Managing Director of Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, has disclosed that the maximum of 1.2 million students across federal tertiary institutions will access the students loan in the fist phase. Speaking ahead of the opening of the portal for applications on Friday, he said the first phase will be officially open for students in federal institutions whose institutions have completed the uploading of their data. While noting that the loan application process has been streamlined to ensure easy access for all eligible students in federal tertiary institutions, he said prospective applicants can begin their application process effective from the 24th of May, 2024. At a briefing on Monday, he said the loan is available to all students in government tertiary institutions and it is going to be rolled out in phases, starting with federal institutions before getting to state institutions. Sawyerr said the initiative is a crucial component of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, designed to provide financial assistance (obligatory fees and stipend) to needy students, enabling them to pursue their educational goals without the burden of immediate financial constraints. He said the interest-free loan programme offers flexible repayment options, which commence two years after completing the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), provided the individual has secured employment. He said the Fund will pay 100 per cent of institutional fees directly to the institutions of learning while also providing stipends to the students monthly based on the time school is in session. He said some of the key features of the student loan to include, No physical contact between the loan applicant and NELFUND, user-friendly Loan Application portal, comprehensive support where Applicants can access online support to assist and affordable and flexible repayment plans.   “We encourage all students in federal institutions to take advantage of this opportunity to secure the required financial assistance for their education. Applicants must submit their applications as early as possible to ensure timely processing,” he said. The Managing Director, however, pointed out that they were working with various insurance companies on where the loan goes bad and also working with security agencies in case there is a deliberate fraud. Meanwhile, the Act providing the scheme has no requirement for Next of Kin or Collateral, but institutions must upload the students’ data and register them for them to access the loan.

  Electricity workers union have locked out the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, and other top officials of the Ministry and the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, over pending labour issues including an order from the Federal Government that N2 billion should be deducted from the account of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, to fund power distribution companies, DisCos. The workers who locked the gates leading into the complex that houses the Ministry of Power and TCN, vowed not to open it until they met with the Minister. Vanguard gathered that the workers took the drastic action after the Minister failed to meet with their union officials last Thursday. However, in a note to journalists, the Minister’s media aide, Bolaji Tunji, said the “Minister has said he is willing to meet with the people invited for the meeting which is NUEE and its senior staff association, at a date to be agreed to by the two parties.” Meanwhile, the two in-house unions have rejected the order from the Federal Government that N2 billion should be deducted from the account of the TCN to fund power distribution companies, DisCos, describing it as “unrealistic and an attempt to run TCN down.” In a joint letter to the Minister of Power, the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, and its Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, SSAEAC, they issued a two-week strike notice to the government to stop the practice among other demands, saying it is mischievous to deduct N2billion of the revenue generated by TCN as technical losses for the DiSCos. This came as they reiterated their calls for the reversal of the 300 percent hike in electricity tariff, demanding among others, that “NERC must reverse the unilateral tariff increase implemented without consulting with critical stakeholders in the sector. The salaries of the workers in the sector must be reviewed. All obnoxious deductions from TCN must stop forthwith and all deducted funds remitted back to TCN with immediate effect. Why these deductions, when revenue is required to strengthen the already aged and weak network that will guarantee stable and reliable energy supply? “Henceforth, all staff in the sector will have electricity rebates (units) allocated to them as a standard practice. Power Generation Companies, GenCos must not be given revenue generated from TCN and DisCos until they allow the unionization of their companies as provided by the Labour Act. The unions frown at the proposed unbundling of TCN without input from all critical stakeholders and demand that the government should immediately direct NERC to halt it. “We implore the Minister that in the interest of industrial peace and sustainability of the entire electricity value chain, the tariff increase should be reversed and the status quo should be maintained within the next two weeks as stated above with effect from Monday of 20th May, 2024. It is imperative that the industrial harmony so far recorded in the sector should be protected by all stakeholders towards delivering uninterrupted Power Supply to Nigerians.” The unions noted that “We are taken aback by the utmost disregard for the critical stakeholders in the power sector by you and your agency’s unilateral and detrimental decisions in the sector. We believe that all agencies, under your ministry, should key into your agenda and set goals by extension to the vision of this administration in seeing to a regular and sustainable power supply in the country. “The disruption being engineered by NERC in the sector is not surprising as there is no known agenda or vision for the power sector by your administration one year after the resumption of office. The unfortunate scenario playing out in the Power Sector points to the fact that you administer the sector like a personal estate with no consideration for the welfare and survival of the workers and the sector in general. “In retrospect, since you assumed office a year ago, your ministry and NERC have been running the sector without recourse to critical stakeholders in the power industry. Minister, in case you are not aware, we want to enumerate below some of your unfriendly and harsh policies that have helped to make the sector perform below the expected level of quality service required by Nigerians. This include Unilateral tariff increase to about 300 percent without stakeholders’ dialogue while the proposed review of workers’ salary does not receive the desired considerations. This is provocative and unacceptable. The mischievous deduction of 8 percent of the revenue generated as technical losses from TCN is a political calculation to blackmail the company and its management to make it look inefficient is disheartening and would in the long term hurt the entire electricity value chain. This is highly unacceptable and cannot be sustained. “The vexatious order from NERC on a monthly deduction of N2 billion from the account of TCN is unrealistic and an attempt to run TCN down, portray the management as incompetent and take advantage of the failures for selfish political gains. We want a justified reason for such a humongous and unrealistic deduction. Consideration was not put in place for the effect of this on the salaries of workers and their welfare before implementing this unrealistic deduction; the illegal deduction of 46.7 percent from TCN revenue (not even profit) for project execution for DisCos. Are the privatized companies not owned by private entities? What system of privatization are we adopting? Our findings revealed that all these obnoxious orders from NERC are a conspiracy to grind the operations of TCN and then liquidate it. These are to prepare enough ground to unbundle it for selfish political gains by some few people. The Unions will vehemently resist any attempt to cede these infrastructures to cronies for political patronage.

  Less than 24 hours after two persons were killed and seven others abducted at Ikachi village, two more persons have been reportedly killed in another attack at Igede village in the Akparata area of Effium community located in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. The two persons were beheaded and houses razed during the attack on Monday morning, as the whereabouts of a 10-year-old boy was still unknown. A spokesperson for the Ebonyi State Police Command, Joshua Ukandu, confirmed the attack to Channels Television. He noted that the military and mobile policemen have been stationed in the community to protect the people and to forestall any reprisal.

  The organised labour comprising of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, on Monday, ordered state chapters to issue two weeks ultimatum to states that have failed to implement the old N30,000 minimum wage. The NLC and TUC took this decision during a jointly held National Executive Council meeting which took place on Monday. “NEC-in-session further directed all state councils whose state governments are yet to fully implement the N30,00 national minimum wage and its consequential adjustments to issue immediately a joint two-week ultimatum to the culpable state governments to avert industrial action,” NLC’s National President, Joe Ajaero; and TUC’s National President, Festus Osifo, said in a statement. Speaking further, the unions also called for a one-day action in Anambra State following what was described as the failure of the state government to meet the demands of civil servants in the state. “Consequently, the NEC-in-session accordingly reaffirms the NLC and TUC joint ultimatum earlier issued to the Anambra State Government by its Anambra State councils. It therefore directed all affiliates and workers in the state council to mobilise their members to ensure a successful action in the event the state government fails to meet the demands of workers by Thursday, the 23rd of May, 2024. “In the event that the government fails to meet the demands outlined within the stipulated timeframe, the NEC authorises the leadership of the NLC and TUC to take appropriate actions, including but not limited to the mobilisation of workers for peaceful protests and industrial actions, to press home these demands for social justice and workers’ rights. “NEC therefore calls on all affiliate unions, and workers including Civil Society Organisations across Nigeria to remain united and steadfast in solidarity during this critical period. Together, we shall prevail in our pursuit of a fair and just society that guarantees the dignity and well-being of all its citizens,” the statement added.

  A disabled Nigerian man, who has resided in the UK for 38 years, is facing the prospect of being forcibly removed from the country by the Home Office, the Guardian UK reports. Anthony Olubunmi George, now 61 years old, arrived in the UK at the age of 24 back in 1986, from Nigeria. Since then, he has remained in the UK and, according to the Guardian, has a clean record with no criminal convictions. In 2019, he experienced two strokes that had a significant impact on his ability to speak and move. According to George, he no longer has any immediate relatives residing in Nigeria. He is said to have faced numerous episodes of homelessness and admitted that he has lost track of the countless friends who have sheltered him over the years. George said, “I don’t know how many different sofas I’ve slept on – too many to count. I don’t have my life, living the way I’m living now. My health problems since I had my stroke are my biggest worry. All I’m asking for is some kindness from the Home Office.” George has submitted multiple applications for leave to remain in the UK, all of which have been denied by the Home Office, with the most recent rejection occurring on May 7, 2024. In 2005, his previous solicitors submitted a falsified entry stamp in his passport which has since been reported to the police and the legal regulatory bodies. According to George, he was completely unaware of the passport stamp until several years later, as he revealed to the Guardian. According to his current lawyer, Naga Kandiah of MTC Solicitors, George’s difficulties can be attributed to his poor past legal representation. In their latest rejection, officials from the Home Office stated that the situation was not deemed to be an exceptional circumstance. Kandiah has filed an appeal challenging the most recent denial. Kandiah said, “My client has been living in limbo for 38 years, with no family, has suffered two strokes and has no family left in Nigeria. “His situation is not just because of Home Office policies but also because of poor representation by previous solicitors who failed to uphold professional integrity and ethical standards.” A spokesperson for the Home Office told the Guardian that, “applications have to be considered on their merits in accordance with the immigration rules with the responsibility on applicants to demonstrate they meet these rules.” The Guardian also covered the story of Nelson Shardey, a 74-year-old newsagent from Merseyside. Shardey has been living in the UK since 1977 and was recently denied indefinite leave to remain by the Home Office, despite having spent the majority of his adult life in the country.

  Monday 20 May 2024 Dangote petrol supply: FG may slash N6tn fuel import Oil production nears 1.7mbpd – NNPC Workers will rather work for free than accept N48,000 — NLC CBN withdraws circular on cybersecurity levy Two killed, 7 kidnapped in Ebonyi communal clashes Iran Government Says Will Operate ‘Without Disruption’ After Raisi Death Tinubu Establishes Climate Action Committee, Appoints Ngelale As Special Envoy Looted Ancestral Stools Return To Oba Of Benin NDLEA Declares India-Based Nigerian Couple Wanted Gunmen Kidnap Akwa Ibom Traditional Ruler Six Killed In Taraba Road Accident Tinubu Appoints InfraCorp As Lead Developer Of Nigeria’s Green Industrial Zone SERAP Sues 36 Governors, Wike ‘Over Failure To Account For Trillions Of FAAC Allocations’ Otti Condoles With Army Over Killing Of Soldier In Abia NIN Data Sharing Ongoing With Immigration Service For Seamless Passport Issuance – NIMC DG Obidients mobilise, form committee ahead of 2027 elections 261,703 PVCs uncollected — INEC Ondo guber: Jimoh rejects peace move More Pressure On Naira Ahead Possible Interest Rate Hike Restrictions On Nigerian, Other African Countries’ Imports Affecting Businesses – IMF Kano Mosque Arson Renders 100 Orphans, 13 Widows Tinubu likely to get ministers’ performance record this week Troops rescue 383 from Sambisa 10 years after abduction Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  Iranian state media said President Ebrahim Raisi died on Monday after his helicopter crashed in a mountainous region of the country. The government has not yet issued a confirmation of the leader’s death. Rescue teams had been scouring the area since Sunday afternoon after a helicopter carrying Raisi, the foreign minister and other officials had gone missing. Early Monday, relief workers located the missing helicopter, with state TV saying the president had died. “The servant of Iranian nation, Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi has achieved the highest level of martyrdom whilst serving the people,” state television said Monday, with Mehr news agency also saying he was dead. State television broadcast photos of Raisi, with the voice of a man reciting the Koran playing in the background. Iran’s vice president for executive affairs Mohsen Mansouri posted on X a Koranic verse used to express condolences. – Ultraconservative – Fears had been growing for the 63-year-old ultraconservative after contact was lost with the helicopter carrying him as well as Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in East Azerbaijan province on Sunday. A total of nine people were on board the aircraft, according to Tasnim news agency. Iran’s Red Crescent chief Pirhossein Koolivand said rescue teams headed towards the site of the crash after locating the aircraft. “The helicopter has been found. Now, we are moving toward the helicopter,” said Koolivand. “We are seeing the helicopter. The situation is not good.” “Upon finding the helicopter, there was no sign of the helicopter passengers being alive as of yet,” state TV reported about 15 hours after the aircraft went missing. Iranian media including Fars news agency shared drone images of what appeared to be the wreckage of the helicopter. State TV first reported Sunday afternoon that “an accident happened to the helicopter carrying the president” in the Jolfa region of East Azerbaijan province. Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the helicopter “made a hard landing” in bad weather. He urged people to get their information “only from state television”, and not listen to foreign media channels Iran deems hostile to the Islamic republic. Raisi’s convoy had included three helicopters, and the other two had “reached their destination safely”, said the Tasnim news agency. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged Iranians to “not worry” about the leadership of the Islamic republic, saying “there will be no disruption in the country’s work”. Expressions of concern and offers of help came from abroad, including Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Russia, China and Turkey, as well as from the European Union which activated its rapid response mapping service to aid in the search effort. – Massive search effort – Iran’s cabinet held an emergency meeting led by Vice President Mohammad Mokhber after the incident, the IRNA news agency reported. Army, Revolutionary Guard and police officers were involved in the search, authorities said, as TV stations showed pictures of Red Crescent teams walking up a hill in the mist, while rows of emergency response vehicles waited. Raisi had visited the northwestern province to inaugurate a dam project together with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, on their common border. Aliyev said in a post on X that “we were profoundly troubled by the news of a helicopter carrying the top delegation crash-landing in Iran”. Foreign countries were closely following the search at a time of high regional tensions over the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas since October 7 that has drawn in other armed groups in the Middle East. A US State Department spokesman said: “We are closely following reports of a possible hard landing of a helicopter in Iran carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister”, adding that “we have no further comment at this time”. US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the crash, an American official said on condition of anonymity. – ‘Servant of the people’ – Raisi has been president since 2021 when he succeeded the moderate Hassan Rouhani, at a time when the economy was battered by US sanctions over Iran’s contested nuclear programme. Iran saw a wave of protests triggered by the death in custody of Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in September 2022 after her arrest for allegedly flouting dress rules for women. In March 2023, regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia signed a surprise deal that restored diplomatic relations. The Gaza war sent regional tensions soaring and a series of tit-for-tat escalations led to Tehran launching hundreds of missiles and rockets directly at Israel in April this year. In a speech following Sunday’s dam inauguration, Raisi emphasised Iran’s support for Palestinians, a centrepiece of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic revolution. “We believe that Palestine is the first issue of the Muslim world, and we are convinced that the people of Iran and Azerbaijan always support the people of Palestine and Gaza and hate the Zionist regime,” said Raisi. Hamas, which the United States and European Union consider a terrorist group, said that “in this painful incident, we express our full solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran, its leadership, government and people”. AFP

  The Central Bank of Nigeria has retracted its directive asking banks and payment service providers to collect and remit the cybersecurity levy as outlined in the Cybercrime Prevention and Prohibition Amendment Act of 2024. The apex bank announced this in a revised circular dated May 17, 2024. The circular, signed by the Director of Payment Systems Management, Chibuzor Efobi, and the Director of Financial Policy and Regulation Department, Haruna Mustafa, was addressed to commercial banks, payment service providers (PSPs), non-interest banks, and others. The circular obtained by PUNCH Online on Sunday was titled, “Re: Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act 2024 – Implementation Guidance on the Collection and Remittance of the National Cybersecurity Levy.” It read, “The Central Bank of Nigeria circular dated May 6, 2024 (Ref: PSMD/DIR/PUB/LAB/017/004) on the above subject refers. “Further to this, please be advised that the above-referenced circular is hereby withdrawn.” The directive for the collection of the levy was met with nationwide backlash which prompted the Presidency to suspend the implementation. The Federal Executive Council suspended the implementation of the provisions of the law, citing the need to conduct further reviews.

  Iran’s Deputy President for Executive Affairs Mohsen Mansouri has said that two members of President Ebrahim Raisi’s entourage have contacted rescue teams, and this shows that the air incident involving their helicopter has not been rough, reported the IRNA news agency. Mansouri said on Sunday that the helicopter of President Raisi and two more copters were en route to the city of Tabriz after the president and his Azerbaijani counterpart inaugurated Qiz Qalasi Dam at the border between the two countries. Half an hour into their flight, Raisi’s helicopter lost contact with the two other copters, which prompted them to search the area, Mansouri said, adding that two members of the president’s entourage contacted rescue teams, which shows that the incident has not been hard. Another promising point is that the Ministry of Communications has been able to determine the location of the accident within a radius of two kilometers, he added. Meanwhile, the Supreme Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has prayed for Raisi’s return. Ayatollah Khamenei reacted to the news of the helicopter crash on Sunday in a meeting with families of the staff and commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps. While expressing sadness about the worrisome incident for the president and his entourage, Ayatollah Khamenei expressed hope that the Almighty God would return the president and his colleagues to the arms of the nation. The leader said, however, that the Iranian people should stay calm and be confident that the incident would not impact the country’s routine operations. “The Iranian nation shouldn’t be worried. There will be no disruption to the operations of the country,” said Ayatollah Khamenei.

  A helicopter carrying Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, and Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, crashed on Sunday, according to state media and the country’s mission to the United Nations, UN but has yet to be found by search-and-rescue workers because of heavy fog. The state news agency IRNA reported that an enormous search operation involving 16 teams was underway to locate the helicopter. Inclement weather is hampering the effort. The teams had yet to locate the crash site after almost five hours. State media has yet to report on casualties or confirm the whereabouts or condition of the President. The cause of the crash is also unknown. Earlier reports indicated that one of the three helicopters in a convoy carrying the Iranian President was involved in an accident.   [BBC]