…decries poor participation of young candidates in politics

Apparently positioned to encourage younger Nigerians in vying for legislative seats across the country, a civil society group, under the auspices of Yiaga Africa has promised to dole out $20,000 to any lawmaker elected at the state and federal level who makes his or her mark in legislative duties.

Samson Itodo, Executive Director, Yiaga Africa made the pledge on Tuesday in Abuja, while speaking at a programme Convergence 5.0: Nigeria’s Largest Gathering of Young Legislators.

He said lawmakers that would qualify for the prize money must be under 35 years of age, either at the State or Federal legislature, and would be assessed based on the number of bills sponsored and level of contributions to legislative proceedings.

Itodo decried the level of participation of young candidates in the country, despite the not-too-young-to-run act in place.

He said he believes the prize money of $20,000 would spore young Nigerians to vie for elective offices to contribute their quota to nation-building.

Meanwhile, Director of Programmes, Yiaga Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu corroborated Itodo when she said that Convergence 5.0 represents the largest gathering of young legislators in Nigeria as a platform created for young legislators to learn from experts in the field on how best to effectively deliver leadership.

According to Mbamalu, the platform is for young elected representatives to learn how to build power and how to best navigate the politics in the National and State Assemblies, hence the theme, leadership, power politics.

She lamented that despite the signing of the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Act into law by the immediate past administration, prospects of having more young people in politics have not been too encouraging.

“In 2019, we celebrated about 13 young people in the House of Representatives, which was a far increase from where we were in 2015.

“We also had 20 young people who are under 30 years old, who won the elections in 2019 in the State Assemblies, two women under 35 years old won that election.

“In 2023 we hoped for better but yes, it did not go the way we were expecting but we still have things to celebrate. For the first time since our transition to democracy in 1999. We can proudly say that in the House of Representatives, we have two lawmakers who are between 25 and 29 years old, the youngest ever, that is progress but not enough.

“This is because, in the House of Reps, we just have 14 under 35 years old who won the elections. At the state level, there are 92 under-35-years-old who won the elections.

“For the women, it is still a sad story as we have four lawmakers who are under 35 years old that are women,” she stated at the Convergence 5.0 event.

[DailyIndependent]

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has announced the names of the leaders of the tenth Senate majority caucus.

The Ekiti Central lawmaker, Opeyemi Bamidele, was named the Senate Majority Leader.

The Senate President also announced Senator Dave Umahi ( Ebonyi South) as the Deputy Majority Leader; Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) as Chief Whip; and Senator Lola Ashiru (Kwara South) as the Deputy Whip.

Akpabio stated, “The All Progressives Congress caucus of the Senate after consultations, has emerged with their leadership which will be the fulcrum of commencing other businesses of the chamber.

“I’m happy to announce that by consensus, the Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, will be the Majority Leader.

“Sen. Mohammed Ndume (APC-Borno) will be the Chief Whip of the 10th Senate; Sen. David Umahi (APC-Ebonyi), by your consent, will act as the Deputy Leader and Sen. Lola Ashiru (APC-Kwara) will be the Deputy Chief Whip.”

The Senate immediately dissolved into a closed session.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has said it stopped using the print-out currently being paraded by Anambra candidate, Mmesoma Ejikeme, since 2021.

This is as the examination body doubled down on its earlier position that the UTME result presented by Ejikeme is fake.

JAMB reiterated its position on the controvery in a statement on Tuesday morning, insisting that its system was not infiltrated and it had no ulterior motive.

In the statement by the Board’s spokesman, Fabian Benjamin, JAMB insisted that only Mmesoma paraded the“obsolete” notification slip out of all the candidates that sat the 2023 UTME.

The statement read: “Consequently, the Board would like to reassure Nigerians that its system was neither tampered with nor compromised as the candidate simply falsified a copy of a result slip of a candidate named “Asimiyu Mariam Omobolanle,” who sat the UTME in 2021 and scored 138.

“It is also instructive to note that the candidate, in her statement, has inadvertently revealed the rightful owner of the result she is parading when she pointed out that the QR code on the result slip showed the actual owner of the said result before she peddled a lie in an attempt to obfuscate the truth”

The board implored members of the public to do due diligence on their part in order to establish the truth and ascertain the original owner of the result slip before it was mutilated.

“To witness the unassailable position of the Board regarding this obvious falsehood, the general public is, therefore, urged to endeavour to scan the QR code on the result slip to see its actual owner before it was mutilated. It is to be noted that the QR code encapsulates the UTME result of each candidate, hence, what is on the result sheet is nothing other than the interpretation of the information on this QR code.

“Furthermore, the public is also to note that the Board stopped issuing Notification of Result slips after the 2021 UTME for the simple reason that candidates were falsifying them. Consequently, the Board has been issuing actual UTME RESULT Slips (not notification of results ) since 2022 complete with the photograph of each candidate.

“Similarly, the public is also invited to ponder on the fact that out of all the candidates that sat the 2023 UTME, only Ms. Ejikeme Mmesoma parades the obsolete ‘Notification of Result.

“In the meantime, the management of the Board, after considering the weighty infraction committed by Ms. Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, and in line with its established procedures, has withdrawn her 2023 UTME result and also barred her from sitting the Board’s examination for the next three years.”

Malam Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser (NSA), has revealed the details of the meeting President Bola Tinubu had with service chiefs on Monday.

Recall that the president on Monday met the NSA, Acting Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the service chiefs he appointed shortly before he traveled to Europe.

Addressing State House correspondents on Monday, Ribadu said the meeting was very fruitful.

He said they thanked the president for appointing them and on his part, Tinubu told them his expectations.

He said the service chiefs are working assiduously to achieve the objectives of the government.

“We’re here to thank Mr President for the opportunity he gave us to serve our country and to serve his own government. We also pledged our loyalty to him, Nigeria and Nigerians. We believe the choice he made is the right one, the correct one, and we know what he wants for this country.”

“We’re going to work tirelessly to ensure that we accomplish that objective of securing our country, establishing peace, stability and let’s get our lives back. He gave us the assurance that he’s with us hundred percent. He told us that we must work as a team and that there’s work to be done, he’ll expect us to deliver and we’re grateful for the opportunity. That’s why we are here”

Twitter has announced that TweetDeck, a popular program that allows users to monitor several accounts at once, will be available only to “verified” users from next month.

The social media firm, bought by billionaire Elon Musk last year, has been thrashing around for ways to make a profit, cutting staff and ramping up its paid-for subscriptions.

Twitter’s verified users are mostly those who have paid to receive a blue check mark, though Musk has gifted the check mark to some users and others have it as a legacy from the previous regime.

TweetDeck, launched more than a decade ago, shows messages in columns and its search and posting functions operate differently from the website or the app.

The firm said in a support message on Monday that it was launching a new version of TweetDeck with various new functions.

“In 30 days, users must be Verified to access TweetDeck,” the message said.

A series of changes to the way Twitter is run left many TweetDeck users unable to see posts on the weekend.

Twitter bought London-based TweetDeck in 2011, with technology media putting the price tag at $40 million at the time.

AFP/PUNCH

A prominent business Igbo chieftain, Gaius Chibueze has offered to cater for Mmesoma Ejikeme‘s tertiary education following fraud allegations by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

It would be recalled that the examination body on Sunday accused Ejikeme of manipulating her 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result for monetary gain.

The board claimed she manually inflated her UTME result from 249 to 362 and used her manually inflated score to attract a N3m scholarship from Innoson Motors and was set to be awarded by the Anambra State Government before she was exposed.

Reacting to the development, the bitcoin billionaire businessman via his verified Twitter page condemned the examination body for the attack against the student’s personality.

He also offered to sponsor her education till masters level in either the United Kingdom, Canada or America

He wrote: “I and our company @VoiceOfTheEast are ready to offer Miss Joy Mmesoma a 100% scholarship to study in the UK, CANADA or the UNITED states of America.

“Our team will work with her to get admission From any university of her choice in any of the above 3 countries. We will take 100% charge of her Fees and upkeep until her masters level.

“@lota_nna, kindly get in touch with her and her family!We are calling on@JAMBHQto desist from such unprofessional behavior.This is not just an attack on her person but the entire Igbo race!”

Senators Opeyemi Bamidele and David Umahi have been elected as the Senate Majority Leader and Deputy Majority Leader, respectively, in the 10th Nigerian Senate.

The announcement was made on Monday by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, at the resumption of plenary and their adoption by senators of the ruling party.

Opeyemi is the Senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District of Ekiti State while Umahi represents Ebonyi South Senatorial District.

The Senate President also announced the APC Senator’s adoption of Mohammed Ali Ndume as
Senate Majority Whip and Lola Ashiru as Deputy Majority Whip.

More details to follow…

The Abia State governor, Dr. Alex Otti, on Monday launched a new digital tax system that would help the state eliminate fraud and intermediaries in revenue generation.

The new system, which integrates free medical insurance scheme for all commercial vehicle drivers and riders of Keke and Okada, will see the state also maximise its revenue potential, according to the state’s Chief Executive Officer.

Speaking at the launch, Dr. Otti, who was flanked by some senior members of his cabinet, including the Chief of Staff, Dr. Caleb Ajagba; the Special Adviser on Internally-Generated Revenue, Mr. Chimereze Isaac Okigbo; and Special Adviser on Policies and Interventions, Rev Father Christian Anokwuru, said that the introduction of the new digital system will not only strengthen the state’s tax collection but would also promote economic growth and entrepreneurship in the state.

“By simplifying tax compliance procedures, we have removed barriers for businesses, encourage formalisation, and stimulate investment. This initiative empowers entrepreneurs, enabling them to focus on their ventures’ growth and expansion, ultimately leading to job creation and economic prosperity for our state.

“By eliminating fraud, intermediaries, and introducing the digital platform to block leakages, we will unlock the true potential of our tax system to maximise revenue for development projects.

“The digitalised tax regime ensures that every business, large or small, contributes its fair share towards the growth of our state. With the expected increased revenue, the government can invest in infrastructure development, education, healthcare, and other essential sectors that will uplift the lives of all Ndi Abia,” Governor Otti affirmed.

He declared that the free medical insurance scheme component of the new digital tax payment system is a fulfilment of his campaign promise to create an affordable health care delivery “for our people across all sectors and segments” of the society.

The new digital tax system essentially aims at sanitising revenue generation in the transport sector and the markets. While the Permit to Operate Tickets targets those in the transport business, the Innovative Traders Tax Payment aptly targets traders in the market areas.

“Unlike in the past where revenue agents abused these daily tickets with all manner of collectibles, now, we are promoting Transparency and Ease of Compliance in our commitment to making tax compliance simpler and more accessible. The digitalised tax regime introduces enumeration and easy paying platforms which includes the use of USSD and wallet services.

“The Permit to operate Tickets for Transporters has been designed in bouquets which gives the commercial transport operators options to choose among the daily, weekly and monthly scheme. This has eliminated all forms of middle men that have been meddling on our revenue collection space. We are also optimistic that this model will eventually eliminate and reduce the risk of extortion, promote transparency, increase tax compliance, strengthen ease of doing business in Abia state and empower these businesses to operate within a legally defined framework and environment,” the governor said.

In the same vein, he said the new framework for Innovative Traders Tax Payment “is the first of its kind in our state”. According to him, it was carefully designed within the ambit of the principle of convenience and fairness.

“This model gives the traders in all our major markets the benefit of prorating their annual Market levy in a Monthly, Quarterly, Bi-Annually or Annually. A thorough consideration was made to accommodate this model so as to cushion the effect of economic hardship and business cycle volatility. This was our promise to Ndi Abia during our campaign and we are keeping to that,” he explained.

A lawyer, Johnmary Maduakolam, has threatened to sue the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, and the management of the Board should they fail to tender an apology to Anambra pupil, Mmesoma Ejikeme, who was accused by JAMB of manually inflating her 2023 UTME result.

The lawyer in a letter addressed to Oloyede noted that Mmesoma was incapable of forging her own results. He also accused JAMB of failing to protect the identity of the girl.

He said, “I am Chief Johnmary Akachukwu Maduakolam, a legal practitioner and the President of Johnmary Akachukwu Maduakolam Initiative for Education which is a pet project with a special interest in education and holistic development of the young person.

I am shocked to read from the media a circular issued by one Mr Fabian Benjamin on behalf of JAMB, accusing one Ms. Mmesoma Ejikeme, a minor and a student of Anglican Girls Secondary School Nnewi, Anambra State of faking JAMB scores to curry favour from unsuspecting philanthropists. By that publication, JAMB, under your watch, defamed the poor girl, exposed her to public opprobrium, and most especially failed to discharge its duty to the girl child under the Child’s Right Act.”

JAMB in a statement on Sunday evening noted that Ejikeme manually inflated her UTME result from 249 to 362 and used her manually increased score to attract a N3m scholarship from Innoson Motors and was set to be awarded by the Anambra state government before she was exposed.

“The most pathetic of them all is the case of Miss Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, who claimed to have scored 362 in the 2023 UTME and was awarded a N3m scholarship by Chief (Dr.) Innocent Chukwuma. She was even set to be honoured by the Anambra State Government when one of its top officials put a call through to JAMB to confirm her claim only for the Board to reveal that Miss Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma had actually scored 249 and not 362 she claimed. She had manipulated her UTME result to deceive the public to fraudulently obtain a scholarship and other recognitions,” JAMB said.

Maduakolam in the letter said, “Paradoxically, information available in the media strongly suggests that JAMB, and not the poor girl, is culpable of dishing out fake results but even if the girl forged her results, the law affords her some protection as a child in the circumstance.

“Sequel to the above, I hereby request your good self, on her behalf, to retract forthwith the malicious publication made against the child, tender an unreserved apology to her and take steps to ensure that the trauma your conduct caused is cushioned immediately.

“Kindly note if you fail, neglect or refuse to harken to my demands for the welfare of the child, I shall drag you to a court and you shall bear its cost.”

The Zone 2 Command of the Nigeria Police has arrested two men, who allegedly specialise in hacking into bank customers’ accounts.

The Zonal Public Relations Officer, SP Hauwa Idris-Adamu, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos.

Idris-Adamu said that the arrest followed a petition received from a bank by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of the Zone comprising Lagos and Ogun, Mr Mohammed Ali.

“On the 8th of May 2023, a petition was submitted by United Bank for Africa (UBA) to the AIG that there are some syndicates that specialise on internet fraud of various banks in Nigeria, most especially United Bank for Africa (UBA).

“They hack into customers accounts and move their money.

“Based on the petition, the AIG raised a team of detectives from the Zonal Monitoring Unit, which swung into action with the aid of modern technology.

“The two suspects were tracked down at their hideout at Ijebu Ode, Ogun State,” she said.

According to the official, the suspects confessed to the crime.

“They confessed that they had many syndicates all over Nigeria and that they used software to hack into customers’ accounts and move their money undetected from any bank.

“The modus operandi of these fraudsters is to have a customer’s BVN-linked phone number for easy transfer of money.

“Consequently, over 1,000 customers’ accounts have been hacked and the customers defrauded across the country,” she said.

She said that further investigation into the incident revealed that members of the syndicates were from different parts of the country.

She said that efforts were being intensified to arrest all those connected with the crime.

According to her, investigation is ongoing while the suspects will be arraigned on completion of investigation. (NAN)