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Tinubu didn’t approve salary increase for govt officials – Presidency

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On Thursday, the Presidency stated President Bola Tinubu has not approved a wage rise for public officials.

On Thursday, Dele Alake, the Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communication, and Strategy, said, “We state, without any equivocation, that President Bola Tinubu has not approved any salary increase, and no such proposal has been brought before him for consideration.”

The statement read, ‘No presidential sanction for wage rise for political office holders and judicial officers.’

Thursday’s statement follows claims that the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission had approved a 114% salary hike for the President, Vice President, elected federal and state political office holders, and judicial officers.

Read Also: Shun selfishness, Kumuyi tells Nigerian leaders

Alake said, “While we agree that it is within the constitutional remit of the RMAFC to recommend and fix salaries and allowances of political office holders and judicial officers, such cannot come to effect unless it has equally been evaluated and authorised by the President.”

According to the Presidency, RMAFC had debunked the story, which was “contrived to create ill-will for the new administration, slow down the upward momentum and massive goodwill the Tinubu-led administration is currently enjoying among Nigerians as a result of its fast-paced, dynamic and progressive policies.”

 

Shun selfishness, Kumuyi tells Nigerian leaders

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The General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Dr. William Kumuyi, exhorted leaders to serve the people selflessly.

On Wednesday night, shortly after arriving for the Global Crusade with the theme “Supernatural Freedom,” Kumuyi told reporters at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, in Rivers State.

The Rivers State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Most Rev. Dokiboeriya Kaladolubo, and other religious leaders met him.

Kumuyi underlined that leaders must always honour God in their position by being selfless.

Read Also: PDP witness alleges INEC deleted BVAS results intentionally

He said, “Our leaders should fulfil the purpose for which God has appointed them.” So they should bless the nation.

“Not of themselves, but of what they can do, what they should do, and what they must do to allow freedom to rule in the country, in every life, in every part of society.”

In the face of challenges, he urged Nigerians to believe in God.

Port Harcourt will host the crusade from Thursday, June 22, to Tuesday, June 27, 2023.

PDP witness alleges INEC deleted BVAS results intentionally

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The Department of State Services has alerted the public to planned attacks on places of worship and entertainment before and during the celebration of Eid Kabir.

During combined operations, the service, members of the Nigerian Army, and Nigerian Police recovered improvised explosive devices from terrorists, which, according to the service, gave legitimacy to the planned attack.

The Service’s spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, encouraged mall operators among others to exercise caution in a statement on Thursday.

“On its part, the DSS appeals for caution before the Eid celebrations more so because reports had indicated plots to attack religious and recreational venues before and during the festivities,” it said in part. The discovery of prepared IEDs among the alleged terrorists is proof of this.

“Operators and customers of public venues, including markets, malls, etc., are urged to exercise caution and alert the appropriate security services to any suspicious persons or movements. In order to thwart criminals and their actions, the Service will continue to work with sister authorities in proactive drills that are required.

Kabir Bala, a gang leader, was murdered in a gunfight in Kogi as a result of coordinated operations between June 19 and June 22 that were conducted in Nasarawa and Kogi states.

“A joint security force made up of the DSS, Nigerian Army, and Police carried out operations in Nasarawa and Kogi States,” the statement stated. On June 19, 2023, the team captured Abubakar Muhammad (also known as Abu Direba), a suspected gunrunner, near the Abuja-Keffi Motorway in the Keffi LGA of Nasarawa State. 486 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammunition, 22 prepped IEDs, N31,500, and one Volkswagen Golf with the licence plate RBC202XA were among the nefarious goods the squad seized during the raid.

Read Also: DSS warns of religious, recreation attacks

“A team invaded Kabir Bala’s (aka Okwo) hideaway in Ejule, Ofu LGA of Kogi State early on June 22, 2023, as part of another joint operation. Okwo was a known gang boss who had previously broken the law. Okwo and the members of his gang engaged the soldiers in a gunfight, which is how the army neutralised him. However, some people left the region. One AK-47 rifle with three fully loaded magazines, six locally made weapons, two phones, and charms were among the items found at the scene.

 

DSS warns of religious, recreation attacks

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A planned attack on a place of worship or a place of recreation before or during the celebration of Eid Kabir has been reported to the Department of State Services.

The service said that the terrorists’ possession of improvised explosive devices, which were recovered from them during joint operations by service, Nigerian Army, and Police forces, provided proof of the attack’s intended target.

The Service’s spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, asked mall operators, among others, to exercise caution in a statement on Thursday.

Read Also: In Obi’s petition to remove Tinubu, cyber security expert testifies

According to part of the statement, “On its part, the DSS asks for vigilance before the Eid celebrations more so that reports had indicated plots to attack religious and leisure venues before and during the festivities. The discovery of prepared IEDs among the accused terrorists is evidence of this.

“Operators and customers of public venues, such as marketplaces, malls, etc., are asked to exercise caution and report any suspicious movements or individuals to the appropriate security agency. In order to frustrate criminals and their operations, the Service will continue to work in conjunction with sister agencies.

A gang leader named Kabir Bala was murdered after a gunfight in Kogi as a result of combined operations conducted in the states of Nasarawa and Kogi between June 19 and 22.

“A joint security force made up of the DSS, Nigerian Army, and Police conducted operations in Nasarawa and Kogi States,” the statement stated. The crew caught alleged gunrunner Abubakar Muhammad (also known as Abu Direba) on June 19, 2023, along the Abuja-Keffi Motorway in the Keffi LGA of Nasarawa State. 486 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammunition, 22 IEDs that were primed, N31,500, and one Volkswagen Golf with the licence plate RBC202XA were all taken during the operation.

Furthermore, a team stormed Kabir Bala’s (aka Okwo) hideout in Ejule, Ofu LGA, Kogi State, in the wee hours of today, June 22, 2023, as part of another joint operation. Okwo is a known gang boss who has broken the law in the past. Okwo was neutralised by the soldiers after he and his gang members engaged them in a gunfight. While others escaped the area. Three fully loaded magazines for an AK-47 rifle, six locally made weapons, two phones, and charms were among the items found at the scene.

 

In Obi’s petition to remove Tinubu, cyber security expert testifies

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At the Presidential Election appeal Court on Thursday, the Labour Party and Peter Obi, its presidential candidate, submitted fresh evidence in support of their appeal.

the petitioners disagree with Bola Tinubu’s announcement as the winner of the most recent presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Tinubu stood for office on behalf of the All Progressives Congress.

According to Ugwuoke, the Amazon Web Service could not have gone offline because it was the provider’s duty to maintain service throughout the matter’s resumed hearing. Patrick Ikweato, SAN, the attorney for the petitioners, led Ugwuoke during his evidence.

 

The venue for posting the election results was the AWS, which hosts the INEC Results Viewing portal’s website.

In response to Abubakar Mahmoud’s cross-examination, the electoral commission’s attorney, the witness said that the AWS model incorporates a shared responsibility model between the service provider and the clients.

He claimed that the corporation is responsible for ensuring the security of its customers.

Secrecy, integrity, and availability are the three areas of shared responsibility between the business and INEC, according to Ugwuoke.

The witness said that “availability” is still under the control of AWS.

In his terms, it means that it will always be available. It won’t go away. This is the responsibility of AWS. The cloud trail will outline the use of AWS infrastructure.

During cross-examination by counsel for the APC, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the witness stated that there is a Service Level Agreement between the service provider (AWS) and clients (INEC).

Read Also: Union urges Tinubu to appoint health minister with administrative skills

He claimed that the agreement contained details about security precautions.

The cyber security expert further revealed to the court that while election results should be uploaded on the INEC Results Viewing page, certain uploads are “incorrect uploads such as an image of a book rather than a result.”

He stated that the likelihood of errors being discovered after a programme has been put into use is quite low.

He continued, the application testing stage is more likely to uncover these issues.

Union urges Tinubu to appoint health minister with administrative skills

The Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals urged President Bola Tinubu to nominate a seasoned administrator as health minister.

The medical profession opposed consecutive governments favouring medical officers, arguing that the doctors picked during the previous two decades were inadequate.

In an exclusive interview at the eighth national health professionals conference in Abuja, NUAHP president Dr. Obinna Ogbonna made the call.

Except for economist Prof. Eyitayo Lambo, no medical minister has succeeded in health, the dietician said.

 

He said, “We are expecting Mr. President to see how there is going to be a rearrangement of the Federal Ministry of Health as we are having issues there.” Our past ministers were incompetent because they solely considered their personal interests. Our protests are usually ignored, and other healthcare experts are marginalised. That caused the two-week strike.

We expect industry upheaval and reengineering. Put the right people in control. We also recommend that professionals avoid administrations. No administration is required. No medical professionals for the health minister No one—dieticians, chemists, or nurses—should do it.

Let’s have skilled, impartial administrators like Eyitayo Lambo. Lambo, an economist? We liked him since he was objective and hardworking. I can certify that President Olusegun Obasanjo’s 2003–2009 administration had few strikes. We expect these indices. We need synergy to work together. He stated that every health worker is vital.

The dietician, who is also an auditor for the Trade Union Congress, also commented on last week’s salary dispute between doctors and JOHESU, calling it “giving a dog a dirty name to hang it.”
JOHESU has adjusted the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, which sets medical and dental compensation, since 2014.

In answer to JOHESU’s appeal, the Federal Ministry of Health wrote on April 3, 2023, that CONMESS and CONHESS have had a salary gap since 2014.

The Nigerian Medical Association slammed the move, saying modifying CONHESS could cause a catastrophic healthcare catastrophe.

See also: Tinubu’s ex-campaign coordinator urges Atiku, Obi to withdraw court petitions

On June 7, 2023, the NMA wrote to the permanent secretary that CONHESS would hurt the health sector.

“NMA shall not sit idly by and tolerate anyone who diminishes our remuneration by messing with relativity,” the statement added.

Ogbonna, the National Vice Chairman of the Joint Health Sector Union, said doctors must learn to work well with nurses, chemists, lab scientists, and others.

He also chastised the NMA for believing that JOHESU sought the same pay scale as doctors.

That’s untrue. Healthcare professionals cannot seek the same pay. They simply mislead the ignorant. The input points covered relativity. Optometrists, physiotherapists, and chemists also train for six years, like doctors. House officers start in Grade 10. He enters Grade 12 following housemanship and service.

The new CONMESS compensation scale is an example. In 2014, we began Nine-and-a-half years have passed. Theirs has had three or four revisions. The fourth dispersed everything. They’ll say they’re broke and that doing so will distort relativity. Not true. Introduction into service resolved relativity.

Please keep yelling foul. Sheriff Tinubu arrived recently. We talked to the president. He’s investigating. We replied to last week’s petty wage difference announcement, so we know it won’t be business as usual. We must inform the people that discrimination in our field and nation is wrong. The ILO prohibits it. We can grasp medicine despite studying other sciences. He stated that everyone can be God’s interest.

Tinubu’s ex-campaign coordinator urges Atiku, Obi to withdraw court petitions

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Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, who was a former coordinator in the disbanded All Progressives Congress Campaign Council, have been urged to withdraw their cases from the election petition tribunal and support President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to form a government of national unity.

On Thursday, Ogbole made the appeal during a press conference in Abuja.

“Even though we are conscious that it is the fundamental right of all aggrieved candidates to seek redress in a court of law, in the interest of the nation, we wish to use this avenue to crave the indulgence of all aggrieved candidates, including Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi who are seeking redress in the tribunal to withdraw their litigations against the president and join forces with him in the proposed national unity and all-inclusive government,” she said.

“We can see from all indications that the Tinubu-led administration is ready to work assiduously to establish peace, development, and progress in Nigeria, so we can say this with confidence. Since Tinubu is executing their intentions, we are confident that all candidates from other political parties have the same patriotic goal as the national interest as their top priority. They could and should take this cooperation a step further by working together.

Her appeal comes hours after Atiku requested a digital forensics expert to testify in support of its tribunal petition challenging the president.

The 26th witness in the petition, Hitler Nwala, who was led in testimony by the petitioners’ attorney, Chris Uche, SAN, during the petition hearing’s resumed hearing, provided a report of his research into the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System.

The witness claimed that his research demonstrates that the Federal Capital Territory’s presidential election results were purposefully removed from the BVAS system.

But according to the former campaign coordinator for Tinubu, Obi and Atiku must drop their legal actions and collaborate with the president to fulfil the promises made to Nigerians in his ‘Renewed Hope’ campaign platform if they want to show the world that their struggles are not motivated by personal animus or self-interest.

She asserts that Tinubu’s administration has demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is transformational in nature and has enormous potential to bring Nigerians back together and put the country in a breakthrough position.

“The current administration is doing extremely well already, as evidenced by the majority of the nation-building initiatives he has undertaken, such as the removal of fuel subsidies, the education bill that was signed into law, the demonstration of extraordinarily high fairness and equity in the appointment of key principal office holders, just to name a few.

We’re also taking this chance to ask all of our elder statesmen from all over Nigeria to quickly and without further delay invite all parties who have been wronged to a round table discussion and urge them not to undermine the will of the people by creating distractions instead of working with the government that Nigerians freely elected to change their story through unprecedented development for the benefit of all.

“You will concur with us that now is not the time for additional diversion; it is time to advance Nigeria in a constructive manner. In the interest of the country, this is a call for a unity government, she declared.

Cesnabmihilo Nihu-Aken’Ova, a former Social Democratic Party presidential candidate in the run-up to the 2023 election, added his voice to hers and made the same appeal, saying it was clear from the results of the vote that the former Lagos governor had won.

“Tinubu’s victory in this election was obvious. According to what we have observed thus far, those who are in court are wasting our time. Even the candidates for governorship and the National Assembly have been sworn in by this point, which means the campaigning is over. As a candidate for president, I am speaking from my own perspective, she said.

 

Tinubu’s efforts to clean up oil industry commendable – Gov Otu

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The Governor of Cross River State, Prince Bassey Otu, has praised President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to clean up Nigeria’s oil industry since he took office about a month ago.

Speaking in his office in Calabar, Otu claimed that Tinubu recognised the need to clean up the oil industry and believed that fuel subsidies should be eliminated.

The Governor assured Nigerians that the removal of the subsidy would have long-term benefits.

Otu asserted that he started his campaign against fuel subsidies in 2003 because they had produced so many millionaires with briefcases who didn’t have to work hard to get there—they could just sit around in the comfort of their own homes.

He asserted that Cross River must work together so that any palliatives implemented will lessen and ease the suffering of the populace.

“I know that every state has its own peculiarities, so we need to collaborate so that whatever palliatives are developed, we will also benefit from them,” the speaker said.

The governor also discussed salary increases, but he questioned what impact they would have given the nation’s spiralling inflation.

“I am aware that some states have proposed salary increases, which I am not against, but my concern is the economic impact that such increases will have given the fact that prices for goods and services have already skyrocketed due to the increase in fuel prices brought on by the removal of subsidies.

“Since everyone bears the brunt of this, we need to carefully develop a system that will be advantageous to all citizens, not just the civil servants.”

He urged the populace to put up with the current socioeconomic hardships while the government devised solutions to lessen the impact.

The governor said, “We must endure this suffering if we are to correct the mistake and create a sustainable economy for future generations.”

 

Tinubu will meet with US, French, Swiss leaders at Paris summit

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At the Paris Financial Pact Summit, which starts on Thursday, President Bola Tinubu will have individual meetings with his counterparts from France, the United States of America, Sweden, and two other countries, or with their delegations.

Dele Alake, the Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communication, and Strategy, told reporters in Paris that the request for meetings with Tinubu is ostensibly a result of the economic policies his administration has implemented in the three weeks since taking office.

There were several, including the US, France itself, Switzerland, and two other countries. Many international financial institutions are eager to meet with him, Alake told reporters on Wednesday in Paris.

The two-day summit, according to the presidential spokesman, will give Tinubu, who is on his first international trip since being inaugurated, the chance to network and entice foreign direct investment to the nation.

The President wants to network with international financial institutions and nations that would support foreign direct investment into Nigeria, according to Alake.

“Don’t forget that in the last few weeks, Mr. President has taken some very bold steps in the area of the economy, in the area of social engineering, and particularly with reference to the unification of the multiple exchange rates, which has caused a very positive multiplier effect.”

Alake stated that, in addition to the unification policy’s immediate, medium-term, and long-term benefits, “there could be a need for an injection of direct foreign exchange into the economy to shore up the value of the naira while market forces stabilise.”

He cited the easing of the restrictions on spending made through domestic accounts, claiming that this would “build confidence in the foreign exchange system of Nigeria, which means people abroad can begin to bring their money into the economy.”

Even people at home who have been holding onto their money out of concern for restrictions and other factors will now be more motivated to enter the financial system, he continued.

Read Also: ECOWAS Commission pays visit to the Seme-Krake Joint Border Patrol

Despite this, the presidential aide claimed that the nation still requires a boost of foreign currency to develop or enhance its domestic policies.

“That is the core of this gathering; it’s a global summit with a number of heads of state from developed societies in attendance. These foreign countries and investors are now much more interested in Nigerian affairs and the country’s economy as a result of the President’s policies over the past three weeks.

Quite a few of them seem interested. Many of them have even expressed interest in meeting Mr. President during this visit, according to Alake.

After the devastating effects of climate change, the energy crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic, Tinubu will join other leaders on Thursday and Friday to review and sign a New Global Financial Pact that prioritises aid to vulnerable nations.

Leaders will encourage development in low-income nations, mobilise innovative financing for countries vulnerable to climate change, and promote spending on “green” infrastructure for the energy transition in emerging and developing economies.

In order to provide access to finance and investment that will leverage inclusive growth, the President and other world leaders, multilateral institutions, financial experts, and economists will also take a more comprehensive look at how economies are recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in cases of poverty.

On Saturday, he comes back.

Please tell this story:

 

FG may open Seme border

The Federal Government has received a letter from goods forwarders operating at the Seme Border requesting that the border be opened for the importation of vehicles.

This information was revealed at Seme during a meeting between representatives of Nigeria and Benin that was organised by the Economic Community of West African States by Ibrahim Musa, director of road transport for the Federal Ministry of Transportation.

He said that during the former Minister of State for Transportation’s most recent trip to the border, goods forwarders made a request for the border to be reactivated.

According to him, the Federal Executive Council gave its approval to a memo that was created and sent to the federal government in response to the request.

According to the director, FEC made a commitment to give the new administration full authority over the decision to reopen the border.

“I was here with the former Minister of State for Transportation, and the goods forwarders begged for the border to be reactivated for the free flow of goods and services,” he remarked. The minister ordered us to draught a memo stating as much. It was examined and forwarded to the government.

Dera Nnadi, the Customs Area Controller in charge of Seme Command, also spoke at the event. He claimed that since the importation of vehicles was prohibited from land borders, the service had seen a decline in revenue.
He stated, “The Honourable Minister of Transportation, the immediate past one, responding to some of our requests and from the stakeholders, promised to take them to the Federal Executive Council; one of them is how to fully open this border.”

Nnadi added that customs had removed illegal checkpoints from the border corridors, and the Nigerian Police Force’s Border Control division had pledged to do the same.

In order to increase trade and investment in the Abidjan-Lagos corridor, he urged the Federal Government to finish building the highway from Lagos to the Seme Border.

According to the head of Seme Customs, the corridor is crucial for the expansion of trade, investment, cultural diversity, and peace in West Africa and throughout Africa.

Read Also: ECOWAS Commission pays visit to the Seme-Krake Joint Border Patrol

The Abidjan-Lagos Corridor is a crucial trade route for West African nations, serving as a crossroads where our people can meet and exchange ideas about culture and religion, according to Comptroller Nnadi, who also serves as co-chair of the Joint Border Post. It is a crucial location where we keep our relationships and our internal peace. The corridor needs to be maintained. We value ECOWAS’s contribution to the expansion of trade along the corridor. While appreciating the Federal Ministry of Transportation for continuing the highway’s rehabilitation, if the road is finished, trade will increase.