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Post Date : September 4, 2022

Army holds range classification exercise in Imo

  The 34 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Obinze in Owerri, says it will begin its annual range classification exercise from Sept. 5-9, and advises residents to keep off the area. This is contained in a statement issued on Saturday by Capt. Joseph Akubo, Assistant Director, Army Public Relations. Akubo said that the exercise would involve the use of arms and live ammunition, thus the need for civilians to stay away from areas around Small Arms Shooting Range, Obinze Barracks. He explained that the range classification was to test the effectiveness of personnel in weapon handling and firing efficiency, adding that it would be conducted from 6am – 6pm daily. “In view of the above, the people of Obinze town and surrounding communities are strongly advised to keep away from the Range Area throughout the mentioned period”, he said.

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Post Date : September 4, 2022

Strike: ASUU alleges smear campaign, constitutes committee to address challenge

  The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has constituted a seven-member committee to address what it tagged a smear media campaign against the union. The committee, with members drawn across various campuses, is named; “Rapid Response Committee,” and it is to be chaired by Ade Adejumo, a professor at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH). In a leaked letter of appointment addressed to one of the nominees, and signed by the union’s president, Emmanuel Osodeke, he tasked the committee with the responsibility to develop strategies to tackle the alleged media campaign against the union’s decision to continue with the industrial action. ASUU has in the recent time become a subject of criticism among Nigerians following the declaration of an indefinite strike action after almost seven months of staying away from work. Many have accused the union of being insensitive to the plight of Nigerian students whose academic pursuits have been stalled since the commencement of the strike in February. ASUU, demanding better conditions of service for its members and better funding for the university system, has refused to shift grounds to suspend the strike until the government meets its demands. Other striking unions in the university system have suspended their strike as negotiations continue with the government. Following the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu’s appeal, both the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Other Associated Institutions (NASU) suspended their strike by two months while the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) suspended its by three months. The three unions said the window was to allow for the conclusion of negotiations with the governmen. They threatened to continue with the strike should the government fail to meet their demands at the expiration of the ultimatums.. The minister said ASUU refused to yield to his appeal, insisting on the payment of its members’ five month salaries before the suspension of the strike. But ASUU denied the minister’s claim, saying it refused to suspend the strike because the government was yet to meet any of its demands despite multiple meetings. Committee In the letter dated 1 September, ASUU listed members of the committee and urged members to be diligent in its task. The letter reads in part: “The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is at a very critical stage of its struggle towards the survival of Public Universities in Nigeria. It has been observed that a lot of media propaganda to misinform and malign the Union is ongoing. The Union appreciates your efforts in responding to this media war. “The Trustees and Principal Officers of the Union decided to constitute a rapid response committee to immediately respond to various media publications, opinions, interviews etc, that may be against the interest of the union.” The letter listed the members to include Ade Adejumo of LAUTECH as Convener and Victor Igbum of Benue State University as Secretary – both professors. Other members of the committee include Joseph Ushie, a professor at University of Uyo; Abdulgafar Amoka, a professor at Ahmadu Bello University; Adelaja Odukoya, University of Lagos; Taiwo Obateru, University of Jos and Otu Akamu, Alex Ekwueme Federal University.

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Post Date : September 4, 2022

NBS: Nigeria generated N600bn from VAT in Q2 2022 — up by 2% from previous quarter

  According to the report, local payments of VAT amounted to N359.12 billion in Q2 2022. “On the aggregate, value-added tax (VAT) for Q2 2022 was reported at N600.15 billion, showing a growth rate of 1.96 percent on a quarter-on-quarter basis from N588.59 billion in Q1 2022,” the report reads. “Local payments recorded were N359.12 billion, while foreign VAT payment contributed N111.13 billion in Q2 2022. “On a quarter-on-quarter basis, electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply recorded the highest growth rate with 116.47 percent, followed by accommodation and food service activities with 42.44 percent. The report added that activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies had the lowest growth rate with -42.39 percent, followed by activities of households as employers, undifferentiated goods- and services-producing activities of households for own use with -36.57 percent. On sectoral contributions, the top three largest shares in Q2 2022 were manufacturing with 33.08 percent; information and communication with 18.98 percent; and mining and quarrying with 10.60 percent. Conversely, activities of households as employers, undifferentiated goods- and services-producing activities of households for own use recorded the least share with 0.03 percent, followed by activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies with 0.05 percent, and water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities with 0.13 percent. However, on a year-on-year basis, VAT collections in Q2 2022 increased by 17.16 percent from Q2 2021. VAT is a consumption tax which is administered by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). Revenue generated from VAT is usually disbursed to the three tiers of government through the federation accounts allocation committee (FAAC). The 7.5 percent VAT rate became effective on February 1, 2020.

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Post Date : September 4, 2022

Report: FG to pay $496m to settle foreign firm’s claims over steel plants

  The federal government has agreed to pay $496 million to settle a multi-billion dollar claim from Global Steel Holdings Limited, following the termination of a contract to upgrade the country’s steel plants, Reuters is reporting. The news agency quoted Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), as saying the federal government managed to get a 91 percent haircut on the original claim of $5.258 billion. “I pay tribute to President Buhari for his dedication to resolving this problem and wrestling back a crown jewel of our national industrialisation plans rather than leaving the endeavour to the future administration to deal with,” Reuters quoted Malami, who led the negotiations on behalf of the government, as saying. Global Steel Holdings Limited, with headquarters in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), acquired Nigeria’s entire state steel industry via five major concessions and share purchase contracts.   The deal also included access to Nigeria’s iron ore reserves and the central railway network. However, the contracts were revoked in 2008 when the federal government accused the firm of asset stripping – a development that led to a court case between the two parties. According to the report, Global Steel sought arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce, Court of Arbitration in Paris, the same year.   Between 2011 and 2020, Global Steel and the Nigerian government made several attempts to settle but the efforts did not yield the expected result. Meanwhile, efforts to reach the attorney-general of the federation via Umar Gwandu, his spokesman, were unsuccessful as he had not responded to enquiries on the matter as of the time of this report.

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Post Date : September 4, 2022

Suspected Stowaway Arrested At Lagos Airport

  A suspected stowaway was on Sunday morning arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. The suspect, a middle-aged man, was reportedly found in one of the aircraft belonging to United Nigeria Airlines which was parked at the MMA domestic terminal two. He looked “unkempt and unconscious,” the airline said in a statement confirming the incident, adding that he was discovered during the pre-flight inspection this morning. Head, Corporate Communications of the airline, Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu in the statement said the suspect had been handed over to the security agencies, saying the aviation security (AVSEC) personnel of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and those of Bi-Courtney were on the ground. He added that the aircraft last operated Abuja-Lagos at 7.30pm on September 3, 2022 and was securely parked at the apron following post flight inspection. The statement added, “FAAN, AVSEC and Bicourtney security services are on the ground and investigation has opened into this security breach at MMA2. “The affected aircraft is being screened and prepared for service in accordance with United Nigeria Airlines strict security and operating standards. “Meanwhile, the development will result in rescheduling of some flights to accommodate the investigations. “We regret the delay this incident will cause our esteemed customers whose scheduled flight will be affected. United Nigeria Airlines remains absolutely committed to your safety at all times.” Daily Trust reports that the incident of stowaway is not new in Nigeria’s aviation industry even as there have been security breaches in the past. In 2019, a stowaway found his way into a Lagos-Amsterdam flight and his dead body was recovered underneath a KLM flight that landed in Amsterdam.

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Post Date : September 4, 2022

How Tompolo got pipeline surveillance contract — NDDC chief

  FOLLOWING the uproar generated by the oil pipeline surveillance contract awarded to an ex-militant leaders Government Ekpemopolo (aka Tompolo), the Special Assistant on Youth to the Interim Administrator of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Udengs Eradiri, said Tompolo followed due process before the contract was awarded to him. Eradiri stated this while representing the Interim Administrator, NDDC, Dr Effiong Akwa, at the Gbaramatu Voice 7th Anniversary Lecture/Niger Delta Awards 2022 with theme ‘Oil Politics, Securing National Assets, Dependency, and Diversification’ held in Abuja. Akwa, who commended Gbaramatu Voice for keeping up the media space and making the Niger Delta proud, promised that the NDDC will do its best to support it to be the flagship of the Niger Delta in the media space. On the criticism that trailed the announcement of the contract award to a company that Tompolo has interest in, he said: “We have seen some videos but I see it as ignorance of the highest order. There are five contractors who bidded according to the Nigerian procurement process and won awards of contract. “Tompolo, in his usual community development style, called his people to see how to stop the menace and let us work together. “In a contractual process, you have to first register a company and follow the procedure. The NNPC’s rule in that contract is that you must sustain it for three months before you are paid. “So if you don’t have N12 billion to sustain the project, you will never be given a contract. “Unfortunately, our people don’t know that they have to organize themselves. I went to a militant camp where one (militant leader) said he has put dynamites in the whole area and he is going to destroy lives. “I left Gbaramatu to talk to him. He was fuming, and I said ‘we will give you the contract’. I asked him, ‘do you have a company?’ He did not have. “We should stop throwing stones, rather, let us work with our brothers. “GbaramatuVoice needs to do a lot to inform our people because the man who is not informed is deformed. “Please inform and educate our people about contractual process. “The contract awarded to Tompolo or the person that is working with Tompolo is on stop-guard machinery within a period. N4 billion is no money because by the time they make expenses on various factors, nobody will save N100,000.”

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Post Date : September 4, 2022

Catholic Priest dies while returning from colleague’s burial

  Tragedy struck again at the Abakaliki Catholic Diocese, Ebonyi State as Parish Priest, St Patrick’s Parish, Ezza Ofu, Rev. Fr. Raymond Eselu, died on steering while returning from a colleague’s burial ceremony. According to a statement by the Diocesan Chancellor, Fr. Matthew Uzoma Opoke, Eselu was confirmed dead at the Alex Ekweme Federal Teaching Hospital, AE FETHA II, after an auto crash which occured in front of St.Theresa’s Cathedral, Abakaliki. Eselu, 47, had attended the burial ceremony of the Parish Priest, St Paul’s Parish Amudo, Ezza LGA, Fr Christopher Agwu, who died on August 4, after battling a terminal illness. It was gathered that Eselu left the event and was driving to see his doctor when he passed on, leaving the car to roll and stop abruptly. Agwu and Eselu were ordained on July 6, 1996, and July 7, 2007, respectively. The Diocese, which eulogized Agwu at his burial, officiated by the Bishop of the diocese, His Lordship, Most Rev. Peter Nworie Chukwu, described Eselu, as ‘a “brilliant, jovial, dedicated and workaholic priest, who took delight in celebrating the mass”. He will be buried on September 6 after a requiem mass.

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Post Date : September 4, 2022

2023: Go to jail for 20 years if you cause people to vote on religious, tribal basis — Reps’ bill

  Twenty years jail term and N40 million fine await anyone who causes people to vote on the basis of religion, community, tribe, language or territorial region in the 2023 general elections, if a bill under consideration at the House of Representatives scales through. Similarly, any candidate who distills a piece of information that undermines the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, or unity of the Federation and promotes feeling of hate during campaigns, according to the bill, will be jailed for 20 years. The punitive measures are prescribed and contained in Electoral Offences Commission Bill currently undergoing consideration at the House of Representatives. The bill, which has already been passed by the Senate, is sponsored by the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Aishatu Dukku, Leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the House, Kingsley Chinda, John Dyegh and Francis Charles Uduyok. It is seen an attempt to appropriate stiffer penalties to bring about credibility in Nigeria’s electoral process. The bill also stipulates a fine of N40 million for anyone who shall loot, damage or destroy ballot boxes, papers or any material during voting. It reads: “No person shall propagate or cause to be propagated anything or information that (a) undermines or is capable of undermining the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, or unity of the Federation;(b) promotes or is capable of promoting feeling of enmity or hate on the basis of any religion, community, caste, tribe, language or territorial region; or (c) causes or is capable of causing people to vote on the basis of any religion, community, caste, tribe, language or territorial region. “Any person who commits an act in contravention of subclause (1) of this clause shall be guilty of a serious electoral offence and liable, on conviction, to imprisonment for a term of at least twenty (20) years without an option of a fine. “No candidate or agent of his or any other person shall grab, loot, damage or destroy in any manner ballot boxes or ballot papers or any other electoral document or material before, during or after an election, or take or attempt to take or cause to be taken ballot boxes or ballot papers or any other electoral document or material before, during or after an election without the permission of election official in charge of the election at a polling station or election official in charge of the electoral materials or abet to the commission of such act or cause obstruction of any kind in any manner to any other acts relating to an election.” “Contravening the provision of this section attracts a sanction of at least 20 years in prison with an option of N40 million fine”.

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Post Date : September 4, 2022

Six Trapped As 7-Storey Building Collapses In Lagos

  A seven-storey building under construction on Oba Idowu Oniru Street, Lagos, has collapsed, trapping about six persons. The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed the incident in the early hours of Sunday. He stated that operation had commenced on the site to rescue those trapped. He said, “Upon arrival at the scene of the incident, an uncompleted 7-storey building undergoing construction was found to have collapsed. No injury sustained however about six people are reported to be trapped under the rubble of the collapsed structure. “The agency’s heavy duty equipment excavator will be required for the rescue of the trapped victims. We have activated Lagos State Response plan .Operation ongoing.” Editor’s Note: This photo is for illustrative purpose

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Post Date : September 4, 2022

No Need Tol Insult At Rival Parties, We Are Smarter – Tinubu

  Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Saturday said his campaign will not engage in an exchange of insults with other parties. He made the comment while meeting with the party’s Northern state lawmakers in Abuja. “We don’t need it; we are smarter, we are brilliant, we are courageous,” Tinubu said. “We are not like them. Why do we have to worry about them? “But just wait for the calendar, the day of the voting.” Tinubu’s running mate, Kashim Shettima, urged the North to rally around Tinubu ahead of the election next year. He argued that Tinubu was instrumental to the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. “This is payback time,” Shettima said. Meanwhile, the state lawmakers said they have begun organising a door-to-door campaign activity for Tinubu in the region.

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