Senate Gives INEC The Exclusive Right On Transmission Of Results
The Senate, on Tuesday gave the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the exclusive right to determine the mode of transmission of results.
This was as a result of the reversal of the Senate’s earlier decision that INEC may consider the electronic transmission of results “provided national [network] coverage is adjudged to be adequate and secure” by the Nigerian Communications Commission and approved by the National Assembly.
Debating on the method of primaries to be adopted by political parties, different Senators gave different views on whether to adopt direct or indirect primaries.
After the debate, however, the majority of lawmakers voted in favour of direct primaries and it was adopted by the Senate.
2023: Osinbajo Disclaims Crack With Tinubu
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said that, there is no crack between him and the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Reacting to media reports of an alleged crack between him and Tinubu, the Vice President in a statement released by the Special Adviser on Political Matters to the President, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, said, ‘No To Divisive Politics, Attempts To Foist A Crack With Osinbajo, Tinubu Will Fail’.
While disclaiming any crack with Tinubu, the Vice President, appreciated all those calling for him to run for presidency in 2023, urging them not to draw themselves into any controversy.
Ex-Vice Chancellor Sent To Jail For N260m Fraud
A former Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Gusau, Professor Magaji Garba has been arraigned before Justice Maryam Hassan Aliyu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Jabi Abuja on a five count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretense and forgery.
Prof. Garba, allegedly extorted various sums from a contractor on the pretext of awarding him a N3 billion contract for the perimeter wall fencing of the university.
Counsel to the EFCC, Sylvanus Tahir however requested that Garba be remanded in prison custody after asking for a trial date but the defence counsel, R. Usman applied for the bail of his client.
Security Agency Keeps Actor Chiwetalu Agu Isolated In Abuja Over Biafra
The Department of State Services has flown veteran actor, Chiwetalu Agu, to Abuja as part of investigations for promoting Biafra and allegedly inciting members of the public.
Agu was first arrested by the Nigerian Army on October 7, 2021, around Upper Iweka in Onitsha, Anambra State, for wearing a Biafra outfit while distributing bread and other items to the poor.
The Army had accused him of soliciting support for the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra which has been accused of several acts of terrorism. He was subsequently handed over to the DSS for investigation and prosecution.
He has also been critical of the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for allegedly marginalising the Igbo.
Ohanaeze Rebukes Dokpesi Over Comments On 2023 Presidency
Top Igbo Socio-Cultural Organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has rebuked the Chairman of DAAR Communications Plc, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, over comments on the 2023 presidency.
As part of the activities marking his 70th birthday; Dokpesi, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), reportedly said that the South-East cannot win Presidency for the PDP and therefore canvassed his support for a northern candidate for the party in 2023.
According to him, only a Northern candidate can win the forthcoming presidential election for the main opposition party, adding that there is no candidate from the Southeast and the South in general that will be able to win the top seat in the country for the PDP.
However, Ohanaeze in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, said, Nigeria might remain in crisis until the leaders embrace justice, equity and fairness as guiding philosophies.
Ohanaeze therefore, urged Dokpesi to allow justice and fairness to guide his dealings and choices, even as the group reminded the business mogul to be mindful of the kind of epitaph that he wishes to be remembered for.
P
The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) on Tuesday launched “I Am Alive” software designed to enable pensioners easily confirm their aliveness from the comfort of their homes, using either a smartphone or a computer system.
The PTAD Executive Secretary, Dr. Chioma Ejikeme, at a press conference to launch the software said that the directorate decided to deploy the application starting with 50,000 pensioners in the pilot phase.
Ejikeme said that the 50,000 selected pensioners would cut across the four operational departments and the six geo-political zones of the country.
She said that people eligible for the project must be under Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) and must have been verified by PTAD before.
She said that the application would take the pensioner through a three-step confirmation process that ends with a text message response and the confirmation process consists of three segments.
“ Identification process, photography and perform the aliveness validation by moving your face to follow the moving object on the screen,” Ejikeme said.
The executive secretary said that on the successful implementation of this pilot phase, the directorate would deploy the application on a full scale at predetermined intervals on a continuous basis for all verified pensioners on the payroll.
“ Kindly be informed that pensioners who are part of this pilot phase have been notified by PTAD via SMS and pensioners who did not receive the SMS should kindly note that they are not part of the pilot phase and would not be able to gain access to the platform to confirm their aliveness at this time.
“ All Pensioners will be duly informed when the application is deployed on a full scale and is available for all pensioners.
“ Be rest assured that nobody can tamper with your pension payment through the “I Am Alive” platform,” she said.
Ejikeme reassured the pensioners and their next of kin that PTAD would continue to clear any accrued arrears, while ensuring that monthly pensions are paid promptly.
She also emphasised that pensioners’ BVN, ATM Card details and ATM Card PIN were not required for the confirmation process saying “we warn our pensioners to beware of fraudsters.”
Ejikeme said that PTAD earlier embarked on a massive verification exercise which took place between 2014 and 2019 across all the geopolitical zones in the country.
She said that the aim of the verification exercises was to ascertain the eligible pensioners under the DBS, enrol eligible pensioners who were hitherto not on the directorate’s Payroll, while promptly removing the unqualified.
“ The field verification was immensely successful and beneficial to the operations of PTAD resulting in a comprehensive and reliable database, which facilitates the process of budget preparation, accurate pension payments and the determination of outstanding pension liabilities.
“ A major gain of the verification exercise was the reduction of the directorate’s payroll by almost 18 per cent equivalent to about 50,000 pensioners as a result of removal of ineligible pensioners from the payroll.
“ Over 20,000 eligible pensioners who were hitherto not on payroll were enrolled, 18,046 pensioners comprising of ex-workers of defunct and privatised agencies who had hitherto not been considered for pension were also enrolled.
“ 312 War-Affected Police Officers granted amnesty in the year 2000 were paid their arrears and put on our payroll,” the executive secretary said. (NAN)
Reps Endorse Development Commissions For South-East, South-West
The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved the establishment of development commissions, one each for the South-East and the South-West.
At the same Tuesday sitting, the Bill seeking to establish the North-Central Development Commission was passed for a second reading.
Representatives had unanimously adopted the reports of its committees on the commissions for South-East and South-West.
The new commissions, whose establishment Bills were passed into law by the Green Chamber on Tuesday, follow the pattern of the preceding Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the North-East Development Commission (NEDC).
While the central government’s intervention became necessary in the Niger Delta to tackle years of pollution and neglect unleashed by oil exploitation, the North-East needed a response over bombardment and devastation from insurgency.
Expected to serve a similar purpose that its predecessors serve in their respective geo-political zones, the two new commissions are being established to push the rehabilitation and development of the South-East and South-West regions of the country.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu recently called for a 1 percent allocation from the Federal Government purse to redress the infrastructural wear and tear Lagos suffers by hosting the ports, an international border and the key role the state plays in the country’s socio-economic development.
