FORMER NIGERIAN PRESIDENT, GOODLUCK JONATHAN SENDS SOOTHINGV WORDS TO FAMILIES WHO LOST LOVED ONES IN LAGOS EXPLOSION, SUNDAY

My heart goes out to all the victims and families of those killed in the unfortunate explosions and fire outbreak in Lagos last Sunday, which claimed many lives and destroyed several valuable assets.

At a time like this, we cannot but rally behind those that have unnecessarily been put to grief. It is expected that the ongoing investigation by relevant authorities to determine the cause of the explosion must produce outcomes...

...that should not only prevent such sad occurrences in the future but also reassure the victims and their loved ones that their sorrow and harrowing experiences have not been in vain. 

GEJ

COVID-19: UN ‘remains open for business’, determined to deliver for the people we serve, says UN chief

Courtesy UN News.

UN Photo/Loey Felipe

A UN staff member sanitizes her hands at UN Headquarters in New York.

In light of the continuing spread of the coronavirus, the UN has stepped up measures to safeguard staff and all those using its offices around the world, while at the same time ensuring that the critical work of the Organization continues to deliver on key mandates, and provide lifesaving support to those in need. 

In an email to all UN staff as the weekend began, the Secretary-General António Guterres, emphasized that the Organization “remains open for business”, but “our work will be done from different locations, using different technologies”.

António Guterres

✔@antonioguterres

The #COVID19 pandemic is a crisis that affects everyone.

We must all play our part by showing solidarity with the most vulnerable – the elderly, the sick, those without reliable healthcare.

Together, we can overcome the #coronavirus 

The UN chief outlined the need to “reduce our physical presence” at UN Headquarters, through implementing fulltime telecommuting, unless a staffer is needed within a UN office to carry out essential work. He said the reduced staffing level would be reappraised after three weeks. 

He added that Headquarters staff in New York would continue to provide critical support to the other main offices in Geneva, Nairobi and Vienna, as well as missions in the field, and to the array of intergovernmental processes that must continue, such as the work of the Security Council. 

“Over the next days and weeks, we will depend on each other’s sense of responsibility and professionalism more than ever”, said the UN chief on Friday night. “I have the utmost confidence in the commitment of staff to keeping each other safe, while continuing to deliver for the people we serve.” 

The UN Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, briefed journalists in New York hours before the extension of remote working advisory, and said there were two chief concerns, firstly, keeping everyone safe who works in the UN complex, or who visits under normal times, and helping New York City to flatten the curve of COVID-19 as it spreads. 

“The second priority in parallel is to make sure that the UN’s work continues.  We have 100,000 peacekeepers out in the field, tens of thousands of humanitarian workers that will need to be supported.  And I can assure you that, whether it’s Ms. [Rosemary] DiCarlo, Mr. [Jean-Pierre] Lacroix, Mr. [Mark] Lowcock…All the other senior managers are fully focused on ensuring that the work will continue and that the support will continue.” 

He said humanitarians in the field had a special duty of care to put mitigating measures in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus, into some of the most vulnerable populations on earth: “The same thing goes with our peacekeeping operations…And that’s why we’re changing the rotations of troops, trying to limit the rotations, delaying some rotations.  We want to ensure that those who are most vulnerable are protected for the longest possible time.” 

UN offices in Geneva, Vienna, Nairobi – work goes on 

The Palais des Nations, which houses the UN Office at Geneva, with more than 1,600 staff, is the biggest duty station outside New York, and on Saturday, Director-General Tatiana Valovaya, reiterated the UN chief’s call for effective telecommuting, noting that “annexes will remain open for business, but the work will be done differently.” 

The Director of the UN Information Service in Geneva, Alessandra Velluci, said staff had heard the Secretary-General’s message clearly, that the UN would be there to “do our part” in difficult times, as COVID-19 continues to spread. 

“In light of some COVID-19 cases at international organizations in Geneva, from 16 March all UN staff based at the Palais des Nations will work remotely, unless their presence in the building is necessary”, she said.  

“But the UN family in Geneva will continue to do its part by working on migrant and refugee crises, implementing sustainable development projects, discussing human rights issues and trade-related measures and above all, supporting the strenuous efforts of WHO and its partners in the fight against the pandemic.”

In Vienna, which houses the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Industrial Development Organization UNIDO, and UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and others, telecommuting is also in place from Monday.  

“These measures are taken on clear medical advice and with the welfare of staff and their families as the central priority”, said a joint statement from the heads of the main Vienna-based organizations. “As part of the community in our host country, Austria, we can all play our part in helping to try to contain the spread of COVID-19 and reducing the risk of transmission”. 

In the UN’s Africa headquarters, UNON, in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, said on Friday that managers there too were implementing remote working “to the full extent compatible with business continuity, in order to substantially reduce personnel exposures to transit and other crowded areas.”

Ngizi Okonjo-iweala leading member South Africa presidential Economic Advisory team

Not much is heard these days of former Nigeria's minister of finance and economy, Ngozi Okonjo-iweala

The board member of one of the worlds leading social media platforms, Twitter,obviously has been pre-occupied building strategies to move worlds economies to the next level

Little wonder then that the newly inaugurated South African Presidential Economic Advisory Council as Nigerian-born Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as chairperson. 

It's no hidden fact that Nigeria's economic growth soar when Okonjo-iweala was head if finance and economy I  the Goodkuck Ebel Jobathan's administration and it is this singular move the south african government ks definitely looking for

PROF SULEMAN BOGORO FINGERS HIS FORMER BOSS, PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN IN MISSING N359B TETFUND MONEY

The executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund ,TETFund, Professor Suleiman Bogoro, has indicted the government of former president Goodluck Jonathan in the withdrawal of a total sum of 359 billion naira from its coffers without specific reasons in 2013

The TETFUND executive secretary while explaining the issue in a bid to clear the air over the missing money to members of the House of Representatives Committee on Tertiary Education, led by Aminu Suleiman, who were on oversight visit to the agency, made references to the funds in its audited financial reports.

Bogoro explained further that since the deductions were made, it has had negative impact on the intervention agency, and as such, the Tetfund has had to file various petitions to the Ministry of Finance and the National Assembly, all in a bid to recover the money from the government.

He said said it was regrettable that various narratives have trailed the missing funds, such that some persons have mischievously ascribed the funds to him when they had no facts to back their allegations.

TETFund Executive Secretary also explained that 10 billion naira meant for high impact projects in selected tertiary institutions has been mopped up from the system.

He added that the fund uncovered that some of the benefiting tertiary institutions were stockpiling the allocated funds for several years without utilising it for purposes they were meant for.

Bogoro debunked insinuations that the fund has not been equitable in the disbursement of interventions nationwide, saying all universities, polytechnics and colleges of education get equal amount of allocations at any given time.

While responding to questions from the legislators on discrepancies in the administrative cost of the fund, Bogoro allayed fears of financial impropriety in the agency, insisting that the Board of Trustees (BOT) gives approval before funds were disbursed.

TETFund is empowered by the Education Tax Fund (Amendment) Act No. 17, 2003 to judiciously manage and disburse the two per cent assessable profits accruing from all registered companies in Nigeria, specifically for public tertiary institutions.

SOURCE: AIT NEWS

NIGERIA POSTAL AND TELECOMMS EMPLOYEES president Nehemaih BubaBuba-led NEC suspends NAC over fraud, insubordination, bridge of constitution

Activites at the nigeria  postal service and some telecommunications outfit have been crippled following the crisis rocking the national union of postal and telecomms employees, NUPTE.

  In a bid to resolve the crisis  which created factions among the workers, an emergency national executive council meeting of NUPTE on thursday passed a resolution suspending all members of the national administrative council NAC.

Presiden

t of NUPTE, Nehemaih Buba said the suspension the admin staff has become eminent as workers have begin losing concentration at work due to poor relation among their union leadership

NUPTE President who doubles as vice president of the UNIGLOBAL  Africa, said the national executive council of NUPTE emergency meeting, also took a resolution to sue the commercial bank which changed the account signatories of the union without due communication

Nehemaih Buba confirmed that the ministry of labour and employment as well as the nigerian labour congress, NLC have separately intervene to solve the crisis and restore the authentic leadership of the National union of postal and telecomms employees

SOURCE: AIT

THANK YOU FOR WORKING TO STOP POLIO, GUTERRES TELLS WOMEN

The United Nations Secretary General, Anthonio Guterres has commended women working to end polio

The U.N scribe said this on his twitter handle

NECO Releases November/December 2019 SSCE Result

The National Examination Council (NECO) has released the results of the 2019 November/December Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE).

Mr Abubakar Gana, Acting Registrar of the council, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.

Gana said that a total of 70,140 candidates registered for the examination, and 65,207 sat for English Language out of which 41,214, representing 63 per cent, got either Distinction or Credit.

He added that 66,398 candidates sat for Mathematics, out of which 54,565, representing 82.18 per cent, got either Distinction or Credit.

The acting registrar said 33,576 candidates, representing 48.68 per cent, got five Credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.

“On the other hand, 50,057 candidates, representing 72.57% got five Credits and above, irrespective of English Language and Mathematics.

“A comparative analysis of candidates who scored five Credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics for 2018 and 2019 shows 62.48% for 2018 and 48.68% for 2019,” he stated.

The acting registrar said that the figure represented a decrease of 13.8 per cent in 2019.

“This is coming exactly 49 days after the last paper was written. A total of 29 subjects were examined.

“Like we always point out, this is an examination conducted for external candidates wishing to acquire the minimum requirements for admission into various tertiary institutions,” he added.

Gana, however, noted that not all candidates required Credit in either English Language or Mathematics or both.

On candidates’ involvement in examination malpractice in 2019 as against 2018, he said there was an increase as 12,084 cases were recorded in 2018 as against 17,004 recorded in 2019.

“This came about as a result of the comprehensive monitoring by senior staff. This also resulted in the decline in number of candidates with 5 Credits and above,” he said.

He called on candidates to log on to www.neco.gov.ng, and click on ‘NECO Results’ and follow the prompts to access their results. 

SOURCE: NAN

NIGERIAN FORMER PRESIDENTS AT WORLD SUMMIT 2020 IN SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

Former president Goodluck Jobathan is making a case for world leaders to create lasting peace among people

The former president made the call at the ongoing world summit 2020 in Seoul, South Korea via his various social media handles

In several  pictures in which he was flanked by former president Olusegun Obasanjo and his wife, Dame patience Jonathan, GEJ as he is popularly called said he was delighted to have been at the summit with former president Obasanjo

The message on his twitter handle reads: I was delighted to meet His Excellency Chief Olusegun Obasanjo at the ongoing World Summit 2020 in Seoul, South Korea where we joined leaders from across the world to make a case for lasting peace, interdependence & shared values among the world's peoples and nations.

GEJ

NLC Bitter over Nigeria Security situation and wants Rivers state government to reopen sealed secretariat

The Nigeria Labour congress, NLC is worried that insurgency has led to the killing of over seven hundred teachers in Borno state alone as it appeals to president muhammadu buhari to show more dedication to making the country more secured

 NLC president Ayuba wabba made call at the inaugural national administrative committee meeting of congress,in Abuja where he also condemned the action of the rivers state government in sealing the secretariat of the state NLC, over issues arising from the minimum wage implementation negotiation

Ayuba wabba, filled with emotions leads the Nigerian workers to demand for an end to the disturbing security situation across the country

While calling for a review of the take home pay of lawmakers, Labour argues that the disparity as compared to the worker's salary is a national embarrassment

 On the controversial sealing of the Rivers NLC secretariat complex, by the state government,  wabba appealed to governor Nyesom Wike to immediately intervene to avoid a breakdown of industrial harmony

On growing casualisation and recent sack of workers in the banking sector, the Nigeria labour Congress challenged the minister of Labour, chris Ngige to take action on several appeals by labour on his table, to stop the worsening situation

New ILO report calls Urgent action to tackle global poverty and inequalities facing indigenous peoples

The International Labour Organization (ILO) says there is an urgent need to tackle the high level of poverty and inequalities facing indigenous peoples.

According to a new ILO report, released to mark the 30th anniversary of the Indigenous and Tribal People’s Convention 1989 (No. 169) , indigenous peoples are nearly three times as likely to be living in extreme poverty as their non-indigenous counterparts.

The report says indeginious people account for almost 19 per cent of the extreme poor, that is those living below 1.90 U.S dollarper day. Even when less stringent poverty lines are used (US$3.20 or US$5.50 per day), a disproportionate number of poor are indigenous peoples. 

The ILO report says thirty years after the adoption of the only international Convention on the rights of indigenous peoples, they are still more likely to be poor and face particular hardships in the world of work.

Furthermore, irrespective of the region and residence in rural or urban areas, indigenous peoples represent a sizable share of the global poor.

“Progress in improving the lives of indigenous peoples has been too slow,” said Martin Oelz, an ILO specialist and co-author of the report. “More ratifications of Convention No. 169 and action for its effective implementation would be a step in the right direction. To ensure that public policies address the needs of indigenous peoples and reflect their aspirations, it is essential to tackle the widespread absence of institutional and legal frameworks enabling their participation in decision-making.”

New figures  contained in the report, Implementing the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention No. 169: Towards an inclusive, sustainable and just future , show that the number of indigenous peoples worldwide is considerably higher than previously thought – equivalent to more than 6 per cent of the global population.

This amounts to over 476 million people – significantly more than the combined populations of the United States and Canada. More than 80 per cent of indigenous peoples globally live in middle-income countries.

“To ensure that public policies address the needs of indigenous peoples and reflect their aspirations, it is essential to tackle the widespread absence of institutional and legal frameworks enabling their participation in decision-making."

Martin Oelz, ILO specialist and co-author of the report

The Convention is the only international treaty open for ratification specifically aimed at promoting and protecting the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples. Currently, 23 of the ILO’s 187 member States have ratified Convention No. 169 , meaning that only about 15 per cent of indigenous peoples globally live in countries covered by the Convention.

Worldwide, there are believed to be more than 5,000 distinct indigenous communities, in about 90 countries.

Today, the livelihoods and economic activities of many indigenous peoples have transformed. The report found that about 45 per cent of indigenous women and men are outside of the agricultural sector.

Despite their over-representation among the poor, the report finds that, globally, indigenous peoples have a higher employment participation rate than their non-indigenous counterparts (63.3 per cent compared to 59.1 per cent). But these employment participation figures come with substantial differences in the quality of work – indigenous peoples often experience poor working conditions and discrimination.

The report found that more than 86 per cent of indigenous peoples globally work in the informal economy – which is often associated with poor working conditions and a lack of social protection – compared to about 66 per cent of non-indigenous people.

Indigenous women face particular challenges. Informality rates for them are more than 25 percentage points higher than their non-indigenous counterparts. They have the lowest chance of having completed basic education and are the most likely to be in extreme poverty. Indigenous women also have the highest participation in contributing family work (nearly 34 per cent). At the same time, only about a quarter (24.4 per cent) of indigenous women are in wage and salaried work, a lower proportion than non-indigenous women (51.1 per cent) and indigenous men (30.1 per cent).

Even when in wage and salaried work, indigenous peoples earn on average 18 per cent less than their non-indigenous counterparts.

The report notes that the higher employment rates recorded for indigenous peoples may reflect a need, related to poverty, to undertake any form of income generation, even when it is low paid and under poor working conditions.

The report underlines that despite the progress made in public policy frameworks, there is an urgent need to tackle the inequalities confronting indigenous peoples. The report also identifies many opportunities to overcome the situation and empower indigenous women and men as development and climate actors – to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals  and realize the Paris Agreement on climate change .

Ratification and implementation of ILO Convention No. 169 is key to moving forward, particularly for building and strengthening public institutions and legal frameworks that enable consultation with and the participation of indigenous peoples.