'Without working, I earned salaries after paying N1m for job slot at FCC' - man tells probe panel
AdminThe House of Representatives’ ad-hoc committee investigating alleged job racketeering and abuse of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System by Ministries, Department, and Agencies on Tuesday uncovered more shady deals at the Federal Character Commission.
Recall that on Monday, an ex-desk officer at the FCC, Haruna Kolo confessed to having received millions of naira from job seekers on behalf of the FCC chairman, Muheebat Dankaka
At the continuation of the investigations on Tuesday, the duo of Abdulmalik Ahmed and Ali Yero confirmed payment of N3 million for jobs at FCC.
According to Ahmed, they agreed to pay the huge sum of money after getting the assurances that they would be among the first persons to be employed in 2021.
He said, “We learnt that there was recruitment in 2021 and each of the commissioners and directors had candidates. We who were nobodys, ordinary citizens of the country, we came through this process.”
“After having the appointments, Mr. Kolo promised to post us like in two months’ time. That was the reason we were convinced about him. I got to know Kolo through the driver of the Taraba Commissioner at FCC. I transferred a million naira to Kolo’s account on the arrangement, because I was told that, the monthly pay was about N140,000 or N130,000. So, we agreed on N1.5million with the driver first. We bargained with the driver on behalf of Kolo. His name is Yusha’u Gambo.”
On his part, Yero said his two brothers paid N2million in installments to secure the job for him.
He noted that one of them paid N1.5m while the other paid N500,000 as balance.
“My brothers, Nurudeen Yero and Abdulrazak Yero paid the sum of N2m to Badamasi Yaro’s account on August 2, 2022. Badamasi Yaro is working with Haruna Kolo and the money paid into his account was for a job at the FCC.
“Haruna Kolo told me the slot was from the chairperson of the commission. That was why I would be captured under the IPPIS platform. Badamasi brought the employment letter with some documents for me on August 5, 2022, Badamasi took me to Treasury House where Kolo Haruna took me to the IPPIS office and I was captured on the IPPIS platform”.
They added however that their appointment letters were later collected from them by the Human Resources Unit with a promise to regularise them after an investigation.
Although his appointment letter was collected from him, Yero said he was still receiving salaries.
After their submissions, Chairman of the Committee, Yusuf Gagdi, told the witnesses to reach out to the other applicants involved to enable the committee to arrange a meeting with them.
He thereafter directed the Clerk to invite Kolo, the Secretary and driver to the Commissioner representing Taraba in the FCC to appear before Committee on Wednesday to explain their roles as proxies in the alleged job racketeering.
Labour rejects Gbajabiamila on subsidy negotiations - Says FG lacks sense of urgency in effecting palliatives
AdminThe organised labour on Tuesday rejected the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, as the head of the Federal Government’s team that will negotiate with the labour unions on subsidy removal palliatives.
The National President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, made this known when the leadership of the labour unions visited the Senate.
According to him, the Chief of Staff has been too busy to call for a meeting adding that President Bola Tinubu’s wage award committee has yet to sit almost two months after the fuel subsidy removal.
The labour leaders were in the Senate to meeting with the leadership.
The Senate in a resolution two weeks ago agreed to meet with the labour unions on the subsidy removal palliative.
Ajaero said, “Part of our challenge is the issue of the committee put in place, the committee seems not to be capable, as labour union, we have done negotiation and engagement with the government, from the time of the Secretary to the General of the Federation under ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, Ufot Ekaette, during BabaGana Kingibe, Pius Ayim and Boss Mustapha.
“At no time had the Chief of Staff to the President who is very busy called to negotiate or lead negotiations.
“And that has delayed the issues, even since after our protest; another meeting has not reconvened, although the president promised that he will restructure the mechanism of engagement with government to help things to be treated fast.”
Ajaero added, “We had agreed on wage award, and up till this moment the committee on wage award is yet to sit, “
The NLC President while speaking during the meeting with Senate leadership lamented the plight of Nigerians as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy.
He said the government had yet to put structures on the ground to ameliorate the effect in the country.
He told the lawmakers that while labour leaders were still deliberating on N537 per litre of fuel and Court had ruled for the status quo to remain, the government suddenly decided to increase the fuel to N620 per litre.
NLC president stated, “Nothing is yet to happen on the issue of $800m projected to be borrowed, we have not perfected the list of the people who will benefit from it.
Similarly, his colleague, the Trade Union Congress President, Festus Usifo, lamented the snail-speed with which the Federal Government was treating the issue of the palliative.
The TUC president lamented, “The government said they will create alternatives and palliatives, it’s over two months, and there is no sense of urgency.
“3,000 buses are too small, If the government has saved one trillion in two months why can’t the government channel this money to tackle these alternatives.
Similarly, after the closed-door session, the TUC president, Usifo noted that the Senate leadership had assured them of meeting with the president and getting problems solved in a few days time.
Usifo said, “At the meeting, we put our agenda forward and those things we said to them the last time we came here.
“The Senate has promised to take up the issue with the president. What we want is action and we believe that in a few days, that would be answered. There was no ultimatum given to the Senate. “
In his response, President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, appreciated the organised labour for their patience and understanding to assist the government.
He said, “The president told you that he had saved N1tn in two months but did not that tell you the fact that he inherited over N30tn which is running into more when you put together both the local and foreign debts.
“Even when you save money and there is a lot of debt on ground, you’d realise that the money would not be able to take care of so much.”
Akpabio assured the aggrieved Labour Union of partnership and approach the Executive to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians.
The Director General of the World Trade Organization, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, says her meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja on Tuesday was aimed at reducing the economic hardship bedevilling Nigerians.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Okonjo-Iweala stressed that her “quiet visit”, which was not an official WTO mission, focused on how to support Nigerians at such a time of need.
“We all know that things are very difficult for Nigerians outside; everyone is struggling. I’m here myself on a quiet visit.
“So, this was not really an official WTO mission but we were able to engage with Mr President to talk about ‘what are the kinds of programmes that could be put in place to make sure that the suffering of Nigerians are being alleviated?’”
The WTO boss disclosed that she had “a really good conversation” with Tinubu, which considered community and grassroots programmes that could be put in place to create jobs for young people and supported women and children, whom she underscored were the most vulnerable.
She noted that they discussed the importance of long-term investment opportunities that Nigeria could seize, including in the pharmaceutical industry.
“We also talked about what type of support the WTO – the World Trade Organization – can bring,” Okonjo-Iweala said.
“We’re already working in Nigeria with women, in particular, who own small and medium enterprises, to try to help them upgrade the quality of their products., whether it’s in the agricultural area, in textiles, and in other areas so that they can sell more internationally.”
The economic expert also hinted at interventions in the area of digital trade, which she described as the wave of the future.
“So, how do we train, empower, and give Nigerian women and owners of small and medium enterprises support, so that they can trade more and create more jobs? That’s what’s needed now, helping Nigerians to alleviate the difficult conditions that they are in,” she added.
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria has said due to a harsh economic environment, the value of manufacturing production decreased from N7.39tn in 2021 to N6.67tn in 2022, indicating a decline of N720bn.
Chairman, MAN, Apapa branch, Frank Onyebu, made the revelation on Tuesday during the annual general meeting of the branch.
Onyebu said 2022 was mostly characterised by a harsh operating environment, themed by record-high inflationary pressure, high interest rates, multiple taxation, high energy costs, forex illiquidity, shortage of raw materials, among others.
He added that supply shortages, surging material prices and difficulty in hiring qualified staff stalled the growth of the manufacturing sector.
He said, “The value of the manufacturing sector’s factory output declined to N2.68tn in the second half of 2022 from N3.73tn recorded in the corresponding half of 2021.
“This represented N1.05tn or 28 per cent decline over the period under review. There was also a decline of N1.31tn or 32 per cent when compared with N3.99tn recorded in the preceding half.
“The value of manufacturing production totalled N6.67tn in 2022 as against N7.39tn recorded in 2021. Manufacturing production was severely affected in the second half of 2022 by the absence of implementation of new capital projects by the government as they focused on the election.”
Speaking further, Onyebu noted that many manufacturers exited Nigeria to neighbouring countries in 2022 due to the harsh operating environment.
He added that more were planning to leave, while others were hanging on by a thread, hoping for the new administration to turn things around.
He added, “Manufacturing sector local raw materials sourcing averaged 52.8 per cent in 2022 as against 51.5 per cent recorded in 2021.
“The increase in the local raw materials utilisation in the sector during the period is due to increased difficulty in sourcing forex, which compelled manufacturers to look more inward for raw materials notwithstanding the associated huge cost.”
Nigerians have taken to social media to pay their respects to the founding pastor of the Fountain of Life Church Family, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, who passed away in the United States at the age of 67 on Tuesday.
THE WHISTLER had reported when news of Odukoya’s death came to light after the church formally made the announcement. The church did not reveal the cause of his death.
Since the announcement, Nigerians have been expressing their shock and sadness on social media, with the phrase ‘Rest In Peace’ now trending on X (formerly known as Twitter).
One X user, @asemota, spoke about how one of Odukoya’s sermons impacted his Christian journey in the Catholic church, calling his death a sad loss.
“Sad loss! The first communion service I ever attended outside the Catholic church was at his service at Anthony. He preached about covenants and he made me understand the blessed sacrament on a new level and I went back to becoming a full Catholic. May he rest in peace,” he tweeted.
Another user @ulxma lamented the tragedies that have plagued the pastor’s family, seemingly referring to the death of Odukoya’s two wives, Bimbo, his first wife who died in a plane crash, and Nomthi, his second wife who died from cancer.
“The Odukoya family has really been through it. How much more ill luck can they bear? May his soul rest in peace,” she tweeted.
Another user, @Jaypearse, recalled how Odukoya and his late wife helped her secure a job.
“At 26, I was given an Executive Director’s job because a great man and his wife believed in the vision I had for their NGO. A job I left on great terms. His wife died a few months after I left and he encouraged us! Today, I’m sad to say Rest in peace to him too. God bless you Pastor Taiwo Odukoya,” she tweeted.
A different user, @tee_show_ recalled the scandal-free life Odukoya led tweeting, “I particularly loved how Pastor Taiwo Odukoya ran a quiet life and was scandal-free despite all the challenges he faced while with us. Good man! May his soul rest in peace.”
Another user, @man_of_royalty paid his respects to the late pastor tweeting, “You taught us to love God, it was a privilege to have worked with you, sir. Rest in Peace Pastor Taiwo Odukoya.”
President Bola Tinubu has ordered fresh sanctions through the Central Bank of Nigeria on entities, and individuals related to and involved with the military junta in Niger Republic.
The Special Adviser to the President, Media, and Public Affairs, Ajuri Ngelale who disclosed this during a press conference on Tuesday, said these sanctions are based on the position of financial sanctions meted out on the military junta in the Niger Republic by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) heads of states.
According to him, while no option has been taken off the table, it is expected that the far-reaching decisions will be taken by the bloc at the upcoming extraordinary meeting on Thursday in Abuja.
“No options have been taken off of the table,” Tinubu’s spokesman Ajuri said — but Tinubu and other West African leaders favour diplomacy.
N70bn Fraud: Matawalle Insists EFCC, Others Planning To Arrest, Render Him Unworthy Of Serving In Tinubu’s Gov’t
Admin…As Court Fixes Judgement For August 30
The former governor of Zamfara state, Bello Matawalle, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria Police Force and Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) of continuing with a plan to arrest him and portray him unworthy of political leadership in the country through their purported investigation into his tenure.
Bello, who is among the ministerial nominees approved by President Bola Tinubu, made this known in a suit he instituted before Justice A.R. Mohammed seeking among other things, declaratory reliefs barring the EFCC, NPF, ICPC, EFCC, NIS and Attorney-General of the federation (1st to sixth defendant) from arresting or prospecting him after a previous court judgement had restrained them from contemplating such action.
Part of the reliefs he sought are as follows, ” A DECLARATION THAT having regard to the Judgment of this Honourable
Court, Gusau Judicial Divis ion, Coram: Hon. Justice Aminu B. Aliyu delivered
on 31 day of May, 2023 in Suit No: FHC/GS/CS/30/2021 between THE
GOVERNMENT OF ZAMFARA STATE & anor v. THE ECONOMIC
AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION and anor., and the provisions
of Sections 4, 6 and 7 of the Zamfara State Anti-Corruption Law No. l2, 2021,
the Defendants, any other authority, person, body or organization other than the
Zamfara State Anti-Corruption Commission have no authority or power to arrest, arraign and/or prosecute the Plaintiff on the basis of any investigation, report or
allegation bordering on any alleged corrupt practices/financial crimes against the
Plaintiff or his administration as Governor of Zamfara State.
“A DECLARATION THAT having regard to the Judgment of this Honourable
Court, Gusau Judicial Division, Coram: Hon. Justice Aminu B. Aliyu delivered
on 31 day of May, 2023 in Suit No: FHCIGS/CS/30/2021 between THE
GOVERNMENT OF ZAMFARA STATE & anor v. THE ECONOMIC
AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION and anor., and the provisions
of Section 36(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999
amended), the Defendants, any other authority, person, body or organization
have no power or authority to threaten to arrest, arrest or detain the Plaintiff with
respect to his administration as Governor of Zamfara State, on the basis of any
purported report of any committee/panel or a purported report of any
investigation, when the Plaintiff was neither heard nor afforded an opportunity
to be heard during such investigation or deliberation of such commitee/panel.”
In his affidavit seen by THE WHISTLER filed by his lawyer, Kehinde Akinlolu SAN, the former governor contended that despite a Zamfara Court judgment restraining the EFCC from inviting or arresting his client, the plans were still ongoing.
“The totality of the purported findings and conclusions of the defendants, particularly the 4th defendant (EFCC) by which they alleged corrupt practices and diversion of public funds of Zamfara state against him are utterly false and contrived to render him unworthy of leadership and public trust,” he stated.
He argued that all contracts awarded by Matawalle’s administration as Zamfara governor were awarded following due process.
At the resume hearing on Tuesday, Kehinde adopted all his processes before the court and urged Justice Mohammed to enter judgement for the plaintiff as prayed in the amended originating summons.
O.A. Aderonmu, who stood in for the Department of States, countered the submissions of Matawalle’s counsel, and urged the court to strike out the name of the secret service in the suit.
Counsel for the EFCC, M.K Hussein opposed the suit of the plaintiff and urged the court to dismiss it for lacking in merit, for being unconstitutional and amounting to an abuse of judicial process.
N.B. Kannap, who held the brief of Yakubu Yoriyo, the NIS lawyer at the proceedings, said though the Immigration Service have not filed any process in the matter but the reliefs being sought against the NIS is for the service not to arrest, detain or seize or deal in any manner with Matawalle’s travel documents and his right to travel out of Nigeria.
He urged the court to be guided by Section 31 of the Immigration Act, 2015 which gives the service power to refuse the departure of any person from Nigeria if the NIS is aware of any court order, warrant of arrest or an order from the Minister of Interior in respect of that particular person.
He urged the court to strike out the case.
“This suit is reserved for judgment on the August 30,” Justice Mohammed said after hearing from the lawyers representing the parties present in court.
Recall that the EFCC led by its suspended Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa had said the anti-graft agency was tracking Matawalle over allegations of diverting public funds to the tune of N70 billion.
But the ex-governor had replied the EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, accusing Bawa of asking him to pay a 2 million dollars bribe for his investigation to be stepped down.
THE WHISTLER reports that that a Federal High Court sitting in Gusau, Zamfara State, subsequently restrained the EFCC from further inviting, arresting or detaining present or past officials of the Zamfara State government including the outgone governor Bello Matawalle with respect to how funds meant for security votes, estacodes, traveling allowances or any similar facts were expended by the administration.
Justice A. B. Aliyu had agreed with Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, in the matter between Government of Zamfara State against the EFCC and the Attorney-General of the Federation, that the power to interrogate the disbursement and utilization of state funds appropriated is constitutionally vested in the State House of Assembly and the Auditor-General of the State, not the EFCC.
The naira has extended its loss as the currency depreciated to N902 per dollar on the black market.
Figures from various Bureau de Change traders on Tuesday showed that the currency was priced between N900 and N902.
The buying price was N898 to N900 depending on the operator, THE WHISTLER reports.
In the first eight days of the month, the naira depreciated by N30 after closing at N870 against the dollar.
BDC operators attributed the drop to the shortage of the dollar in the market.
“With the way the dollar is scarce, the naira may trade close to N1,000 by the end of this month (August),” Dare, a BDC dealer in Abuja said.
At the Investors’ and Exporters’ Window, the naira sold as high as N799 before closing at N774.78.
“Demand for the dollar is very high and some of us are not able to meet up,” he added.
The Central Bank of Nigeria introduced a managed float on June 14, 2023 and since then it has been on a free fall.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said the Central Bank of Nigeria is inexperienced in managing a floated naira.
President Bola Tinubu during his August 1 address to the nation, disclosed that his government may intervene by defending the currency “if need be”.
He said, “Our commitment is to promote the greatest good for the greatest number of our people. On this principle, we shall never falter.
“We are also monitoring the effects of the exchange rate and inflation on gasoline prices. If and when necessary, we will intervene.”
About 750 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) teachers, 20 Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs), and 80 Education Officers in Ogun State, have been trained on the New Method of Teaching, to further promote efficiency and sustain an enviable education legacy that the State is known for.
Speaking during the opening ceremony of a three-week training, organised by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology in conjunction with Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP), the Special Adviser to the Governor in the Ministry, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, said the training which was the second phase of the exercise held in December, 2022 was also to improve teaching and learning activities, develop teachers’ capacity and encourage world standards educational systems.
Prof. Arigbabu, in statement signed by Mr. Ayoola Obadimu, Press Officer, MOES&T, noted that the training was part of the efforts of the present administration’s strides, to sustain the legacies of the founding fathers of the education sector in the State, saying the huge investment of the government in the sector is yielding faster results to the extent that other States and some institutes are making contacts with the Ministry to learn from success stories.
The Special Adviser stated that the new innovations introduced into science teaching, have provoked the interest of learners in science subjects such as Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Mathematics, Agricultural Science, Computer, among others, thereby becoming the best, citing the example of a student, Gbolahan Azeem, of African Church Grammar School, Abeokuta who was the best JAMB candidate in Ogun State and 4th best across the Federation.
He said, "we are working tirelessly to introduce more innovations that will bring desired changes into the education sector in Ogun State".
In his opening remarks, the Project Manager, OGSTEP, Mr. Fatai Osunsanya said there is a need to intimate the class teachers and other education stakeholders in the State, on new ways of imparting knowledge through technology, so as to make the learners relevant and compete favourably with their colleagues in other countries of the world.
Underscoring the importance of the programme, the training Coordinator, Dr. Olushola Odusanya lauded the government for the initiative aimed at upgrading the skills and techniques of the teachers to the newly acceptable learning standards, noting that Ogun State is the only place in the world, where science teachers are trained continuously and consistently on their specifications.
Appreciating the government for the capacity-building event, Mr.Oladipo Oladapo and Mrs. Adijat Tijani said since the introduction of the programme last December, their teaching skills, knowledge, and experience have improved, promising to cascade the training to others in their schools and zones.
Niger Coup; International Civil Rights Group, Top Diploma & Nigerien/Nigeria Lawyer Invoke the Protocols of ECOWAS Court to stop Tinubu, and ECOWAS, from using the military against Niger Republic
AdminAn International Civil Group, Egalitarian Mission for Africa (EMA) has dragged President Bola Tínubu of Nigeria before the Economic Community of West African (ECOWAS) Court of Justice, invoking the Protocols of the Court to stop the planned military action against the Republic of Niger over coup plot.
The group in the suit instituted on its behalf by a Nigerian lawyer, Dr Oluwakayode Ajulo, is praying the Regional Court to invoke relevant ECOWAS treaties and international laws to stop the military invasion of Niger Republic being spearhead by the Nigerian Government.
The grouse of the Civil Group, among others, is that the planned military action or invasion will run foul of the obligations in the ECOWAS treaties and therefore amounting to illegality.
The suit marked ECW/CCJ/APP/3/23 emphasized categorically that ECOWAS treaties prohibit aggression among member States.
Apart from the Egalitarian Mission for Africa (EMA), other plaintiffs in the matter are a former Director General of the Nigerian Institute of the Internal Affairs (NIIA), Professor Bola Akinterinwa and a Nigerian Northern Region lawyer, Hamza Nuhu Dantani.
Defendants are ECOWAS, Authority of Heads of State & Government of ECOWAS, President of ECOWAS Mission, Federal Republic of Nigeria and Republic of Niger.
A military group led by General Abdourhamane Tchiani had on July 26 toppled the civilian and democratic government of President Mohammed Bazoun who has since been clamped into unlawful military detention.
Although the three plaintiffs in the regional suit described the coup detat as most unfortunate, they however warned that Nigeria should not travel the dangerous road of military hostilities that may further escalate the crisis in the Niger Republic.
According to them, over 300,000 refugees, mainly Nigeria citizens, have already fled the Niger Republic adding that military action against Niger Republic would lead to breach of fundermrntal rights to life, right to dignity of human persons and liberty to life.
The plaintiffs therefore prayed the ECOWAS Court of Justice for a restraining order against any form of military action in Niger Republic that may undermine the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Niger Republic.
Besides the Court action, the plaintiffs’ Counsel, Dr Ajulo wrote a strongly worded letter to President Tinubu, notifying him of pendency of the suit and invoking the Protocol of the ECOWAS Court on the need to respect and obey the rule of law as well as to refrain from doing that will militate against the subject matter.
The letter is entitled "NOTIFICATION OF PENDENCY OF CASE BEFORE THE ECOWAS COMMUNITY COURT OF JUSTICE
CALL FOR STRICT ADHERENCE TO THE PROTOCOL OF THE HONOURABLE COURT THE ECOWAS COMMUNITY COURT OF JUSTICE".
It read in part "We are Counsel to the Plaintiffs/Applicants in the above case before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice and it is on their firm and unequivocal instructions that we write.
"Sequel to the Resolution and several sanctions imposed by the ECOWAS in the aftermath of the unfortunate and unconstitutional takeover of the democratically elected Government of the Republic of Niger, we have lodged a Case before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in an application for reliefs as the proposed military intervention in the Republic of Niger would be tantamount to aggression between ECOWAS Member States.
" The intervention will specifically violate Articles 1, 5, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22 & 24 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights; Articles 1 (2), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13 & 14 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Articles 1, 3, 22, 23 (3), 25 (1) & 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948; Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10 of the Declaration on the Right to Development 1986; Articles 6, 15, 31, 63 & 64 of the Revised Treaty of the Economic Community of West African States; Article 10 of the Supplementary Protocol (A/SP.1/01/05) amending the Protocol (A/P.I/7/91) relating to the Community Court of Justice and Articles 10 (c), 22, 26, 27, 28, 56 of the ECOWAS Protocol Relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peace– Keeping and Security 1999.
"The Case, an official copy of which has been duly served on your Excellency through the ECOWAS Secretariat, 101, Yakubu Gowon Crescent, Asokoro, Abuja, has invoked the jurisdiction of the International Court to consider conventions, treaties, Protocols and regulations to which your Excellency and the Federal Republic of Nigeria are signatories and which override the resolutions, sanctions, domestic law and practices and which the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has been called upon to declare illegal. Another copy of the Case is attached for your informed action.
"We wish to further draw your attention to Article 22(2) of the Protocol on the Community Court of Justice which mandates that “When a dispute is brought before the Court, Member states or institutions of the Community shall refrain from any action likely to aggravate or militate against its settlement”
"In the Case before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Authority of Heads of State and Government (of which your Excellency is the Chairman), President, ECOWAS Commission, The Federal Republic of Nigeria (of which your Excellency is the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces) have been sued as sovereign legal representatives of respective institutions including the Republic of Niger.
"It is your Excellency’s sacred duty as the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS and the President and Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces of Federal Republic of Nigeria under your hand to bring the institution of the Case before ECOWAS Community Court of Justice to the attention of the other Defendants/Respondents and to insist, particularly in your Excellences’ subsequent meetings, that the Defendants/Respondents, refrain from taking any action in respect of the subject matter pending the determination of the case, in view of your Excellency and Nigeria’s protocol obligation under the Article above quoted.
"Your Excellency, it is our firm confidence that by your enviable knowledge of high international standard of due adherence to the rule of law and respect for the supranational judicial process obtainable in a Case of this nature, we need not further stress the need to ensure that all the Defendants/Respondents concerned maintain the status quo presently obtaining, and restrain themselves from taking any step susceptible to being regarded by the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice and international Community as prejudicial to the interest of our client or any of the parties in court.
"Your Excellency would agree with us that as the law stands presently, the Resolution on proposed military actions be discontinued pending the determination of the Case by the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice.
"The Federal Government of Nigeria and other Defendants/Respondents have never been known to confront the international judicial system nor subject themselves to international ridicule and is beyond mischievously foisting a fait accompli on an International Court to which charter or protocol she is a High Contracting party.
"It is without any reservation that we proceed on the common ground that your Excellency would use your good offices as the Chairman, Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS and President & Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to adhere and advise compliance on the part of the afore-listed defendants.
.
"While thanking you for your adherence to the rule of law, please accept the assurance of our warmest professional regards", the letter stated.
More...
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday appointed a 400-level student in the Economics Department of the University of Ibadan, Miss Orire Agbaje, as one of the members of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
President Tinubu had on Tuesday, inaugurated the Committee, with about 70 members, one of whom is Miss Agbaje, who is the President of the Nigerian Universities Tax Club.
Highlighting the selection of the unique Committee member, Special Assistant to the President on Social Media and Digital Communications, Mr Olusegun Dada, on his verified X account, posted a picture of President Tinubu with Agbaje.
“Beautiful moment when President Tinubu met Miss Orire Agbaje, a 400 level Economics student of the University of Ibadan who is the President of the Nigerian Universities Tax Club and a member of the just inaugurated Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms”, the message read.
The committee is chaired by former Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Mr Taiwo Oyedele.
With 48 Ministers, 20 Special Advisers - Tinubu To Spend Over N5bn Maintaining Cabinet Members
AdminThe Federal Government is to spend over N5bn in the next four years maintaining the members of the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu, checks by THE WHISTLER has revealed.
President Tinubu had set the record for the highest number of ministerial nominees in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic since 1999.
The 48 ministerial nominees appointed by Tinubu is six ministerial nominees more than the 42 appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.
During his first term in office, Buhari had appointed 36 ministers. In his second term, he increased the list of ministers to 42.
Two weeks ago, Tinubu had nominated 28 people that were cleared by the senate to be ministers in his cabinet.
Last Wednesday, the president also sent another list of 19 other nominee, making a total of 47 cabinet members. Few days ago, he replaced the name of a ministerial nominee from Kano state with another nominee and added Festus Keyamo to the list to make it 48.
In 2011, former President Goodluck Jonathan appointed 33 ministers into his cabinet with nine of them inherited from the administration of the late President Umar Yar Adua.
Before then, Yar Adua had in 2007, created a 39-member cabinet which is made up if 32 men and seven women.
During his tenure as Nigeria’s President, former President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed 42 ministers into his cabinet in 1999. However, he later did a review and reduced the number of ministers to 40.
An analysis conducted by THE WHISTLER on the implication of Tinubu’s decision to appoint 48 ministers and 20 Advisers showed that it will cost the Federal Government over N5bn to maintain them.
Based on the Remuneration Package for Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders obtained from the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, a minister’s monthly salary is fixed at N650,135.99. This translates into a total of N7.801,640 per annum.
A breakdown of this amount showed that the basic salary of a minister is pegged at N2,026,400 per annum, motor vehicle fueling N1,519,800, personal assistance N506,600, domestic staff N1,519,800, entertainment N911,880, utilities N607,920, monitoring N405,280 and newspapers N303,960.
The N7,801,640 annual salary for a minister does not include other allowances approved for them by the RMAFC.
These allowances are accommodation of N16.20m for four years, furniture N6.079m, severance gratuity N6.079m. leave allowance of N0.81m and motor vehicle allowance of N8.1m.
Based on these packages, if all of them are eventually cleared by the Senate, the 48 ministers will be earning N28.61m as salary monthly, which translates into N374.48m annually and N1.497bn for the four-year period.
In addition to their salary, each minister is entitled to the other allowances of N37.28m giving a total of N1.789bn for the 48 of them.
For the 20 Special Advisers, they are each entitled to a monthly salary of N590,957 per month which translates into N11.219m monthly, N141.82m annually and N567.31m for the four years.
Just like the Ministers, the Special Advisers are also entitled to other allowances approved for them by RMAFC.
These allowances are N15.54m for accommodation for four years, furniture N5.828m, severance gratuity N5.828m, leave allowance of N0.78m and motor vehicle of N7.7m.
The amount that would be spent on these cabinet members may go up based on the plan by RMAFC to conduct a review of the remuneration of political office holders.
Over the years, fingers have continued to point at the over-bloated bureaucracies- large ministries, agencies and parastatals- that have become a cog in the wheel of Nigeria’s progress.
Experts are of the opinion that the costs of governance in Nigeria are exceptionally high, and the benefits of that governance go to a small number of the elite group who demonstrate too little concern for the welfare of the Nigerian people.
Nigeria’s constitution mandates the appointment of at least one minister from each state of the federation. This makes for the appointment of ministers who are actually neither needed nor able to make critical impact.
In 2012, the ‘Oronsaye report’ was submitted to government. The 800-page report recommended the abolition and merger of 102 government agencies and parastatals, while some were listed to be self-funding.
The report revealed a high level of competition among several overlapping agencies, which had not only created ill feelings among government agencies but also brought about unnecessary wastage in government expenditure.
Speaking on the high governance cost, a developmental Economist, Afeez Balogun said there is need to reduce the members of the cabinet as this show that the government is willing to implementation the Stephen Oronsaye committee report.
He said, “There is need to reduce the size of the federal cabinet through amendment of the Constitution to ensure that federal ministers do not exceed 15 in number and also limit the number of assistants and advisers to the President to a reasonable number.”
He also urged the government to reduce the number of members on each of the governing boards or councils of all agencies, parastatals and commissions to not more than seven.
He said the membership and composition of boards and commissions should be based on merit and competence.
The Fountain of Life Church Family headquarters in Lagos has announced the death of their founding pastor, Taiwo Odukoya (67).
The church disclosed this via its official Facebook page on Tuesday, adding he passed on in the United States.
“The Fountain of Life Church Family, in total submission to the will of God almighty, announces the passing unto greater glory of our father, teacher, a great servant of the most high God, pastor Daniel Taiwo Odukoya, Founding Pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, who passed unto glory on the 7th of August 2023 in the USA.
“We are in total submission to you LORD!!! We thank the Lord for the gift of a greater leader!!!” the church wrote while not providing details of the cause of his details.
Recall that in November, 2021, his wife, Pastor Nomthi Odukoya, died after battling with cancer.
“She battled cancer for the better part of 2 years, she stood on the Word of God, and she fought.
“We loved her with all our heart, but who are we to fight with the will of God.
“The truth is, at one point in our lives, we all will have to say goodbye. So for now, till we meet again in glory, Goodbye Pastor Nomthi,” the church had stated.
Nomthi became Odukoya’s wife after the death of his first wife, Bimbo – a leading relationship speaker.
Bimbo was involved in a plane crash.
Content creators and social media influencers in Nigeria have started receiving their first payout from X, formerly known as Twitter through its ad revenue-sharing program.
While the payouts had started for X users in the U.S. early last month, X announced the extension of the gesture to the global users by the end of July.
With this, verified users in Nigeria and across other countries who have met the threshold of impressions on their content are now getting paid.
Many of the content creators who have received the payout also took to the microblogging site to show their appreciation to the platform owner, Elon Musk.
According to them, Musk has given them a reason to remain on the platform and to continue creating engaging content.
The payout means that many who had decided not to pay for the blue badge but continuously post content that gets good impressions will now be motivated to pay for the subscriptions, which costs N3,560 per month.
Reactions
Among the ecstatic voices, Napaul shares his sentiment with the unexpected joy that the new monetization system has brought him.
- Bruh, it’s almost like I’m dreaming tbh. unlike me, I’m struggling to put the words together. YES!! I Woke Up To Credit Alert From Elon Musk!!! & mahn for just tweeting & making myself happy?! E loud i swear
General Oluchi playfully thanked Musk for the credit alert she received, humorously saying,
- Elon Musk, shey you dey whine me like this? I don get alert for Twitter ad revenue. Elon Musk, thank you o! https://twitter.com/General_Oluchi/status/1688719081522728960
Abazz, a verified user, expressed his gratitude by sharing a screenshot of his ad revenue dashboard, simply stating,
- ‘Woke up to receive alert, Thank you Elon https://twitter.com/abazwhyllzz/status/1688802843531104256
Solomon Buchi, while confirming his payment, expressed the delight of being rewarded for voicing his opinions.
- I got paid by Twitter, now known as X. I Twitter my opinions, commentators, views, and people are blessed, however, it’s also nice to be paid for it! https://twitter.com/Solomon_Buchi/status/1688726792897458176
Even renowned Nigerian musician David Adeleke (Davido) joined in, humorously asking,
- Where dem Dey put the money? @elonmusk https://twitter.com/davido/status/1688807846672994305
Big Ayo, with a post on evidence of payment, greeted Elon Musk with a friendly “Good Morning.”
- Well, Good Morning Elon musk https://twitter.com/47kasz/status/1688813932280971271?t=LmpOVd4HlU6fmBOM1jbuVA&s=19
Payment eligibility
To be eligible for the payout, Twitter said the content creator must have subscribed to Twitter Blue or be a verified organization.
In addition, such a creator must have “at least 5 million impressions on your posts in each of the last 3 months,” and pass human review for Creator Monetization Standards.
In addition, the user must also have at least 500 followers.
Twitter said creators will also need to open a Stripe account as it currently works with Stripe for payouts and is rolling out to its first batch of creators who have already signed up for creator subscriptions.
How to join
Eligible users will be able to join and set up payments from within the Monetization section of the app. This is found in the side menu on iOS and Android, and the overflow menu on the web.
Once you click “Join and set up payouts” you will be redirected to our payment processor, Stripe, to set up an account to receive your share.
This Stripe account will be where you will be able to transfer funds to your external bank account. Once you opt-in, you will receive payouts at a regular cadence, so long as you have generated more than $50 USD.
X said it may modify or cancel the Program at any time in its sole discretion, including for business, financial, or legal reasons.
- “X reserves the right to accept or revoke your participation in this ads revenue share program in its sole discretion, including for business, financial, or legal reasons. Please ensure you comply with the Ads Revenue Program Terms,” the company stated.
[Nairametrics]