Dayo Duyile, a veteran journalist, is one of the students to be conferred with a doctorate as the University of Lagos (UNILAG) holds its 53rd convocation ceremony. The schedule of activities for the convocation will begin on January 13 and end on January 22. Speaking on Tuesday at a pre-convocation media briefing, Folasade Ogunsola, vice-chancellor of UNILAG, said Duyile is the oldest male graduating student. Duyile, born in October 1942, is a former provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ). He obtained a PhD from the department of mass communication. According to the vice-chancellor, Duyile “was the Daily Times of Nigeria journalist who covered the opening ceremony event of the University of Lagos on October 3, 1962″. Speaking with Lekan Otufodunrin, executive director of Media Career Development Network, in 2018, the veteran journalist had said he always wanted to get a doctorate. “I have always wanted to get a Phd in mass communication that I teach and journalism that I have practised for 55 years since twenty-five years ago. It’s never too late to get an additional qualification, including a Phd,” he had said. Giving a breakdown of the statistics of graduating students, Ogunsola added that a total of 2,251 students will receive degrees at different levels. “A total of 2,251 graduating students will receive their degrees, diplomas and certificates. Out of this number, 67 will receive postgraduate diplomas, 2,119 will receive masters degrees, while 65 will receive doctorate degrees,” the vice-chancellor said. Meanwhile, “Okonjo Bridget Obiageli who obtained her M.Ed. in guidance and counselling at the age of 82 years” is the oldest female graduating student.

  The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, on Tuesday, met with members of the United Kingdom Parliament to discuss his solutions to issues that could be of concern to the European country if he is elected president next month. “I just concluded successful meetings with The Right Hon. Andrew Mitchell MP—Minister for Development and Africa in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), amongst other key senior UK government officials,” he tweeted at 6:13 pm. “It was an auspicious occasion to share my vision for Nigeria encapsulated in the Unity SEED with them. It is a vision United by Security, Economy, Education and Devolution (of Powers). “I solicited their partnership and I am encouraged by the UK government’s strong interest in helping Nigeria RECOVER every facet of its life.” I just concluded successful meetings with The Right Hon. Andrew Mitchell MP—Minister for Development and Africa in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), amongst other key senior UK government officials. pic.twitter.com/c30gmpX8w1 Robust Meeting’ Earlier, the Director of Public Affairs of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Senator Dino Melaye, told Channels Television that Atiku’s team met with the British directors of National Security and Open Spaces. “We met with about seven departmental heads and directors of government agencies in the UK and it was a robust meeting and we had very robust discussions on the economy, defence, and security. “We also had a lot of talk on immigration issues. It was a very great meeting. It was a very interesting, intriguing discussion with the British government today,” he said. Melaye insisted that the PDP candidate has been busy engaging Nigerians, especially those who have the capacity to vote. “Not that he’s not interacting globally. He’s visited presidents across the globe, more than any other presidential candidate,” he said. “In the last two months, Atiku Abubakar has visited about seven African presidents, especially in the ECOWAS region, to interact with them and to discuss the issue of insecurity across the region and how to tackle it.” According to him, no other presidential candidate has achieved that.

  The World Bank, on Tuesday, cuts its economic forecast due to a “perilous” close to falling into recession. According to BBC, it expects the world economy to grow by just 1.7 per cent this year – a sharp decrease from the 3 per cent it predicted in June. The report blames a number of factors stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the impact of the pandemic. The effects of higher interest rates are picked out as the key challenge for policymakers to overcome. World Bank president David Malpass said the downturn would be “broad-based” and growth in people’s earnings in almost every part of the world was likely to “be slower than it was during the decade before Covid-19”. The 1.7 per cent growth figure would be the lowest since 1991, with the exceptions of the recessions of 2009 and 2020, which were caused by the global financial crisis and the Covid pandemic. The World Bank said the US, the Eurozone and China – the three most influential parts of the world for economic growth – were “all undergoing a period of pronounced weakness,” a downturn that was worsening the problems faced by poorer countries. After surging 5.3 per cent in post-pandemic 2021, growth in the world’s richest economies is likely to slow sharply from 2.5 per cent in 2022 to just 0.5 per cent this year. “Over the past two decades, slowdowns of this scale have foreshadowed a global recession,” the bank warned, adding that it anticipated “a sharp, long-lasting slowdown.” If a global recession were to occur, it would be the first time since the 1930s that there have been two global recessions within the same decade. Tackling rising prices Higher inflation is one of the main reasons that the global economy is struggling. Global food and energy prices jumped last year as the war in Ukraine led to reduced crop supplies and pushed the West to move away from Russian fossil fuels. Why are things so expensive? The BBC’s Faisal Islam answers your inflation questions in 90 seconds The World Bank said it expected the global pace of price rises to slow from 7.6% in 2022 to 5.2 per cent this year, as those pressures ease.

  Sen. Bola Tinubu, All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, says Nigeria will prevail over forces of darkness, adding that evil will not prevail over the country. He said this in a statement by his Media Officer, Mr Tunde Rahman while condemning Saturday’s Edo train station attack where 31 passengers were kidnapped by suspected bandits. Tinubu described the abduction of the 31 passengers who were waiting to board the train at Igueben Station in Edo to Warri in Delta, as another sad episode in the security challenges facing the country. The former two-term governor of Lagos State stressed that Nigeria would prevail against the agents of darkness. He sympathised with the victims who were still held captive by the attackers and urged the Federal Government, Edo Government and Local authorities to work with security agencies on quick action to secure the release of all the victims. “I condemn the mindless attack and abduction of innocent train passengers in Edo by terrorists on Saturday, from available information, the security agencies are working hard to rescue the victims. “I urge more collaborative efforts by the Federal Government, Edo Government and other local authorities on quick rescue of all the victims. “This occurrence is a sad reminder that we have not completely won the war against insecurity and that there are still some agents of darkness lurking around the corner. “But I want to assure Nigerians we will win this war, evil will not prevail over our country because of our strong determination to exterminate the dark forces everywhere they manifest,” Tinubu said. He explained that one of the reasons he was running for the country’s presidency was to improve on her security situation and tackle every form of insecurity. He added that he had a clear plan to end violent crimes and terrorism through Anti-Terrorism Battalion Forces, investment in more security hardware and surveillance technology. This, he said, would make our streets, neighbourhood and forests saver for socio-economic activities to thrive and bloom. He commended the rescue efforts of the security agencies that had led to the arrest of some of the terrorists and the rescue of some victims, saying Nigeria would overcome. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Edo Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Mr Chris Nehikhare had said that six out of the kidnapped victims had been rescued. He said this at a media briefing in Benin City, noting that two more suspects on the wanted list of the police had been arrested as investigation was on to determine their culpability in the kidnap incident.“Six persons have been rescued in the last 24 hours, those rescued include a 65 year old man, a nursing mother and her baby, a six year old girl and two siblings: a boy and a girl aged between two and five years old. “Our security forces have continued with the bush combing to arrest other fleeing members of the kidnap gang. “I want to reassure Edo people that the government is taking this matter seriously to ensure that the state is safe for Edo people,” the commissioner said.

  Wednesday 11 January 2023 Last lap: Tinubu campaign mulls alliance with smaller parties Expelled Adamawa senator not entitled to re-election – Court Lagos robber lynched, Okada rider killed in crash Two female suspects detained over Lagos missing baby World Bank cuts economic forecast over global recession Wike to Rivers people: Vote PDP to consolidate on my legacy Doctors to embark on fresh indefinite strike Troops rescue another kidnapped Colonel, family members in Zamfara 2023: BVAS, solution to election rigging – PDP I40,000 international passports still uncollected – Nigeria Immigration Nigeria ‘ll prevail over forces of darkness – Tinubu Rivers Police Bust Child Trafficking Syndicate, Rescue Pregnant Teenagers Atiku Meets With UK Govt, Says Discussions Covered Security, Other Issues ‘No One Will Wish To Leave Nigeria,’ Obi Campaigns In Anambra Tinubu’s Presidency Will Guarantee Progress, Buhari Assures Yobe Residents I’ll Stand As Nnamdi Kanu’s Surety If Granted Bail – Orji Kalu One More Edo Train Attack Victim Released I Won’t Impose Presidential Candidate On Benue PDP Members – Ortom Corruption: Immigration Demotes 14 Officers, Penalises 22 Others Insecurity: Elections Must Hold, The World Is Watching, Afenifere Tells INEC  I Will Serve God, Nigerians Until Last Day In Office – Buhari We Have Uncovered Plans By Politicians To Smear Our DG, Says DSS EFCC Disqualifies Bidder Who Offered N13.1bn For Properties At Banana Island Presidency: Insecurity In South-East ‘Imported’ To Demarket Region, Says Nwanyanwu GTBank, UK finance agency reach settlement over anti-money laundering control gaps Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  A United Kingdom-based financial watchdog, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has fined the British subsidiary of Nigeria’s Guaranty Trust Bank £7.6 million ($9.3 million) over weak money laundering control system. The FCA in a statement on Tuesday said the bank failed in its anti-money laundering systems and controls. It stated that the failures were highlighted by the bank’s internal and external sources, Reuters reports, adding that GTBank failed to take appropriate measures to fix the system despite warnings. “These weaknesses were repeatedly highlighted to GTBank by internal and external sources, including the FCA, but despite this, GTBank failed to take appropriate action to fix them,” the FCA said. According to the FCA, the bank did not fault its findings and had agreed on settlement. The bank also confirmed in a statement that it had reached settlement with the FCA and accepted the findings in relation to Anti-Money Laundering (AML) controls in its operations between October 2014 and July 2019. A statement by the bank’s Managing Director, Mr. Gbenga Alade, on Tuesday, said the bank had cooperated fully with the FCA investigation and had agreed a penalty of £7,671,800. He said the amount was calculated by reference to a proportion of the revenues of GTBank UK over the relevant period and included a 30 per cent discount for early settlement. The statement reads in part, “As a responsible financial services institution that is committed to best practices, GTBank UK takes its AML obligations extremely seriously. “We note with sincere regret the FCA’s findings regarding AML control gaps in our operations in the past and we are very sorry for this. “We would like to assure all our stakeholders and the general public that necessary steps have been taken to address and resolve the identified gaps. “Whilst there was no direct customer impairment arising from the period under review (and the FCA’s findings do not include any instances of suspected money laundering.) “We have since reinforced our AML control framework and implemented changes in our AML processes in line with best practice with a view to ensuring that the highest standards are maintained in our operations.”

  The federal government has ruled out the possibility of the forthcoming elections being cancelled or postponed due to insecurity. Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, spoke on the matter on Tuesday at the 17th edition of the ‘President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) Administration Scorecard Series (2015-2023)’ in Abuja. He was reacting to reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said the elections face a serious threat of cancellation due to insecurity. The minister said there is no cause for alarm as all hands are on deck to ensure peaceful and credible conduct of the polls.   “The position of the federal government remains that the 2023 elections will be held as planned. Nothing has happened to change that position,” NAN quoted him as saying. “We are aware that INEC is working with the security agencies to ensure that the elections are successfully held across the country. “The security agencies have also continued to assure Nigerians that they are working tirelessly to ensure that the elections are held in a peaceful atmosphere.”   INEC had earlier said it would ensure that intensive and extensive security is provided for election personnel and materials. Speaking at the validation of election security training resources on Monday, Abdullahi Zuru, INEC commissioner and chairman, board of the Electoral Institute, said Babagana Monguno, national security adviser, has assured that a conducive environment will be provided for the successful conduct of the general election.

  As the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) begins bid opening for the assets recovered by the commission as proceeds of corruption, the bids for 24 units of luxury flats located at Banana Island in the highbrow Ikoyi area of Lagos State have failed. At the commencement of the bidding exercise held at the Convocation Square of the National Open University headquarters in Abuja, a bidder who turned in the highest bid of 13.1 billion naira was disqualified for failure to include the stipulated 10% of the bid amount. Other bidders including the Nigerian Army Welfare Limited By Guarantee and the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation made offers of 2.4 billion naira and four billion naira respectively which according to the commission did not meet the preserve amount for the properties. Consequently, the Secretary to the Commission, George Ekpungu announced a new date for the bidders to resubmit their bids.

  The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has demoted 14 officers and penalised 22 others for corruption. NIS spokesman, Tony Akuneme disclosed this in a statement issued Tuesday in Abuja, saying four were dismissed while 14 were demoted for various offenses for which they appeared before the Orderly Room Trial Committee of the Service. He stated that the move is part of measures to ensure optimal service delivery to Nigerians. Akuneme explained that four other personnel were discharged and acquitted, while two were redeployed to other locations. “As part of efforts to rid the Service of bad eggs and in furtherance of the Federal Government’s fight against corruption, the Nigeria Immigration Service has dismissed 4 personnel and demoted 14 for various offences for which they appeared before the Orderly Room Trial Committee of the Service,” he stated. “Eleven were issued warning letters and one was compulsorily retired. According to the Committee, 11 personnel are still awaiting trial.” According to him, the Comptroller General of Immigration, Isah Jere Idris, has assured the general public that there are no sacred cows in the Service as all offenders would be sanctioned.