withinnigeria.com

Category: National

Nigeria National News covering updates from federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), Nigeria economy, Education, Health sector, National Issues,more..

  • Buhari extends Service Chiefs’ tenure

    Buhari extends Service Chiefs’ tenure

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas and Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, will enjoy the tenure elongation according to a statement yesterday by Defence Minister Gen. Mansur Dan Ali.

    The statement signed by the minister’s spokesman Col. Tukur Gusau, said: “President Muhammadu Buhari, having carefully reviewed the on-going military operations across the nation and the efforts of the CDS and service chiefs in the counter insurgency operations in the Northeast coupled with the security situation of the Niger Delta region, has graciously approved the extension of tenure of service of the CDS, Gen. Olonisakin, the COAS, Lt.-Gen. Buratai, the CNS, Vice Admiral lbas and the CAS, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar.

    “This extension is pursuant of the powers conferred on the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by Section 218 (l) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 09.06 of the Harmonised Terms and Conditions for Service for officers (2012) Revised.

    “The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali therefore congratulates the CDS and Service Chiefs for earning the confidence of the President and the people of Nigeria leading to their extension of service.”

    The statement did not state how long the extension will last although it is believed that service chiefs serve a two-year term unless it is elongated by the commander- in- chief, who is the appointing authority.

    The CDS and the service chiefs were appointed on July 13, 2015.

    Gen. Olonisakin was the Commander, Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) before his elevation to CDS.

    The Ekiti State born General was a member of the 26th Regular Course.

    Lt. Gen. Buratai from Borno State, took over the baton from Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, from his position as Commander of the Multinational Joint Taskforce.

    A member of the 29th Regular Course, Buratai, was commissioned into the Army as an Infantry Corps officer in December 1983.

    Vice Admiral Ibas, from Cross River State, was enlisted into the military in 1979 and commissioned a Sub-Lieutenant in 1983. He was the Chief Executive Officer of Navy Holdings Limited before his appointment as CNS.

    He headed the Western Naval Command (WNC) before being appointed.

    Air Marshal Sadeeq Abubakar was Chief of Administration, NAF headquarters. He also served as Chief of Defence Communications, Air Officer Commanding, NAF Training Command and Chief of Standards and Evaluation, NAF Headquarters.

  • Buhari and I poorly paid — Osinbajo reveals salary

    Buhari and I poorly paid — Osinbajo reveals salary

     

    Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo criticised the private sector for not respecting the national minimum wage law, which puts the lowest pay at N18,000.

    Speaking at the end-of-year seminar of the State House Press Corps at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Prof. Osinbajo said he earns about N1.5m as Vice-President; President Buhari earns about N1.75 million.

    To him, the pay is not commensurate with the offices they occupy.

    The vice president also expressed misgivings about the remuneration of journalists and lawyers, saying journalists’ case is unique because many media owners make big revenue but simply refuse to pay good wages.

    He recalled his brief encounters working with media houses as legal adviser and how in all the months he worked he was not paid despite the irregular hours he put in.

    Osinbajo spoke of entry into journalism as not rigorously regulated or enforced by professional bodies because untrained persons are allowed in.

    He added: ”I realised first of all that this (journalism) is not a profession from which one could make a decent living in the first place unless you find a really good way of doing so.

    ”But more importantly for me is that you are just on your own. Journalism as a profession is so wide open.

    ”There are a few reasons in my view why remuneration is poor.

    ”The first is that it is just simply cheating. There are owners of media that are just cheats. They just want to get something from nothing and that is not uncommon, it is a general malaise, it is not necessarily restricted to the media.

    ”It is also the same in the legal profession. There many lawyers if they tell you what they earn, you will certainly not want to be a lawyer.

    ”The private sector does not respect the minimum wage. Even if a minimum wage is set nationally, it is not necessarily respected by the private sector and this is something that should be factored in to the status of a company and whether a company is even complying with the requirements.”

    The Vice-President urged journalists to brighten their prospects and future by always seeking ways of improving themselves and getting better job opportunities with attendant improved income.

    Nasarawa State Governor Tanko Al-Makura, represented by the Commissioner for Information, Mohammed Kwara, was the chairman of the ceremony.

    He said: “It is important to note that a good retirement plan starts the very day you are employed, knowing that whatever has a beginning has an end; 35 or 60 mandatory years of service are certainly not eternity.

    ”It must also be stressed here that it is not too late to plan even where you have just few years to retire from service.

    ”The most important thing is that you have a plan either of money saved or of the job you intend to carry on after retirement. Put every other factor in place such as your age, strength and the mental capacity to carry on.” he advised.

    He added “It is important to state, therefore, that the uncertainty on payment of entitlements has continued to worry Nigerian workers, making them fear retirement.

    ”This has led to prospective retirees falsifying their age just to enable them stay put in the service.

    ”In this regard, a lot of corruption induced activities have continued to infiltrate the MDAs and the organised private sector responsible for managing pension,” he said.

    Kwara listed 10 ways to prepare for retirement, including saving, knowing your retirement needs and contributing to an employer’s retirement savings plan.

    Others, according to him, are learning about employer’s pension plan, considering basic investment principles, not touching your retirement savings, asking employer to start a plan, think of creative ways to be self sustaining, find out about one’s social security benefits, and asking questions.

    The guest lecturer and Chairman of Elumelu Foundation, Tony Elumelu, said retirement should not be synonymous with being tired or giving up as it should be a stepping stone.

    He advised working journalists to pursue their purposes with passion, stressing the need to increase capacity in readiness for the next phase

    He said: “Entrepreneurship is not a function of age. Set your milestones and work towards accomplishing the milestone.

    ”Entrepreneurs are resilient; they persevere to succeed. You don’t need to give up easily, it requires sacrifice, discipline.”

    Others who presented goodwill messages were Minister of Information Lai Mohammed; Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi and Special Adviser (Media & Publicity) to the President Femi Adesina.

  • Fuel scarcity: PENGASSAN suspends strike, asks members to resume duty

    Fuel scarcity: PENGASSAN suspends strike, asks members to resume duty

    Many filling stations were shut in Lagos and parts of Ogun State, while the few stations that had the product recorded long queues of desperate motorists that stretched for kilometres and spilled onto the roads, disrupting the flow of traffic.

    Commuters were seen at many bus-stops struggling to get commercial vehicles to different destinations, even as transport operators increased the fares by as much as 100 per cent on most routes.
    Motorists lamented that they had to spend many hours in queues for fuel, while some petrol seekers with jerry cans were seen complaining that they had to part with extra money to get the product.

    In Lagos, many of the private depots in Apapa, where many marketers get petroleum products from for distribution to other states, did not have the PMS to load.

    A motorist, Idris Akande, told one of our correspondents that he had to wake up very early in the morning to go to a filling station and had to queue for some hours before he could get the product, adding, “The government needs to do something about the situation.”

    A taxi driver at Berger, who identified himself simply as Mr. Peace, said, “To get fuel now is not an easy task. The little fuel I have now will be used to convey passengers in the evening. I can’t go to filling stations to queue again; the stress is just too much. If I am not able to buy fuel tomorrow, I will park my car at home.”

    The Executive Secretary, Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association, Mr. Olufemi Adewole, said the supply shortfall had yet to disappear, adding that only a few of the body’s members had been programmed to load the product.

    “But until I see them receive products and trucking out, I can’t say that the situation has changed. We can only sell what we have. The NNPC can tell us when they will bring enough products to meet people’s needs. One thing I know is that everybody is working round the clock,” he added.

    The National Operations Controller, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Mike Osatuyi, said, “The problem is that the import (of petrol) is being handled almost 100 per cent by the NNPC because private importers have already backed out because the increase in crude price has made the landing cost to enter subsidy.

    “When crude price hit $59 per barrel was when you could not sell petrol again at N145 per litre if you are importing on your own. It is only the government (NNPC) that is importing and can warehouse the subsidy.”

    He also stated the nation’s refineries that had not been functioning as expected had contributed to the current shortfall in the supply of petroleum products in the country.

    Asked about the level of supply to IPMAN members, Osatuyi said, “Our members buy from private depot and get supply from the PPMC/NNPC depots that are functioning; they also bridge from Port Harcourt, Lagos and Warri to other parts of the country. But now that there is a short supply, the bridging also has reduced. The supply to our members has reduced.”

    He expressed the association’s readiness to cooperate with the NNPC to ensure an end to the scarcity soon.

    A top official of a Lagos-based oil marketing company told our correspondent on condition of anonymity that their depot was not loading the PMS as they had run of stock since last week.

    He said the vessel that came in on Friday night was still pumping as of Monday afternoon, with companies such as Total, Mobil, Conoil, Nipco and Aiteo receiving from it.

    “All the three jetties in Apapa – Petroleum Wharf Apapa, Bulk Oil Platform and New Oil Jetty – are all free; there are no vessels there now. Until there are vessels on the ground to supply, what we are currently doing is just like scratching the surface,” the official stated.

    In Abuja and neighbouring states of Nasarawa and Kaduna, the queues for petrol persisted on Monday despite the assurances of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

    Long queues of motorists were seen in front of the few filling stations that dispensed petrol in Abuja, while many other outlets remained shut.

    This is coming as the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria announced the suspension of its one-day industrial action.

    While announcing the suspension of the strike, the General Secretary, PENGASSAN, Lumumba Okugbawa, said, “On behalf of the National Executive Council of PENGASSAN, the Central Working Committee hereby suspends the nationwide strike with immediate effect and all members are to resume normal duties immediately.

    “We commend Nigerians for their understanding and continue to promise to act in a morally justified way that will enhance the dignity of labour and reduce unemployment in the country.”

    Also, the NNPC asked motorists and other consumers not to engage in panic buying, a development which it said had prompted long queues in many petrol stations.

    PENGASSAN had directed its members across the country to shut down operations from Monday, a development that worsened the chaotic situation in many filling stations in different parts of the country.

    It was, however, gathered that the union agreed to end the strike on Monday after the intervention of the Department of State Services, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, and Kachikwu.

    The association’s Public Relations Officer, Fortune Obi, told one of our correspondents that the union had to suspend the strike after it reached an amicable resolution with the management of Neconde Energy Limited.

    PENGASSAN and Neconde had been embroiled in a crisis over allegation of anti-worker practices by the firm.

    The union had alleged that the management of Neconde wrongly terminated the employment of some of its workers, and threatened to go on strike if the sacked workers were not recalled within 72 hours.

    But Obi stated that the oil firm had agreed to meet the demands of the union, adding that the labour minister and the association agreed to work together to resolve alleged anti-union posture by other indigenous companies and marginal field operators.

  • FG serves David Mark quit notice over illegal acquisition of Senate President’s official residence

    FG serves David Mark quit notice over illegal acquisition of Senate President’s official residence

    In September this year, the government, through the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, which is chaired by Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, gave the former Senate President, David Mark a 21-day notice to quit the mansion.

    The notice to quit, however, asked Mark to “show cause” why the Federal Government should not “enforce the recovery of the property for public good.”

    But Mark had quickly filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja to quash all steps taken by the panel to evict him and recover the house from him.

    The case has not been heard.

    Newsmen, on Monday, obtained from court sources, copies of documents, including exhibits, filed by the former Senate President in his suit challenging the recovery process.

    The Senate President’s official residence is sited on 1.6 hectares of land at 1 Musa Usman Street, (also known as No. 1 Chuba Okadigbo Street), Apo Legislative Quarters, Gudu, Abuja.

    According to title documents, the property comprises eight structures, made up of the main house, ADC/chief security detail’s house, guest chalet, security/generator house, boys quarters, security post, driver/servants’ quarters and chapel.

    The eight structures are said to be properly spaced and linked with well-paved drive and walkways and further done with lawns.

    Mark, the senator, currently representing Benue South in the National Assembly, is accused of illegally acquiring the property with the approval of former President Goodluck Jonathan despite that such property was excluded from the monetisation policy of the Federal Government.

    Copies of correspondences and other documents, leading to the purchase and eventual handover of the property to Mark in April, 2011, showed that the serving senator purchased the property at a “reserved price” of N673,200,000.

    Meanwhile, in his letter, dated October 28, 2010, seeking the then President Jonathan’s approval for the sale of the property, the then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Bala Mohammed, had indicated that the open market value of the property was N748,000,000.

    In addition, the then minister specifically stated that the Federal Executive Council had, in 2004, mandated the Federal Capital Territory Administration to sell all Federal Government’s “non-essential housing units in Abuja under specific rules and guidelines.”

    Exempted from this arrangement are the official residences of the Senate President, the Deputy Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Deputy Speaker.

    He stated that the exemption was “expressly contained in the Federal Government of Nigeria’s Official Gazette No. 82, Vol. 92 of August 15, 2005.”

    In justifying the request for the then President’s approval for the sale, the former minister noted that all the houses in Apo Legislative Quarters, with the exception of the official residences of the four principal officers of the National Assembly, had been sold to the legislators occupying them at the time or the general public, under the Federal Government’s monetisation arrangement.

    The former minister however stated that sale of other houses in the Apo Legislative Quarters had “altered the general security provision for the area and extension, the security of the leading principal officers of the National Assembly.”

    The letter added, “This lapse in the general security provision of the area led the National Assembly to unofficially rent residential accommodation for its leading principal officers in more secure areas within the city.”

    It also stated that due to the security concerns, the four houses of the leading principal officers “will no longer have the status of ‘essential properties’,” hence the FCTA “has made provision in the budget to construct residential accommodation for the leading principal officers of the National Assembly where the general security is befitting the status of the officers.”

    The then minister had stated that the Senate President’s residence had an open market value of N748,000,000; the Speaker’s N670,000,000; the Deputy Senate President’s N458,000,000; and the Deputy Speaker’s N348,500,000.

    What appeared on the then minister’s letter as Jonathan’s hand-written approval of the request dated November 15, 2010, read, “Para 6 and 8 approved. Also see if this could be gazetted.

    “N/B: Ensure that the new residences are ready early next year.”

    By a letter, with reference number PRES/83/FCTA/18 and dated November 18, 2010, Jonathan conveyed his approval to the then minister’s request for the sale of the Senate President’s official residence.

    The letter, addressed to the FCT minister and titled, ‘Re: Sale of Residential Houses Occupied by Leading Principal Officers of the National Assembly’, was signed by the then President’s Senior Special Assistant (Admin), Matt Aikhionbare.

    The letter read in part, “I am directed to forward Reference A to you and to convey to you, Mr. President’s approval of paragraphs 6 and 8 and further directive on page 2 in line with the earlier approval of 27/06/2010.”

    But by a letter with reference number SPIP/INV/2017/VOL.1/17 and dated September 5, 2017, the Obono-Obla-led Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property insisted that Mark acquired the “national monument” in clear breach of the monetisation policy of the Federal Government.

    The letter, signed by Obono-Obla and titled ‘Investigation activities: Notice to recover public property in your care’, and addressed to Mark, stated in part, “The extant Monetisation Policy of the Federal Government, as enunciated and still being implemented, excludes all Principal Officers of the National Assembly and hence places the responsibility on the Federal Government to provide accommodation for them, same which you allegedly illegally appropriated.”

    The letter asked Mark “to take steps within the next 21 days to vacate the said property or show cause why the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should not enforce the recovery of the said property for public good.”

    It added, “You are further being notified pursuant to the Recovery Property (Special Provisions) Act, 1983, to complete and return within 30 days the attached Form B (Declaration of Assets Form) to the office of the undersigned.”

    But Mark, through his lawyer, Ken Ikonne, filed the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1037/2017 before the Federal High Court in Abuja, insisting that he legally acquired the property through a “walk-in bid” at the behest of the FCTA.

    He also contended that the recovery process initiated by the Federal Government was unconstitutional.

    The Attorney General of the Federation and Obono-Obla are joined as respondents to the suit.

    Among his prayers, Mark sought “a declaration that the unilateral declaration by the defendants that the plaintiff’s acquisition” of the property “is illegal and the order compelling the plaintiff to vacate the aforesaid property” without affording him “a hearing,” amounted to a denial of his “fundamental rights to fair hearing and property, and are therefore unconstitutional and void.”

    He also sought a declaration that “the service by the defendants on the plaintiff of the Notice to Declare His Assets (Form A) and the Assets Declaration Form B is unconstitutional and thus void.”

    He sought “an order quashing” the defendants’ declaration of his acquisition of the aforesaid property as illegal, and another order “quashing the order of the defendants” compelling him to vacate the aforesaid property.”

    He also applied for an order of the court “quashing the Notice to Declare Assets Form A and the Assets Declaration Form B” served on him and “a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, jointly and severally” or through any agent “from evicting the plaintiff from the said property, or recovering same from him.”

    Mark said he was occupying the said property in 2010 when the FCTA, “citing security concerns”, decided to construct new official residences for the leadership of the National Assembly, including the President of the Senate, in a more secure and conducive environment.”

    According to the former Senate President, the FCTA had insisted that the reserve price of N673,200,000.00 reflected the open market value of the property.

    He added that the valuers of the FCT that inspected and carried out a valuation of the property had put the “replacement cost” of the property at N492,700,000.

    He said he duly accepted the offer on April 21, 2011 and paid the “agreed purchase price to the Ad hoc Committee on Sale of FGN Houses” on April 27, 2011.

    He said the house now served as his family home in Abuja.

    But he said surprisingly he was on October 9, 2017 served a letter of investigation activities dated September 5, 2017, by the Okono-Obla-led panel.

    He stated in his suit that, “the defendants (AGF and Obono-Obla) unilaterally, and without affording me any hearing at all, and without any order of any court, declared my acquisition of the said property illegal, and ordered me to vacate the said property failing which the defendants would enforce the recovery of the property against me.”

  • Missing Billions: EFCC quizzes David Mark for allegedly stealing as Senate President

    Missing Billions: EFCC quizzes David Mark for allegedly stealing as Senate President

    It was gathered that David Mark, a former military general was invited to make statements to the commission on how several billions meant for projects at the national assembly were allegedly shared between him and a few others.

    He was released to go home after the interrogation, expected to return after the holidays.

    Reacting to the development, Comrade James Oche of Door to Door, Mark’s campaign organisation, described the invitation as witchunt.
    He said, “Look at the list – Sule Lamido, Atiku, now David Mark.

    The President should deal with insecurity and monumental failings and not try to bully people who want to get into the ring with him. What is he afraid of, even Mugabe invited and accepted opponents.
    “It’s been two years since David Mark lost the Presidency of the senate, why has it taken 2yrs for Buhari to investigate him, this was the number 3 man.

    “My conclusion- ‘another classic Buhari specially brewed Daura witchhunt.’ And really it’s a shame – and really people cannot wait to get Buhari kicked out in 2019. We didn’t vote for a military democratic dictatorship.”