TERRORISTS KILL FOUR NIGERIAN HUMANITARIAN WORKERS

Five months after they appeared in a video pleading with President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Government to ensure their safe release, four of the remaining five humanitarian workers with the Action Against Hunger abducted by a faction of Boko Haram have been executed by the terrorists.

According to MEDIA DIMENSION an online publication reported that in a tweet by independent journalist, Ahmad Salkida, the Islamic State of West Africa (ISWAP) which is a faction of Boko Haram has claimed responsibility in a video showing how the abductees were executed. “All four are male humanitarian workers of Action Against Hunger abducted since July, 2019. The only female amongst them, Grace Taku, according to ISWAP, is condemned to life of slavery”.

He explains that “ISWAP claims the execution was as a result of breakdown of talks with the government. The government is not sincere and do not respect timelines, reports an ISWAP source. Taku’s fate is now the same with other Christian female captives with the terror group”.

As at the time of this report, the Nigerian Government was yet to confirm the execution of the humanitarian workers or react to allegations made by ISWA over “breakdown of talks”. In a statement issued from its Paris headquarters in France, “Action Against Hunger extends its deepest sympathies to their loved ones and our colleagues in Nigeria”

The organisation “condemns these latest killings in the strongest terms and deeply regrets that its calls for the release of the hostages have not been acted upon. Action Against Hunger is extremely concerned and calls for the immediate release of its staff member, Grace, who remains in captivity”. Action Against Hunger also “requests that the public and media respect the dignity of the victims and the privacy of their families by not sharing images or videos that may circulate on the Internet”

The international humanitarian medical organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) has also in a statement expressed shock “by the killing of four humanitarian workers in northeast Nigeria, abducted in July 2019, and condemns in the strongest terms possible any form of violence against humanitarian workers. MSF also calls for the immediate release of remaining aid workers in captivity”.

It will be recalled that, on July 18, 2019, an employee of Action Against Hunger, two drivers and three health ministry personnel were kidnapped while delivering humanitarian aid to extremely vulnerable people in Borno State. The first hostage to be executed from the group was killed at the end of September earlier this year

JEGA Submits Internationalisation of Admissions Report To JAMB, Says Implementation Must Take Immediate Effect

Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Attahiru Jega has recealed that only about 1,856 foreign students are presently attending Nigerian tertiary institutions.

The figures were polled from a total of 1,132,795 students who responded in a survey involving 194 tertiary institutions in the country.

Jega who disclosed this while unveiling a new roadmap to enable the federal government to take steps in internationalising foreign students in the country said the few numbers of foreign students is out of the total number of 1,132,795 students presently in the country’s tertiary institutions.

The survey scored Nigeria low on the internationalization index.

“Out of 194 tertiary institutions which responded to the survey we carried out, only 1,856 foreign students school in Nigeria out of a total of 1,132,795 students,” Jega who chaired the internationalisation Committee said.

While presenting the report to management of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board(JAMB), initiators of the survey, Jega said there were only 437 foreign academic staff polled from a total of 5,604 academic staff in these institutions.

He said foreign students make up 0.18percent in Universities, 0.29percent in Polytechnics and 0.04percent in Colleges of Education.

“The percentage of all foreign students in Nigeria’s tertiary education system as at the 2018-2019 session is 0.16percent, with regards to academic staff, the percentage of foreign academics in Nigerian universities is 0.008percent and 1.64percent in polytechnics and 0.18percent in the colleges of education, an indication that teaching staff in Nigerian tertiary education system is largely dominated by Nigerian academics,” he stated.

Jega admonished that, to effectively attract and retain international students and staff, stakeholders in the sector must key into measures to create deliberate policies to promote the admission of foreign students.

Other recommendations provided by the Jega led Committee to boost internalization of foreign students, includes the need to place advertorials through international newspapers, magazines, journals, international websites and other online platforms.

Also recommended was the need to publish information on accredited programmes offered by our institutions, including the requirements for admission into such programmes.

According to Jega,  the tertiary education system in Nigeria, being the largest in Africa, should be an active player in the internationalization of education in the continent and indeed the world.

On his part, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede said the policy was part of programmes being mulled by the federal government to reform the tertiary education sector.

While commending the committee for a job well done said, the board  will push for the implementation of  the recommendations.

He announced that hostel facilities in twelve tertiary institutions in Nigeria would be upgraded by JAMB as part of the process to drive the policy.

WE WILL APPLY 'NO PAY NO WORK' IF DECEMBER SALARY IS NOT PAID; ASUU THREATENS OVER IPPIS

Academic workers under the auspices of the Academic Staff Union of University ASUU  has described the Intergrated Payroll, personnel and information system, IPPIS as a distraction  and threatened to adopt 'No Pay No Work' Should government refuses to pay December salary 

ASUU President, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi at a briefing in Abuja insists that it has created the University Transperancy And Accountability Solution, UTAS, as a replacement for IPPIS

Ogunyemi said Vice chancellors harassing ASUU members over enrolement into IPPIS will be dealt with headlong

"Well meaning Nigerians should prevail on the OAGF to stop intimidating our members. 

"ASUU has developed the University Transparency and Accountability System, UTAS as an alternative to IPPIS.

ASUU Also is also asking the government to keep to all agreements reached with the union since 2009

JUST IN: STRIKE SUSPENDED: Electricity Restored following meeting between NUEE and Government

The strucking Electricity workers under the auspices of NUEE has reached agreement between  NUEE  with Government after an all night meeting.

 To this end the ongoing strike has been suspended after all the issues in contention by the electricity workers   received the expected attention.

In a statement by spokesman of the NUEE joe Ajaero said members are urged to return to their duty posts while executive continues to monitor the implementation of the agreements. 

According to Ajaero "workers will not hesitate to resume action if the agreements are not implemented. 

             

Read.press release of AEDC.Below.

Press release

12th Dec. 2019

The staff and management of AEDC has received with great joy the suspension of the industrial action embarked upon by the members of the NUEE from yesterday. 

From information available to us, parties directly connected with the issues that led to the industrial action met until the early hours of today thus demonstrating their commitment to the speedy resolution of the issues that gave rise to the industrial action and allow the restoration of normal service to customers who were already becoming apprehensive especially as the yuletide period when they stock their homes with edible items is fast creeping in. 

In line with our tradition of service delivery, we have also informed our staff of this development and directed the full return to duty posts in franchise area. Customers should therefore look forward to our usual commitment to service delivery.

We must use this opportunity to appreciate our customers who demonstrated a huge dose of understanding through their patience. 

We are also grateful to the stakeholders for responding speedily to the challenge posed by the industrial action.

We like to use this platform to remind all our customers that they can purchase electrixity token from online payment channels as well as 3rd party vendors as debtor customers may be disconnected by  special revenue recovery taskforce has been set up to recover outstanding debts.

BLACKOUT: Nigeria Electricity Workers Strike Worsen Epileptic Power Supply

Blackout across Nigeria following electricity workers strike

As a result of the ongoing industrial action by the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) which commenced today, 11th December, 2019. 

A statement by Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IBEDC said "Kindly be informed  that service across our network has currently being disrupted as part of the nation wide shut down of electricity installations."

 

 "We hereby sincerely apologise for all inconveniences to our esteemed customers. Power will be restored immediately the strike is called off. 

 

The Company thanked Nigerians  for their continuous support and understanding .

Earlier on wednesday, Workers of Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, Osogbo sub region and NUEE members in FCT  staged  peaceful protests as they begin indefinite strike as a result of what they termed as unyielding stance of the federal government to their demands.

The national body of the union had directed all the branch union to beging indefinite strike on Wednesday until the federal government is ready to dialogue with them.

Adressing the journalists, a member of national leadership of the union, Segun Babatunde and chairman of Osogbo sub region, Mudasiru Adeniyi frown at the refusal of the government to reply their several memo and refuse to take seriously the 21 days ultimatum given .

Among the eleven demands is  the refusal to pay up the severance of over two thousand disengaged worker by the Bureau of Public Enterprise, BPE, since 2013.

Electricity workers under the auspices of NUEE vowed to continue the strike until the federal Gocernment calls them for dialogue and show readiness to pay their money

WONDERS NEVER END: 75-YEAR OLD MAN MARRIES 82-YEAR HEART THROB

A seventy five years old Man Mohammed Liti has married an Eighty two years old woman Oke Fatimah in Nigeria's North Western state of Kano

Patrick Abulu Blog gathered from an Online post, that after eight months of courtship, the two decided to tie the nut.

Mr. Liti reportedly paid a bride price of N10,000 to heartthrob.

Although, we can not authoritatively confirm the authenticity of the story, but it was also gathered that the 82-year old bride fries 'Kwosai' that is beans cake and 'waina' rice cake at Kan Fako area of Dorayi town in Gwale Local Government Area of Kano State.
The Online Post said ' Congratulations to them', we also facilitate with the  new couple

Fresh Crisis rocks Presidency as Aisha Buhari attacks Mamman Daura, Shehu

Nigeria’s First Lady has accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s nephew of issuing a presidential directive behind her husband.

Aisha Buhari, in a statement she signed on Wedsday, accused Mamman Daura of issuing a directive to a presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, not to recognise her office.

President Buhari had before his election in 2015 said he would not allow for the office of the First Lady. During Mr Buhari’s first term in office, the presidency repeatedly referred to Mrs Buhari as the ‘wife of the President.’

However, after the President’s re-election, Mrs Buhari released a statement saying she should henceforth be referred to as the First Lady and her office as the ‘Office of the First Lady’.

Since then, the presidency has referred to Mrs Buhari as the First Lady and President Buhari has also assigned official aides to her office.

On Wednesday, however, Mrs Buhari accused Mr Daura and Mr Shehu of undermining her office.

“Nigeria’s development is hinged on the ability of public officials to execute their mandates professionally, and to be shining examples in their various areas of endeavor. It is not a good sign when officials abandoned their responsibility and start clutching at straws,” the first lady wrote in the statement.

Her spokesperson, Suleiman Haruna, confirmed that Mrs Buhari authored the mail.

“As spokesperson of the President, he has the onerous responsibility of managing the image of the President and all the good works that he is executing in the country. Rather than face this responsibility squarely, he has shifted his loyalty from the President to others who have no stake in the compact that the President signed with Nigerians on May 29, 2015 and 2019.

“To make matters worse, Mr. Shehu has presented himself to these people as a willing tool and executioner of their antics, from the corridors of power even to the level of interfering with the family affairs of the President. This should not be so. The blatant meddling in the affairs of a First Lady of a country is a continuation of the prodigal actions of those that he serves.

“We all remember that the chief proponent appropriated to himself and his family a part of the Presidential Villa, where he stayed for almost four years and when the time came for him to leave, he orchestrated and invaded my family’s privacy through a video circulated by Mamman’s Daughter, Fatima, the public was given the impression that on arrival into the country I was locked out of the Villa by Mr. President.

“Garba Shehu as Villa Spokesperson, knew the truth and had the responsibility to set the records straight, but because his allegiance is somewhere else and his loyalty misplaced, he deliberately refused to clear the air and speak for the President who appointed him in the first place.

“Consequently, his action has shown a complete breakdown of trust between the First Family and him.

“Mr. Shehu was privy and part of the plan and it’s execution and he was shocked when he realized that I had publicized my return to Nigeria on October 12, 2019 and cleared the air on the many rumors that took over social media, a job he was supposed to do but kept mute to cause more confusion and instability for his Principal and his family.

“Garba then, vented his anger on the National Television Authority (NTA), Management insisting that the media crew to my office must be sacked. He succeeded in getting them suspended for doing their job. I had to intervene to save the innocent staff from losing their means of livelihood by involving the Department of State Services (DSS), in order to ascertain roles played by key actors in the saga.

“It is at this late hour that I recall, sadly, that it was the same Garba Shehu who claimed that the government will not allow office of the First Lady to run. He was later to confirm to one of my aides that he was instructed to say so by Mamman Daura and not the President. This antic attracted the anger of Nigerian women. He didn’t realize the fact that First Lady’s office is a tradition which has become an institution.

“Today, even without a budget, I am able to run my humanitarian programmes. In saner climes, Garba Shehu would have resigned immediately after going beyond his boundaries and powers.

“Garba Shehu needs to understand that this kind of behavior will no longer be tolerated.

“The latest of his antics was to wage a war on the first family through an orchestrated media campaign of calumny by sponsoring pseudo accounts to write and defame my children and myself.

“Based on Garba Shehu’s misguided sense of loyalty and inability to stay true and loyal to one person or group, it has become apparent that all trust has broken down between him and my family due to the many embarrassments he has caused the Presidency and the first family. We all have families to consider in our actions and therefore it is in the best interest of all concerned for Garba Shehu to take the advice of the authority, given to him sometimes in the first week of November, 2019,” Mrs Buhari wrote.

Mrs Buhari has repeatedly complained about the influence of Mr Daura in the Villa and on her husband.

According to AIT NEWS Online, She once accused him and others of hijacking her husband’s presidency and threatened not to support President Buhari’s second term bid.

Mr Daura is one of the closest confidants of the Nigerian leader and is considered one of the most powerful unelected officials in government.

MINIMUM WAGE: GOVERNORS HAVE NO EXCUSE NOT TO PAY AS FEC FIX DEC 31st FOR ARREARS PAYMENT

 

The Nigeria Labour Congress says there is no excuse for any state government not to implement and pay the thirty thousand naira minimu wage law

NLC President Ayuba Wabba at a meeting in Abuja with  NLC states chairmen and National executive of the joint Public Service Negotiating Council, said the issue of minimum wage payment is a constitution matter that cannot be toyed with

Some states chairman expressed optimism that all states of the federation will eventually pay a minimum of thirty thousand naira, despite talks making the rounds that  members of The Governors Forum may not be able to pay the new pay rise.

On the December, 31st deadline for states to conclude consequential adjustments of salaries, the NLC said the decisions taken at this expanded meeting involving states councils chairmen, supercides any other by which ever group.

 Meanwhile the federal government at the end of its federal executive council meeting presided over by vice president Yemi osinbajo has fixed a deadline for payment of minimum wage implementation arrears

Minister of labour and employment Chris Ngige who briefed state house correspondents says December 31, 2019 has been fixed for arrears to be paid from April 18, 2019 when the act was signed into law

FEC Gives Deadline For Payment Of New Minimum Wage Arrears

The Federal Executive Council presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has approved the payment of arrears of the new minimum wage as agreed upon by the Organised Labour and the Federal Government.

According to NAN, The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, made this known when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the Council meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday.

Ngige said that the Council also approved the payment of all outstanding financial implications of the consequential adjustments as worked out by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, beginning from April 18.

“Council today approved for us that the financial implications be worked out by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, as consequential adjustments should take effect from April 18, the date the new national minimum wage came into being.

“The Council also approved for us that the financial implications be worked out and the attendant payments completed on or before December 31.

“Council further directed that the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, should effect all these payments as scheduled before December 31.

“Council further directed also that the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission and the Ministry of Labour and Employment should send the consequential adjustment (wage) table to down to the States and Local Governments.

“This is to serve as an advisory document for their information and guidance, as they negotiate with their joint national public service councils in their respective states because the national minimum wage is a national law,’’ he said.

VAT INCREASE: NLC, Actionaid Nigeria, Oppose Regime, Reject TIN Policy

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and An international human rights advocate, Actionaid Nigeria Have vowed to reject any increase on value Added tax, VAT by 2.5 percent 

Both the Workers body and the advocacy group were speaking at a  two day Tax Summit at Barcelona Hotel, Wuse 11, in Abuja, where they threatened to seek the support of other concerned Nigerians and organisations to ensure the new tax regime does not succeed.

Eustace James a representative of the NLC president Ayuba Wabba said..." NLC noted that the VAT increase and the TIN Policy are not well thought out and so the NLC outrightly oppose to it..."

While the NLC argues that it will erode the gains of the hard fought N30,000  minimum wage, Actionaid says it will further impoverish citizens

"...we don't understand what they are saying. There is alot of confusion in the air. If they don't clear the air, we will protest.." Ene Obi, ACTIONAID Nigeria Country Director said.

On the vexed issue of imposing compulsory Tax Identification Number, TIN on all Nigerians who operate a bank account, including school children, the two groups describe the move as 'a joke of the year'.

The minister of finance, Zainab Ahmed had issued a statement calling on all Nigerians, including children with bank accounts, to obtain a Tax Identification Number, Before January, 2, 2020 or loss the account.