“One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised.”
~Chinua Achebe
#seredec
The members of this panel are:
Prof. Ufo Okeke Uzodike (Executive Director, African Heritage Institution)
Chief (Dr.) Alexander Chika Okafor (Executive Chairman & Founder, Chicason Group)
Mr. Emeka Ugwu-Oju (Founder, Nigeria Entrepreneurship Summit and Honors
Dr. Cosmas Ohaka (Managing Partner at Development Strategy Centre, Enugu)
This panel held at the 3rd edition of the South East Economic Summit - #SEES3.
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Trump Warns Biden: Don’t Wrongfully Claim Office Of President
President Donald Trump has warned his Democrat challenger Joe Biden not to “wrongfully claim” the White House as electoral college votes showed the former vice
president close to an insurmountable lead.
Trump, who has consistently threatened legal proceedings since Tuesda5y, made this known via Twitter Friday.
He wrote,
Joe Biden should not wrongfully claim the office of the President. I could make that claim also. Legal proceedings are just now beginning!
#uselection
#endsars: Rinuola Mocks CBN After It Secured A Court Order To Freeze Her Account And That Of 18 Others
Rinuola, one of the promoters of the #endsars protests, has reacted to the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria, to freeze her account and those of 18 others who promoted and received cash donations for the #endsars protests, IgbereTV reports.
In a tweet posted on her handle, Rinu who is a member of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Police brutality wrote:
''My name is even the first on the list
Such a criminal that I am, that I protested without arms only putting on a white shirt stained red to say the Police should stop killing we youths.
Freeze my account from today till tomorrow. I no get car. I go trek !#endsars''
#punchng
Yellow Fever Cause Of Unusual Deaths In Enugu Ezike - Enugu Government
The Enugu State Government has confirmed that Yellow Fever is the cause of deaths from a reported strange illness in Ette Uno and Umuopu communities of Enugu Ezike town in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of the state.
A statement by the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Emmanuel Ikechukwu Obi, stated that the disease was confirmed
"through verifiable diagnostic tests".
Dr. Obi explained that "Yellow Fever is not a new disease but one of public health importance internationally and in Nigeria" adding that "It is one of the diseases controlled for in the Nigerian set of routine and mass immunizable diseases."
According to him "a suspected case is anyone with a sudden onset of fever who develops jaundice (yellowness of the eyes) within 14 days it is verifiable by diagnostic tests".
The Health Commissioner therefore disclosed that "the Enugu State Ministry of Health has called for an immediate Emergency Operations Centre Meeting this morning at 10am, with representatives from the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and other implementing partners in the state, to articulate specific next steps to effectively respond to and control this disease in Igboeze North LGA, and prevent its spread in Enugu State".
His words: "We are collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Health and with nearby states to prevent its spread within Nigeria. The General Hospital, Enugu Ezike, and other hospitals in the state are prepared to provide the supportive treatment needed for Yellow Fever.
"It is transmitted by the aedes or haemogogus specie of mosquitoe, causes symptoms within 3 - 6 days of infection, which range from a mild febrile illness in some individuals to a more toxic illness that can, unfortunately, lead to death in others. Only 15 percent of infected persons enter this toxic phase.
"This is a time to continue in earnest the hygienic practices that we have become used to due to the COVID -19 pandemic, while now improving our environmental hygiene practices; keep our surroundings clean and free of overgrown bushes, ensuring that we do not allow containers and gutters around us to collect water for long periods which allows mosquitoes to breed. We should protect our homes by screening doors and windows with nets, and ourselves by sleeping under mosquito nets and wearing clothes that limit mosquito bites.
"Most of all, if you recognize the above symptoms in yourself or a loved one, please visit the nearest hospital".
Enugu State is in the hands of God.
#enugu
Stop Burning Mosques In Igboland - MURIC
Two mosques were set ablaze by the Igbo in Enugu on Saturday, 31st October, 2020. The Islamic School, Afikpo, Ebonyi State has also received threats of impending invasion. It will be recalled that 11 (eleven) Muslims were killed during the #endsars protests in Port Harcourt and Orlu while the Orlu Central Mosque was completely destroyed barely two weeks ago. Markets belonging to Muslims in the region were also attacked and properties worth millions of naira were destroyed, including whole trailers with the goods.
The Nigerian Islamic human rights group, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has condemned the attacks on Muslims in Igboland. MURIC called for a halt to the burning of mosques in the South East and South South. The organization also appealed to the Inspector General of Police to protect Muslims as well as their corporate and individual properties in the region.
MURIC’s appeal came via a press statement issued on Monday, 2nd November, 2020 by its Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
“Christians in Igboland are not yet satisfied with the cold-blooded killing of 11 (eleven) Muslims during #endsars protests. They are thirsty for more blood. They attacked two mosques in Nsukka on Saturday, 31st October, 2020. These were the mosque at Old Barracks junction and the Central Mosque on Eden Road, Nsukka.
“The fracas reportedly started after a Muslim lady got into an argument with a keke Napep driver over transport fare. It is becoming glaring that there is a conspiracy to wipe out Muslims in Igboland and any little excuse is seized upon to descend on Muslims living in their midst.
“Even as we go to press, the only Islamic school in the whole Eastern Nigeria which is in Afikpo, Ebonyi State, is under palpable and severe threat. The school management has received about three threat messages in the past one week alone. Attack on the school is imminent and the state government has not uttered a word. This school is a boarding institution with about 250 students in its hostels. Those students came from all over Nigeria. What does the governor of Ebonyi think will happen if 250 Muslim students are slaughtered under his watch?
“MURIC appeals to the Inspector General of Police to protect Muslims and their corporate and individual properties in Igboland. In the same manner, we remind the governors of Eastern and South-South states that the buck stops on their tables. As the chief security officers in their respective states, they have the responsibility to protect all citizens under them. We are compiling reports of attacks on Muslims and their properties in the region.
“We demand adequate compensation for victims of Igbo religious fanaticism. Families of deceased Muslims must receive commensurate compensation. The governor of Enugu State owes it a duty to rebuild the two mosques which were burnt in Nsukka on Saturday. Only thus can he assure Nigerians that he did not give tacit approval to attacks on his Muslim subjects.
“MURIC calls the attention of Nigerians and the international community to the current trend of constant and unprovoked attacks on Muslims, the killing of innocent Muslims, the burning of their mosques and the destruction of their individual properties in Igboland and South-South Nigeria. It should be noted now that Christians are the first to unleash violence on Nigerian Muslims and the latter are not even retaliating.
“We note with disgust the hypocritical silence of the unholy alliance of the Middle Belt, the Northern Christian Elders Forum, Afenifere, Ohaneze and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). All hell would have been let loose had it been Christians who were being killed. But none of them feels concerned now because Muslims are at the receiving end. None of them issued any statement condemning the unprovoked killing of Muslims and none of them called the killers to order. Rather, they are encouraging their youths to shed more Muslim blood
"They are used to hearing the White House asking Nigerian authorities, ‘Why are you killing Christians in Nigeria?’ Ironically, nobody has asked the White House, ‘Why are you killing American blacks?’ We denounce Western asymmetric scale of justice that looks the other way when Nigerian Christians are killing Muslims.
“We charge the West, particularly the United States, to re-examine the situation in Nigeria within the real context of true events. Stories of Christians being killed are, more often than not, marketing gimmicks intended only to attract millions of dollars in charity donations to Christian missionaries after the ‘playing the victim’ soap opera. Nobody expected America to swallow it hook, line and sinker but that is exactly what America has done.
“MURIC salutes Nigerian Muslims for their resilience. We advise against reprisal killings or the burning of churches anywhere in the country. Muslims are better when they practice the true teachings of Islam. The Glorious Qur’an says, “Goodness and evil are not equal. Therefore pay evil with goodness and see how enemies become close friends (Qur’an 41:34).”
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
Dr Sid Celebrates Not Smoking For 2 Years
Singer Dr Sid has announced he hasn’t smoked in two years, following in the steps of record label owner Don Jazzy.
Dr Sid, 40, in an Instagram post on Thursday said he clocked two years smoke-free in October.
“I forgot to share this with you guys last month. Celebrating 2yrs smoke free,” he wrote.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CH....OEtJ5HkzZ/?igshid=6j
Igbere TV recall that Dr Sid had on October 4, 2019 celebrated one year of quitting smoking.
“So about a year ago @donjazzy motivated me to quit smoking about 2 weeks after he did. It’s been very tough journey but I’m happy to share this milestone of first year #smokefree with you all. The hard work continues,” the singer wrote on Twitter.
#drsid
Crack In ASUU As Members Want End To Strike
Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have pleaded with the federal government to have mercy their children and those of ordinary Nigerians bearing the brunt of the protracted strike by quickly attending to their demands to enable them resume immediately.
The union had in March, 2020 embarked on the industrial action to press for their demands and kick against the use of force by the federal government to enroll its members on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
But eight months into the nationwide strike, the federal government has remained adamant about getting committed to meeting their demands, while the union is insisting it will not call off the strike.
Addressing a press conference at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife yesterday, members of the Akure Zone of the union cried out, saying they were tired of the strike.
The Zone which was represented by the chairman of the Federal University of Technology Akure, Dr Olayinka Awopetu, Ekiti State University, Dr Kayode Arogundade, Obafemi Awolowo University, Dr Adeola Egbedokun and Federal University Oye- Ekiti, Dr Gabriel Omonijo alleged that the federal government was rushing them to resume because of fear of protest by youths.
In the address which was read by the union zonal coordinator, Prof Olu Olufayo, the ASUU members explained that the lingering industrial action of the union was to get the federal government to fulfill the agreement of 2013 and 2019 and not primarily about Integrated Personnel and Payroll System (IPPIS).
They stated: “For the avoidance of doubt, our issues remain; funding for revitalization of public universities, payment of earned academic allowances, visitation panels to universities and renegotiation of 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement. Since 2009, we have conscientiously approached the government to be faithful to implement the agreement it freely entered into with the union. The current struggle is derived from this history.
“We are tired of the strike. Our children are attending the public institution and it is sad that those frustrating our agitations, their children are not attending schools in Nigeria. It is so unfortunate. FG is intentionally starving us for our members to compromise and resume.
Prof Olufayo noted that meetings with the federal government recently have failed to solve their demands because the government is bent on dishonouring the agreement earlier reached.
He urged FG to pity the children of ordinary Nigerians and quickly attend to the lingering issues without delay saying.
He continued: “The public should not blame ASUU for further damage to the university educational system but hold the federal government responsible.
“Our students have stayed home for almost a year, we are not the cause, we started our strike before COVID-19 and those students are fed up and it was part of what contributed to #endsars and the FG realised that. They are now calling for negotiations that they turned down months back.
The students during #endsars also included End bad governance. I know that students in Kwara State universities gave FG two weeks ultimatum to sort the issue with ASUU else they will hit streets with protest, that scares the government and they are rushing us to resume”.
In the same vein, the Academic Staff Union Of Universities (ASUU), Abuja zone, has stressed that the ongoing industrial action by the union is for the interest of the university system and Nigerians in general.
Speaking in an interview with LEADERSHIP Weekend on behalf of the zone which comprises Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Federal University of Lafia and University of Abuja, chairman of the zone, Professor Theophilus Lagi said what the union is doing is patriotic.
He said Nigerians should always blame federal government for failing to fulfill its agreement by implementing the MoA of 7th February, 2019, and other issues such as Renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, Revitalization fund to public universities, Earned Academic Allowance, Visitation Panel to public universities and proliferation of state universities and governance Issues in them.
Lagi who further stressed the need for government to allow theunion adopt University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) said, “Not just federal government accepting the UTAS because in principle we have agreed over time that once UTAS is accepted and it is has passed through integrity test then federal government will deploy it to be use within the university system and that the understanding between the union and government but to our shock and recently when the government invited the union for discussion government is still insisting that our members should go back and register with the IPPIS pending when the UTAS is ready.
“It is not very logical as if the government is still bent on forcefully encouraging our members to migrate to the IPPIS. The reason behind all these is what is not very clear to us because over time we have demonstrated the superiority of UTAS over IPPIS it captures our peculiarities and it respects agreement between individuals, even state universities what they have entered into concerning tax which ofcourse, does not recognize. “IPPIS is purely designed for civil service but it does not take cognizance of the peculiarities of the university system.”
On the claim that so many ASUU members had already registered on the IPPIS platform, Lagi said, “It depends on where you are getting the statistics from because you can lie with statistics because as far as we are concerned insignificant number of our lecturers did not only willingly register with IPPIS.
“Some of them were forced to register and that is the major reason while government decided to stop salaries of academic staff across Nigerian universities to force them to be hungry so that they will run and register with the IPPIs and we think that is callous on the side of whoever is thinking that by starving university lecturers they will migrate on the platform.
“I am calling on the government to at least respect what we are doing, what we are doing is patriotic and is for the interest of the university system and for the interest of Nigerians. We should be encouraged instead and not to be treated with disdain,” he appealed.
#asuustrike