FRESH: Dangote hires for 4 years 15 foreign Professors for Kano University

The Chancellor, Kano state University of Science and Technology (KUST) Wudil, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has given the approval for the recruitment of 15 foreign Professor into the university.

The professors would be on his payroll for 4 years.




Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Shehu Alhaji Musa, disclosed this at a press briefing held in Kano on Friday where he spoke about some developmental strides recorded in the university.

He added that Dangote had taken the burden of payment of their salaries for four years with possible extension to eight years in addition to building, furnishing their accommodation within the University.


The VC also added that the Kano state government had also recruited 600 academic staff  for the university as part of the state government efforts to see that the university thrives among its peers.

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PRESIDENTIAL WAEC RESULT: I have 9 credit - Buhari tells Nigerians

President Buhari have been under attack by Nigerians home and abroad for the pass week over his inability to provide his waec certificate to INEC.

WAEC is the most common certificate that every average Nigerian must have before talking about getting into the university But it stands to be unfortunate that, the President of Nigeria do not or may not have that common certificate to show that he is 25 percent qualified to be the president of Nigeria.
Millions of Nigerians are calling for the immediate removal of mr president saying that he must go get his certificate like Obasanjo did taking the courage of going back to school after his tenure.
Buhari was not happy after the people democratic party PDP sue him to court demanding him to present his original certificate.

The All Progressive Congress APC described the decision of the Peoples Democratic Party to go to court over the certificate of President Muhammadu Buhari as a waste of time.

Buhari who revealed after news broke out that, all the presidential candidates have presented their certificates to INEC  says, he has his own WAEC  which he got 9 credit but the militry refussed to release his waec.

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Fuel subsidy: Confusion as Finance ministry, NNPC disagree over stashed, used 3.5b dollars.

 Confusion has continued to mount over existence of fuel subsidy under the Buhari administration as the Federal Ministry of Finance has denied knowledge of a 3.5 billion-dollar fund allegedly kept and utilised by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for fuel subsidy. NNPC NNPC denies holding $3.5bn subsidy fund The Permanent Secretary, Mr Mahmoud Isa-Dutse, gave the ministry’s position when he appeared before the Senate ad hoc committee probing the allegation in Abuja on Thursday. Isa-Dutse’s claim appeared to corroborate the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr Maikanti Baru, who restated the agency’s denial that it had no such fund in its custody. Senate ready to pass gas flaring prohibition bill – Lawmaker The allegation emanated from the Minority Leader of the Senate, Abiodun Olujimi, at plenary on Oct. 16.


 In a point of order, Olujimi had alleged there was a 3.5 billion dollar “Subsidy Recovery Fund being managed only by the GMD and Executive Director, Finance, of the NNPC.” It was on the basis of that allegation that the Senate set up the committee, chaired by the Majority Leader, Sen. Ahmed Lawan. Isa-Dutse said the ministry was only aware of the outstanding payments under the old subsidy regime, being handled by the Debt Management Office (DMO). “As far as the current fuel importation regime is concerned, the Ministry of Finance does not have any account it is operating. “We are not aware of the alleged 3.5 billion dollar fund, and we do not maintain any subsidy fund account,” he said. The NNPC had earlier denied the 3.5 billion dollar subsidy fund claim in a statement on Oct. 17.

 The GMD explained on Thursday that the agency was only utilising a revolving fund of 1.05 billion dollars to defray the cost of under-recovery in the importation of fuel. Asked by the lawmakers to differentiate between subsidy and the “cost of under-recovery”, Baru said subsidy was usually captured in the national budget, while the latter was not. The 1.05 billion dollars, according to him, is part of the NNPC’s operational costs. He said the money was sourced from the corporation’s share dividend in the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) and domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Baru explained that the action was in line with section 7 (4)(b) of the NNPC Act, which mandated it to defray its operational costs from its revenue. “This 1.05 billion dollars is being administered under a steering committee that was set up, and a working committee that handles daily operations of this fund. “These committees comprise representatives of the Minister of Finance, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Accountant General of the Federation, CBN, Petroleum Pricing Regulatory Agency, Petroleum Equalisation Fund Management Board, Directorate of Petroleum Resources and the NNPC. “The fund is being transparently administered according to laid down processes and governance. “I would like this honourable committee to note that the actions of NNPC were in compliance with the National Assembly directive that NNPC, as the supplier of last resort should, and has, maintained robust petrol supply and distribution to the nation. “Currently, no other oil company imports petrol due to the high landing cost above the N145 per litre price ceiling on sale of the product, and also due to the lack of provision for subsidy in the Appropriation Acts since 2016,” he explained. The GMD assured the committee that the NNPC would continue to guarantee energy security in the country by maintaining PMS supply at the approved pump price of N145 per litre, except directed otherwise. When Lawan requested for documents to back up his claims, Baru said they were not immediately available and asked for one month to present them to the committee. But the lawmaker gave him two weeks to furnish the committee with the documents, and adjourned the hearing till Nov. 6.(NAN)    

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NEWSFLASH: Court sacks Benue lawmaker, orders refund of salaries, allowances

After three years of legal battle over a legislative seat in the Benue House of Assembly, the Appeal Court in Makurdi on Friday gave judgment in favour of Joseph Boko and ordered the immediate sack of Benjamin Nungwa, the occupant of the seat.


Both Boko and Nungwa contested the APC primary of Kwande West legislative seat in the State House of Assembly in April 2015, which was won by Boko.

Dissatisfied with the conduct of the primary, Nungwa, sent a petition concerning the outcome of the primary to the APC National Secretariat for arbitration.


NAN reports that an Arbitration Panel was set up by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to resolve the disputed primary election.

The appellant, who dragged Nungwa, the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and joined the APC in the matter, had averred that the said panel, which claimed to have held sittings in Makurdi, never invited him but took decisions from its purported sittings that had adverse effects on him.

He, therefore, prayed the court to declare that the panel was not competent to sit since it was not in the first instance, properly constituted.


Bello averred that the panel had no chairman and secretary and therefore, did not form a quorum to take decisions.

He also argued that by excluding him from its proceedings, his right of fair hearing was infringed upon.

The appellant also averred that he was properly nominated as the party’s candidate for the election and prayed the court to order Nungwa to relinquish the seat he was occupying to him.

Boko had also argued that many weeks after the deadline for substitution of candidates at INEC had already closed, his name was illegally substituted with that of Nungwa.

The appellant averred that it was his name that was sent to INEC and wondered who authorised the substitution.

He argued that “After submitting names to the INEC, it is only the candidate himself that can withdraw or it could be withdrawn if he dies; I did not withdraw my name and I am not dead.’’

However, in her judgment, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court Makurdi, affirmed Nungwa as the APC’s candidate and cited the decision of the National Working Committee of the party as the basis.

Dissatisfied with the judgment, Boko approached the Supreme Court, which after hearing the matter, expunged all cross-appeals and motions that were unnecessary to the case and transmitted it back to the Appeal Court with a directive for a speedy retrial on merit.

In a unanimous judgement, read by Justice Joseph Ekanem and supported by Justice Hannatu Sankey, on Friday in Makurdi, the court overturned the judgment of the Federal High Court, which affirmed Nungwa as the winner of the legislative seat.

The court, therefore, ordered the immediate sack of Nungwa, who was described as “an illegal occupant of the Kwande West legislative seat’’.

The jurists also ordered him to refund all salaries and allowances earned within the three years he occupied the seat in the Benue House of Assembly and granted N200,000 costs to the appellant.

The appellate court resolved three out of five issues brought to it for determination by the appellant in his favour.

The court resolved that the arbitration panel of the NWC of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that claimed to resolve the disputed Kwande West primary was not competent to handle the crises, hence it was not properly constituted.

It also resolved that the appellant was denied fair hearing since he was not invited to appear before the panel and agreed that the nomination of the appellant was done in accordance with the party’s procedures.

NAN reports that Nungwa is currently serving a six-month suspension by the Benue House of Assembly for allegedly plotting to impeach Gov. Samuel Ortom.

Speaking to NAN on the court’s verdict, an elated Boko, said he was grateful to God and the judiciary for being the last hope of the ordinary man.

He regretted the cost of pursuing justice from the Federal High Court through the Supreme Court and appealed for a review of the laws of the courts to allow a speedy trial.

He said, “At long last, there is light in a dark tunnel. I give God all the glory.’’

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FG to pay N71bn to offset UBEC outstanding counterpart fund – Official

     
The Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Hamid Bobboyi, has said that the Federal Government would pay N71.29 billion directly to the commission being the outstanding counterpart funds.

Bobboyi made this disclosure in an interview with  Newsmen on Friday in Abuja.



According to him, the Federal Government will deduct the entire outstanding counterpart fund against all states of the federation from their Paris Club Refund.

He explained that the Federal Government would provide just the matching grants, while the state governments would provide the counterpart fund to be able to access the funds provided by the Federal Government.

“There is a new development and the Federal Government has given us a schedule of these states.

“ The total amount the Federal Government is going to pay and remit directly to the commission is N71, 292, 316, 087.84.



“So, UBEC in disbursing the funds will put the counterpart funds along with the matching grants and disburse to states if they meet the conditions.

“So, the issue of funds not accessed in UBEC will soon come to an end at least for 2018, which is a good thing.’’

Bobboyi, however, said a lot of progress had been made by states in accessing their matching grants from UBEC, adding that previously there would be stacks of money in the commission waiting to be accessed.


According to him, in the last few years, states had made a lot of efforts to ensure they paid their counterpart funding in order to access the matching grants provided by the Federal Government.

“For example, we are in 2018; the funds have not finished accruing to the account; so it will take up to December 31 when you will have the entire amount.

“By the time we are in December, you will be sitting on half of the allocation of the year not accessed because the matching grant is 50 per cent.

“By the time you add it to some of the money not accessed for other years, the figure balloons.

“Majority of the states will want the money to be completed in order to be able to access the entire amount; so they have to wait till 2019 to start accessing fund for 2018.

This is a cyclical phenomenon and it happens every year,’’ he said.

The executive secretary said as at Oct.15, in the North West zone, majority of the states had accessed the entire amount till 2017.

These states, he noted, were Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi and Sokoto while Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna states had accessed the funds up to 2016.

He said also that the North East Zone such as Adamawa, Borno, Gombe and Taraba states had accessed the money up to 2017 while Yobe and Bauchi had accessed to 2016.

Bobboyi said the South West Zone had recorded phenomenal progress except Ekiti state that had a bit of 2015 funds yet to be accessed as well as 2016 and 2017.

“Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states have accessed up to the first quarter of 2018, while Osun state had accessed till 2017 and Ondo state which accessed last in 2013, was able to pay its counterpart funds and access from 2014 to 2016.

“So the picture is not as bleak as sometimes we painted it,” Bobboyi said.

He, however, said the major challenge was from the South-East states, where a state like Abia had not accessed the fund from 2015; and had N4.187 billion as fund not accessed.

“Enugu state still has up to N271 million in 2014 and has 2015 to 2017 fund not accessed.

“While Anambra state is doing very well, it had accessed up to 2016 and is trying to access up to 2017; Ebonyi had accessed up to 2015 while Imo had accessed the funds till 2017.”

The executive secretary told Nesmen that majority of states had made efforts to access their funds just a few states that were still lagging behind.

He, however said he believed by the end of the year most states would have cleared their 2017 un-accessed funds without any problems.

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BREAKING: Court strikes out NLC, TUC’s planned strike

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria has ordered the organised labour, comprising the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress not to embark on its indefinite strike scheduled to commence on November 6.

Justice Sanusi Kado, on Friday, gave the order in a ruling on an ex parte application moved on behalf of the Federal Government by the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. Dayo Apata.


Agreeing with Apata, Justice Kado ruled that if the strike is allowed it would lead to huge economic loss to both public and private institutions and could jeopardise the health of many Nigerians who would not be able to access health facilities during the period.

The organised labour had threatened to commence an indefinite strike action to press for the increase in the national minimum wage from the current N18,000.




The last meeting of the tripartite negotiation committee on the minimum wage had ended in deadlock after the Federal Government insisted that it could only afford to pay N25,000, while the governors under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum had held on to N22,500 and the labour N30,000.

Apart from the NLC and the TUC, the NGF is also joined as a defendant in the suit.

Justice Kado adjourned the matter till November 8 for the hearing of the motion on notice seeking the interlocutory injunction to stop the strike.

The judge ordered that the court order and other papers be filed on all the defendants.

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567,637 PVCs uncollected in Ogun — INEC

THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Ogun State, yesterday, disclosed that no fewer than  567,637 Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs, were yet to be collected  by residents of the state ahead of 2019 general elections.

INEC boss The Commission’s Administrative Secretary in the state, James Popoola disclosed this at a one-day Stakeholders Election Forum on display held in Abeokuta, Ogun State.


 He said: “The whole essence of Voter Register Clean-Up is to assist eligible voters to confirm their registration status; to remove names of deceased, under age, and non Nigerians from the register of voters; to insert omitted names and to correct spellings and other errors identified in gender, names, age and addresses. “Only citizens with PVCs are eligible to participate in the election. Go out and collect your cards. No collection by proxy.”    

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