even emoluments on CONUASS system scale. These are issues that have lingered over the years and they made their complaints. We thought we should streamline some of these things. The committee recommended that they come out of ASUU and have their own association.
“This is not an abnormal thing. We have unbundled the Nigerian union of Pensions in 2018. We now have contributory pensioners and pensioners in the public service agencies.
“Unbundling is dynamic. It is change. Change is constant in line. It is only a dead institution that does not want a change. We must change. As human beings, some cells die in the body and are replaced.
“Even the other PHCN was unbundled into generation, transmission and distribution. So, it is not a new thing. NNPC was unbundled the other day. This is life. Today, these bodies have come to receive their registration certificates.”
He assured that the government would address the issue of witheld salaries of members of the two unions.
He noted that members of CONUA were not part of ASUU strike but were locked out by the management, while the medical lecturers graduated medical doctors during the strike.
Responding, the Coordinator of CONUA, Dr Niyi Somonu, described the event as historic and appreciated the Minister for the registration of their unions, saying his members have been liberated from the shackles of ASUU.
Somonu said they would use the platform to promote the interest of their members, conscious of national interest.
Similarly, the National Vice President of NAMDA, Dr Ali Mohammed Ramat, praised Ngige for the courage to take the bold step, assuring that it would impact on the quality of medical doctors produced from our medical schools.
“You cannot keep the medical students at home for eight months and expect quality medical doctors.”
