The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arc. Sonny Echono, says it has spent N146 billion to sponsor over 10,227 scholars under Academic Staff Training and Development Intervention Programme.
He said 1,017 of the beneficiaries were sponsored for bench work at the sum of N5 billion.
“However, upon return of the scholars to their various institutions, many were unable to share the knowledge acquired and replicate their experiences due largely to the research infrastructure deficit in their institutions,” he said.
He added that the Fund in 2020 through the Special Research Grant to address COVID-19 funded eight research projects at a total cost of N260,280,393.00 to support the Federal Government’s response.
Arc Echono stated these on Monday in Abuja during the inauguration of an ad hoc committee on the establishment of central multipurpose laboratories in select universities in the country.
He said the move was part of efforts to provide relevant infrastructure to aid research in the country.
According to the TETFund boss, it is universally accepted that innovative research and its commercialization is the driver of economic growth and prosperity in the contemporary world.
“Thus, it is imperative to make conscious efforts to not only develop our human capital but to also provide research infrastructure to support innovative R&D on a sustainable basis. It is indeed a key pre-requisite for accelerated national development and global competitiveness,” Echono said.
He said the agency was deploying billions of naira to fund research programmes and projects with a view to deepening the institutionalization of Research and Development to tackle national challenges.
“You will recall that the Fund has so far awarded a total of 727 Research Grants to researchers from public tertiary institutions at the cost of over N18 billion under the National Research Fund (NRF) to undertake applied research in various academic disciplines,” he said.
He said some of the scholars who have benefited from the NRF grants often requested that to complete the execution of the research project might require them to cross international borders to access certain facilities/equipment due to lack of requisite research facilities in their institutions.
“In some cases, these tend to affect the financial burden associated with the research projects, coupled with time expended for travelling,” Echono said.
Echono said the committee, which has former Vice Chancellor of University of Ibadan, Emeritus Professor Olufemi Bamiro, as chairperson, has one month to submit its report.
In his acceptance speech, Bamiro expressed the readiness of the team to deliver on the assigned task.
“This will surely go a long way in rejuvenating research and training in research in our nation state.
“The committee, like the assignment, is multidisciplinary in nature, with experts, and I mean really experienced experts, in the areas of food science and technology, energy, engineering, parasitology, medicine, biochemistry, nuclear physics, and architecture. I do not see any critical area of research endeavour that can escape the eagle eyes of the members,” he said.
Meanwhile other members of the committee are Professor Ekanem Braide, Professor Joseph Ahaneku, Professor Suleiman Mustapha, Professor Yusuf Saidu, Professor Nasir Isa Fagge, Professor Abubakar S. Sambo, Professor Ibrahim Katampe and Mallam Buhari Mikailu.
The presidential election planned for February in the military-ruled West African state of Mali has to be postponed “for technical reasons”, the transitional government announced on Monday.
The junta cited the updating of the electoral roll and problems with a census database following a dispute with the operating company as reasons.
A new election date is to be announced at a later date, it said.
The military seized power in Mali more than two years ago and the timetable for the transition has been delayed before.
A constitutional referendum planned for February 2023 was not held until June, and local elections planned for June have still not taken place.
The security situation is very bad in the north and centre of Mali.
Islamists close to the terrorist militias Islamic State and al-Qaeda control large areas of the country on the edge of the Sahara.
At the request of the military junta of Colonel Assimi Goïta, the UN stabilisation mission with around 12,000 peacekeepers would withdraw by the end of the year.
The Malian army has turned away from former European partners such as the ex-colonial power France and is fighting the terrorists with the help of Russian mercenaries.
Neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger, also terrorized by Islamists in the common border region, are also ruled by the military after coups.
The latest coup in Niger in July triggered international anger and a regional crisis.
France announced on Sunday that it would withdraw its soldiers from Niger by the end of the year. (dpa/NAN)
The Lagos State governorship election petition tribunal, has affirmed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s election.
Justice Mikhail Abdullah affirmed Sanwo-Olu’s victory while dismissing the petitions of governorship candidates of the Labour Party, LP, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, GRV, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olajide Adediran.
GRV and Adediran filed separate petitions to contest the outcome of the last governorship election in the state.
However, the tribunal headed by Justice Abdullah dismissed the petitions
The Ondo State deputy governor, Hon Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has reportedly been served an allegation letter of alleged gross misconduct by the state Assembly, Naija News has learned.
It was gathered that the letter, which is expected to be replied to by the deputy governor within seven days, arrived at his office on Monday at around 3:16 pm after several days of evading service.
Recall that the Ondo assembly directed the Clerk to write the deputy governor over the allegation of gross misconduct levelled against him while he was acting governor of the state when Rotimi Akeredolu was away for medical treatment in Germany.
According to Vanguard, members of staff of his Aiyedatiwa’s office refused to collect the allegation letter from the Clerk of the House, Jaiyeola Benjamin saying they were acting on instructions.
The staff claimed that they’d been warned against collecting any letter from the House of Assembly.
One of the staff, according to the platform, alleged that they were threatened with a sack, should they accept the letter.
However, Aiyedatiwa, in an earlier statement on Monday, said he had yet to receive any letter to formally inform him of anything concerning the matter.
He stated, ”It is pertinent to put on record that as of today, Monday, September 25, 2023, I have not received any official communication or any “letter of allegations of gross misconduct” from the Ondo State House of Assembly.
” I find it especially worrying that the spokesman of the House of Assembly would go on national television to speak on such a matter without any evidence to show that such letter has been delivered to me. More disturbing is the fact that even when he was asked if the letter had been delivered, he gave no coherent answer.
” A sensitive constitutional matter of this nature, the impeachment process should not be conducted on the pages of newspapers and television screens.
“In effect, I reiterate that if such “letter of allegations of gross misconduct” against me exists, I have not seen it, and I have not been served. I therefore urge Mr. Speaker, The Honourable Chief Judge of Ondo State and members of the public to take note.”
Meanwhile, Naija News also reported that Aiyedatiwa had requested a court order to stop the State House of Assembly from proceeding with the impeachment proceedings against him.
Aiyedatiwa, in suit No. AK/348/2023, filed at the High Court in Akure on Monday, is requesting the court to, among other things, stop the House of Assembly from impeaching him because it is not competent.
In a letter dated September 25, 2023, from the Chambers of Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN) and Co. and delivered to the office of the Chief Judge of Ondo State, copies of the court processes were duly attached for the information of the Chief Judge.
Aiyedatiwa also sought orders of injunction to stop the House of Assembly from initiating, continuing, or proceeding with the process of his removal from office as the Deputy Governor of Ondo State.
He is also praying the court stop the Chief Judge of Ondo State from accepting or acting upon any request from the House of Assembly of Ondo State to set up any panel to investigate any acts of gross misconduct against the Deputy Governor.
According to him, the impeachment move is in breach of his constitutional and fundamental rights to fair hearing and that the sacking of his media aides and subjecting him to the Ministry of Information headed by a Commissioner amounts to a breach of his rights and privileges as a Deputy Governor.
The Ondo deputy governor is also seeking a declaration that his office, tenure, status, rights and privileges are protected, guaranteed and secured by the Constitution, and the declaration that in the determination of his civil rights and obligations as a Deputy Governor of Ondo State by the House of Assembly, he is entitled to a fair hearing and that given the utterances and conduct of the House of Assembly so far, there is likelihood of bias against him in the impeachment process.
Aiyedatiwa was alleged to have ordered the N300 million to be sourced from the Palliative fund, which was from the Federal government to the state, in order to cushion the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy.
But Aiyedatiwa has since denied the allegation, describing it as a fabricated lie.
All Progressives Congress (APC) Chieftain, Bayo Onanuga, has slammed supporters of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the February 25th election, Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the controversy on the certificate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Onanuga, while responding to an X user who posted two documents concerning the academic records of Tinubu, said supporters of the opposition parties are chasing shadows and wasting time arguing about Tinubu’s attendance at Chicago State University.
The supposed LP supporter claimed that Tinubu had an opportunity to clear himself of the certificate saga but ignored the international media.
He called on the Supreme Court to disqualify Tinubu for certificate forgery and impersonation of someone’s identity.
Responding to the post, Onanuga reiterated that President Tinubu attended and graduated from the Chicago State University, stressing he knew the truth as far back as 1999.
The APC chieftain said he visited the school and collected Tinubu’s first attestation letter from the school’s registrar.
He further urged LP and PDP supporters to allow Tinubu to breathe to enable him to face the business of governance.
He wrote: “Supporters of Atiku and Peter Obi continue to chase shadows and waste time controverting President Tinubu’s attendance of Chicago State University.
“The unassailable truth is that he attended the university and graduated in 1979. As far back as 1999, I knew this to be the truth. I visited the university as the editor-in-chief of my paper and collected from the school’s registrar the first attestation letter about Tinubu’s graduation.
“The document you gleefully posted on the right shows your confusion and malice. It speaks about University of Chicago and not CSU. Can you and your band please allow President Tinubu to breathe to enable him to face the serious business of governance?”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised alarm over the fire incident at the Supreme Court, describing it as suspicious.
The party, which demanded a full-scale investigation into the fire incident, said that the intention was to cripple and frustrate the Supreme Court from effectively discharging its constitutional duties, especially with regard to high-profile electoral cases.
PDP, in a statement by its spokesman, Hon Debo Ologunagba, said, “PDP is worried over the fire outbreak especially given heightened public apprehension of possible arsonist attack with the intent to cripple and frustrate the Supreme Court from effectively discharging its constitutional duties, especially with regard to high profile electoral cases including the Presidential Election Appeals pending before it.
“Our Party demands an immediate full-scale investigation into the fire outbreak with the view to unraveling the circumstances or possible sabotage in the incident.”
The PDP insisted that the outcome of the investigation should be made public unlike those of previous fire incidents in various government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, which were characteristically swept under the carpet by the All Progressives Congress (APC) administrations.
While calling on the Federal Government to beef up security around the Supreme Court, the PDP also demanded that Nigerians must be assured of the safety of sensitive documents and equipment at the Court, especially at this critical time.
The Director of Research and Documentation of the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organization, Don Pedro Obaseki on Monday claimed that former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, is insisting on the release of President Bola Tinubu’s academic records at the Chicago State University (CSU), to expose alleged identity fraud.
Naija News gathered that Obaseki stated this during a Zoom conference hosted by a psychologist based in London, Prof. Gold Emmanuel.
Obaseki accused President Tinubu of fighting to prevent the release of the credentials which he admitted “would cause irreparable damage to his person,” because of the details therein.
He further stated that Nigerians will be shocked when President Tinubu’s record is made public by the University.
According to Obaseki, the real owner of the academic records Tinubu has been laying claim to will be exposed.
Obaseki said, “Nigerians will be more demoralized that the owner of the certificate that President Tinubu is parading is a woman. We already know it as a fact, but we are seeking the release of the documents officially by CSU.”
He also expressed confidence that the documents when released, may compel the Supreme Court to consider fresh evidence in support of petitions currently before it.
Obaseki further said, “Even when the court of first instance and the appellate court have convicted someone to death and minutes before the Supreme Court gives its final judgement and there arose fresh and compelling facts and evidence, the apex court is bound to listen to the fresh facts before making its final judgement.
“It is an unwritten proviso that where there is a compelling factual fact other than what is already obtained in the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), the Supreme Court will be bound to accept the new facts of law and rule on them.”
Obaseki also claimed that the interpretation of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) concerning the position of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended), on the Federal Capital Territory, was with all due respect, an attempt to manufacture evidence.
He said, “Abuja cannot be called a state. A state as stipulated in the 1999 constitution must have a state assembly of its own. A state must have a governor. Abuja as presently constituted is not a state.
“FCT or Abuja as the case may be is patterned after Washington in the United States of America. It is such made so that no one part of the country can claim it. It is home to all Nigerians.
“The FCT was carved out of Niger state, Kogi state, Benue state and Nasarawa state. It cannot be declared a state by the PEPC.
“The PEPC cannot amend the 1999 constitution through the back door. There are processes to do that. This is one important issue that the Supreme Court must address.”
He equally accused President Tinubu of arresting Nigeria’s development through his knee-jerk approach to economic issues.
Obaseki declared, “In one full swoop of three words, he removed the fuel subsidy without caring of the consequences to the already multi-dimensional poverty in Nigeria. He devalued the naira among other policies that have negatively affected the economy.”
He explained that the Supreme Court has a moral obligation to ensure that Nigerians irrespective of social status get justice.
Obaseki echoed Atiku’s position rejecting any form of military intervention because democracy, despite its imperfections, remains the best form of government.
He also demanded the prosecution of the chairman, of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, whom he accused of complicity in the current travails of Nigerians when he allegedly manipulated the electoral process to give the All Progressives Congress unmerited victory.
Obaseki added, “INEC abandoned all the policies it advocated that would ensure a free and fair election in the country.
“Is it not curious that two elections took place the same day, same time, one result was transmitted electronically and the other was not?”
An All Progressives Congress, APC, youth leader, Hyde Kalu, has urged the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, to discontinue the suit he filed against President Bola Tinubu in the United States.
Atiku had in the suit asked a US district court to order Chicago State University, Tinubu’s alma mater, to release the President’s academic records.
Kalu, in a statement on Monday, urged Atiku to allow the judiciary in Nigeria to decide disputes arising from the 2023 presidential election.
He noted that Nigeria is being ridiculed in the comity of nations as a result of the legal dispute in the US.
The APC youth leader said the call became necessary because the issue was already generating negative attention on Nigeria across the globe.
He begged Atiku to save the country the embarrassment.
The statement read, “Atiku is a statesman, and it is not in contention that he has the love of Nigeria at heart.
“I am sure that no Nigerian is happy with the way our country has been subjected to ridicule over the court ruling in the United States
“For the love of this country and to spare Nigerians the shame of how this process may end, it is important that we plead with Atiku to drop that case and not allow us wash our dirty linens in the public.
“We are all patriots, and I believe that we can have a decent way of handling this matter and save Nigerians the shame of this impending embarrassment.
“The election has come and gone, and a president has emerged. We are all humans, and that is why I am pleading with Atiku to discontinue the case in America for the sake of the country and in consideration of the friendship between him and President Tinubu.”
…Fetish Object Placed At Official Residence
The crisis between Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa has assumed a risky dimension as the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji raised the alarm that his life is being threatened by some unknown persons.
Speaking with newsmen at the Assembly on Monday, the Speaker disclosed that he has been receiving phone calls from unknown persons threatening him shortly after the Assembly began the impeachment process of the state Deputy Governor on Wednesday.
Oladiji also revealed that some of his colleagues from the Southern Senatorial District of the state have been warned not to visit their constituencies or they risk attack.
He told journalists that he saw a fetish substance placed at the entrance of his official residence at Alagbaka, Akure, the state capital early on Monday morning.
But the Speaker declared that he was unperturbed by the phone calls and fetish substance, saying the tormentors were trying to put pressure on him to disembark from the constitutional duties of the Assembly.
He, therefore, called on security agencies in the state to beef up security around him and other members of the Assembly to prevent them from being attacked the strange callers.
The Speaker called on the Police and other security agencies to track down the strange callers.
According to him, “Very early this morning(Monday), when I was about going out, I saw an object in front of my lodge.
“Since the day we started this process(impeachment process), I have been receiving strange calls. My life has also been under serious threat from unknown people.
“So, I want to call on the people of Ondo State and security operatives to track down these people.”
Meanwhile, the Speaker disclosed that the Assembly has served Deputy Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa the notice on the allegations of gross misconduct and abuse if office on Monday afternoon.
He disclosed that the Deputy Governor was served through substitution service having found it impossible to serve him physically.
Oladiji said: “One hour ago, we served the Deputy Governor. Since Wednesday 20th, we have been trying our best to see how we can get him served, but we were not able to achieve that.
“Now we have to go through the court. We got an affidavit from the court to serve him through substituted service.
“So, he has been served through his office. It was received by his Secretary. I am not under any pressure, except the threats. This is a legislative assignment.”
In his presentation before a federal judge in the United States on Monday, President Bola Tinubu through his counsel has pleaded with the judge to release only his university certificate to Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the February 25 election.
He pleaded with the court to hide his gender and other school records from his political rival, Atiku.
Tinubu argued that releasing all his academic records including his gender would be costly to him.
“There is harm in allowing discovery on issues and documents outside the diploma,” Tinubu had pleaded while seeking a review of Judge Jeffrey Gilbert’s order by Ms Maldonado, a district judge.
The judge while shifting his ruling to Monday called both parties to make their presentation before him.
Atiku had approached the court to compel the Chicago State University, CSU, to release complete information of the president to unravel who he is, following many years of controversy surrounding his state of origin, gender, age, academic records among other biodata.
One of the controversial documents showed the person Bola Tinubu as a ‘female’ while others contained conflicting information and discrepancies that the president has failed to explain.
Atiku said causing the CSU to release all documents linked to the president will put to rest the controversy as well as aiding his case in Court regarding the outcome of the presidential election.
But after stoutly opposing the release of his documents a week ago, the president has at the hearing today (Monday) pleaded that the court can cause only partial release of the documents, which is his certificate while blocking the CSU from releasing others.
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President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, has warned that 40 to 50 per cent of students will leave school in the next two to three years if the federal government fails to stop the arbitrary increment in school fees by the universities.
Prof Osodeke gave the warning while speaking on the current situation in the education sector in Nigeria on Channels TV Sunday night.
The union leader, who accused universities of arbitrarily increasing school fees, posited that the government should rather be attracting more students to school by its education policies.
“Today, universities are arbitrarily increasing school fees. Is that correct in an environment today where the minimum wage is N30,000 per month when you have to pay rent, pay heavily for transportation and you are enforcing it on the students?
“If nothing is done about these heavy fees being introduced by schools all over the country, in the next two or three years, more than 40 to 50 per cent of these children who are in school today will drop out,” he said.
Prof Osodeke also warned that the country would be in trouble when its large youthful population are out of school.
He said: “When they drop out, they will become a big feed for recruitment for those who want this country to be ungovernable.
“This is what we are saying, create the environment we have in the 60s and 70s. When I was a student, the government was paying me for being a student. Let’s have an environment where the children of the poor can have access to education.
“School fees of N300,000, how can the children of someone who earns N50,000 a month be able to pay such a fee?”
He called on the government to increase budgetary allocation to education to at least 15 per cent of the total budget sum.
He lamented that the 3.8 per cent allocated to education in the last budget was nothing to write home about, saying with an increase in budget allocation to education, parents would be relieved of the burden of paying high fees for their children.
The union leader punctured the student loan policy of the government, saying there were no signs it would work.
Prof Osodeke said: “When you are talking about student loans, you have to be comprehensive. There is nothing to show that it would work.
“There is a need for a review. Check what happened in the past and see how we can move forward. But for us, our idea is that instead of calling it a loan, let us call it a grant.
“If you look at the conditions, 90 per cent of the students will not have access to that loan. The condition that you must have parents who earn less than N500,000 per annum [is harsh]. How many people earn less than N500,000 per annum?”
The Benue State House of Assembly has passed a resolution urging the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to ban the popular reality television show Big Brother Naija.
The decision was reached during a plenary session presided over by the Speaker, Hon. Hyacinth Dajoh.
The proposal gained momentum after Hon. Manger Manger, the representative for Tarka State Constituency, raised concerns about derogatory comments made by Venita Akpofure, a housemate on the show, towards the Tiv ethnic group.
In addition to the call for the show’s ban, the House decreed that Akpofure issue a public apology to the Tiv ethnic community through two national dailies and television stations.
Furthermore, they recommended reporting her to the Inspector General of Police and initiating legal action in a competent court to deter future instances.
In his motion, Manger cited Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, emphasizing that every individual or group deserves respect for their dignity, a principle that must be upheld and protected.
Manger expressed concern over the damaging remarks made by Venita, an Urhobo from Delta State.
She had claimed the Tiv people of Benue State offer their wives to visitors and friends for entertainment.
Manger underscored the importance of addressing the issue promptly to prevent confusion and misinformation, particularly since she was previously married to a Tiv man and had two children from the union.
The House aims to curb the potential harm caused by such statements, ensuring accuracy and understanding prevails.
FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, has approved a three-month grace period for owners of 189 undeveloped plots of land in the territory to start to develop them or get their allocation papers revoked.
Director of Information and Communication at the FCT Administration, Mr Muhammad Sule, stated on Sunday in Abuja that the affected title holders had obtained building plan approvals but were yet to develop the properties.
Sule stated that the affected property owners were expected to develop the property within the stipulated period or have their title documents revoked in line with extant laws.
He explained that the grace period applied to individuals and corporate organisations that had shown the desire to develop their property by obtaining building plan approvals.
Sule added that public institutions that had land titles within the FCT but had yet to develop the same were also advised to do so within the three-month grace period to avoid the sanction.
“The minister has extended this gesture to 189 property owners due to their desire to develop the properties by obtaining building plan approvals, a prerequisite for the development of any property in the FCT,” Sule was quoted by NAN as saying.
“Owners of the plots were exempted from revocation because they had already demonstrated firm commitment to develop their property by obtaining necessary documents from the FCT Administration.
“The minister is urging the affected property owners to take advantage of the gesture and develop their plots in line with the terms of their Offer of Right-of-Occupancy.”
Alhaji Wale Adedibu, an influential All Progressives Congress (APC) member from Oyo State, has passed away.
Saturday saw his passing after a brief illness.
A few days have passed since the death of the APC woman leader in the Oyo North Senatorial district before Adedibu’s passing.
Princess Adebowale Atoyebi, the female leader of the APC, passed away last week.
In response, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, who represents the Oyo South senatorial district, said that he was shocked to hear about Adedibu’s passing.
Alli in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Akeem Abas, described Adedibu as a committed and dedicated party member.
He added that the deceased worked tirelessly for the growth of the party in the State.
He said that Adedibu’s death was a reminder of the fragility of life and the need for all to cherish every moment.
He expressed condolences to the family, friends, political associates and the APC family on the tragic loss.