Breaking:Legendary Nigerian Maestro, Sir Victor Uwaifo Dies...Buhari, Others Mourn

Professor Sir Victor Uwaifo, MON was born on March 1, 1941 and was a musician, writer, sculptor, and musical instrument inventor and University lecturer. 

A music legend, first Honorable Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism in Nigeria. He was the winner of the first gold disc in Africa for Joromi released in 1965 and seven other gold discs in Guitar boy, Arabade, Ekassa series and Akwete music. 

He is recognised as the most educated performing music legend, musical instrument inventor, artist, worldwide with a B.A Honors (first class valedictorian), Masters degree and Ph.D in Architectural Sculpture, University of Benin, Nigeria.

Uwaifo, who has a total of twelve golden records to date, has travelled to many countries, including the United States, Russia, Japan, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Romania, Germany, France, Hungary, Rome, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Benin Republic, Spain, and Canada.

He died on August 28,

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari condoles with family, friends and associates of legendary musician and multi-talented artiste, Sir Victor Uwaifo, who passed on Saturday, leaving a legacy of successes in many areas of life, including academia and administration.

Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President, Media & Publicity in a statement says the President joins the Nigerian music industry and performing artistes, home and abroad, in mourning the former first Honourable Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism (Edo State), who was also the first musician and instrumentalist to be given National Honours Merit, Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) in 1983.

President Buhari believes the renowned musician, with global appeal and recognitions, lived for many firsts, which include invitation to the State House by four presidents and Heads of State, and winner of a gold disc in Africa for his song, “Joromi’’, released in 1965 at the age of 24.

The President notes the glory that Sir Uwaifo brought to Nigeria through his international tours, and the active role he played in national development, returning to school to get a first degree at age 54 with first class honours, masters degree at 56, and a doctorate at 77.

President Buhari prays for the soul of the departed musician, writer, sculptor, musical instrument inventor and university lecturer, knowing the entire country, particularly the music industry, will sorely miss him.

Nigeria Calls for Increased Cooperation in ARLAC

Nigeria has stated that only improved labour administration through closer cooperation among the member countries of the African Regional Labour Centre(ARLAC) will equip them for  increasing  challenges in the world of work. 

Charles Akpan ,Deputy Director Press and Public Relations, in A statement said the charge is contained in a key note address by the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige to the 47th Governing Council meeting of the organization which held virtually, yesterday , 26 August , 2021.

Said Ngige, “Nigeria will continue to push for closer cooperation among ARLAC member States as a way to strengthen the administration of labour and enhance the capacity of the administrators  for the challenges in the world of work. 

“ With closer cooperation and peer evaluation, our quest for better  trained labour administrators, with capacity  in social and economic roles and  equipped with competence to impact on others  becomes easier. 

“ I therefore reiterate Nigeria’s position for the comprehensive evaluation of the progress in the implementation of the ARLAC re-engineering process by the International Labour Organisation(ILO) to ensure that the centre operates in line with the global best practices.” 

The highlight of the meeting included a ministerial symposium termed  “Skills Development and Lifelong Learning” which is an adaptation of an earlier series by the ILO in 2020. 

The symposium  highlights the importance of quality education and training, provision of relevant skills to the young and adult  in order to equip them for the future of work where technological innovation like artificial intelligence, demographic and climate change   will limit skills with attendant negative consequences on jobs.

The meeting also witnessed the election of   the new members of the executive office of ARLAC with Zimbabwe as Chair as well as Ghana, Sudan, Estwatini and Kenya as vice chairpersons for West , North, South and East Africa regions. 

Senator Ngige  attended the virtual  meeting alongside the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Dr. Peter Tarfa,  Director General of the National Productivity Centre , Dr. Kashim Akor and the Acting Director of Productivity Measurement and Standard, Juliana Adebambo.

With headquarters in Zimbabwe, African Regional Centre (ARLAC ) is the ILO regional body for the English speaking African nations , providing  platform for their Ministers of Labour and Lmployment as well as  Manpower and Social Welfare to build labour administration in the region.  

    

Ngige Knocks Falana Over Comments Asking Striking Resident Doctors Not To Resume After Case in Court.

The Federal Government  has reprimanded  Human Rights lawyer and Acting Chairman of the civil society coalition,  Alliance for Surviving Covid-19 and Beyond (ASCAB)  Mr. Femi Falana for advising members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD)  to continue their strike despite the ruling of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria suspending the action.  

 A statement from the Office of the Minister of Labour and Employment, signed by Emmanuel  Nzomiwu said, “ the attention of the Honourable Minster of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige has been drawn to various in media reports in which Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) who  is  the Acting Chairman of the  Alliance for Surviving Covid-19 and Beyond advised striking NARD doctors to ignore the National Industrial Court  Order for all parties  to wit; the Federal Ministry of Health/FG and NARD,  in the dispute before it,  “to suspend all hostilities forthwith,  pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice,” with the matter accordingly adjourned to September 15, 2021  for hearing of the motion on notice and  any other pending application. 

The Minister chided Mr. Falana for offering a very strange interpretation of the court order in which he didn’t  represent any of the parties when the case was first mentioned on August 16, 2021 and  wondered what he stood to gain by using his position  to misadvise  young doctors  in specialist training,  to continue to  ignore or disobey an order of court of competent jurisdiction to stop their strike.   

The Minister said that  in industrial dispute parlance,  strike by an employee is a major form of “hostility” against the employer, in this case, the Federal Ministry of Health/Federal Government as well as the sick in various hospitals across the nation.  

“For the avoidance of doubt , hostility in labour relations in this particular parlance connotes  strike or picketing by the affected employees (Resident doctors) or their employers who can equally use the opportunity to resort to the termination of their employment or recruit new doctors as allowed by the ILO Principles on Strike for essential service workers ( lockout of the striking doctors from their hospitals and loss of employment).”

While noting that Falana is not an expert in  Labour /industrial law , the Minister advised him to concentrate on the areas of law that he is very conversant with  than offering pieces of unsolicited advice to both parties as a Mr. Know-all.  

Ngige observed   that Mr. Falana is not familiar  with what the Federal Government has bent backward to do for the resident doctors to enhance the quality of their training, starting from putting them on a golden  scheme of service (CONMESS) within the period of training as a pensionable career  and the   enactment of the Medical Residency Training Act(MRTA) 2017, including a special Medical Residency Training Fund(MRTF)   put in place by this government to enhance the quality of specialist training .

“ It is certain that Falana is not aware of the 12-point issue resolved at the 20th and 21st August meeting with the Nigeria Medical Association(NMA) and their affiliates.

“ Asking striking doctors to continue the strike is an unpatriotic act against the people who bear the brunt of the strike, otherwise how can the acting chairman of the Alliance for Surviving of COVID-19 and Beyond(ASCABAN)  an alliance professing to assist people survive this pandemic ,  advise striking doctors to continue a  strike which has  so far lasted 21 days and counting ,  in a period of national emergency  . 

“ A patriotic advice to NARD would have been for them to seek  for interpretation or clarification of the order if really there is need for that, after ceasing hostility (strike) forthwith, as directed by the National Industrial Court.  

“ Who are the victims of the abandonment of medical care? Who knows?  May be  some people in some local governments of Falana’s Ekiti State  and possibly, the rural Anambra of Ngige,” the statement said.  

BREAKING: Abducted School children of an Islamic school in Niger Get Freedom After 88 Days in Captivity

APO House  has Learnt that school children kidnapped about 90 days ago from Salihu Tanko Islamiyya School, Tegina, in Niger State, North Central Nigeria have regained Their freedom.

Information from Government circles in Niger State says the school children who were released in the evening of Thursday, August the 26th,  2021, are already on their way to Minna, the Niger State capital.

They are expected to be conveyed to Government House, where they will formally be received by the State Government.

Parents of the school children have  paid ransom to  the abductors pn different occasions, but government would always insist they do not pay any amount to secure the release of kidnapped persons.

Ask what they do for living before opening account for your potential customers - EFCC tells Banks.

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, has urged banks in the country to investigate the sources of income of their potential customers before opening an account for them.

“I will like to urge you to know your customers, know the kind of businesses they do before opening an account for them because some customers will open an account within a space of two months a huge sum of money is found in the account, So there is need for you to try and query these information including their linked accounts,” Bawa said.

Source: Kwara APC Media

NBC Santions Channels TV over Anti-Buhari interview, Presenters Honour DSS invitation

 

NBC Santions Channels TV over Anti-Buhari interview, Presenters Honour DSS invitation

Confusion in Nigeria Over Alleged Plots By Govt To Shutdown popular private 'Media House Channels Tv' Over Guests' Comments

 

APO House Online read a report on the Social media handle of Omoloye Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters an online platform alleging plots to shutdown Channels TV and arrest its journalist.

Sowore in his post alleged the plot is as a result of comment by guests on the stations early morning programme, accusing president Muhammade Buhari of fronting a fulani agenda which fuels insecurity in the country.

The guest were the out spoken PDP Governor Samuel Ortom and a retired Naval officer, Navy Commodore Kunle.

It is not clear to APO House if the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC the regulatory body for broadcasters in Nigeria will go ahead to withdraw the Licence of Channels TV.

As at the time of this report, no statement from Channels TV, Security agencies or the NBC.

Fresh Dastardly Attack Leaves Over 30 People Dead, houses destroyed Plateau, North Central Nigeria

The Plateau State Police Command has not yet reacted to the fresh and dastardly killing of over thirty persons on Tuesday night, by yet to be identified assailants in Community hosting the University of Jos' permanent site.

Houses are reported to have been set ablaze by the Gunmen during a fresh attack in Yalwan Zangam Community,  Jos North Local government area of Plateau State, leaving over thirty persins dead. 

A member of the Community who pleaded anonymity  and the community leader, Mai Angwa Agida Isa say the attackers came at about 8pm Tuesday night.

They say despite several  calls for help from the security operatives, none of them came  because the attackers had disabled the bridge leading to the Anaguta community preventing any access to help before launching their attacks and by the time security operatives arrived, the attackers had finished  and left.

An entire family was burnt alive in their homes while others who sustained injuries are being treated in the hospital he said.

Nigerian Man Who Makes Drones Flown To Finland By A Foreign Company, Gets Aitomatic Employment

APO House Online gathers that Ignatius Asabor, a young Nigerian who makes drones has been flown to Finland and given a job by a foreign company.  Ignatius who makes special drones using local materials was flown to Finland by a foreign company and got employment with the same company.  Breaking the news on Linkedin, the Managing Director of a Finland-based Radai Limited, Mr. Ari Saartenoja expressed happiness at having Asabor work with his company.  Ari who shared the photo of the genius on arrival to Finland, Oulu, said that Asabor will strengthen the survey operations of his team in the future.  His post reads: “Ignatius Asabor, young Nigerian drone talent has just arrived to Finland, Oulu. Ignatius will strengthen Radai’s survey team in future and bring more international expertise in the field.  Welcome Ignatius Asabor to Radai Team!”  Asabor confirmed his arrival to Finland as he posted a picture of himself in Oulu, Finland with caption.

SOURCE: Copied 

DEVELOPING: Armed Bandits who invaded Nigerian Military Demand N200million Ransom For Release Of Abducted Officer.

 

The gunmen who abducted Major Stephen Dantong from the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Afaka, Kaduna, on Tuesday have demanded a ransom of N200 million from military authorities.

The gunmen invaded the Afaka barracks of the academy around 1am, killing two soldiers identified as Lieutenant Commodore Wulah and Flight Lieutenant Okoronwo.

One of the officers who was injured in the attack is currently being treated at a hospital within the barracks.

According to FIJ, the bandits subsequently contacted the defence academy to initiate negotiation on the payment of ransom to secure the release of Datong.

The gunmen reportedly operated for hours and left without any hindrance.

“They couldn’t kill even one of them,” an NDA source lamented to FIJ. “They searched everywhere in the bush but couldn’t find them. They had fled away with their motorbikes.”

“They have called to ask for N200million to free the Major,” the source also said. “The attack was ridiculous. They came, teased us and left. Even the helicopter hovering in the bush could not track them.”

After the attack, Bashir Muhd Jajira, spokesman for the NDA in Kaduna, said the security architecture of the NDA was compromised by unknown gunmen who gained access into the residential area within the Academy in Afaka.

“During the unfortunate incident, we lost two personnel and one was abducted,” he said.

“The Academy, in collaboration with the 1 Division Nigerian Army and Air Training Command as well as other security agencies in Kaduna State, has since commenced pursuit of the unknown gunmen within the general area with a view to tracking them and rescuing the abducted personnel.”

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