Television Nigerian

According to President Bola Tinubu, Africa’s chances of resolving its economic and security problems are higher if it finds indigenous solutions and is consistent with its promises and commitments.

At the State House in Abuja on Thursday, Tinubu was receiving letters of credence from three envoys when he made this statement.

The ambassadors are Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi, from the United Arab Emirates; Mr. Awall Wagris Mohammed, from Cuba; and Mrs. Miriam Morales Palmero, from Ethiopia.

The President gave the ambassador of Ethiopia assurances that Nigeria would keep fortifying its connections with African nations in the fields of trade, security, and economic development during a side discussion with the ambassador.

Africans must put in effort to advance their continent. Our internal issues ought to be amenable to group resolution. We need to make that significant commitment, though.

“We are the only ones who have a true understanding of our people. Homemade cures work better for everyone and last longer, he asserted.

Assuring the President of his commitment to enhancing ties between Nigeria and Ethiopia, Mohammed praised the President for the decisions he had made in the nation and the impact of his policies on the continent.

Tinubu praised Cuba’s proficiency in indigenous medical sciences, accessible healthcare at the community level, and maintaining the stability of their surrounding region during a separate meeting with the Cuban ambassador.

The president mentioned that there are some cultural parallels between Cuba and Nigeria that may be explored in order to better the lives of the populace, particularly in the tourism and other economic areas.

It would improve the lives of our people, especially the young generation Nigeria is so fortunate to have, Tinubu added. “We should collaborate more in science and technology.”

When the UAE Ambassador was welcomed, the President gave the order that problems impacting relations with Emirates Airline and the issuing of visas to Nigerians should be “quickly” handled. He also added that, if necessary, he would “personally” interfere.

“Even if we only have our own rooms, we are a family with UAE, and we all live in the same home. We ought to approach the problems as a family matter and find a peaceful solution.

“As you well know, there are oddities in every family. Even if your son or daughter makes mistakes, we still need to cooperate. Core aviation and immigration concerns must be resolved, the President added.

Given the historical roots of the nation, its longstanding leadership position in Africa, and its well-known reputation for welcoming visitors, the UAE ambassador claimed that he already considers himself to be “Nigerian.”

“I’ve been working on 24 agreements since I got here. Our progress is encouraging. They will be remedied because they are only minor problems that affect one family.

Thank you for having me in Nigeria. Furthermore, I am glad for the opportunity to speak with His Excellency, President Tinubu, a superb figurehead for both Nigeria and Africa. Consider me a member of your team and accept me as a Nigerian, he pleaded.

The Centre for Transparency Advocacy, experts in election monitoring, on Thursday proposed additional amendments to the 2022 Electoral Act to address some of the difficulties the Independent National Electoral Commission faced in the general elections of 2023.

As a result, they argued in favour of creating an electoral offences commission and tribunal to handle electoral offenders.

Faith Nwadishi, the executive director of CTA, made the suggestion while presenting three reports on the general elections of 2023 in Abuja.

The reports included ‘The 2023 General Elections Observation Report: A Perception Study on the Understanding of the Mandate of the Electoral Umpire by Stakeholders’ and ‘The 2023 Local Elections Observation Report: A Perception Study on the Local Elections “A compendium of the 2019 general elections and off-season elections conducted by INEC up to 2022,” etc.

Nwadishi claimed that despite ongoing difficulties, the Nigerian electoral system has improved despite concerns being raised about voting procedures, logistics, vote buying, intimidation, and violence.

There are some areas we suggested be reviewed, the speaker said. The Electoral Act, for example, mentions civic and voter education, and INEC was given the responsibility. However, we also know that civic education should fall under the purview of a national orientation organisation. Voter education is distinct from civic education. Voter education is included in civic education. We must be able to actually transfer INEC’s responsibility for civic education to the agency designated by law to carry out the task.

“We’re also urging the parties involved to quickly establish an electoral offences commission. The course we are currently on is unsustainable. People are committing crimes, but we assert that INEC is the prosecuting agency most often because INEC has that authority.

“On election day, we encountered members of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practises and Other Related Offences Commission. How successful was that, though? It would greatly improve our electoral system if we had a dedicated commission tasked with prosecuting those who violate the law regarding elections. With high profile cases and all of that, I believe it will greatly aid in the rule reforming of our electoral system itself.

Additionally, Nwadishi called for sanctions against political parties that fail to send enough agents to polling places on election day.

“Polling units determine the outcome of elections because that is where voters gather to cast their ballots and where the results are announced prior to being collected. Therefore, she said, “There should actually be a sanction for a political party running for office but unable to deploy party agents at that level. If you don’t have people representing you at that level, that means you won’t have a copy of your result.

The issues surrounding political party primaries should be reviewed by INEC, according to Emeka Ononammadu, a former resident electoral commissioner in Enugu State.

While highlighting the need for INEC to continue utilising technology in the electoral process, Ononammadu insisted that INEC must be given the freedom to concentrate on the technical administration of elections.

First of all, the Electoral Act as it relates to political party primaries needs to be reviewed, he said. This is because, as Nigerians who are party members, that particular law doesn’t seem to make political party primaries more inclusive of a larger population of party members. Of course, we all know that the test of political party primaries almost graduates to the general elections.

“I believe that whether the election administration agency performed well or poorly each year, there always seems to be a problem with how people view it, and advancing technology in our elections is the key to lowering either a positive or negative perception.

The creation of the Electoral Offences Tribunal has also been under discussion, but I believe that adding INEC’s investigative authority would be excessive.

He also urged INEC to reconsider the hiring and use of ad hoc staff, arguing that the problem of impersonation needs to be thoroughly examined.

In the interest of labour peace and harmony in Nigerian universities, the Academic Staff Union of Universities has requested that the Federal Government, through the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, release outstanding promotion arrears owed to its members. This request comes in response to a National Executive Council meeting held at the University of Maiduguri.

The Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System was used to commit employment racketeering, according to a statement from the ASUU that was released on Thursday morning.

“NEC noted with serious concern that ASUU members are currently owed several months’ worth of promotion arrears arising from distortions traceable to the coercive enrollment of academics on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information platform,” the statement reads. Despite numerous attempts by the union and university administrations, NEC noted that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation has not addressed the problem.

“As a result, in the interest of industrial peace and harmony, ASUU calls on the OAGF to ensure the immediate release of backlog of promotion arrears to our members.

“NEC was troubled by reports of widespread employment racketeering carried out by administrators of the defunct IPPIS, including scandalous revelations at the recent meetings of the House of Representatives’ Probe Panel on IPPIS. NEC noted that the dishonest trend has undermined university employment tradition in violation of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2003 and each university’s own guidelines for appointments and promotions. All unauthorised appointments sponsored by the IPPIS and its representatives in public universities in Nigeria are rejected by ASUU.

Details to follow

Adeniyi Sanni, a staff member for Senator Solomon Adeola who was killed, was buried on Wednesday by his friends, family, and coworkers.

As the remains of the late senator’s assistant, Sanni, were displayed during the church ceremony and interred in the Redeemed Camp vault, Mowe, along the Lagos-Ibadan Motorway, Sanni’s widow, children, relatives, and other sympathisers wept.

In the wee hours of Saturday, August 5, 2023, Sanni was killed in Lagos.

The late Sanni was stopped by security personnel at a checkpoint in Ojodu while en route to his home in Isheri, Lagos, according to a statement from the senator’s media adviser, Kayode Odunaro. He was asked to show the registration for the vehicle he was driving, which he did through his wife, who sent all the documents to his phone via WhatsApp.

Odunaro claimed that shortly after, the wife called his friends to report that she was unable to reach her husband on the phone, requiring the organisation of a search party.

She was allegedly called later by onlookers via the next-of-kin phone number listed on her husband’s driver’s licence after learning that his body had been found discarded with gunshot wounds near the Toyota Bus Stop in Oshodi, Lagos.

In a separate statement on Monday, Senator Adeola claimed that his aide had been murdered by soldiers working for Brigadier General Nsikan Edet, the recently-deployed commander of the 9 Brigade at the Ikeja Cantonment of the Nigerian Army.

After the funeral, Babatunde Raji-Label, the director general of Senator Adeola’s campaign organisation, revealed to our correspondent that the senator had adopted the deceased’s children, Moraraoluwa, Oluwashindara, and Oluwafeyidara.

The deceased’s companions had raised more than N55 million at the senator’s request, he continued, to care for his mother, grandmother, and other close relatives who were all elderly.

He added that Adeola had made the decision to pay the deceased’s mother a monthly salary for the rest of her life.

In addition to paying their school expenses, the senator has also adopted the kids, according to Raji-Label, and he will take care of them.

The senator suggested that we raise money for Sanni because he has children, a mother, and a grandmother the day after Sanni passed away. We reached out to friends and colleagues, and as of right now, we have more than N55 million.

“This is to ensure that the kids won’t have any problems with their education by paying their school expenses from the classes they’re in now through secondary school. Additionally, we kept Chrisland, which is their current school. The wife and mother of the dead are to receive all of the remaining funds, according to the senator’s instructions.

Additionally, he pledged to pay the mother a monthly stipend until God called her home. He’ll take care of his wife in the same way.

Raji-Label expressed hope that the murderers of Sanni will be apprehended and justice done.

“They (the murderers) must not rest; they must glance back because God will pursue them. Since his death was horrible, he will catch them and have them convicted. So they must make a payment. They shouldn’t go to sleep after doing this. They can’t sleep because they have murdered slumber, he alleged.

In a different statement made by Odunaro on Wednesday, Adeola referred to his dead assistant as irreplaceable.

“I can’t possibly find Niyi a replacement, you know. He is my blood and has been a loyal helper for almost 20 years. His senseless passing has left me deeply upset. As a father figure to him, I was required to abstain from attending his funeral as per custom, the statement said.

The pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Rhema Chapel (Young Adult and Youth Church), Gbenga Odunowo, stated the departed had an impression while they were still living during the funeral service.

“Today we gather to rejoice in a life well lived in Christ. Our brother’s contribution is notable. His influence on people’s life is considerable. We ought to honour the contribution he made to life even if the race is over, Odunowo remarked.

Since Lokoja-Ajaokuta Express road is the gateway between the North and East, Works Minister Dave Umahi has vowed to revamp it.

Umahi promised during his first working visit to Kogi.

He was reacting to Governor Bello, who had called the route the main North-South connector.

The minister thanked the governor for his warm welcome and dedication to Kogi State.

Umahi commended federal highways and the government’s comprehensive turnaround.

He announced plans for long-lasting, low-maintenance concrete roads and promised fast development on all Kogi State federal road projects.

He revealed that the Federal Government was investigating low-maintenance concrete road building innovation that can last over 50 years.

He added that concrete roads are cheaper to build and guarantee materials.

The minister vowed to redesign Lokoja-Ganaja-Ajaokuta Road and praised the governor’s road maintenance.

The Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Onogwu Mohammed, stated Wednesday that Umahi had previously inspected the Gada-biu bridge reconstruction, the Abaji section of Abuja-Lokoja Road, Koto-Karfe Bridge, and Murtala Muhammed Bridge.

According to him, “The minister highlighted the desire of the Federal Government to turn the strategically vital route into a suitable form hence, the necessity to remodel it to fit the contemporary reality.”

Governor Yahaya Bello was optimistic about the Federal Government’s road infrastructure investment.

He commended the minister for reviewing deteriorated federal roads in the state, showing a commitment to fixing infrastructure issues.

He acknowledged commuter problems, trade and economic losses, and transportation system strain.

The governor thanked President Bola Tinubu and the ministry for acknowledging the issues and promising immediate action.

Our administration, the people of Kogi State, and Nigerians in general are concerned about the status of our federal roads since Kogi is the connecting point between Northern and Southern Nigeria.

We’ve noticed commuters’ pain, trade and economic losses, and transport system strain.

“It is with this in mind that we convey our sincere appreciation to the Honourable Minister for not only noting this distress but also for promising quick actions to ameliorate the situation,” the governor stated.

Effective governance involves federal and state governments working together on infrastructure concerns, he said.

Bello also thought that the minister’s immediate initiatives would change the lives of citizens who traverse these routes and that the president’s “Renewed Hope” plan might revolutionise the economy and well-being of the nation.