NIGERIAN NOTCH

The Imo State government yesterday made public of its findings in the payroll system regarding pension fraud which involved eight persons said to be receiving N330 million annually as a pension. The governor, Hope Uzodinma, disclosed this in Owerri, after meeting with the leadership of the state chapters of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, led by Josiah Ugochukwu, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Austin Chilakpu and Trade Union Congress, TUC, at the Government House in Owerri. The names mentioned were as follows; Ajokubi H. A, (N65, 685, 491. 00) Njoku Damian (N 5,042,439.58) , Obasi Canice (N 3, 460, 366.64), Anyanwu F. N (No, 150, 336. 00), Emenalo Theresa (N 3,058, 592.00), John Sunday (N 2,320624. 00) Ajaegbo E. O (N2, 298,910.34) and Ekedere Eunice (N 32,490, 016. 00). The governor said it also discovered that over one thousand pensioners who retired in 1976 were still receiving a pension, just as he pointed out that pensioners in the verified database have all been paid...

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday kicked against the reopening of schools by the Federal Government due to the COVID-19 pandemic currently ravaging the country. Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, ASUU National President, spoke with the with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ota, Ogun. According to him, the Federal Government needed to address the challenges of education sector before it can talk of reopening schools. Ogunyemi urged the Federal Government to provide ideal environment and should take the lead by meeting the conditions spelt out by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) before reopening schools. “The Federal Government must lead and show the ways by meeting the conditions for reopening of schools before any school can be allowed to open, because COVID-19 pandemic is a health challenge. “When it comes to public health, it is something that should not be left in the hands of individual, but the Federal Government must take the lead,’’ he said. The ASUU pres...

By Obiagha Victor The journey to Agu Awka 2021 has long started, all the major political parties in the state are presently warming up to take over the number one leadership position in the State from the outgoing incumbent, come 2021. This calls for deep evaluation of the parties  and her candidates, and what they are offering the people as a bond. The Young Progressive Party (YPP) is a party to watch out for in  the forth coming elections in Anambra State. The party today in Anambra, presents hope, to the common man in the  actualisation of societal dreams, equity, progress and overall development of the state  YPP, is a party that  sponsors visionary and highly cerebral young leaders at all strata of the society, in order to end the age long bad governance, in the Nigerian political system. It is a party whose sole aim is to build and sustain a state (especially a commercial one like Anambra), with a vibrant economy, designed to serve the people's interests, ...

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), says it will provide no fewer than 200,000 bed spaces for students in various tertiary institutions in the country. Mr Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, Chairman, TETFund Board of Trustees disclosed this in Abuja at the agency 2020 Board Retreat for Research Grants. The retreat has as theme: “Consolidating TETFund as a Model Intervention Agency for Nigeria’s Knowledge Economy”. Ibrahim-Imam said the board was concerned with the issues of lack of adequate accommodation spaces and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in different tertiary institutions in the country. “I am very particular about two critical areas, which is also of great concern to me and the Board of Trustees. “These include the issue of accommodation and ICT, in spite various interventions by TETFund our tertiary institutions still have inadequate lecture theatres, research laboratories, hostels and ICT facilities. “In the area of accommodation, it is a known fact that the numbe...

Senegalese President Macky Sall has self-isolated himself for two weeks as a precaution after coming into contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, the presidential office said on Thursday. Seydou Gueye, the president’s adviser in charge of communications, said that Sall had taken the COVID-19 test after being exposed to coronavirus. The results came back negative. “However, following the doctors’ recommendations on this issue, the president has been isolated for two weeks, starting on Wednesday, June 24,” Gueye said in a statement posted on the office’s Twitter account. According to the Senegalese Health Ministry’s latest update, the West African country has so far registered 6,129 COVID-19 cases, 93 deaths and 4,072 recoveries.  (Sputnik/NAN)

The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu has asked that no congratulatory message should be placed for him in newspapers for his birthday,  as he clocks 55 years on Thursday. The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Gboyega Akosile, said in a statement on Wednesday, that the governor wished to continue his tradition of reaching out and sharing love with the needy in the society. ”This is to inform friends, families, professional colleagues and political associates of the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, that no congratulatory advertisements should be placed in newspapers to celebrate his forthcoming birthday. ”Mr Governor believes that an occasion of one’s birthday, especially a milestone such as the age of 55, should be a day to reflect on one’s purpose of existence in life,” Akosile said. The Chief Press Secretary said that according to the governor, the purpose of existence was ”to serve the humanity”. He said that apart from the outreach, the governor...

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N14.9 billion for the execution of 11 ecological projects across the six geopolitical zones of the country. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made this known when he briefed State House correspondents at the end of the Council fifth virtual meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari. He said the approval followed the memo presented by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF). He said: “Memo presented, on behalf of Mr President, by the Secretary to the Government, we sought approval for the award of contract for emergency procurement of the third and fourth quarters 2019, soil erosion, flood control, acceleration intervention projects in favour of 11 contractors, in total sum of N14,907,754,845.’’ According to him, the 11 projects are spread across the six geopolitical zones of the federation. “The first is a gully erosion control at Ogige-Uruala-Chikabi-Ajibara in Isikwat...

 The Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), have advised Nigerian youths to develop their digital skills to support government effort toward building digital economy. Inuwa gave the advice during an online interactive session with Nigerian youths on the topic: ‘Education, Employment and Technology in Nigeria: Gaps and Opportunities Post COVID-19 Pandemic’. The meeting was organised by Global Shapers Community, an international Non-Governmental Organisation which specializes in outsourcing talents, creating jobs and building careers. Inuwa said that developing digital skills would help them be self reliant post COVID-19 era. “Nigerian youths should stay committed and focused on their endeavors because time to hold-on to only educational qualifications without prerequisite skills is gone, especially now that the world has changed in different dimensions. “The outbreak of the novel Coronavirus has been a monumental disaster globally, Nigeria incl...

By Chikeluba Romanus  It is really good to get to know people well before  forming opinions about them, rather than judging people from a distance or from biased reports deliberately spread around by people whose motives are anything but pure speculation. So, I set about getting to know Senator Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah well, after my visit to an uncle in the rebuilt electrical electronics market in Nnewi . The visit  afforded me the opportunity to get firsthand the pure joy and happiness on the faces and body chemistry of market men and women who all had wonderful stories to tell about Senator Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah since his intervention in the fire disaster that befell them,   by rebuilding the market and also providing numerous other financial assistance that enabled them withstand the devastating effects of he fire incident, which gave them a fresh breath of life when all hopes seemed lost  On getting home that very day after the sobering visit, I decid...

Ogbaru Community in Anambra State has dragged Julius Berger Nigeria Plc before the Federal High Court in Awka, alleging a violation of Environmental Impact Assessment in the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge. Also joined as defendants in the suit are the Federal Ministry of Works and B and Q Dredging. The community is seeking N2.5bn as damages for the alleged environmental and health hazards arising from the activities of the respondents in the construction of the bridge. The plaintiff claimed that more than 160 buildings from 15 communities in the Ogbaru Council Area on the coastal line of the River Niger had been adversely affected by the ongoing construction, which passed through Asaba to Ogbaru and stretched to Obosi. The community claimed that the activities of the construction company had polluted River Niger, their only source of water supply, with attendant negative impact on aquatic and domestic lives. They sought a court order to compel the defendants to recognise, deal an...

Senator Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah By Kamen Chuks Ogbonna Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite in a way that little else does. It speaks to the youths in a language they can understand. Sport creates hope where once lies  despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination. -Nelson Mandela It is often said that SPORTS has an inherent ability to bring people together, particularly  the youths, and yet until recently, the tremendous potential of sports in achieving youth developmental  objectives has been grossly under utilized.  *By its very nature, sports encourages participation bridging National, Ethnic, Social and Religious Divides*  It is precisely for this reason that sports , when used as a tool for development, can serve as an impetus for social transformation and change! *It is this vision that shaped the  mindset of  Dr Patrick Ifeanyi U...