ASUU Strike: Update From A Landlord
Our reader sent this to us, according to him his rent expires after December.
He paid for it on January but ASUU embarked on a nationwide strike on March 23.
But his landlady believe is good to update him now regardless.
#asuustrike
Inksnation: EFCC Declares Omotade-Sparks Amos Sewanu Wanted
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC has declared Omotade-Sparks Amos Sewanu Inventor Of Inksnation Pinkoin Wanted.
Omotade-Sparks Amos Sewanu who is the owner of iBSmartify Nigeria, Inventor of the “the World’s First Philanthropic Blockchain (InksLedger) and the World’s First Charitable Trust DAO (InksNation) which can end poverty in any country in less than 9 months incentivising goodness, promoting love, unity, oneness, peace and equitable distribution of wealth also invented the world’s first Reserve Cryptocurrency called PinKoin, Africa’s first QR Debit Card called PinKard and lots more .
Although the Securities and Exchange Commission of Nigeria has fore classified the activities of Inksnation Illegal and fraudulent in a press release dated 26/06/202. SEC said, The attention of the Commission has been drawn to the activities of iBSmartify Nigeria the promoters of a Blockchain known as iBledger (iBcashcryptocurrency) and InksNation.
“The general public is hereby advised that neither the promoters of iBSmartify Nigeria nor the illegal products they offer are registered or regulated by the Commission.”
“In view of the above, the general public is hereby WARNED that any person dealing with the said entity and others in the same business in any manner whatsoever, does so at his/her own risk.”
In a Press Release in The Nation Newspaper dated the 11th of November 2020, The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission declared the founder Omotade-Sparks Amos Sewan wanted for series of financial frauds.
“The Public is hereby notified that Omotade-Sparks Amos Sewanu of Inksnation whose photograph appears above is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC in a case bordering on obtaining by false pretense, names Dropping and Fraud to the tune of thirty Two million Naira Only (32,000,00 while claiming to have floated an online digital currency called “Pinkoin“.
“Sewanu is a native of Badagry in Lagos, he is about 1.6 metres in height, fair complexioned, dark hair, brown iris and dark eyebrow.”
“His last known address is No 19, Posukoh Quarters, Via Joseph Dosu way Badagry, Lagos state.”
#inksnation
EndSARS Protests: VIPs Ignore IGP's Order On Withdrawal Of Police Orderlies
Three weeks after Mohammed Adamu, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), gave a directive on the withdrawal of police orderlies attached to VIPs — politicians, business leaders and entertainers, Daily Independent findings revealed that the order has largely been ignored.
Rather than release the policemen at their disposal back to the police authorities so as to complement the existing personnel in securing the populace, our correspondent gathered that many VIPs and politicians have added more police personnel due to the recent attacks by hoodlums in the aftermath of the #endsars protests.
During Sunday’s meeting in Lagos between South-West governors and traditional rulers to proffer solution to the destruction in the region by hoodlums, many policemen were seen escorting dignitaries invited to the event, despite the fact that the IGP was also in attendance at the meeting.
Speaking with our correspondent, a senior police officer in Lagos who spoke on condition of anonymity, said many of the police personnel attached to the VIPs “also don’t want to leave due to the extra pay they receive to augment their salaries”.
He also added that some of the policemen he has spoken to said they find it difficult to resume at police stations now because of the massive damages done to the buildings by the hoodlums which are yet to be renovated.
“It is a difficult thing. One, the situation in the country is still tensed. We are yet to see the end of the #endsars crisis. That is why you haven’t seen many policemen on the streets. Also, many of these VIPs are still living in fear and demanding improved security.
“Due to the insufficient number of policemen, some are even employing the services of vigilantes, OPC and others. So, it is a difficult period to withdraw police security from them. Maybe that can be done after normalcy has returned to the country.
“Also, if you withdraw these policemen, which station will they resumed at? Many of the police stations have been destroyed while others are in bad shape. These are factors that made the IGP’s directive a difficult thing to do now”, he said.
Before the latest directive, in March 2018, former Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, ordered an immediate withdrawal of all police orderlies attached to private individuals and companies. The order was ignored as the then IGP could not ensure its enforcement.
President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2015 directed that police personnel attached to unauthorised persons and VIPs in the country be withdrawn and deployed to confront the security challenges in the country.
In 2018, the Police Service Commission (PSC) said the commission in conjunction with the NPF, had commenced withdrawal of police officers, but the exercise was stalled due to lack of funds.
Former Chairman of the PSC, Mike Okiro, said the Police Force could not afford to have more than half of its officers in private hands, lamenting that the enforcement of the order on withdrawal of policemen attached to unqualified persons in the country could not be sustained due to lack of funds.
Speaking on the latest directive by the IGP, Monday Ubani, a former second Vice- President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), said the order by the IGP is just a mere talk to force the VIPs who are in dire need of police protection to pay more for their services.
“That has always been the procedure and process the previous IGPs have adopted. What they do is to say that they have withdrawn the police orderlies from the VIPs. But you find out that what they are asking for is basically for the VIPs to come and renew their service charge. It is just business as usual.
“It is not as if those guys will be withdrawn. Is it that they have improved the issue of security in the country that you are asking for policemen to be withdrawn from these VIPs? These are people that cannot do without police protection and now you are asking that their orderlies be withdrawn?
“What I see is that with this fresh directive, the VIPs will pay higher amount to ensure that they retain their policemen. If anyone expects that those policemen will be withdrawn, such a person is only joking. To me, it is just business. Any new IGP that comes in will issue the same directive”.
Yinka Odumakin, Afenifere National Publicity Secretary, said it will be difficult to implement the directive by the IGP owing to the pecuniary interest involved.
“It is clear that policemen who are attached to VIPs, when they get their privileges, some of their superiors also benefit from the privileges. So, it is not easy to carry out such a directive because they will not want the largesse to go easily”.
When contacted, Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, said since the IGP gave the directive of the withdrawal of the police escorts, he is in a better position to assess the level of compliance.
Mba, who said the police force has made significant progress in ensuring that the directive is being carried out, added that the failure of some police orderlies to comply with the directive is not due to disobedience but due to operational issues.
He said, “First of all, we need to understand that the directive was given by the IGP himself based on his assessment of the dynamics of deployment and the manpower allocation and need for report. It wasn’t a directive that was imposed by some external forces. It was originated by the IGP; it was conceived by the IGP, originated by him and issued out by him.
“So, there is no better person to assess the progress of that directive than the IGP himself. I think we must understand that. I will tell you categorically that that directive is being enforced. There are circumstances where there might be a timeframe before that directive can be 100 percent implemented due to operational issues and others.
“Also, there might be some delays which are not a consequence of disobedience but that of operation. I can tell you that that particular directive is being carried out and the force has made significant progress in withdrawing these personnel attached to these persons in that category”.
#endsars
I Will Kill You & Nothing Will Happen - Soldier Threatens Driver On Kaduna Road (Video)
I’ll kill you and nothing will happen - Soldier threatens driver
A soldier was spotted threatening a driver for an issue that we are yet to confirm telling him that he has the right to kill him and nothing would happen , the event was captured by a passenger already in fear of what the Military men would do.
#asuustrike:Ngige To Senators: We’re Addressing ASUU Strike Holistically
MINISTER of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige on Wednesday said the Federal Government was addressing the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, holistically to ensure that all other unions in the university system were carried along.
The Minister said this while defending the budget of his Ministry before the Senate Committee on Labour and Employment.
Reacting to the concerns expressed by the senators on the prolonged ASUU strike, Senator Ngige told the committee that the Federal Government has met most of the demands of the union.
According to him, “Out of the eight demands of ASUU, the government has solved five. We have made N50 billion available. A total sum of N20 billion for the revitalisation of the universities and N30 billion for Earned Academic Allowances (EAA).
“The union agreed and went back to their members, only to return and say that the money for EAA should be for ASUU members alone, excluding other unions, namely, SSANU, NASU, and NAAT.”
In a statement from the Minister’s media office last night, Ngige explained that the Federal Government cannot ignore the other unions as such could be counter-productive to the smooth running of the university system.
He said, “We cannot ignore the other unions whose services are indispensable for the full functioning of the university. If we ignore them, even if ASUU calls off the strike, the other unions will down tools-close the lecture rooms, the libraries, the laboratories- and in fact, even the university gate.”
On the contentious issue of IPPIS, the minister said the University Transparency and Accountability Solutions (UTAS), which ASUU brought as an alternative has been sent to the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) for assessment.
Ngige however faulted the claim by ASUU that IPPIS would erode university autonomy.
He said, “They said that university autonomy is being eroded. Autonomy cannot work when the government is paying the lecturers. It can work only when the governing council generates its own resources to pay workers.
“IPPIS has blocked all leakages and exposed those who are not paying taxes, as well as those who underpay.
“So, we are meeting again with ASUU soon, so that they can also hear that other unions in the university have developed their own payment system against UTAS. Do you now realize why we are tackling this problem holistically?”
Addressing the concerns of the senators on the worrying unemployment situation in the country Ngige called for a systemic re-evaluation of the educational system with an emphasis on technical education.
He stressed the need to manage our resources and make concerted efforts to create jobs through multilateral and multifaceted approaches.
“White-collar job syndrome has afflicted us. We have green and blue-collar jobs that will feed people and give them shelter. Agriculture can give us jobs. We have Anchor Borrowers but we can do more. The educational curriculum is straight-jacketed. That is why everybody is in the labour market looking for jobs.
” It is for us to wear our thinking caps and see what can be done. We budgeted 60 percent for constituency projects to train people in empowerment. But, when you give empowerment to people, they sell it. They tell you that this is not the kind of job they want to do. They don’t want to engage in soap making or baking, welding, and fabrication. Even mechatronics, which we are encouraging because of its computer-based component, they are not going there,” he said.
#vanguard #assustrike
IBEDC To Begin Distribution Of 100,000 Free Meters Next Week
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company Plc said on Wednesday that it would commence the rollout of free meters to customers under the Federal Government ’s National Mass Metering Programme in a bid to bridge the nation’ s metering gap .
The scheme , which is expected to kick off by the third week of November, IBEDC said, would help to cushion the effect of the Service Reflective Tariff on electricity consumers in Nigeria .
The Chief Operating Officer of the Company , John Ayodele, in a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan, said the company would roll out through a series of metering registration and distribution points across different locations within its franchise area.
The statement indicated that the metering initiative was aimed at ensuring a seamless metering process that allows customers to register and be metered quickly after following due process .
It read that in the first phase of the programme, running till the end of December, more than 100 , 000 prepaid meters would be rolled out to customers who are duly registered , passed the technical evaluation and paid under the Meter Asset Provider Scheme.
It stated that the primary objectives of the National Mass Metering Program are to increase the metering rate in Nigeria , curb losses and increase financial flows to the industry at large.
The statement read in parts , ‘’ Part of the objectives also includes the elimination of estimated billing, improving network monitoring capability and strengthening the local content in meter manufacturing in Nigeria .
“ The National Mass Metering Program is expected to roll out six million meters over the next 18 to 36 months across Nigeria .
#punchng
Jim Kenney: Trump Needs To "Put His Big Boy Pants On" And Accept Defeat
Mayor of Philadelphia Jim Kenney says Donald Trump needs to "put his big boy pants on, he needs to acknowledge the fact that he lost, and he needs to congratulate the winner".
#uselection
Bajaj Launches Re 250 Superkeke In Nigeria, Unveils Jay Jay Okocha As Ambassador
Bajaj Auto - the world’s largest manufacturer of 3-wheelers, has today launched the most superior keke ever seen in Nigeria, the RE 250 along with their exclusive 3- wheeler distributor Stallion Group. The RE 250 was unveiled by superstar footballer Jay Jay Okocha in the presence of over 100 keke dealers & other prominent members at an event held in Lagos. The launch of the Superkeke, themed, “Bigger Heart, Stronger Body” marked the brand’s association with the fabled football star and the company’s desire to provide a better, stronger and more reliable keke for the Nigerian people.
The Bajaj RE 250 distinctly stands out because of a host of class leading features. The vehicle is powered by a 236cc DTSi engine, the biggest engine to ever come in a keke. Company officials have highlighted that this engine has been running successfully in more than 20 countries across the globe. The vehicle boasts many first-in-class features like front fork, CV shaft, bigger 10” tyres, clear headlamps, remote controlled MP3 player, to name a few. Bajaj Auto has also upped the style quotient of the vehicle through a rear spoiler and a transparent passenger hood.
The Bajaj brand ambassador, Jay Jay Okocha, who also spoke about his new brand association explained that “brand’s strong legacy and continuous efforts to offer best in class products to Nigerians has inspired me to associate myself with the brand”.
Commenting on the occasion, Mr Shaleen Nayak, Vice-President, West Africa, Bajaj Auto said, “Nigeria is one of the most important 3W markets in the world and we have specially designed this vehicle for Nigeria. For instance, we have always felt that a keke rider in Nigeria requires a bigger, more powerful engine because of the tough road conditions. The addition of front fork can greatly ease shoulder pain for the rider after a long hard day of work. We are delighted to launch the RE250 for our Nigerian keke riders and we believe the RE250 will help riders & fleet owners prosper in their life.”
Mr Manish Rohtagi, Group CEO, Stallion said, “The RE250 Superkeke is a truly innovative and powerful product for the Nigerian roads. The company through its superior product and sharp service offerings and welfare initiatives will establish and forge long term partnership with the channel ecosystem and customers across Nigeria. Through these fulfilment partners we envisage providing employment opportunity to 5 million Nigerians directly and indirectly over the next 5 years.”
Ms. Helen Omojola, Muboj G.K Enterprises dealer from Lagos, added “This is exactly the vehicle which the market was crying out for and I am thankful that Bajaj Auto has listened to the demands of the keke riders and given us such a great product. I am very excited to start selling the RE250 here.
The company aims to achieve a dominant position in the Nigerian market through the RE250 and has launched the vehicle at a competitive price of 800,000 Naira. The Bajaj RE 250 Kekes are available from November 11, 2020 at all dealer outlets nationwide and will be showcased in 30 cities around the country from November 12, 2020 with a host of market connect activities on the superkeke with special appearances of Jay Jay Okocha.
#nairaland
Okowa: Delta Has No Plans To Stop Pensions To Past Governors And Their Deputies
The Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, says his administration has no plan to stop pensions of past governors and their deputies.
Okowa, who stated this on Wednesday in Asaba, stressed that his counterpart in Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, may have reasons to repeal theirs.
He said, “There is an existing law in Delta State on what accrued to the governors and their deputies, that I don’t want to touch.
We are not thinking in that direction, my counterpart in Lagos may have reasons why he wants the law repealed but we in Delta don’t want to go into that.
“I don’t want to comment on the decision of Lagos State Governor. Each state has the power to make a decision concerning its governance.”
On the approval given to Zamfara State Government to manage their resources by the Federal government, Okowa said the South-South governors will meet with Ibrahim Gambari, the Chief of Staff to President, Major General Mohammadu Buhari (retd), to address the issue.
#punchng
LAWMA Denies Claims Of Street Sweepers Being Owed Salaries
The attention of Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has been drawn to a video going viral on the social media, about some purported sweepers claiming that they are owed three months salaries.
The fact of the matter is that no sweeper is being owed three months salaries. The contractor CEOs had been paid up till date.
There's no truth whatsoever in the claims, it is a complete falsehood and the Authority wants to make it categorically clear, that the welfare of our sweepers is paramount and we will stop at nothing to ensure that they are adequately taken care of.
Members of the public are hereby advised to ignore the video as it is malicious and suggestive.
For waste management complaints and inquiries, please call our toll-free numbers 07080601020 and 617.
Akinleye Hakeem Kayode
Assistant Director, Public Affairs
09/11/202