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Riot: UK guarantees Nigerians’ safety

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Riot: UK guarantees Nigerians’ safety

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, has assured the Nigerian diaspora in the United Kingdom of their safety following recent unrest in various cities across the country.

Montgomery gave the assurance during a meeting with the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

Montgomery, in a statement signed by Gabriel Odu of the media and Public Relations Unit in the commission, on Wednesday, addressed concerns about the disturbances affecting 12 towns in the UK.

He revealed that the UK government was implementing measures to restore order, including the establishment of a special task force of 60 courts with police and legal operatives to tackle the criminal activities linked to the unrest.

Montgomery emphasised the UK’s commitment to being an inclusive and tolerant society, reaffirming that the country would not accept discrimination or attacks against any community.

The government is also taking steps to address online incitement and misinformation, the British High Commissioner stated.

“We will not, as a country, accept discrimination or attacks against any community,” the envoy said.

Meanwhile, Montgomery revealed that around 430,000 Nigerian visa applications were successful this year. He advised applicants to apply directly and be cautious of using agents.

Dabiri-Erewa commended the UK government for its swift response and noted that, to date, no Nigerians had been reported harmed or affected by the disturbances.

She reiterated the importance of the travel advisory issued by Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and advised Nigerians in the UK to remain vigilant and cautious.

The meeting also included British Deputy High Commissioner, Gill Lever; First Secretary Political Natalie Palmer, and staff members from NiDCOM.

Countries, including Nigeria, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, and Canada, have warned their citizens against travelling to the United Kingdom following violent riots across the country.

According to Reuters, the unrest began after a knife attack at a children’s dance class in Southport, northwest England, last Monday, which resulted in the deaths of three girls and injuries to 10 others.

The incident has sparked widespread protests fuelled by misinformation, suggesting the attacker was an immigrant and radical Islamist. However, the police confirmed that the suspect, born in Britain, is not being treated as a terrorist.

Foreign media reported that more than 420 arrests have been made as social media-fuelled riots spread across the UK. In one instance, a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham, near Sheffield, was petrol-bombed, leading to clashes with police and injuries to ten riot officers.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to do “whatever it takes to bring these thugs to justice” when he addressed the nation on Sunday.

NGF raises girl-child ambassadors to boost school enrolment

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NGF raises girl-child ambassadors to boost school enrolment

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum will deploy Girl Child Ambassadors across the 36 states in October, aimed at reducing the number of out-of-school children in the country, estimated at 20 million.

Although the Universal Basic Education Board Act of 2004 mandates free and compulsory basic education for all children in Nigeria, a significant number of children are still not enrolled in school.

In a document exclusively obtained by The According and confirmed by NGF Education Advisor, Dr. Ebenezer Leo The Great, on Wednesday, the forum will collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Education and state governments to address girl child education.

As contained in the document, the ambassadors are expected to engage stakeholders and engage in awareness campaigns on girl child education across the country.

It stated, “This will be done during the International Conference on Girl Child Education in Nigeria from 9th-11th October 2024.

“The ambassadors are to be involved in advocacy and awareness creation on girls child education in the states, stakeholders’ engagement, interface with the girl child education National Youth Service Corps Community Development Service group and work with State ministry of education.”

The document revealed that during the introduction of the ambassadors, representatives from 36 states will sign the Girls Child Education Fund Declaration to reinforce the government’s commitment to supporting and funding girls’ education in Nigeria.

It stated, “The establishment of GICEVA is expected to enhance advocacy efforts for girl child education, mobilising more volunteers to actively participate in promoting education at the grassroots level.

“The signing of the declaration by representatives from the states is anticipated to solidify the commitment of the government to support and fund girl child education in Nigeria.”

It said the Girl Child Ambassador would be empowered to serve as a role model, “inspiring other girls to pursue academic excellence and advocate for their right to education.”

Fuel imports gulp N2tn monthly – FG

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Fuel imports gulp N2tn monthly – FG

President Bola Tinubu has disclosed that the country spends N2tn monthly to import petrol and diesel.

Tinubu stated this during his recent nationwide broadcast to Nigerians.

According to the President, despite Nigeria’s abundant oil and gas resources, his administration met a country that was dependent only on oil, neglecting its gas resources while subsidising the cost of fuel.

Tinubu removed fuel subsidies on his first day in office, and this led to an increase in the pump price of petrol from about N200 per litre in May 2023 to about N700 at the moment.

As a result, the President noted that his administration had invested in Compressed Natural Gas to change the narrative.

“Fellow Nigerians, we are a country blessed with both oil and gas resources, but we met a country that had been dependent solely on oil-based petrol, neglecting its gas resources to power the economy. We were also using our hard-earned foreign exchange to pay for and subsidise its use.

“To address this, we immediately launched our Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, to power our transportation economy and bring costs down. This will save over N2tn a month, be used to import PMS and AGO and free up our resources for more investment in healthcare and education,” Tinubu stated.

He reiterated that his administration would be distributing one million kits of extremely low or no cost to commercial vehicle owners transporting people and goods and who currently consume 80 per cent of the imported petrol and diesel.

“We have started the distribution of conversion kits and the setting up of conversion centres across the country in conjunction with the private sector. We believe that this CNG initiative will reduce transportation costs by approximately 60 per cent and help to curb inflation,” Tinubu disclosed.

The According reports that while licensed individuals have been importing diesel into Nigeria, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited remains the sole importer of petrol under the current administration.

Despite being the largest oil producer in Africa, Nigeria depends on imported petroleum products due to low refining capacity.

In May, the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, said Nigeria would no longer import any fuel the moment his refinery commenced the production of petrol.

However, the Dangote refinery has been battling with crude challenges as international oil companies reportedly refused to supply crude to the facility.

Officials of the Dangote refinery stated that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority had insisted on fuel importation, granting licences to people to import dirty fuel into Nigeria.

Reacting, the NMDPRA Chief Executive, Farouk Ahmed, denied the allegations, stating that it was the Dangote diesel that had a higher sulphur content than the imported ones.

The NMDPRA boss warned that Nigeria cannot rely heavily on the Dangote refinery for its fuel supply, saying the importation of fuel would continue.

According to Ahmed, the refinery had requested the regulator stop giving import licences to other marketers to be the only fuel supplier in Nigeria, saying he refused to grant the request.

Meanwhile, Tinubu waded into the issue and ordered the supply of crude to Dangote in local currency, saying that would save the country over $660m monthly.

Oyo to interview 8,000 for teaching jobs

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Oyo to interview 8,000 for teaching jobs

The Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board has said it will, between August 8 and 23, interview 8,197 candidates for recruitment as primary school teachers in the state.

The 8,197 applicants scored 50 per cent in the computer-based assessment test earlier conducted by OYOSUBEB.

In a statement on Wednesday, the OYOSUBEB Chairman, Dr Nureni Adeniran, said the interview sessions would be held at the board’s headquarters at Agodi Gate, in Ibadan, the state capital.

Adeniran noted that out of a total of 45, 827 applicants who took the computer-based assessment test, only 8,197 scored 50 per cent and above.

Speaking on the interview schedule, the OYOSUBEB chairman said applicants would appear for the interviews on different days based on their local government areas.

He urged all candidates to come with printouts of their application slips, CBT result slips, and interview schedule slips.

He noted that the interview would start at 9 am daily, adding that OYOSUBEB would uphold its role in implementing a better basic education system in the state.

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Lagos seals church, firm for noise pollution

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Lagos seals church, firm for noise pollution

The Lagos State Government has sealed off Landcraft Industries Nigeria and Word of Light Christ Ministry (Camp of Light), for noise and environmental pollution-related offences.

The state Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, made this known in a statement released on his handle on Wednesday.

Wahab said Landcraft Industries Nigeria, situated at Odogunyan, Ikorodu, Lagos, was sealed off due to gross environmental pollution, while the Word of Light Christ Ministry (Camp of Light), located at Oriokuta, also in Ikorodu, was sealed off due to noise pollution.

“The enforcement operation, led by Deputy Director Enforcement Department, Babatunde Gbenga, was aimed at ensuring compliance with the Lagos State Environmental Laws 2017,” he said.

The General Manager of Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Babatunde Ajayi, said, “The agency took these decisive actions after issuing repeated warnings to both establishments to address their respective environmental concerns, which were disregarded.

“The sealing demonstrates LASEPA’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the environment and public health.”

The LASEPA GM expressed the readiness of his agency to take action against any establishment that failed to comply with the state’s environmental regulations.

He, therefore, urged all industries and establishments in Lagos to prioritise environmental sustainability and adhere strictly to regulations to avoid clampdown.

LASEPA shut down no fewer than five churches and 19 hotels over noise pollution between March 23 and April 26, according to a tally by The According.

Checks by our correspondent also showed that no fewer than four markets and shopping complexes were also shut down over noise pollution and other environmental infractions.

Two persons jailed for vandalising IKEDC transformers

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Two persons jailed for vandalising IKEDC transformers

The Lagos State Magistrate Court in Ejigbo has sentenced two men for vandalising transformers belonging to Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company.

A statement by the IKEDC spokesperson, Kingsley Okotie, on Wednesday, stated th the convicts, Abubakar Alido, received a one-year sentence for vandalising a 500KVA transformer on Michael Aladesuyi Street, Egbeda, Lagos, under the Omo Osho 11KV Feeder.

The second convicted person, Ishola Olatunji, was sentenced to six months for attempting to vandalise a transformer on Karimu Laka Street, Egbeda, Lagos, under the Orelope 11KV Feeder.

Okotie disclosed that Alido was apprehended by a security guard and handed over to the police.

According to him, Alido was found tampering with the transformer cables and he was arraigned Alido at Magistrate Court 1, Ejigbo, on June 14, 2024, for wilful damage to transformer cables, contrary to Section 339 and punishable under Section 350 of the Lagos State Criminal Law of 2015.

He added that Alido had pleaded guilty when the charges were read to him and was sentenced on July 2.

In a similar case, Olatunji was reportedly caught by members of the Karimu Laka community while attempting to vandalise a 500KVA transformer.

The community members handed him over to the police and he was arraigned at Magistrate Court 1, Ejigbo, Lagos, on March 11, but he was granted bail after pleading not guilty

However, he later changed his plea to guilty and the court sentenced him to six months imprisonment, counting from his arraignment date.

Speaking on the judgments, the Manager of Akowonjo Business Unit, Abayomi Bolorunde, expressed satisfaction and hope that the sentences would serve as a deterrent to other potential vandals.

He reiterated Ikeja Electric’s commitment to curtailing the vandalism of its assets, emphasising the significant damage such activities cause to the company’s operations and the inconvenience they bring to customers.

He urged communities to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities, as vandals continue to devise new methods to disrupt the electricity supply and plunge customers into darkness.

Apapa Customs generate N1.2tn revenue in seven months – NCS

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Apapa Customs generate N1.2tn revenue in seven months – NCS

The Nigeria Customs Service, Apapa Area Command has said it generated a total of N1.23tn as revenue between January and July 2024.

In a statement on Wednesday, the command also said it collected N202bn as revenue for July, stressing that the figure is the highest monthly collection in the history of the service.

The Customs Area Controller of the command, Babatunde Olomu, said the command is committed to surpassing the existing records of revenue collection.

He said the revenue collected in the first seven months of 2024 is higher than the total revenue collected for the whole of 2023.

“For the first seven months of 2024, that is January to July this year, the Apapa Area Command generated a total of N1.23tn. What has been generated so far for seven months is above the total collected revenue by the command in 2023, which was N1.17tn,” he said.

Olomu attributed the success to the implementation of the time release study by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, which aimed to facilitate trade without delay.

According to Olomu, the move yielded outstanding results, which reflected in the command’s revenue collection.

Expressing confidence in the command’s ability to do better, Olomu said, “I am optimistic about the possibility of beating this record as we look forward to surpassing it in months to come.

“Worthy of note is the interventions from the tariff and trade department, which has contributed immensely to the successes achieved thus far.”

The Apapa Customs boss vowed that the command is committed to doing more in line with the directives and motivating examples of the CGC.

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Family announces Abimbola Aboderin’s passage

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Family announces Abimbola Aboderin’s passage

The families of Aboderin and Dada have announced the passing of Chief Abimbola Aboderin.

A statement, on Wednesday, titled, ‘Glorious Home Call’ said Aboderin died on July 31, 2024.

“With gratitude to God for a life that was lived to the fullest and full of generosity, the families of Aboderin and Dada announce the transition of our beloved father, grandfather, brother, uncle, in-law, and friend, who passed away unto glory on Wednesday 31st of July 2024,” the statement said.

Chief Abimbola, a businessman, a notable Ibadan politician, and a diehard supporter of June 12,  was a member of Ikoyi Club, Boat Club, Yacht Club and Island Club.

He was the first son of the late Maye Olubadan of Ibadan land, Olola Moyosore Akinloye Aboderin, who was the third Mogaji and head of the Aboderin family.

The deceased was also the first grandson of the late Olota of Otta, Oba T.T. Dada, who died in 1992.

According to the Wednesday statement, Chief Abimbola was survived by  Seun Aboderin, Omilola Oshikoya and Mayode Aboderin.

“Chief Abimbola Aboderin attended Ibadan Grammar School, International School Ibadan, Redrice School, Hampshire UK and University of San Francisco, California. USA.

“He organised the first Reggae sunsplash in Africa. He was the publisher of Guru Magazine. He loved life and lived well,” the statement said.

Ibibio group urges Tinubu to cut governance cost by implementing Oronsanye report

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Ibibio group urges Tinubu to cut governance cost by implementing Oronsanye report

A socio-cultural organisation of Bio ethnic nationality in Akwa Ibon State, Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to drastically reduce his over-bloated Federal Executive Council and faithfully implement the Stephen Orosanye’s Report to reduce the high cost of governance in the country.

It further advised the All Progressives Congress-led government to scrap the bicameral legislative structure and plough back the savings arising from the exercises towards improving the welfare of the citizenry.

This was contained in a communiqué issued at the 54th General Assembly of the organization held at its secretariat along Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Saturday.

The communique which was made available to our correspondent in Uyo on Tuesday was endorsed by the International President of the group, Akparawa James Edet, and Secretary Akparawa Bassey Bassey among others.

Recall that President Tinubu had, earlier this year pushed for the implementation of the Stephen Orosanye Report, to reduce the cost of governance in the country

But in a move that suggested that he had ignored the report, the President approved two new commissions: the South East Development Commission and the North West Development Commission.

The communiqué reads, “The 54th General Assembly called on the government at all levels to reduce the cost of governance and plough back the savings at improving the welfare of citizens.

“Mboho called on the Federal Government to consider scrapping the present bicameral legislature system in favour of the unicameral structure, drastically reduce the over bloated Federal Executive Council as well as fully implement the Orasanye Report on the realignment of Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the country.”

The group called on the Federal Government to take proactive steps towards reducing the untold burden, pains and hardship confronting the Nigerian masses.

The group particularly called on political office holders and elected representatives of the people both at the national and state levels to “make sacrifices, initiate people-oriented policies and legislations that would ameliorate the suffering Nigerians are currently passing through.”

On the ongoing protests in some parts of the country, Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio noted that it was the right of the citizens to protest but however, warned that such protests should not be allowed to be hijacked by the hoodlums.

The communiqué added, “Mboho acknowledged the inalienable rights of citizens to protest, but appealed for caution to guide against hoodlums highjacking the protest and causing mayhem in the process.”

Reiterating its commitment and resolve to continually uphold the founding tenets and ideals of the organization, and strengthen the bond of unity and brotherhood amongst its members, the organization specially commended Akwa Ibom residents, particularly the youths for choosing the path of peace and dialogue instead of protest.

It also commended the state governor, Umo Eno, for successfully steering the ship of the state for the past 14 months, appealing to the state government to direct the contractor handling the erosion control project along Nelson Mandela street-Calabar Itu Road to speed up and deliver the job to ameliorate the suffering residents and users of the all-important road are passing through.

Government inefficiency marring NIN-SIM linkage

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Government inefficiency marring NIN-SIM linkage

MANY government agencies in Nigeria are bogged down in inefficiency. For years, the Nigerian Communications Commission has tried to register citizens for the National Identity Number. At one point, it mandated citizens to link their NIN to the Subscriber Identity Module. The linkage policy, too, has continued to be fraught with challenges. It is unacceptable for the government to put citizens through registration hardship because of its inefficiency.

After many aborted deadlines, the NIN-SIM linkage issue provoked outrage again last week as telcos blocked SIMs not linked with the owners’ NINs just before the July 31 deadline mandated by the NCC. This generated confusion among the affected Nigerians, who lamented that the blockage disrupted their everyday activities, businesses, and lives. Angry phone users besieged telco customer care centres in many states, trying to reactivate their blocked lines, leading to frustration and protests.

Introduced in December 2022, the NIN-SIM linkage policy was part of the government’s effort to enshrine a Know-Your-Customer regime, to ensure that no mobile phone user is anonymous in Nigeria. This is to curb identity theft, kidnapping, cybercrime, and other criminal activities.

Before the NIN-SIM policy, kidnappers who had been on the rampage in the country demanded ransoms using unregistered SIMs.

The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, in April, said 214 kidnappings and 141 terror cases, among other cases, were recorded in just eight weeks. Many of these kidnappings and attacks were planned with unregistered SIMs.

The NCC claims Nigeria loses $500 million annually to all forms of cybercrime, including hacking, identity theft, cyber terrorism, harassment, and Internet fraud. Hence, the government ordered the NIN-SIM verification, among other KYC schemes.

According to the National Identity Management Commission, 105 million Nigerians had enrolled for NIN as of April 2024. The NCC says the country’s total active mobile subscriptions were 219 million in the first quarter of 2024.

In April 2022, following a directive from the NCC, over 72.77 million active mobile lines were barred. During that period, the country had 197.77 million active telecom lines.

The NCC issued a notice in December 2023 instructing telcos to bar SIMs not linked to their owners’ NINs by February 28, 2024. The deadline for the SIM-NIN linkage, earlier slated for April 15, was postponed to July 13, 2024.

While millions have successfully linked their SIMs to their NINs, many suddenly discovered that their SIMs have not been successfully registered.

MTN Nigeria had, in its first-quarter 2024 financial report, said 8.6 million lines had been barred.

Though Airtel, Glo, and 9mobile have yet to give a figure for barred lines, industry sources estimate that over 40 million lines may have been barred between February and April.

The NCC order that all blocked lines be restored following public outcry represents but a temporary respite.

The agencies involved and the telcos have failed to give Nigerians the confidence that things can be done properly. The NIN registration centres are crowded with registrants waiting for days and, sometimes, weeks to register for their NINs before even considering linking their SIMs.

Poor internet connectivity and epileptic power supplies are challenges bedevilling the registration centres.

Citizens are being punished for the government’s inefficiency and sometimes extorted before they can be registered. This must stop.

The NCC and NIMC need to collaborate more, while telcos should be ordered to ensure data NIN-SIM linkage becomes more seamless.

No subscriber deserves to be told about an unsuccessful NIN-SIM linkage after going through the rigour of capturing at the NIMC centres and linking the same with their SIMs. It is just untidy.

Every new SIM must be registered, and the government must ensure the multiple biometric databases in the country are protected from hackers, identity thieves, and breaches.

The government should harmonise the various existing databases.

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