Nigeria Needs People of Impeccable Character to fix it, Says Gov Bello

Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State has said that people of impeccable character are needed in leadership positions to turn-around the country for the better.

Governor Sani Bello stated this while declaring open a three-day training for youths, a collaborative programme between the state government and Lead Generation Initiative (LGI), held at Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre, Minna.

“The quality of leadership, integrity and the character of whoever we vote for is what will fix this country”, he said.
He said, for Nigeria to get the desired change, people must actively participate in the political process because no individual can change the fortunes of this country.

Governor Sani Bello noted that, with the endemic level of corruption at various levels in the country, there is the need to address it, hence the call for people of good character to be part of the political process.

“We have to work on our characters as human beings and we have to be nice to each other”, he added.

The Governor, who had in January this year attended the inauguration of the LGI, said he became the first state to partner with them because he had seen their capacity to transform and reorient the youths in leadership training.

He expressed happiness with the Get Involved Leadership Training(GILT) for the youths in the state urging youths to be bold and use the opportunity to actively participate in politics and governance of the country.

The Governor also lamented the low political participation of women in the state, appealing to them to become fully involved in all political processes for the growth of democracy.

Earlier, the Founder and Chairman Board of Trustee, Lead Generation Initiative, Mr. Shina Peller said the team was in the state to train the youths in effective leadership skills, strategic communication, political mobilization, active citizenship and nation-building.

Mr. Peller who is also the member,  representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa Federal Constituency, Oyo State further explained that the team is raising awareness about community development, and consciously training those who will be trained to train others and drive development from the grassroots.

 He said two participants were selected from each of the 25 local government areas of the state to replicate the training they received to the 274 wards in the State and that another set of 50 persons nominated by the state government will be trained as supervisors, bringing the numbers of those to be trained to 100. 

He then urged the youths to get informed, show interest in national issues and join a political party of their choice to enable them participate in the political process.

The Founder commended Governor Sani Bello for being the first State to partner with Lead Generation Initiative and encouraged other states to do same as it will go along way to end extreme poverty and create more inclusive society.

Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Emmanuel Umar, in his welcome address, commended the initiative of the team and expressed hope that it will create opportunities for young people to add value to their communities.

He also commended Governor Sani Bello for supporting the initiative and for his overall efforts at  ensuring value is added to the potentials of youths in the state.

In their separate remarks, the Speaker, Niger State House of Assembly, represented by his Deputy, Alh. Jibrin Ndagi Baba and Chairman Youth Council, Niger state chapter, Mal. Bello Sheriff commended the Governor for finding the youths in the state worthy to benefit from the initiative and called on the youths to make use of the opportunity granted them to participate in the training as it will make them better persons in the society and enable them to acquire leadership skills.

​JAMB begins 2021 UTME registration, sets June 5 for examination

JAMB says it has started the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) registration.

A statement issued in Bwari, FCT, by its Head, Public Affairs and Protocols, Dr Fabian Benjamin, on Wednesday says all potential candidates must provide their National Identity Number (NIN) at point of registration.

“This is mandatory for participation in the 2021 registration exercise.

“Registration will take place in 700 centres across the country; the list is available in all the state offices of JAMB and on its website at http://www.jamb.gov.ng.

“The approved schedule for registration and examination are that registration exercise will start on Thursday, April 8 and end on Saturday, May 15, 2021.

“Candidates are also to note that the registration for Direct Entry applicants will run concurrently with that of UTME candidates.

“There will be no extension of time for the sale of the UTME or DE application documents.

“Mock examination will be held on Friday, April 30 for those who indicate interest and are registered before April 24.

“UTME will hold from Saturday, June 5 to Saturday, June 19, 2021,’’ he stated.

The statement added that venues of the examination would be at any of the centres in the candidate’s chosen examination town.

It also added that registration fee for the 2021 application documents remained N3, 500 and N500 for recommended Reading Text.

It stated that further information regarding the registration processes and requirements would be made available on JAMB’s official website and also advertised in the electronic and print media from April 5.

​APC condemns demolition of ex-Edo deputy governor’s property

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the demolition of property belonging to former deputy governor of Edo, Dr Pius Odubu, by the State Government.

APC said this in a statement by the state Publicity Secretary, Mr Chris Azebamwan on Wednesday in Benin.

Azebamwan said other members of the party whose property was demolished included Rep. Julius Ihonvbere (APC- Owan) and Mr Mike Itemuagbon, a sports enthusiast.

“We recall that Gov. Godwin Obaseki about this same time last year demolished a private property of an APC chieftain, Mr Tony Kabaka Adun.

“Unchallenged, he has taken a step further, all in a bid to intimidate, suppress, hound, crush and silence his perceived enemies.

“No doubt, it is part of the governor’s ‘Make Edo Great Again’ agenda to regularly and willfully demolish property belonging to perceived opponents, and dissenting or critical voices in the state, in the bid to foist a siege mentality on the citizenry.

“It is on record that Obaseki had earlier this year revoked the Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) of some property, but the demolition carried out while the case is in court, is unacceptable because it amounts to a subversion of the rule of law,” he said.

He added: “The proper thing is for the government to wait for the outcome of the court process, but apparently because it knew that it was pursuing an illegal agenda, it demolished the property.”

He, however, urged the governor to perish the idea of trying to use false claims and propaganda to justify the demolition.

“We also reject this constant invasion of citizen’s privacy and demolition of their property, as it is not only wicked, but cowardly.

“It is a direct recipe for crisis in our state. We caution against future action in this guise, because it is borne out of hatred and political intolerance in furtherance of the larger plot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its administration to destroy the fabric that binds Edo people, and eventually overheat the polity.

“We dismiss the latter day reasons given by the government as dastardly, baseless, false and incongruous, because they fail to justify the unwarranted invasion, harassment of these innocent citizens who once served the state meritoriously, and demolition of their property.

“Edo people know that the PDP and its government is unduly hounding, harassing and demolishing property of citizens for daring to be among compatriots at the forefront of the quest to rescue our state from misrule and strangleholds of a cabal that do not mean well for the people,” he said.

​Over 100 Serving, Retired Workers Of NNN Die Awaiting Entitlements From Northern Governors – Says Union Chairman

…  Urges Speedy Action To Offset Workers’ Salaries.

No fewer than 100  retired and serving workers of New Nigerian Newspapers have died awaiting their entitlements from Owners of the company , 19 Northern State Governors.

The shocking revelation was made by Joint Union Chairman of the company , Comrade Friday Idoko shortly after staff of the Newspaper rose from a Congress held to call on Northern Governors to expedite action on sales of the company’s property to offset workers’ entitlements and other liabilities .

Idoko expressed slow pace in the bidding process he noted should have been concluded and workers’ dues paid long ago but , according to him owners of the Newspaper had been foot-dragging which he said led to immeasurable hardship on workers.

He disclosed  that many staff had been evicted by their landlords , their children sent out from schools while several others had died due to heart related ailments , Idoko attributed to financial bottlenecks experienced due to lack of salaries.

” From 2012 till date , We have lost not fewer than 100 of our members awaiting these governors to pay their accumulated salaries and other accrued benefits that would have made life worth living and probably saved them from death.

” Our staff have been active and committed to their duties to ensure our publications come out daily online to ensure sustainability of one of  Sardauna’s legacies of telling truth to people.

” But unfortunately , despite huge sacrifice by these workers  , particularly the editorial staff who go about overstretching their limits to source for newsworthy stories for publication , the process that would have seen their accumulated process paid have been put on hold.

” I must point out that their patience is fast running out , their perseverance exhausted and their sense of commitments to peace and harmony tested .

” It is in this low spirits that We have converged here today – both serving and retired staff  from September 2006 till date , who have worked for northern Governors to express our displeasure over snail speed of bidding and sales process of property owned by the company to pay us our entitlements.

” We union Excos on our part have been calming the nerves of our members , urging them to exercise restraints, patience and perseverance as they await their unpaid salaries from their employers .

” There is limit to how you can prevail on an individual to reason with you , particularly when you have been telling him same story every now and then with no positive results in sight.

” All we are collectively asking from these governors is to resume the suspended process to sell properties of the company , several of such assets are lying fallow and encroached upon.
” They should do the needful by utilizing this opportunity so their names would be written in gold and be recorded on good side of history as leaders whose tenures put smiles on faces of long-suffering workers of New Nigerian .

” Addressing issue of insecurity begins from paying workers their dues to avoid tempting them into crime and anti-social activities which would not augur well for the society now and tomorrow. ” Comrade Idoko admonished.

Zulum Approves Egypt’s Medical Degrees for Borno’s Science Students

Preparing manpower for a new teaching hospital, Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara has directed the immediate identification of youths with science qualifications for admissions and government scholarship for Degrees in medicine and related programmes across Universities in Cairo, Egypt.

Zulum gave the order to the state’s ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, on Tuesday in Maiduguri, when he received a report from a high powered committee tasked with developing framework for the establishment of Borno State University Teaching hospital, and a medical college, both of which would qualify the state University to offer Degree programmes in Medicine and other medical fields.

Zulum inaugurated the committee in July, 2020, and in November, Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire laid foundation for the hospital in Maiduguri, on Governor Zulum’s request, with work progressing at a site in Jimtilo, not far from the University’s campus.

Former Chief Medical Director of existing University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Professor Othman Kyari, chaired the committee whose mandate included recommending design, site, a construction plan and establishment of a medical college at the state owned University established in 2016 and began academics in 2019.

Kyari said the said the committee had visited the best medical institutions and colleges to identify structures, equipment and manpower before coming up with recommendations, some of which were already being implemented by the Governor.

The Professor explained that construction of the new teaching hospital will be carried in two phases, with the first which is ongoing, to have 400 beds; and the other to 200 beds, to make combine capacity of 600 beds.

Kyari said further, that the committee had adopted the name: “Borno State College of Health Sciences” to make it flexible for the state University, to have the latitude of training other paramedical students, in addition to medical doctors.