#EndSARS: CNN Releases second report on Lekki shootings

CNN has released a second report with videos showing soldiers shooting at unarmed protesters on October 20, 2020 at Lekki Tollgate. The CNN new report also shows protesters running as soldiers open fire at the tollgate.

The fresh report also shows Brig.Gen Ahmed Taiwo admitting before the judicial panel in Lagos that his men took live ammunition to the tollgate. It also shows that Brig.Gen Taiwo’s claim is at variance with information minister, Lai Mohammed's claim that the army fired blank bullets.

Send Pupils With Respiratory Symptoms Home – FG Tells Schools

National Coordinator, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, has urged schools to send pupils with respiratory symptoms consistent with coronavirus (COVID-19) back home to reduce risk of transmission.

Aliyu gave the advice on Monday at the COVID-19 National briefing in Abuja.

Speaking on school reopening, he said that PTF would like to re-emphasise adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions by schools, particularly screening and heightening awareness with regards to COVID-19, following issues it had with Lagos State over outbreaks in some schools.

“Any student presenting with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, particularly respiratory symptoms or fever, should not be allowed to come to school.

”When teachers notice a child with respiratory symptoms, the child should be sent back home so that we can reduce the risk of transmission.

”Just as it is important to communicate effectively with parents, staff, school health teams should be creating protocols and providing regular updates on any change to the school procedures as it relates to COVID.

"We encourage schools to continue to consider creative solutions to abide by our COVID guidelines including staggered learning to avoid overcrowding, platooning, daily attendance and adjusting teachings among others,” he said.

Cardi B Reacts As BBNaija's Erica 'Recreates Invasion Of Privacy Album Cover' (Pix)

Big Brother Naija star Erica has thanked American rapper Cardi B for loving her look-alike dress, Igbere TV reports.

Erica shared pictures of herself in a dress similar to what Cardi B wore on the cover of her Invasion of Privacy album.

Twitter users quickly put the picture side by side and compared them.

The picture made rounds on Twitter drawing the attention of Cardi B who then made a comment.

In a tweet on Sunday Cardi B said she liked Erica’s style.

“I like it tho .Its different and classy, mines is different and edgy,” she wrote.

https://twitter.com/iamcardib/....status/1330628480841

Erica retweeted saying, “Hahahahaha thanks that’s what I was going for!”

https://twitter.com/EricaNlewe....dim/status/133063156

Igbere TV recall that Erica was disqualified from the Big Brother Naija season five show following an altercation with the winner Laycon.

She is also an actress.

Cardi B visited Nigeria in December 2019 on her first trip to Africa.

Gunmen Storm ABU Staff Quarters, Kidnap Dr. Bako, Physiology Professor

Some gunmen have infiltrated the Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria’s staff quarters, abducting Dr. Bako, a professor at the Department of Physiology.

Confirming the incident, the university’s Director of Public Affairs, Auwalu Umar, in a statement on Monday, the gunmen invaded the residence of the professor at about 12:50am.

According to the statement, the gunmen whisked the lecturer away, including his wife and daughter.

The statement read: “The University Division quickly informed the operatives of the Police Intelligence Response Team that advanced to the scene, following a distress call.

“There was an exchange of fire between the kidnappers and the mobile police operatives. When it was clear that they would be overpowered, the kidnappers ran into the bush along with the victims.

“As the police went after them up to Sasuwar Da’a village bordering the University, the kidnappers then released the wife and the daughter and went away with the husband. Some empty shells were recovered from the scene.”

IGP Promotes 82,779 Junior Police Officers

PRESS RELEASE

IGP PROMOTES 82,779 JUNIOR POLICE OFFICERS

​·As 16 Killed by ENDSARS Rioters get posthumous promotion

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP M.A Adamu, NPM, mni, has today, 23rd November, 2020 approved the promotion of Eighty-Two Thousand, Seven Hundred and Seventy Nine (82,779) Junior Police Officers to their next ranks. The promotion of the officers comprising 56,779 Sergeants to Inspector, 17,569 Corporal to Sergeants and 8,431 Constables to Corporal is part of the on-going efforts at boosting the morale of personnel and repositioning the Force for greater efficiency. Those promoted also include 86 junior officers negatively impacted by the ENDSARS riots – 16 got special posthumous promotion while 70 others injured during the violence arising from the ENDSARS protests were equally specially promoted.

The IGP, while congratulating the officers, charged them to see their promotion as a mark of additional responsibility and a call to rededicate themselves to their professional calling. He enjoined them to continue to carry out their duties diligently and in conformity with best practices and respect for the rights of the citizen. He noted that the promotion albeit, posthumously, of the officers who were killed by some ENDSARS protesters is a symbolic gesture in recognition of the ultimate price they paid in the service of the nation.

The IGP promised to work with all relevant agencies, organs of Government and other stakeholders in driving a successful reform of the Police for improved welfare and conditions of service towards better service delivery to the people.

DCP FRANK MBA
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
FORCE HEADQUARTERS
ABUJA

GSA Tells Biden That Transition Can Formally Begin

well...Trump deniers can finally accept...funds have been made available for the transition..tweeted by trump himself


The General Services Administration has informed President-elect Joe Biden that the Trump administration is ready to begin the formal transition process, according to a letter from Administrator Emily Murphy sent Monday afternoon and obtained by CNN.
The letter is the first step the administration has taken to acknowledge President Donald Trump's defeat, more than two weeks after Biden was declared the winner in the election.
Murphy said she had not been pressured by the White House to delay the formal transition and did not make a decision "out of fear or favoritism."

"Please know that I came to my decision independently, based on the law and available facts," Murphy wrote. "I was never directly or indirectly pressured by any Executive Branch official -- including those who work at the White House or GSA -- with regard to the substance or timing of my decision. To be clear, I did not receive any direction to delay my determination."

The letter marks Murphy's formal sign off on Biden's victory, a normally perfunctory process known as ascertainment. The move will allow the transition to officially begin, permitting current administration agency officials to coordinate with the incoming Biden team, and providing millions in government funding for the transition.

The Biden team has not waited for the formal transition process to begin preparing for the presidency, as Biden announced several Cabinet picks on Monday. But the delay in ascertainment meant that Biden's team was locked out from government data and could not make contact with federal agencies, nor could it spend $6.3 million in government funding now available for the transition. A Biden official said the most urgent need was for the transition to be given access to Covid-19 data and the vaccine distribution plans.

Yohannes Abraham, executive director of Biden's transition, said the start of the transition was a "needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation, including getting the pandemic under control and our economy back on track."

"This final decision is a definitive administrative action to formally begin the transition process with federal agencies," Abraham said. "In the days ahead, transition officials will begin meeting with federal officials to discuss the pandemic response, have a full accounting of our national security interests and gain complete understanding of the Trump administration's efforts to hollow out government agencies."

The ascertainment letter was sent Monday after Michigan formally certified its election results earlier in the day and more Trump lawsuits were dismissed. Georgia certified its razor-thin presidential results on Friday, and Pennsylvania is nearing certification of its election results, too.
It's the latest sign that Trump's conspiracy-laden legal bid, led by Rudy Giuliani, to circumvent the outcome of the election is nearing an end. The Trump campaign's lawsuits to delay certification of the election have been dismissed in multiple states, as his legal team has failed to provide any evidence of widespread voter fraud.

But until now, Murphy had refused to move forward with the ascertainment process, despite Biden's clear victory. Murphy, a Trump political appointee, has faced intense scrutiny and political pressure from Democrats and, in recent days, Republicans calling for the start of a smooth transition. In a statement Monday, Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, said that "there is no evidence as of now of any widespread fraud or irregularities that would change the result in any state" and called on the transition process to begin.

In the letter, Murphy suggested that the ascertainment rules were vague and should be updated.
"GSA does not dictate the outcome of legal disputes and recounts, nor does it determine whether such proceedings are reasonable or justified," she wrote. "These are issues that the Constitution, federal laws, and state laws leave to the election certification process and decisions by courts of competent jurisdiction. I do not think that an agency charged with improving federal procurement and property management should place itself above the constitutionally-based election process. I strongly urge Congress to consider amendments to the Act."

Trump tweeted moments after the letter was reported, thanking Murphy for her work and affirming the decision to start the transition.
"I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country. She has been harassed, threatened, and abused -- and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA. Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good fight, and I believe we will prevail!" Trump tweeted. "Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same."

The General Services Administration informed federal departments on Monday night that it has ascertained Biden to be the winner of the presidential election, according to an email obtained by CNN.

"In accordance with the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, as amended, today, November 23, 2020, the GSA Administrator has ascertained Joseph R. Biden and Senator Kamala Harris the apparent successful candidates for the offices of President and Vice President, respectively," Mary Gilbert, the Federal Transition Coordinator, wrote in an email to federal department contacts.

A senior White House official said some staffers were initially caught off guard by the GSA letter, learning about it first from CNN. But the official said staffers will begin to cooperate with the Biden transition team, adding that they were seeking more information on next steps.
For two weeks after the election was called for Biden, Murphy was silent as the ascertainment delay dragged on, sparking public pressure from congressional Democrats and Biden himself, who warned that the delay could cost lives due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Democrats were demanding a briefing from Murphy on Tuesday to explain her decision-making, rejecting the GSA's proposal earlier Monday for her deputy to brief Congress next week. Democratic committee chairmen sent a slew of new letters to Murphy on Tuesday demanding she allow the transition to begin and warning of the consequences for failing to do so.

#uselection

Inflation: FG Exempts Minimum Wage Earners From Tax


In order to reduce the impact of inflation on Nigerians, the Buhari administration, is, through the 2020 Finance Bill, proposing the exemption of minimum wage earners from Personal Income Tax, Igbere TV has learnt.

This is even as the President Muhammadu Buhari administration tried to justify the reduction of import duties on cars, saying the government will buy locally assembled vehicles.

Buhari made these disclosures in his speech delivered virtually by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday at the opening session of the 26th Nigerian Economic Summit Group Conference themed: "Building Partnerships for Resilience".

And when coupled with other items in the proposed Finance Bill, and various economic policies of the Federal Government, these incentives would ensure the resilience of the Nigerian economy to exogenous shocks, according to Buhari.

According to the President, “we are proposing in the new Finance Act that those who earn minimum wage should be exempted from paying income tax.

“These provisions which complement the tax breaks given to small businesses last year will not only further stimulate the economy, but are also a fulfilment of promises made to take steps to help reduce the cost of transportation and the impact of inflation on ordinary Nigerians.”

Explaining the role of the private sector in building a resilient economy, President Buhari said “this government has always emphasized that the private sector has a key role to play in our efforts to build a more resilient and competitive economy as expressed in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.

“Private companies in design, construction, logistics and finance are very much engaged in our infrastructural projects in power and rail as well as road and bridges and the installation of broadband infrastructure which is an essential requirement if Nigeria is to participate actively and benefit from the 4th Industrial Revolution.”

Continuing, the President added, “…it is clear that we must diversify the economy away from dependence on crude oil exports, speed up human capital development and improve on infrastructure. Above all, our economy must be made more resilient to exogenous shocks. It is important for the private sector to play a key role as we work together to identify national priorities and try to influence our future national trajectory.”

The President also gave insights to the collaboration between the CBN, the Nigerian Sovereign Wealth Investment Authority (NSIA) and other stakeholders in the creation of an Infrastructure Company (Infraco) Fund to address some of the nation’s critical infrastructure needs.

“It goes without saying that partnerships remain essential to attract the resources for building a solid national infrastructural base. I am pleased to inform you in this regard that we are working actively with the Central Bank, Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority and State Governments under the auspices of the National Economic Council to design and put in place a N15 trillion Infraco Fund which will be independently managed.

“The Infraco Fund will help to close the national infrastructural gap and provide a firm basis for increasing national economic productivity and growth,” the President explained.

Restating the commitment of his administration to sustaining collaborations with the private sector in addressing challenges, President Buhari said “if there is one single lesson to be learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is that partnerships are essential for credible responses with lasting effects.”

His words: “Our national journey to economic prosperity is a long one, so we must all certainly work together. As we saw, partnerships were essential when we were faced with the serious challenge of combatting COVID-19.

“We saw the key role that partnerships played in our national effort to combat the COVID-19 crisis. While Federal and State Governments worked together to manage the health response and ensure the establishment of isolation centres and availability of test kits, personal protective equipment, and medicines, the private sector also played an active role as individual entities, and also worked together in groups like the Coalition Against COVID-19.”

During the speech presentation, the Vice President responded to the issue of import duties raised by some speakers at the summit. The Vice President noted that “the point of the reduction in levies on motor vehicles, commercial vehicles for transportation is to reduce the cost of transportation by reducing the cost of vehicles.”

He explained that “with subsidy removal and the increase in fuel price and the pass-through to food prices, transportation costs had to be reduced. Now the automotive policy is directed at localizing the production of vehicles. So the logic was increase the duty and levies so that local production becomes more competitive. But the annual demand for vehicles is about 720, 000 vehicles per year. Actual local production is 14,000 vehicles a year.

“So, the problem is that at current rate of production, we will not meet the serious national needs and this will just mean higher prices of vehicles and greater strain on other sectors of the economy that depend on transportation. But we are not giving up on the local auto industry.

“Two important things to note; the first is that we still have relatively high duty at 35%, so there is still a disincentive for importation. Second is that we are promoting policy that the government must buy only locally manufactured cars.”

The opening session of the summit featured presentations by speakers including Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Kayode Fayemi; Governor Aminu Bello Tambuwal of Sokoto State; Chief Executive Officer of MainOne, Ms Funke Opeke; and the Chief Executive Officer of GIG Group, Mr Chidi Ajaere; among others.

#igberetv

Enugu EndSARS Panel Commences Sitting To Determine Compensation For Victims

Enugu govt organises ICT training for civil servants

Sequel to the approval of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, the Office of the State Head of Service, on Monday, commenced a three-week training for civil servants in the area of Information Communication Technology (ICT).

Declaring the training open, the State Head of Service, Mr. Ken Chukwuegbo, disclosed that the essence of the exercise was to enhance the intellectual ability of the civil servants to meet up with the demands of modern administrative engagements.

Mr. Chukwuegbo pointed out that "to get a civil service knowledge-based society; training is utmost", stressing that “for any government to be successful, it requires the inputs of civil servants”.

The Head of Service therefore commended Gov. Ugwuanyi for being in the vanguard of changing the face of the civil servants in the state through innovations, reforms and commitment to their welfare.

He advised the trainees to show utmost interest in the programme by paying attention to what they would be taught, “knowing full well that when you acquire new knowledge, you acquire new skills; not just for the government but for self development, so that you can cope with the challenges that are associated with your duties”.

In another development, the newly inaugurated Administrative Panel of Inquiry for the determination of compensation for loss of lives and properties resulting from the unfortunate hijacked EndSARS protests in Enugu State, held its inaugural meeting at the State High Court in Enugu, calling on those who submitted memoranda to appear before the panel.

Presenting the rules and procedure of the panel, the Chairman, Hon. Justice Frederick Obieze (Rtd.) disclosed that persons who may lodge complaints before the panel are “a victim of the hijacked #endsars protest in Enugu State” and “a family member(s) of a victim(s) where the victim is dead, incapacitated by injury of body or mind, outside the jurisdiction of Enugu State or is otherwise unable to appear in person to present his or her grievance or complaint in person”.

Speaking further Hon. Justice Obieze added that such person(s) include(s) “an agent, lawyer or other representative of a victim or family member of a victim who shall show apparent authority, either written or otherwise recorded by audio or video giving him or her the authority to act on behalf of such victim or the family of such victim” and “the Nigerian Bar Association or any such public interest group or body”.

The panel consequently announced that hearing for Enugu East Local Government Area will hold from Wednesday, November 25, 2020 to Friday, November 27, adding that Enugu North LGA will take place between Wednesday, December 2, 2020 and Friday, December 4, while Enugu South LGA is slated for Wednesday, December 9, 2020 to Friday, December 11.

Also speaking, a member of the panel, Prof. Frank Ezugwu, pointed out that the complaints should be backed up with credible evidence, adding that the complainants must be present in person.

Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Mrs. Chinwe Anibeze, who represented the Chairman of the ICT training committee, expressed delight at the training exercise for the civil servants and assured that it will bring positive development to the state.

In his remark, the Resource Person and Director, Information Technology, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Dr Lois Ifeanyi-Nwobodo, said that the training will make the civil servants in Enugu State to be ICT compliant.

Enugu State is in the hands of God!

#yusocial

Junaid Mohammed: PDP Already Committed Its Presidential Ticket To The North


Dr. Junaid Mohammed, eldersstatesman and Second Republic federal lawmaker on Monday said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has already committed its presidential ticket for the 2023 general elections to the North.
Prominent northern candidates likely to contest the 2023 presidential election on the PDP platform are Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the party's candidate in the 2019 presidential election, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state, Ahmed Makarfi former Kaduna state governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa and Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, former Gombe state governor.

Junaid who also said President Buhari lacks the capacity to lead the APC to victory in 2023 said any politician who realises that his ambition cannot be realised in the political party he belongs to should seek another alternative by joining another party or forming a new political party.
He said “A political party is like a vehicle; a machinery, you use it to climb to power. If one party does not give you the opportunity to be in power, you can join another party or create another party. So, anybody who is not happy with the way things are in APC, my advice to such a person is to start looking for an alternative. The same thing applies to PDP”.

“But the PDP has committed itself to making the next presidential candidate to come from the North. They may be mischievous but the fact of the matter is, given the commercialized nature of politics in Nigeria, whoever is going to confront their candidate is going to have a tough job to do”.

“I don’t doubt the capacity of others who may want to test the waters on the part of APC but whoever it is must be fully prepared because it is going to be tribal politics without any credible leader because Buhari has never been seen to be good at anything".

"He is not the kind of person who will prepare APC as a party and give it the necessary leadership and making him the arrowhead of a party that will win the next election in 2023”

#nairaland

Michigan Election Board Votes To Certify Biden's Win by Benesis: 118pm On Nov 23
The Michigan State Board of Canvassers voted Monday to certify the state's presidential election results, a victory for President-elect Joe Biden and a major blow to President Donald Trump's withering effort to contest the results.

The two Democrats on the four-member board were joined by one of its two Republicans to vote in favor of certification. The other Republican board member abstained. NBC News has projected Biden as the winner in Michigan, where the president-elect leads Trump by over 150,000 votes.

It comes as Trump's allies and lawyers had called for state legislatures, including Michigan's, to name Trump electors in states won by President-elect Joe Biden. They have also made unfounded claims about irregularities and discrepancies in the vote tallies — singling out Wayne County, which includes Detroit and its large Black population.



Trump invited Republican state lawmakers from Michigan — state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and House Speaker Lee Chatfield — to the White House last week. Critics saw it as an attempt to influence the certification process, but the lawmakers said afterward that they were not "made aware of any information that would change the outcome of the election in Michigan."

In a joint statement issued after their approximately two-hour visit to the White House, the Michigan lawmakers said their position that the voters are the ones who pick the state's electors was unchanged.

#uselection