#EndSARS Protests
Niger governor: Incompetent leaders took over from military in 1999
Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger state has attributed the failures recorded in governance since the coming of democracy in 1999 to incompetent leaders who took over leadership of the country from military. The Governor spoke just as former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, blamed the nation’s educational system for the failure being recorded in leadership in the country, saying the system was not designed to produce leaders. Both men spoke at a youth summit organized by a member of the House of Representatives and Chairman Board of Trustees of Lead Generation Initiative (LGI), Shina Peller, in Abuja. The Niger governor said the that when the military decided to hand over power to civilians, a lot of competent people never believed in the process and therefore stood ba...
UNICAL to resume 2019/2020 academic session February 5
The University of Calabar will resume its 2019/2020 academic year on February 5. The University Senate on Monday approved the revised academic calendar for 2019/2020 session. This announcement was made through the university’s twitter handle. Students are to resume on February 5 while lectures will begin on February 8. The University had announced on Friday that only staff (Teaching and non-Teaching) of the University were to resume work on Monday. The Vice Chancellor, Florence Obi, disclosed that the date was picked to allow management carry out repairs in some of the hostels that had been destroyed and vandalized in the violence that tailed the #EndSARS protests in the state. In October, newsmen reported that the University of Calabar was broken into. Banks within the school premises wer...
Abia government begs teachers to resume classes
Nigeria Union of Teachers Abia State Government has called on members of the state chapter of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) to return to classes in the interest of their students and pupils. Teachers in the state schools system had penultimate week given the government one week to clear areas of salaries and other entitlements owed them, failure which they would embark on industrial action. In a statement by the state Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu, government said primary and junior secondary school teachers have received salary up to November 2020, leaving only December as outstanding. He said the state government paid three months salary to secondary school teachers in December 2020 as part of efforts to clear backlogs owed them with a promise to pay at least anot...
#EndSARS: Eight arraigned in Ekiti over attack on police stations
Eight persons were on Friday arraigned before an Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrates’ Court for alleged attacks on police stations and stealing during the recent #EndSARS protests. The defendants are Olatayo Abiodun, 25; Olaoye Toyin, 23; Fasoroti Ifedayo, 25; Ojo Idowu, 18; Adetayo Damola, 20; Owolabi Oluwaseun, 21; Ajewole Ojo, 21, and Moses Ifeanyi, 20. They are facing a four-count charge of conspiracy to commit felony, willful damage, arson and stealing. The defendants were those arrested in connection with the widespread national protests against police brutality which were later hijacked by hoodlums. Their actions resulted in the destruction of property and deaths across the country. Trial The prosecutor, Oriyomi Akinwale, a police inspector, told the court that the defendants committed the ...
#EndSARS: It’ll take long to rebuild destroyed property – Governor Sanwo-Olu
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, said, yesterday, that it would take the state time to rebuild the properties destroyed during the EndSARS protests. This came on a day the Lagos State government disclosed that the 2021 budget of N1.164 trillion would be funded from a revenue estimate of N971.028 billion in the fiscal year, with a target on the expansion of tax nets. Governor Sanwo-Olu stated this while briefing State House correspondents, after meeting behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He said the meeting dwelt more on the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic, security situation and the impact of the #EndSARS protests in the state. On rebuilding Lagos after the EndSARS protests, he said: “It is also some of the things I dis...
NANS: Nigerian government’s 2021 budget for education worst in 10 years
The President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Com. Sunday Asefon, has frowned at the 2021 budgetary provision for education under President Muhammadu Buhari, describing it as the worst in the last ten years in the country. Disturbed by the neglect of the education sector, which was apportioned with a paltry of 5.6 percent in the 2021 budget and the high level of insecurity in the country, NANS has planned to organise a Security and Education Summit to partner stakeholders on how to arrest the drift in the two critical sectors Asefon said this in Ado-Ekiti, on Thursday, during a courtesy visit to the office of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Correspondents’ Chapel, Ekiti chapter. He said: “I condemn totally, the federal government’s 2021 budgetary provision to edu...
National Assembly raises 2021 budget by N580 billion, approves N13.588 trillion
The two chambers of the National Assembly yesterday passed the 2021 Appropriation Bill, increasing the budget size from N13.08 trillion presented to them by President Muhamnadu Buhari 11 weeks ago to N13.588 trillion. The passage of the 2021 budget followed consideration and adoption of harmonised reports separately submitted to them by their Committees on Appropriation. The two chambers increased the 2021 budget by about N580 billion and pegged daily crude oil production at 1.86 million barrels per day, while oil benchmark price was fixed at $40 per barrel. They approved N379 to dollar as the official exchange rate while GDP growth rate was pegged at 3 per cent. Highlights of the report approved by the Senate showed aggregate expenditure to be N13,588,027,886,175, statutory transfer of N4...
Justice Tsoho: Why court froze #EndSARS promoters’ bank accounts
The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, on Tuesday said that contrary to the belief in some quarters that the court intentionally froze the accounts of #Endsars promoters, it only played its part as an interpreter of the law. The CJ noted that the Central Bank of Nigeria had approached the court to ask for an order freezing certain accounts of corporate bodies and names of individuals over suspicion bordering on alleged money laundering. He however stated that the CBN did not attach any names to the applications. Justice Tsoho, spoke at the opening of the 2020/2021 legal year, Abuja on Tuesday. He noted that CBN’s request came about three months before the ENDSARS protest. The CJ was reacting to the speech by the chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olumid...
CIBN urges banks to strengthen cyber-security
The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has urged the banks to strengthen their cyber-security architecture in order to prevent attacks by fraudsters. President/Chairman of Council of the institute, Mr. Bayo Olugbemi, made the call while delivering his remarks at the 2020 CIBN Fellowship Investiture in Lagos, at the weekend. The CIBN at its investiture formally conferred its honorary fellowship awards on 19 distinguished bankers in recognition of their contributions to the banking industry and the economy; 77 associates as elected Fellows while 105 senior management staff of banks and the academia became Honorary Senior Members of the institute at the event with the theme: ‘Financial Services in a post COVID 19 Environment: Strategic Imperative’. Some that were conferred with ...
Nigerian governors to meet with President Buhari to address security challenges
Governors of the thirty six states under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF have resolved to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari to address the security challenges with continued cases of armed banditry, terrorism and kidnapping across the country. The governors are meeting with President Buhari especially to discuss last week’s gruesome beheading of about 43 Farmers in Zarbamari near Maiduguri, Borno State by Boko Haram Insurgents while they were working in their farmland without any form of resistance. The decision was part of the resolutions reached at the end of the 22nd NGF teleconference meeting. In a Communique signed by the NGF Chairman and Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, said, ” Members of the forum resolved to meet with Mr. President as soon as possible to ad...
Borno holds bye-election for state assembly
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Borno said it has concluded necessary preparations to hold bye-elections for the two vacant seats in the state House of Assembly on Saturday. INEC Resident Electoral Commission in the state, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim told newsmen at a Press Conference on Thursday in Maiduguri, Borno capital the bye-elections for the state constituencies hold in Bayo and Ngazai local governments Saturday. Two members of the House of Assembly representing Bayo and Ngazai State Constituencies died in the heat of Coronavirus pandemic, making the seats vacant. INEC said bye election to fill the vacancies earlier fix for October was postponed due to the anti-police brutality protests in most parts of the country “The commission had earlier fixed 31st October,...
NAFEST: Nigeria will lead the world – Senator Okorocha
Sen. Rochas Okorocha, Chairman, Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, has expressed greater hope that Nigeria will definitely lead the world with the vast culture and tourism potential. Okorocha said this at opening ceremony of the 33rd National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) held at Rwang Pam Township Stadium, Jos, Plateau on Monday. The theme of the event was “COVID-19 and Cultural Dynamism”. The lawmaker advised Nigerians generally to keep hope alive as the COVID-19 pandemic and the ENDSARS protests which had caused lots of havoc to the nation would be forgotten issues with time. He said Nigeria was only going through a phase that would lead to greatness as some other countries had experienced in the past. He noted that the two incidences had aggravated the nation’s problems o...
