MORE TEACHERS WILL BE RECRUITED, PRESIDENT BUHARI TELLS NUT

President Muhammad Buhari says the federal government is ready to engage more qualified teachers to increase the teacher to pupil ratio in the country.

Buhari stated this in Abuja, the nation’s capital on Tuesday when he received the leadership of the Nigeria union of teachers, nut at the presidential villa.

The president acknowledged that Nigeria has a deficit of teachers, which his administration is addressing through the n-power teach volunteers scheme under the national social investment programme, NSIP.

He described the teaching profession as one of the most noble, noting that teachers have been at the forefront of cultivating young minds to be innovative and inventive.

In his remark, the nut president, Idris Nasir commended the Buhari administration’s giant strides in the education sector and appealed to the president to give a presidential assent to the bill on teachers retirement age and the teachers special salary structure, TSSS among others.

The nut leadership also praised the president on the proposed establishment of six federal colleges of education across the geo-political zones of the country

Source: AITNEWS

VAT INCREASE: Trade Union Congress of Nigeria is kicking

The trade union congress of Nigeria has kicked against VAT increase. Read statement below

                     PRESS RELEASE

VAT INCREASE: ATTEMPTS TO OVERBURDEN CONSUMERS WILL BE RESISTED

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) considers the aspect of the recently signed Finance Bill by the Federal Government that hikes the Value Added Tax (VAT) from 5.0 per cent to 7.5 per cent as a deliberate attempt to further overburden the common man and stifle businesses.

Multiple taxation is a bane to economic development anywhere in the world; hence most countries are reducing taxes to encourage Small Scale Businesses. We have heard about Nigeria doing well in the World Ease of Doing Business Index, but the experience in our country does not corroborate that claim. Any law that helps the government to generate more revenue at the expense of the public for us is anti-people and incapable of growing any economy.

According reports by the National Bureau of Statistics, the unemployment and underemployment rate is over 43.3 percent. By implication it means that most parents still feed their able-bodied youth even after graduation from the tertiary institution. It is indeed pathetic that the Federal Government appears to be more interested in collecting taxes than creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. Empirical evidences have shown that the poverty rate in the country has increased abysmally.

We see all these moves as a ploy to get back at the workers for asking for a review of the National Minimum Wage. This contradicts the promise of change the current administration made to Nigerians at the build -up of 2015 elections.

The Congress agrees that government cannot create all the jobs; at the same time a conducive environment should be provided to fertilise the efforts by individuals to set up businesses. Not much can be achieved if investors are daily grappling with taxes.  Government must begin to think out of the box to salvage the economy. Therefore 7.5 per cent increase in tax is a NO for the TUC.

Comrade Quadri Olaleye, FCIA             

President, TUC

Comrade (Barr.) Musa-Lawal Ozigi, mni

Secretary General, TUC

Nigerians will now pay 7.5 % VAT and not 5%

 

President Muhammadu Buhari  has signed into law the 2020 Finance Bill, bringing into effect the 7.5% VAT from 5%.

A statement issued by his special adviser on media and publicity Femi Adesina, With the assent, there will be more revenue to finance key government projects especially in the areas of health, education and critical infrastructure.

The president's assent on monday at the state house, was weeks after the National Assembly passage  and subsequently forwarded to the President.

President Buhari, while presenting the 2020 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly, had also presented the Finance Bill and noting that the Bill has five strategic objectives, in terms of achieving incremental, but necessary changes to Nigeria's fiscal laws.

These objectives are; Promoting fiscal equity by mitigating instances of regressive taxation; Reforming domestic tax laws to align with global best practices; Introducing tax incentives for investments in infrastructure and capital markets; Supporting Micro, Small and Medium-sized businesses in line with our Ease of Doing Business Reforms; and Raising Revenues for Government.

The draft Finance Bill proposes an increase of the VAT rate from five per cent to 7.5 per cent , as such, the 2020 Appropriation Bill is based on the new VAT rate.

IPPIS: oil and gas senior staff association joins workers rejecting the payroll platform

The battle over the implementation of the integrated payroll and personnel information system, IPPIS may just be shifting to another body of workers

It was the academic staff union of universities, ASUU which has persistently rejected IPPIS although 2019, this time the petroleum and natural gas senior staff, PENGASSAN is asking government not to migrate them to the payroll system

PENGASSAN president, Ndukuka Ohaeri said this at a media briefing in lagos where the oil and gas workers also advised the federal government to adopt the nigeria liquefied model to revive the country's ailing refineries

Natural Resources; U.N reports about the West Africa’s wishful gold prospectors

IOM/Alexander Bee

Gold-mining in West Africa is often carried out by hand.

U.N News reports that the mining of gold in unregulated and often hand-dug pits in West Africa, can be a deadly occupation, but one which many impoverished people in the region are pushed into by necessity, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). 

 

An artisanal miner holds a small nugget of gold dug in Sikasso in Mali. IOM/Anna Pujol-Mazzini

Mali is Africa’s third biggest exporter of gold and a third of the country’s total production is estimated to come from artisanal mining in which over one million people are employed. 

Many are farmers who have migrated from neighbouring countries in the hope of supplementing the meagre incomes they earn from what is a seasonal occupation.

But, as demand for artisanal gold increases, so too does the number of people dying in poorly constructed mines.  

Read more here about how this precious metal continues to shine for some of West Africa’s poorest

UKRAINE AIRLINE CRASH: KOGI STATE MOURNS DEATH OF AN EBIRA MAN ON BOARD FLIGHT

 

 

A STORY ON AIT.LIVE SAYS KOGI STATE GOVERNOR YAHAYA BELLO HAS SYMPATHISED  WITH THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY, THE GOOD PEOPLE OF EBIRA LAND, AND NIGERIA AT LARGE FOR THE DEATH OF DAUDA ONORUOYIZA, WHO DIED ALONG WITH OTHERS IN AN UKRAINE INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES FLIGHT 752  ON THE 8TH OF JANUARY.

THE FLIGHT  FROM TEHRAN TO KIEV, WAS REPORTED SHOT DOWN SHORTLY AFTER  THE TAKEOFF FROM TEHRAN IMAM KHOMEINI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, BY THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY GUARD CORPS OF IRAN, WHICH ATTRIBUTED IT TO HUMAN ERROR.

GOVERNOR BELLO IN A STATEMENT MADE AVAILABLE TO JOURNALISTS BY HIS CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY, ONOGWU MUHAMMED SAID ONORUOIZA, AN AERONAUTIC ENGINEER WORKING WITH THE AIRLINE HAILED FROM OKEHI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KOGI STATE WAS THE ONLY NIGERIAN IN THAT ILL-FATED AIR ACCIDENT.

THE GOVERNOR DESCRIBED THE INCIDENT AS SAD AND UNFORTUNATE FOR THE STATE TO HAVE LOST SUCH A PROMISING YOUNG ENGINEER IN SUCH A MANNER. 

THE GOVERNOR CALLED ON THE APPROPRIATE IRANIAN AND UKRAINIAN AUTHORITIES AND THE WORLD OVER TO CARRY OUT THOROUGH INVESTIGATION ON THE ILL FATED CRASH AND ENSURE THAT ANYONE FOUND WANTING IN SUCH GRIEVOUS AND NEEDLESS ERROR, FACED THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR ACTION.

HE PRAYED GOD TO GRANT THE FAMILY HE LEFT BEHIND THE FORTITUDE TO BEAR THE IRREPLACEABLE LOSS.

WHAT NEXT FOR TRCN, NOW THAT DECEMBER 31ST DEADLINE TO UNQUALIFIED TEACHERS LAPSE

The federal government of Nigeria in 2019 threatened to sack unqualified teachers who failed to register before December, 31, 2019 and it's already two weeks after with no statement from government

The Teachers registration council of Nigeria which has the mandate to set qualification examinations for teachers is yet to make any comment.

A story on ait.live recalls that the Registrar, teachers registration council, Professor Olusegun Ajiboye had in several press conferences and statements said that even though Nigeria needs 250,000 teachers annually to meet the demand, government will not hesitate to sack those who refuse to improve themselves

As schools resume for second term,  it remains to be seen who is leaving and who is qualified to teach in Nigerian schools

U.N @ 75: NO COUNTRY OR COMMUNTY CAN SOLVE WORLD'S COMPLEX PROBLEMS ALONE

As the U.N marks 75 years, secretary general Antonio Guterres says no country or community can solve the world's problems all alone

Guterres said this in a tweet

JAMB STOPS USE OF NATIONAL IDENTITY NUMBER, NIN FOR REGISTRATION IN 2020 UTME

No prospective candidate for the 2020 unifyed tertiary matriculation examinations will be needing the national identity number for registration

This is because  the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board JAMB has suspended the use of the National Identification Number for registration in the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination UTME.

JAMB registra, professor  Ishaq Oloyede, who announced this while briefing journalists in Abuja on Saturday, said the move was to provide more time for candidates to get their national identification numbers.

The JAMB registrar said the suspension was also to allow for time to address some technical challenges being experienced by candidiates

Professor oloyede asked candidates to disregard the use of NIN and adhere to other means of registration made available by the board

He said JAMB  may consider the use of NIN on the 2021 test

Director General national identity management agency, Engineer Aliyu Azeez who was present at the briefing regretted the suspension blaming it on inadequate capturing centres across the country 

NIMC D.G said instead of about 4000 centres required for the rush they only have just around 1000 

JAMB registrar had uptill the last week of 2019 vowed that it will adhere strictly to the use of NIN which is a federal government policy asking agencies like JAMB  to rely on  the data from the National identity management agency, NIN

JAMB had on December 23, 2019 announced that sale of forms for 2020 UTME will begin on Monday, january 13, 2020 and the test slated for march, the registrar did not however talked about any shift in date for these schedules

NIGERIA ELECTRICITY: Group wants Buhari to call Minister of power to order over disregard of junior minister's functions

A civil society group, Initiative for Leadership and Economic Watch in Nigeria has called on president Muhammadu Buhari to call minister of power to order over alleged disregard for the functions of his minister of state

Executive Dirctor of the group Ambassador Agbonkpolor Aironmwanbor Splendour address a press conference in abuja

 See speech below...

DISREGARD TO STATUTORY LAID DOWN PROCEDURE, ACT AND THE APPOVED SCHEDULE OF DUTIES BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF POWER, ENGR. SALEH MAMMAN, WHOSE ACTION AMOUNTS TO ADMINISTRATIVE RECKLESSNESS AND CORRUPTION IN PUBLIC OFFICE

The civil society Organization, the gentlemen of the press.

I welcome you all to this all-important press conference, being the 10th of January 2020, on behalf of Initiative for Leadership and Economic Watch in Nigeria and allied Civil Society groups present as we set the record straight on the above Subject Matter.

‘‘When a public officeholder feels too complacent and corruption driven over national assignment given to him/her, if not checked, will certainly lead to abuse of confidence reposed on that public officeholder by the nation which  further shows outright desecration of oath of office which he/she swore to and is supposed to hold in trust for

the entire citizenry for the nation’s development and economic voyage’’ 

‘’Rapid economic growth cannot be achieved holistically, if electrification of rural areas in Nigeria is given less priority in the implementation of the Federal government economic industrialization roadmap, which has vast economic potentials cardinal towards fostering institutional frame work and mechanisms for National Development. The above realities brings to mind the hitherto rural micro economic initiatives and programs of the Federal Government that has the capacity to develop rural communities across Nigeria, which can only be made possible, if constant electricity is provided in rural communities, which further underscored the need for the government to take rural electrification as a major priority in delivering  the dividend of good governance to the people, through access to electricity  in rural communities for micro industries within local communities to strive, which in turn, will expand the Nigeria economy and better the lives of the rural dwellers positively, which will further reduce Rural Urban Migration’’

 ‘’The recent turn of event at the Rural Electrification Agency, where the Minister of Power Engr. Saleh Mamman openly bended the rules, undermine his junior minister to whom the supervisory mandate of REA is vested and delegated, as the minister of State for power, by President Muhammadu Buhari, for which the minister over stretched is hands, beyond his mandate to cause disharmony in a peaceful agency like REA, by deploying somebody from his own state to replace vacant position for deputy Director Funds and Procurement, position identified in the organogram of the REA as units, position supposedly billed to be occupied by Deputy Director, for which the immediate Assistant Directors, who are both qualify to step into the units as heads, which follows the statutory operations of the agency viz-a-viz the Rural Electrification Strategy and implementation Plan (RESIP) approved by Mr. President, whereas the honourable Minister  quoted units heads for directorate position , further expresses high level of ignorance been promoted in REA by the Minister of Power, which office  originally is structured for deputy Director, action regarded as pitiable dismal in administrative governance’’

A position erroneously communicate in a letter sent to the agency, signed by honourable Minister, Engr Saleh Mamman, deployed directors to  occupy position met for deputy director as structured in the Act that established REA, whose decision is regarded as misinformation and administrative misfire, with regards to wrongful authorization of deployment into said departments and meddling in the administrative activities, on matters supposed to be handled by Management and Board, which amounts to abuse of office tantamount to sack. It is the highest level of incompetence displayed so far, not having proper understanding of the working document and operations of the agency, not to further fool the present administration and one of the most respected Ministry (Power) among Federal Ministries in Nigeria''

''Rather than borders on the challenges that besets the rural electrification projects and programs in Nigeria, in a bid to fixing the situation squarely, but turns to be abuse of constituted powers of the Junior Minister with total disregard to laid down schedules and duties approved by  commander in Chief of Arm Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Mahummadu Buhari, meets  discountenance, which is openly expressed by Nigerians in different dailies, the Civil Society been the sixth estate of realm, viewed the Minister of Power action inimical to the good governance of the present administration, which will further put the Present Government in a negative light, in the public domain''

To further set the record straight on the presidential approved Schedule of Duties for ministers and Minister of State, which was duly communicated by the Secretary to the Government of the federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, in order to facilitate effective delivery of their ministerial mandates based on Government Priority.

‘’We want to use this medium to commend Mr. president Muhammadu Buhari, for his pragmatism in fixing the power sector challenges for rapid economic growth, and we applaud the level of priority given to the power sector under his amiable leadership in order to achieve a sustainable power supply in Nigerian, which is billed to provoke micro industrialization both in urban and rural communities. We equally support Mr. President Anti-corruption stance, towards making sure that those who use public office advantage to defraud the nation, are put behind bars, we salute the efforts of the anti-graft Agencies, the EFCC and ICPC in the fight against corruption in Nigeria under the current administration, as Nigeria is gradually winning the war against Corruption’’

The Federal Ministry of Power mandate is to develop and implement policies to achieve and sustain adequate and reliable power supply for the nation and coordinate the activities of the private and public sector operators of the electricity industry.

RESPONSIBILTIES OF THE HONOURABLE MINISTER

1       Provide overall political leadership to the ministry in line with government objective toward the attainment of its goals;

2       Provide overall guidance in the formulation and implementation of policies necessary for the realization of the mandate of the ministry;

3       Promote policies, programmes and projects for the improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of infrastructure delivery;

4       Advise government on matters relating to the formulation and execution of federal government’s electric power sector policy and ensure consistency of such policies with all other federal government micro-economic policies;

5       Provide oversight to the following programmes/activities of the ministry:

a.      National Integrated Power Project (NIPP)

b.      Supervise the activities of generation and distribution company (GenCos and DisCos)

6       oversees the following parastatals

a. Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN)

b.  Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) 

c. Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading PLC (NBET)   

D. Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO)  

THE RESPONSIBILTY OF THE MINISTER OF STATE 

1.      Assist in the formulation and implementation of policies within its scheduled are in a manner that support the realization of the mandate of the Ministry

2.      Responsible for the following programs/ activities of the ministry

A.      Rural electrification programmes

B.      Training and capacity development

3.      Oversee the following Parastatals:

A.      Rural Electrification Agency (REA) 

B.      National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) 

C.      Nigeria Electricity management Services Agencies (NEMSA)

Disregard to the above laid down rights, procedure and approved schedule of duties by the Honourable Minister of power, Engr. Saleh Mamman, a presidential correspondence communicated to both Ministers by the secretary to the government of the federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha on the  21th  of October 2019, for immediate compliance, difference to that directives amounts to corruption and bending the established rules of engagements and operations.

It on the strength of the above realism that we call on the honourable Minister of power, Engr. Saleh Mamman to retrieve steps, not to jettison the obvious presidential directives that clearly states the responsibilities of senior Minister of power and the Minister of state, not to be seen undermining the powers of the President, as affirmed in the said responsibilities and duties, to further set the records straight.

Bending the established rule of engagements and operation, amount to corruption and abuse of office, not to jettison the obvious facts and undermine the powers of the president of the Federal republic of Nigeria, action, shows administrative rascality. The Honourable Minister allegedly redeployed four of his cronies to the REA, (three from the northeast and one from the northwest) to the Procurement Unit and other department in the Agency.” 

The level of rascality, which characterized public office holders administrative engagements is very alarming, practices which undermine the laid down rules of engagement as to their responsibilities and duties as assigned by  the Federal Government, which is another dimension of corruption that eventually translates into financial resources, thereby stealing from government coffers to satisfy their greed.

‘’We therefore call on Mr. President to call the Minister power, Engr. Saleh Mamman to order, being a very sensitive ministry, we urge the Honourable Minister to honourably call back those persons already wrongly deployed to Rural Electrification Agency (REA) not to continue in the above administrative flaws.

Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria!

Long live President Muhammadu Buhari!!

Long Live Federal Ministry Power!!!

Ambassador Agbonkpolor Aironmwanbor Splendour

Executive Director,

Initiative for Leadership and Economic Watch in Nigeria