The Nigeria Police has dismissed Corporal Buba Adamu for refusing to report to his new station in Kaduna, where he was transferred from Cross River Command nine years ago.
The corporal was said to have promoted himself to the rank of superintendent and operated illegal activities in the Cross River Command.
The spokesperson of the command, SP Irene Ugbo, made this disclosure at a press briefing in Calabar on Thursday.
She said that Adamu had operated as a “mobile police officer” without any supervision or reporting to a specific police command since 2015 when the transfer was made.
The dismissed corporal was alleged to have been receiving his salary despite not reporting to his new station.
Adamu was exposed by some concerned members of the Nasarawa community, a Hausa-Fulani settlement in Calabar municipality that had reportedly suffered from his illegal activities.
The community raised the alarm when they learnt that the police command was under pressure to release Adamu following his arrest.
Ugbo said: “As of today, Corporal Adamu is no longer a policeman because he has been relieved of his duties.
“Every item of property belonging to the Nigeria Police in his possession, including uniforms, identification card and others, has been retrieved.
“The matter has now been charged in court. It is left to the judiciary. The court will take it up from where we stopped, as we have done the needful.”
Police dismiss corporal who rejected transfer
Police dismiss corporal who rejected transfer
APC asks Ighodalo’s deputy to resign as SSG
The All Progressives Congress on Thursday called for the resignation of the running mate to the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Osarodion Ogie.
According to the APC, Ogie cannot continue to earn salaries and emoluments from the public while campaigning as a candidate.
But the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, described the APC as being clueless and further declared that the Electoral Act permits Ogie to be in government till one month before the election.
A statement by the Acting State Chairman of the APC, Jarrett Tenebe, said Ogie’s action to remain in office is unacceptable and an affront to the good people of Edo State.
Tenebe said, “As an unelected public officer, Ogie is given an ultimatum to resign from government forthwith as his continuous stay in office is a clear violation of all known rules of decency and ethics.
“By remaining in office, while posing as running mate in the governorship election, Ogie is also in violation of the public service rules which prohibit a public servant from using public resources to fund private purposes.
“Ogie is currently earning salary and other official benefits as Secretary to the State Government, even while pursuing a private ambition to become deputy governor.
“He is using official vehicles and other government logistics to service his electioneering campaign. This is totally unacceptable and a waste of taxpayers’ money.
“This is the very definition of corruption. No unelected public servant should be allowed to do this. It’s patently wrong and a disservice to the state and the long-suffering people of Edo State.”
However, Nehikhare said, “They can’t read and their candidate can’t read. They should go and read the electoral law, it says 30 days before the election. it is obvious now the APC cannot read and their candidate cannot read, it is a party of clueless people.”
FG plans N110bn youth enterprise clusters
Vice President Kashim Shettima has disclosed plans by the Federal Government to establish a Presidential Initiative on Youth Enterprise Clusters that will cost N110 billion.
He stated this on Thursday at an event organised to commemorate the 2024 World Population Day held at the Banquet Hall of the State House Abuja.
Shettima said President Bola Tinubu is passionate about ensuring the inclusion of youths and women in governance.
According to him, the Presidential Initiative in Youth Enterprise Clusters is different from the Youth Investment Fund, which the Federal Executive Council approved during one of its meetings, which also allocated the sum of N100 billion.
The Vice President emphasised the importance of data in population planning and development.
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Youth Development, Jemila Ibrahim, reiterated the federal government’s decision to establish a national youth development bank, as part of efforts to increase access to capital for young Nigerians.
She also said the initiative would promote entrepreneurship among the youth, saying that the job of the ministry was to create the enabling environment and opportunity for young people to prosper.
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Gunmen kill vigilante member in Rivers
Gunmen on Wednesday killed a member of a local vigilante group, ONELGA Security Planning and Advisory Committee (OSPAC) in Rivers State.
Eyewitnesses told journalists on Thursday the victim identified as Prince was responding to a call about a case of kidnapping in the Igwuruta community of Ikwerre local government area of the state when he was killed in an ambush attack.
READ ALSO: Gunmen kill ticket collector in Ekiti
The spokesperson for the state Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident.
She said the command has commenced an investigation into the killing.
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Ebonyi Assembly bans church crusades of spiritual cleansing
The Ebonyi State House of Assembly has passed a motion banning all forms of spiritual crusade aimed at community cleansing and fishing out witches and wizards by self-acclaimed prophets of God.
The ban took place during the plenary at the Assembly’s complex on Thursday.
According to a statement issued by the Assembly’s Public Relations Officer, Sylvester Egede and made available to newsmen, the deliberation came under matters of urgent public importance and was preceded by an earlier report on the interference with community peace and disruption of public activities resulting from the Christian crusade organised by Prophet Ubadimma in Izzi Council Area.
“The report has it that an undisclosed amount of money, four residential buildings, properties worth millions of naira and other valuable items belonging to Chief John Ekpono and his three wives of Aghara-Oza village, Ndiebor Ezza Inyimagu in Izzi LGA of the state, were completely destroyed by the youths of the community following the inciteful accusation of the victim by prophet Ubadimma and his cohort.
“He accused them of using wizard and witchcraft powers to tie the destinies of the community youths, hence, their inability to make meaningful progress despite their effort,” he stated.
The motion, sponsored by the member representing Izzi West state constituency, Godwin Abiri, said it took the timely intervention of Izzi Council chairman, Stephen Nwankpa, to save the ugly incident.
The lawmaker explained that such activities could destroy the prevailing existing peace in the state under Governor Francis Nwifuru and prayed for immediate clampdown of such church programmes conducted without due clearance from the leadership of any community and security outfits to avoid a future occurrence or the resort to jungle justice by youths.
While urging his colleagues to support the motion, Abiri maintained that if the barbaric act is not controlled, Ebonyi communities may be thrown into crises.
The Leader of the House and member representing Afikpo North West, Kingsley Ikoro, who seconded the motion, condemned the act in its entirety and added that the market cost of building houses in the present economic reality in the country calls for brotherliness rather than destruction of already existing structures.
He called for the immediate arrest of the perpetrators to serve as a deterrent for anyone thinking in that direction.
Also, the member representing Ebonyi North East, Mrs Chinyere Nwogbaga, and Chikezie Nwankwo, who represents Ohaozara East, condemned the act, which they said did not help in moral upbringing and spirit of togetherness and called for the arrest of the perpetrators of the dastardly act to account for the damages.
The Speaker of the House, Moses Ije-Odunwa, put the motion to the vote and the members unanimously adopted it.
Ebonyi Assembly bans church crusades of spiritual cleansing
Minimum wage: Tinubu meets labour leaders, talks to continue next week
President Bola Tinubu and the leaders of the organized labour met on Thursday to deliberate on the new minimum wage for workers in the country.
The meeting held at the President’s office in the State House, Abuja, was attended by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero; and his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Festus Osifo.
President Tinubu had on Wednesday invited the labour leaders to a meeting in a bid to arrive at a common ground on the minimum wage.
The Federal Government had proposed N62,000 as the new minimum wage while the labour was pushing for N250,000 due to current realities in the country.
However, the meeting was adjourned to next week after about one-hour discussions between the parties.
READ ALSO: MINIMUM WAGE: 7 key takeaways from emergency meeting of Nigeria Governors
Ajaero, who addressed journalists at the end of the meeting, said the unions had discussions with the president on the minimum wage.
He stressed that the labour was not at the meeting for negotiation.
Ajaero said: “In the real sense, it wasn’t a negotiation but a discussion and we have had that discussion. We agreed to look at the real terms probably and reconvene in the next week.
“So that’s where we are because we didn’t go down there to talk naira and kobo. At least, there were some basic issues that we agreed on.”
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Ondo NLC elects new chairman
The Nigeria Labour Congress in Ondo State has elected Olapade Ademola, as their new chairman.
Ademola was elected by members of the State Executive Council, SEC, of the NLC at a special meeting held at the state NLC secretariat, Akure.
He replaced the previous chairman Comrade Victor Oladele Amoko who retired.
At the meeting, the 41 SEC members present, unanimously decided that Ademola will act as the Chairman of the NLC in the state.
In his acceptance speech, Comrade Ademola vowed to work to enhance welfare packages for workers in Ondo State.
Ademola said, “I want to thank the SEC members of Ondo State Nigeria Labor Congress for giving me the privilege and power to pilot the leadership of the Congress.
“Workers should be expecting something better in terms of improved salary, pension, promotion and training”.
Ondo NLC elects new chairman
Supreme Court judgment on LG autonomy, a setback – Ibori
A former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori, has said that the Supreme Court judgment that granted full autonomy to local governments dealt “a severe setback on the principles of federalism.”
Ibori, in a post on X shortly after the judgment, expressed his disagreement with the verdict, referencing constitutional provisions to substantiate his claim that the decision undermines the foundations of federalism.
After an intense back and forth between the Federal Government and state governors, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that it is unconstitutional for governors to withhold funds earmarked for local government councils, paving the way for autonomy and direct funding for local governments.
Citing Section 162 (3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Ibori said, “The section expressly provides thus:
“Any amount standing to the credit of the Federation Account shall be distributed among the Federal and State Governments and the Local Government Councils in each State on such terms and in such manner as may be prescribed by the National Assembly. Sections 6 provide further clarity on the subject matter.
“(6) Each State shall maintain a special account to be called ‘State Joint Local Government Account’ into which shall be paid all allocations to the Local Government Councils of the State from the Federation Account and from the Government of the State.”
The former governor said the Federal Government has no right to interfere with the administration of local governments “under any guise whatsoever.”
“There are only two tiers of government in a federal system of government.
“I’m opposed to fiddling with the allocations to the Joint LG Accounts at the state level but that in itself does not call for this death knell to the clear provisions of Section 162 of the constitution,” he stated.
Ibori noted that the ruling has far-reaching consequences for the federal-state power dynamic, as it enables federal interference in local government finances and thereby centralises power, “contrary to the principles of federalism.”
Ibori further argued that if the Federal Government is allowed to directly control local government funds, it may exploit this power to exert political pressure and manipulate local governments.
“This decision could set a precedent for further federal interventions in areas traditionally reserved for state governance, potentially leading to a more centralized system of government over time.
“That local governments must be ‘democratically elected’ goes without saying. Yes, I agree, that’s the position of the constitution but withholding their allocation is not the way to go. It’s wrong.
“In the coming days, we will begin to fully understand the implications of the Supreme Court decision. An assault on the constitution is not the answer to fiddling with the Joint LG Account,” he added.
In a landmark judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court ruled that the 774 local government councils in Nigeria have the constitutional right to manage their finances autonomously, without interference from state governments
Imo: Stakeholders accuse oil companies of neglecting host communities
Stakeholders from oil-producing communities in Imo State have indicted multinational oil companies operating in the area for neglecting their social and economic responsibilities towards addressing many challenges facing the people of the area.
The accusation was made during a stakeholder summit held in Owerri organised by the Commissioner for Niger Delta Affairs, Prince Henry Okafor, towards finding solutions to youth restiveness associated with oil bunkering and vandalisation of pipelines.
Addressing the gathering, the commissioner said that the importance of the meeting was for the government to dialogue with the people of oil-producing communities on how to put an end to hostile activities associated with the destruction of pipelines, which is causing a lot of environmental pollution and decreasing production output.
He also said that the gathering was to discuss means of bringing the direction of the oil companies to the plight of the people by addressing the economic and social needs facing them.
Okafor informed that under his watch, the ministry will never play politics in dealing with the challenges facing the people.
“Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs is standing for the owners of land where oil companies operate. We are to defend and speak for their welfare. We are not for politics. We are here for the real challenges being faced by our people,” he said.
The Niger Delta Affairs commissioner, however, appealed to the youths of the oil-rich region to shun activities that are capable of disrupting the good plans the state government has for them, noting that meaningful development cannot thrive in a hostile environment.
The chairman of the occasion, a former Inspector General of Nigeria Police and former chairman of the Nigeria Police Commission, Chief Mike Okiro, said that the gathering is a landmark event that will herald a new beginning for the way forward regarding the plight of oil-producing communities.
He noted that it is the first time in the state that such a ministry will be created solely for the affairs of the host communities, who are directly bearing the consequences of operational activities by oil companies.
In his contribution during the panel discussion session, Christian Onyekachi, a native of Agwa community, said that the major problem the host communities are facing is the selfish activities of the oil companies operating in the area, who failed to put the interests of the host communities in their scheme of things.
He accused them of concentrating only on drilling and milking dry the natural resources belonging to the people without paying attention to their plights, such as bad roads, decaying school structures, lack of electricity and unemployment.
Onyekachi said that the only way to stop illegal oil bunkering and vandalisation of oil installations is for oil companies to begin to live up to their responsibilities by looking into the social needs of the people where they operate.
The event was attended by the Imo State Commissioner for Petroleum, Emeka Ngbudem, present and past members of the Imo State House of Assembly from the areas, traditional rulers, women, youths and students.
Imo: Stakeholders accuse oil companies of neglecting host communities
FG to train 500,000 Nigerians through GSM village model
The Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology has adopted the GSM village apprenticeship model to train about 500,000 Nigerians within two years.
The Director General for the National Centre for Technology Management, Odusanya Olushola, who represented the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji disclosed this at the launch of ‘The TechAdvantage Nigeria Apprenticeship Workshop’ held in Abuja on Thursday.
The project approved by the government in February 2024 is in partnership with is targeted at empowering 500,000 Nigerians and creating two million jobs in two years.
The GSM Village Apprenticeship Model in Nigeria refers to a training programme designed to provide practical skills and knowledge to individuals interested in becoming mobile phone technicians. This initiative was developed to address the growing demand for skilled technicians capable of repairing and maintaining mobile phones, which are ubiquitous in Nigeria.
“Today, we aim to construct new knowledge about how we learn and how society grows using the GSM village apprenticeships model as a method of learning. We seek to bring new knowledge to society, enabling people to learn new skills and making those skills marketable and useful.
“What we’re promoting is a self-help approach where society learns in a non-conventional way, a form of evangelism where one person learns something and teaches another. This unconventional school allows people to gain practical knowledge, making them more productive within society.
“This initiative, driven by the Minister, has excellent sustainability prospects. The program’s circular flow ensures that funds are generated through training programs, and income earned is reinvested to train others, creating a self-sustaining model,” he said.
NACETEM and TechAdvantage have a close relationship, as the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology initiated the programme, and NACETEM is a partner, focusing on alternative education models to train people in innovation, science, and technology.
Also speaking at the unveiling, the Chief Executive Officer of Sapphital Learning Limited, Mr Amu Ogbeide stated, “We are committed to bridging the skill gap in Nigeria and creating employment opportunities for its citizens. Our apprenticeship programme is designed to provide individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the tech industry.”
The TechAdvantage programme is a response to the country’s high unemployment rate and the need for skilled workers in the technology sector.
By providing online training and apprenticeships, Sapphital aims to reach a large number of Nigerians, especially in rural areas, and equip them with the skills needed to compete in the global tech industry.
“We believe that this programme will not only create jobs but also contribute to the growth of the Nigerian economy,” Ogbeide added.