NFF confirms Poland friendly for Eagles

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshdUklCURZRDXeeYS1VYVizVM0lkEJZiassP3saINCyGp03vqlC6v4G1FtwOLhOJs_tsFiXeyJNAwYi0tVMVw9tP3QP_o-qzH6srrnZmsRILoCopPiZ8mz-4vTKOlrCnfbv6wpqyjj_A/s1600/nff.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshdUklCURZRDXeeYS1VYVizVM0lkEJZiassP3saINCyGp03vqlC6v4G1FtwOLhOJs_tsFiXeyJNAwYi0tVMVw9tP3QP_o-qzH6srrnZmsRILoCopPiZ8mz-4vTKOlrCnfbv6wpqyjj_A/s400/nff.jpg" /></a></div> The Nigeria Football Federation has granted Gernot Rohr’s request to lead the Super Eagles against Poland in a friendly affair.<br /> <a id="more" name="more"></a><br /> <br /> Both teams are searching for warm-up encounters ahead of the Russia 2018 World Cup.<br /> <br /> Poland, who are housed in Group H alongside Japan, Colombia and Senegal, confirmed on December 11 the White and Reds manager Adam Nawałka had agreed to lead the Eastern European nation against the Eagles on March 23.<br /> <br /> Poland  open their  Russia 2018  campaign against  the Lions of Teranga in Moscow on June 19, and Nawalka believes playing a strong side like Nigeria would help him prepare his team  to match the physical style of play of the Senegalese.<br /> <br /> Nigeria are drawn in Group D alongside Croatia, South American powerhouse Argentina and tournament’s dark horses Iceland.<br /> <br /> The Eagles, who will be making their sixth World Cup appearance in Russia this year,  are looking to win their first game against Croatia at the Kaliningrad Stadium in Kaliningrad on June 16, and  Nigeria coach Rohr sees a friendly against Poland as good contest to prepare for the Croats, who have a similar playing style to the Polish.<br /> <br /> And the NFF, who had refused to confirm or deny that Poland had approached Nigeria for a friendly after  it was leaked to  football365.fr   early in December  by Rohr, revealed on Sunday the game would be played in Warsaw on March 23.<br /> <br /> The federation tacitly confirmed reported friendly fixtures against Egypt in May  and England at Wembley in June.<br /> <br /> “The World Cup is the big one next year and I believe we are going to be very ready when the tournament kicks off,” the NFF president Amaju Pinnick was quoted as saying on the thenff.com.<br /> <br /> “We have lined up four friendly matches starting with the game with Poland in Warsaw on  March 23. There will be other matches on March 27, May 28 (in Nigeria) and June 2.”<br /> <br /> Pinnick expressed the federation’s  satisfaction with on-field and off-field results for Nigerian football last  year, believing  the country would win more  honours this year.<br /> <br /> He said, “Largely, it was an excellent year, on and off the field. The bookmakers, analysts and football fans all over the world thought we were going to find it difficult in our World Cup qualifying group, but we made it to Russia with a match to spare. Now, we have already kick-started the preparations to the finals with a landmark agreement with the team on funds and renewal of the coach’s contract to keep him fully focused on the job.<br /> <br /> “Like the World Cup, qualification for the CHAN was also down to hard work and focus. We are ready to work even harder and focus much more ardently on our objectives in the year 2018, because we want to win the CHAN and achieve our best-ever outing at the World Cup.”</div>

Latest-News NFF confirms Poland friendly for Eagles

The Nigeria Football Federation has granted Gernot Rohr’s request to lead the Super Eagles against Poland in a friendly affair. Both te...

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Nigeria’s problems more to do with process than structure – Buhari

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOCOc7dlFS53O5oL40yeSobX7yGrb3r9s_66PLbudhzpsO3QtDoKcjoze234kXQnlcpmgVIp_Qn7QlW-yGX_pVBrD4yqs3qSRO1rB36giFTkAeO1SfhVk2rB1uq5NVDcSESPUlHyDlRw/s1600/President+Muhammadu+Buhari.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOCOc7dlFS53O5oL40yeSobX7yGrb3r9s_66PLbudhzpsO3QtDoKcjoze234kXQnlcpmgVIp_Qn7QlW-yGX_pVBrD4yqs3qSRO1rB36giFTkAeO1SfhVk2rB1uq5NVDcSESPUlHyDlRw/s320/President+Muhammadu+Buhari.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> President Muhammadu Buhari has said that Nigeria’s problems have to do more with process than structure.<br /> <a id="more" name="more"></a><br /> <br /> Buhari made his position known in his New Year nationwide broadcast to Nigerians early on Monday.<br /> <br /> He noted that while the nation had tried the parliamentary system of government and jettisoned it, there was ongoing clamour to return to the same system.<br /> <br /> He urged Nigerians to learn to give a long period of trial and improvement for the adopted system to get better.<br /> <br /> Buhari said, “In respect of political developments, I have kept a close watch on the ongoing debate about ‘restructuring.’<br /> <br /> “No human law or edifice is perfect. Whatever structure we develop must periodically be perfected according to changing circumstances and the country’s socio-economic developments.<br /> <br /> “We Nigerians can be very impatient and want to improve our conditions faster than may be possible considering our resources and capabilities.<br /> <br /> “When all the aggregates of nationwide opinions are considered, my firm view is that our problems are more to do with process than structure.<br /> <br />  “We tried the parliamentary system: we jettisoned it. Now there are shrill cries for a return to the parliamentary structure.<br /> <br /> “In older democracies these systems took centuries to evolve so we cannot expect a copied system to fit neatly our purposes.<br /> <br /> “We must give a long period of trial and improvement before the system we have adopted is anywhere near fit for purpose.”<br /> <br /> This notwithstanding, the President said there was a strong case for a closer look at the cost of government and for the public services long used to extravagance, waste and corruption to change for the better.<br /> <br />  He assured Nigerians that his government was receptive to ideas which would improve governance and contribute to the country’s peace and stability.<br /> <br /> As the country approaches electioneering season, Buhari urged politicians to avoid exploiting ethnicity and religion by linking ethnicity with religion and religion with politics.<br /> <br /> Such, he said, must be avoided at all costs if Nigerians must live in harmony.<br /> <br /> He urged the rest of the country to learn from the south-western states.<br /> <br /> “In this respect, the rest of Nigeria could learn from the south-western states who have successfully internalised religion, ethnicity and politics.<br /> <br /> “Political discourse should be conducted with civility, decorum and in a constitutional manner. We all have a collective responsibility to strengthen our democracy and entrench the rule of law.<br /> <br /> “We should draw encouragement from a series of by-elections conducted by INEC last year which were generally violence-free and their outcomes adjudged to be free and fair,” he said.<br /> <br /> Buhari also assured Nigerians that security of life and properties still topped his government’s agenda.<br /> <br /> He added, “We have since beaten Boko Haram. Isolated attacks still occur, but even the best-policed countries cannot prevent determined criminals from committing terrible acts of terror as we have seen during the past years in Europe, Asia, Middle East, elsewhere in Africa and in America.<br /> <br /> “Our government remains determined to protect all Nigerians in line with our election pledge and promises. On behalf of all Nigerians let me offer our thanks to the Armed forces, the Police, other para-military forces and traditional authorities who are working round the clock to ensure that you and I go about our normal business in reasonable safety. ”<br /> <br /> On the situation in the Niger Delta, Buhari said the Federal Government was still engaging responsible leadership of the communities to help in identifying and addressing genuine grievances of the region.<br /> <br /> He added that government’s clean-up of Ogoni in collaboration with the United Nations was making satisfactory progress.<br /> <br /> He thanked all the state governors and other political and community leaders of the Niger Delta States for their part in bringing relative peace to the areas.<br /> <br /> Buhari said he was sad that the Christmas and New Year holidays had been anything but merry and happy.<br /> <br /> Instead of showing love, companionship and charity, the President regretted that some Nigerians chose the period to inflict severe hardship on others by creating “unnecessary fuel scarcity” across the country.<br /> <br /> The consequence of this, he noted, was that not many could travel and the few who did had to pay exorbitant transport fares.<br /> <br /> “This is unacceptable given that NNPC had taken measures to ensure availability at all depots.<br /> <br /> “I am determined to get to the root of this collective blackmail of all Nigerians and ensure that whichever groups are behind this manipulated hardship will be prevented from doing so again.<br /> <br /> “Such unpatriotic act will not divert the administration from the course we have set ourselves. Our government’s watchword and policy thrust is change.<br /> <br /> “We must change our way of doing things or we will stagnate and be left behind in the race to lift our people out of poverty and into prosperity,” the President said.<br /> <br /> In the New Year, Buhari said his administration would continue with his efforts aimed at addressing the country’s huge infrastructural deficit.<br /> <br />  He said the government would make significant in-roads in advancing road, rail and power projects across the country.<br /> <br /> With regards to railways, Buhari said the government had set ambitious targets for itself.<br /> <br /> While describing the Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge Railway as being in construction stage, he said the line should reach Ibadan from Lagos by the end of 2019.<br /> <br />  He added, “At the same time, I have approved and negotiations will be concluded in the first part of this year for the Port Harcourt to Maiduguri line covering Aba, Owerri, Umuahia, Enugu, Awka, Abakaliki, Makurdi, Lafia, Jos, Bauchi, Gombe, Yola and Damaturu.<br /> <br /> Buhari said the management of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency  had been reconstituted and had been charged with a 12-week rapid intervention in road repairs to cover all the geo-political zones.<br /> <br /> He said the government was undertaking repairs and maintenance of 44 roads within the six geo-political zones.<br /> <br /> He added that 25 major highways would be funded under the N100bn SUKUK facility with each geo-political zone  benefiting an equal amount of N16.67bn<br /> <br /> The President admitted that power remained a concern to his government because too many people still did not have regular and reliable supply.<br /> <br /> He noted that the Payment Assurance Guarantee Scheme which started in January 2016 had enabled the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trader to raise so far N701bn to assure generation companies of at least 80 per cent payment for any power delivered to the national grid.<br /> <br /> Consequently, he said generation has now reached 7,000MW.<br /> <br /> Buhari said he was gratified that agriculture had picked up, contributing to the government’s effort to re-structure the economy.<br /> <br /> He said rice imports would stop this year while local rice which is fresher and more nutritious would be on dishes henceforth.<br /> <br /></div>

Latest-News Nigeria’s problems more to do with process than structure – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that Nigeria’s problems have to do more with process than structure. Buhari made his position known...

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How fuel scarcity exposed the Buhari administration’s inconsistencies, contradictions and outright lies – Reno

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqG4eHnF6YP6f8T72DW3S538_0owbCq8MJI_nvrRJcDBTWMnm1Fb1KVvNZAT-0-6m_EdeRvWwE8i4042A8iBQzffpu97Z7DcBxftBDNMLxmbLSSR4_Wjwigp3hIIiEXJUupBFUJqWEYXv/s1600/Reno-Omokri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqG4eHnF6YP6f8T72DW3S538_0owbCq8MJI_nvrRJcDBTWMnm1Fb1KVvNZAT-0-6m_EdeRvWwE8i4042A8iBQzffpu97Z7DcBxftBDNMLxmbLSSR4_Wjwigp3hIIiEXJUupBFUJqWEYXv/s400/Reno-Omokri.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> On Friday, December 22, 2017, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Maikanti Baru, said the landing cost for petrol is ₦171.40 per litre.<br /> <br /> <br /> <a id="more" name="more"></a>He further added that the government was bearing an extra cost of about ₦26.40 per liter for the product so that Nigerians could purchase the product at the government approved and regulated price of ₦145 per liter. For those who do not know the import of Baru’s statement, it means that the Buhari government has been subsidizing the cost of petrol.<br /> <br /> The problem is that during the campaign, then candidate Buhari said he did not know what subsidy is and accused the Jonathan administration of scamming Nigerians through the subsidy scheme. Again, on December 28, 2015, President Buhari said he was ending subsidy.<br /> <br /> On May 12, 2016 the minister of state for petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu said subsidy had been removed. The price of petrol was increased on that basis to ₦145.<br /> <br /> Finally, on December 15, 2016, Vice President Osinbajo said there was no more fuel subsidy in Nigeria. The question is that, given the revelation by Baru, Nigerians now need to know who is lying amongst President Buhari, Vice President Osinbajo, minister Kachikwu and GMD Baru? This question is even more poignant when you consider that there is no budgetary provision in both the 2016 and 2017 budgets for subsidy payments.<br /> <br />  Ditto for the 2018 budget, which is yet to be passed but is not yet to be padded! In other words, if the so called anti-corruption administration of President Buhari has been paying subsidy, that fact alone is an act of corruption. Specifically, spending monies that are accruable to the federation without any legislative appropriation, is a crime of misappropriation.<br /> <br /> And then a few days after Baru’s Freudian slip, the Vice President had a snafu when he said that it was the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and not the Federal Government that was paying subsidy. That Vice President Osinbajo could even say it is NNPC and not Federal Government that pays subsidy is an insult to the intelligence of Nigerians. Does he think us so vapid and dense that we cannot see through this subterfuge? What is NNPC? Is it not an agency belonging to the Federal Government? Who is the minister in charge of the NNPC? Is it not the President? Who is the chairman of the NNPC board?<br /> <br /> Is it not the minister of state for petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, a member of the federal cabinet? The Vice President ought to remember he is a pastor. The truth is that for years, the Buhari administration has been lying to the Nigerian people and that lie came to light this Yuletide season when the Buhari government simultaneously ran out of funds and lies and could not borrow enough to hide the fact that it has been paying subsidy at a rate higher than the preceding government which it criticized. Do not forget that in a rare moment of honesty on July 12, 2017, the minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun, admitted that (and I quote her) “We cannot borrow anymore, we just have to generate funds domestically to fund our budget. Mobilise revenue to fund the necessary budget increase.<br /> <br /> The truth is that this government has financially near bankrupted Nigeria to the extent that something like one quarter of our budget is going to servicing debt and despite what the propagandist in government say, they will have no alternative but to increase the price of petrol from ₦145 to at least is ₦171.40 per liter (the landing cost) but more realistically to ₦190/200 per liter if they are to make a profit. And to show how uncoordinated and shambolic this administration is, the President’s main spokesman, Femi Adesina was on TV saying that this administration will ensure that Nigeria stops importing fuel by 2019. The Buhari administration has not built a single refinery.<br /> <br /> They have not repaired the old ones. If you believe Femi Adesina, then ask Buhari if he has made Naira equal to Dollar as he promised during the campaigns. But of course, if his boss does not even know his real age, how can we expect his spokesman to know that to stop importing fuel you have to increase refining capacity locally? President Buhari stunned the nation when he said “I thought I was 74 but I was told I was 75”. My question to my readers is this: How can a President with ‘football age’ achieve his goals in government? If he can’t remember his age, how can he remember his campaign promises? No wonder he has been denying his promises left right and center.<br /> <br /> And the man can’t help himself. He just goes from one snafu to the other. The other day he said he will never please his children at the detriment of Nigerians. Really? Can he recall that he instructed the Central Bank of Nigeria not to give forex to Nigerians for the school fees of their children abroad in 2015? Speaking to Al-Jazeera on March 5, 2016 the President said “those who can afford foreign education for their children can go ahead but Nigeria cannot afford to allocate foreign exchange for those who decide to train their children outside the country.<br /> <br /> We can’t just afford it. That is the true situation we are in.” Many parents pulled their wards from schools abroad, but Buhari’s kids remained schooling in the UK. How a man who claimed that he had to take a loan from Union Bank to buy his All Progressive Congress nomination form could suddenly afford to simultaneously train 3 children in the U.K. is a story for another day.<br /> <br /> And yet this major hypocrite had the gall to say that he would not please his children at the interest of Nigeria. Here is a President that engages in blame games and a failure to lead and who suffers from a messiah complex that makes him think he is better, more honest and more effective than any other Nigerian even though the facts on the ground paint a completely different picture. Facts are very stubborn things. Let us consider a few of them. The Buhari administration says it cannot fund its own budget of ₦8.6 trillion and therefore wants to go on another unprecedented borrowing spree to the tune of $5.5 billion.<br /> <br /> But I have some questions. If the Nigerian Custom Service generated ₦1 trillion as it claimed and the Nigerian Ports Authority made ₦400 billion, while the Federal Inland Revenue Service received ₦2.5 trillion in taxes and another ₦800 billion in Value Added Taxes all in 2017, without even adding the $28 billion (₦10 trillion) Nigeria made from the oil and gas sector this year, and the other billions made from lesser revenue generating agencies like SEC, JAMB, airports and stamp duties, how come we cannot fund the 2018 budget of only ₦8.6 trillion? Some may ask me, what about the other tiers of government? Don’t they get a share of this money?<br /> <br /> The reality however is that the total amount generated from all the revenue generating agencies and from the oil and gas sector is over ₦15 trillion. Per the present allocation formula, the lion’s share of 52.68% is channelled to the Federal Government, while 26.70% go to the 36 states and 20.60% to the 776 local government areas.<br /> <br /> In other words, the Federal Government’s share of 52.68% gives it a figure close to ₦8 trillion. So why do they have to borrow $5.5 billion? The revenue from oil is pure rent because production costs have already been subtracted. Now if the President does not know his own age, how can he begin to ask the right questions of his dodgy Economic Management Team which includes a finance minister whose highest educational qualification is a degree from a London Polytechnic with a bad educational record and a post HND diploma? But I have talked enough.<br /> <br /> ‘Tis a season to be jolly and I fear that what I have written above would rob Nigerians of their joy, but someone has to say the bitter truth. But before I go, let me say that in a land suffering from a dearth of servant leaders, I believe Governor Ayo Fayose showed extraordinary servant leadership by releasing the fuel in the fuel dump of Ekiti State Government House to the public. I urge President Muhammadu Buhari to follow this example. Any little that can help people celebrate this season will be appreciated.

Latest-News How fuel scarcity exposed the Buhari administration’s inconsistencies, contradictions and outright lies – Reno

On Friday, December 22, 2017, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Maikanti Baru, said the landing...

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Buhari’s son spends sixth day in Abuja hospital

<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="650" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyY6pR45hR2h3cRs3rLWx-MdakB7Wb0Icd2wjJPMa9IOjK5pW34iTWo5ZK8AXkBjlcK4F0w6uxrCW03mExxkoLqLyMZPCAsKhXWCGU6GV_oEQmjGj4v-f1TON23OdGZo4Le2M7VPCvs50/s400/Buhari-son.jpg" width="400" /></div> <br /> Armed policemen and officers of the Department of State Services kept vigil, as usual at the Cedar Crest Hospital, Gudu District, Abuja, welcoming the New Year 2018 as President Muhammadu Buhari’s son, Yusuf, spent six days in the facility.<br /> <a id="more" name="more"></a><br /> <br /> A check at the hospital on Sunday around 8pm revealed that the policemen had been joined by officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps as well as officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission.<br /> <br /> Three FRSC vans and one NSCDC van were sighted by our source stationed at the entrance of the Sam Mbakwe Street, giving an indication that these officials might also keep a vigil at the hospital.<br /> <br /> On Sunday when our source got to the hospital around 7pm, Islamic prayer which involved some of the security officials was being observed at the entrance of the hospital around 7pm. There was no visiting top government official as of the time of filling this report.<br /> <br /> A source on the ground told our correspondent that it was sure the policemen and other officials would welcome the New Year at the hospital.<br /> <br /> “You can see that we are all here till the New Year comes. This is a top national duty too. Almost every Nigerian now knows the President’s son is sick and admitted here. We wish him a quick recovery,” the source said.<br /> <br /> Yusuf Buhari was rushed to the hospital after having a power bike accident in the Gwarimpa Estate area on Tuesday and sustaining a head injury, which made him undergo a surgery.<br /> <br /> Although the President’s spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, had said Yusuf was in a stable condition and recuperating, the President’s son had now spent six days at the facility and there were speculations that he might be flown abroad for further treatments at any time soon.<br /> <br /> Many top government officials had been visiting the hospital and wishing the President’s son a speedy recovery, while several groups had organised prayers in different locations across the country for his recuperation.

Latest-News Buhari’s son spends sixth day in Abuja hospital

Armed policemen and officers of the Department of State Services kept vigil, as usual at the Cedar Crest Hospital, Gudu District, Abuja, ...

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APC government pushed workers into poverty, suicide – NLC, TUC

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4S4xIeoPCVWy6iK64G6aMDlnSH2ZZcauY3kG5ouz_xMLrmu8D6SPTWS6diZNccQjmZsMwKGB65Lq9-N1IwXS4ocig-RSabFr5QwvJgnobPeDA9sZn-_h2WkFqd30UxhPe7yhHiSrQYrzb/s1600/buhari-and-apc-750x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="500" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4S4xIeoPCVWy6iK64G6aMDlnSH2ZZcauY3kG5ouz_xMLrmu8D6SPTWS6diZNccQjmZsMwKGB65Lq9-N1IwXS4ocig-RSabFr5QwvJgnobPeDA9sZn-_h2WkFqd30UxhPe7yhHiSrQYrzb/s640/buhari-and-apc-750x400.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> The Nigeria Labour Congress, on Sunday, described 2017 as a very difficult year for Nigerians, noting that the All Progressives Congress government ruined Nigerians and pushed more workers into poverty and wretchedness.<br /> <br /> It stated that the deplorable economic conditions in 2017 were captured by the statistics recently released by the National Bureau of Statistics which indicated that over four million Nigerians lost their jobs in 2017.<br /> <a id="more" name="more"></a><br /> <br /> Also, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria said millions of Nigerian workers lost their jobs, while many others committed suicide due to the untold hardship witnessed across the country in 2017.<br /> <br /> The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, who said this in his New Year message in Abuja on Sunday, noted that the government failed to fulfil its promise of creating three million jobs annually.<br /> <br /> He stated that the APC government had chastised and ruined Nigerians through its policies, noting that workers were the most affected by the despondent economy.<br /> <br /> Wabba added, “Rather than work to create jobs and improve the conditions of workers and Nigerians in general, leading elements in the ruling APC government, like Governor Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna state), have been taking measures to further chastise and ruin Nigerians by throwing tens of thousands of workers into the already saturated unemployment market and wretchedness.”<br /> <br /> The NLC complained that despite the huge revenue states had received from the Paris Club loan refunds and other interventions to clear arrears of salaries and pensions, states like Kogi, Osun, Benue, Ekiti, Bayelsa and several others entered 2018 with huge arrears spanning up to 10 or more months of wages and pensions.<br /> <br /> It vowed to mobilise workers for the full payment of the outstanding salaries and pensions in the New Year.<br /> <br /> The NLC added that as the 2019 general elections approached, workers would not forget governors who refused to pay their earned entitlements while paying themselves, their political appointees and cronies’ huge packages.<br /> <br /> Wabba also bemoaned the suffering Nigerians were subjected to due to the fuel scarcity in the country, noting that the energy crisis occurred in spite of repeated assurances and claims that the complete removal of subsidy on petroleum products would end scarcity of petroleum products.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> The NLC President frowned on the buck-passing between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the petroleum marketers, stressing that the scarcity was caused by the refusal of the government to refine crude oil locally.<br /> <br /> He argued that Nigeria was the only major producer of crude oil that depended on importation of refined products.<br /> <br /> “For us in the Congress and for majority of working people in Nigeria, the hope placed on the capacity of President Buhari to bring about positive change is being undermined by his government’s inability to address the infrastructural deficit and other related problems in the oil industry, such as making our existing refineries work at optimal capacity by refining products for domestic consumption,” Wabba stated.<br /> <br /> Commenting on the new minimum wage, he expressed the hope that upon completion of negotiations, the National Assembly would give the executive bill that will emerge, an accelerated passage for the new national minimum wage to become a reality before the end of the 3rd quarter of 2018.<br /> <br /> The NLC called on the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly to ensure that payment of primary school teachers’ salaries was put on first line charge of the Federation Account to assuage the fears of all stakeholders in the local government system.<br /> <br /> “As we move into 2018, our expectation is that the executive arm of government will push for the implementation of key anti-corruption protocols and good governance principles in our public and private institutions,” it said.<br /> <br /> The union admonished the government to address the security challenges posed by Boko Haram insurgents and Fulani herdsmen, which it said posed significant threats to peaceful co-existence in many states of the federation.<br /> <br /> Workers committed suicide, million lost jobs –TUC<br /> <br /> In its own assessment, the TUC said Nigerians were subjected to various dehumanising conditions in 2017, adding that in the midst of the gruelling fuel scarcity, many workers were owed up to six-month salaries while pensions remained unpaid.<br /> <br /> The union, in a statement by its President, Bobboi Kaigama, and Secretary-General, Musa-Lawal Ozigi, said, “The TUC states here unequivocally that Nigerian workers have not only lost their jobs in millions but many even committed suicide when they could no longer fend for their families.<br /> <br /> “It is no news that pensioners (our senior servants), who served this country meritoriously, die on a daily basis, even at verification locations throughout the country.<br /> <br /> “Though their pension is not paid yet, they are burdened to feed their graduate children who are yet to get jobs five years after graduation.<br /> <br /> “This is not the best of times in our country as Nigerians are subjected to various dehumanising conditions. How do we explain that in the midst of the gruelling fuel scarcity, many workers are still being owed up to six months salaries?”<br /> <br /> The TUC alleged that some state governors had diverted the bailouts released to them by the Federal Government to enable them to pay workers backlogs of salaries.<br /> <br /> It added, “Bailouts were given but unfortunately diverted by governors and the Federal Government seems not to be doing anything about it. Those governors involved in such irresponsible act should be brought to book. There is no milk of kindness left in our leaders anymore.<br /> <br /> “Families die on our roads, yet, they tell us our roads are not as bad as some Nigerians claim. It is only in Nigeria people pay for services that they did not use. The power sector is a case in point. If things remain like this, the congress may have no option than to hit the street.”<br /> <br /> The union said it was worried by the astronomic rate factories closed shop in Nigeria and the billions spent on medical tourism.<br /> <br /> It said Nigerians were brought back from Libya lame, blind, abused, adding that Nigerian leaders, who had failed to provide the basic things of life, must be blamed for this.<br /> <br /> The TUC stated that the National Minimum Wage Committee, set up by the Federal Government, should conclude everything concerning the new wage on or before the end of the second quarter of 2018.<br /> <br /> It said all state governments should pay the outstanding salaries and allowances to workers before the end of the first quarter in 2018.<br /> <br /> “All corrupt political officials should face the music, irrespective of their political affiliations. No more soft landing for any body found to have looted the country. “Congress can no longer accommodate this perennial fuel scarcity, especially during the Yuletide or any other time. If it happens, we will direct and mobilise our members all over the country to abandon their cars on major roads,” the TUC stated.<br /> <br /> Buhari administration is not asleep –APC<br /> <br /> But in his New Year message, the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration was not asleep.<br /> <br /> He said the administration was doing all within its power to deliver on the promises made to Nigerians in 2015.<br /> <br /> He described 2017 as an eventful, but challenging year for many Nigerians.<br /> <br /> While expressing gratitude to Nigerians for their continuous support and prayers for the Buhari-led APC administration, he urged them to look to the New Year with renewed optimism and vigour.<br /> <br /> He expressed confidence that brighter days were ahead.<br /> <br /> Odigie-Oyegun stated, “Indeed, the collective task before us is converting our country’s potential – derived from size, demography, human and natural resources –to greatness.<br /> <br /> “While the task may seem onerous, it is achievable. With the right ethics, morality, attitudes and priorities, we will get out of our current societal morass that has found expression in our economic challenges, bad politics, ethno-religious divisions and other negative aspects of our national life, sooner than sceptics believe is possible.”<br /> <br /> The APC chairman said the party was aware of the hardships faced by Nigerians.<br /> <br /> Odigie-Oyegun added, “We are acutely aware of our current national challenges, particularly the economy.<br /> <br /> “However, we assure Nigerians that the administration is not asleep, but working assiduously to address these challenges and meet the expectations of Nigerians.<br /> <br /> “We remain focused and solidly committed to delivering on our party’s 2015 election promises which were largely hinged on curbing corruption, restoring the economy and the security of the nation.”<br /> <br /> The party chairman noted that Nigerians could only downplay the ramifications of corruption to our peril.<br /> <br /> He said, “Corruption has, for long, enabled its perpetrators to divert resources for delivering development to the citizenry and as a result bred discontent, which religious bigots and ethnic jingoists take advantage of to create insecurity and other societal malaise.<br /> <br /> “Therefore, the solution is the enthronement and entrenchment of quality and accountable leadership in governance.”<br /> <br /> NLC needs to look at the brighter side-APC<br /> <br /> Reacting to NLC’s criticism, the National Vice-Chairman, (South-South) of the APC, Hilliard Eta, asked the NLC to look at the brighter side of government’s efforts instead of making unverified claims.<br /> <br /> Eta was reacting to claims by the labour union that the APC-led administration pushed more workers into poverty in 2017.<br /> <br /> He spoke in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents in Abuja, on Sunday.<br /> <br /> According to him, it will be difficult for the NLC to substantiate its claims because it did not make public any data of a research it conducted to arrive at its conclusion.<br /> <br /> Eta said, “Unfortunately, the NLC has not provided us with the data of a research it carried out to support the claim it has made.<br /> <br /> “We can only say that there is a revolution in the agricultural sector and it is better for Nigerians to look at such a sector for job opportunities than to depend on white collar jobs.<br /> <br /> “Opportunities have opened up to Nigerians in the agricultural sector and in Small and Medium Scale Enterprises. Nigerians should begin to be more creative.”<br /> <br /> The party chieftain added, “I personally think Nigerians should begin to emphasise less on going to China to import finished consumables instead of working on our home made goods which will create more job opportunities for Nigerians.<br /> <br /> “Nevertheless, I am confident that the benefits of the policies of this administration will begin to bear the kind of fruit that will prove our critics wrong.”<br /> <br /> Attempts to get a reaction from the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, were unsuccessful.<br /> <br /> Calls to his mobile indicated that the phone was switched off at the time of the call.<br /> <br /> Similar calls to the telephone of Odigie-Oyegun were neither picked nor returned as of the time of filing this report.

Latest-News APC government pushed workers into poverty, suicide – NLC, TUC

The Nigeria Labour Congress, on Sunday, described 2017 as a very difficult year for Nigerians, noting that the All Progressives Congress g...

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Why I sacked 22,000 teachers - Governor El-Rufai

<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="360" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLaMQejfg8yEUEmSM4g8gwOaq-of0cwwb9VZwwBbCw0-phZb4WGBuxmV7HyLlmh9CGQy4LOoFdjuQqB5hs_lajUo8Mk4Wlu-gCi7iBxb4xpsUnkAHrLO3oKYrtmd0IodVrynzBna8F0Ld/s400/el-rufai.jpg" width="400" /></div> <br /> Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has said the government sacked over 22,000 teachers because they were unqualified for the job.<br /> <br /> <a id="more" name="more"></a><br /> <br /> According to him, sacking of incompetent teachers predated his administration, as previous governments sacked teachers with fake qualifications.<br /> <br /> He noted that the Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN) report he received on assumption of office, showed that 83 per cent of the teachers scored less than 25 per cent in Maths and literacy exams.<br /> <br /> The governor, who spoke in a broadcast, recalled that the government of Sir Patrick Yakowa dismissed 4,000 teachers with fake results.<br /> <br /> According to him, the Yakowa-led government responded to reports that 50 per cent of primary school teachers were unqualified by giving such teachers a five-year deadline to acquire the appropriate qualifications.<br /> <br /> “The Kaduna State Executive Council, at its August 8, 2012 meeting, after considering the report of the verification committee, gave a five-year window for under-qualified teachers to acquire the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE).<br /> <br /> “This five-year grace period has now expired, and that is why this administration weeded out teachers who didn’t have the requisite skills and qualifications to teach,” he said.<br /> <br /> El-Rufai recalled that the 2015 ESSPIN report on pupil and teacher competence levels showed that 83 per cent of the teachers scored less than 25 per cent in Maths and literacy exams.<br /> <br /> Primary two pupils scored an average of 14 per cent in English and 27 per cent in Maths, while primary four pupils scored an average of 13 per cent in English and 17 per cent in Numeracy.<br /> <br /> The governor added: “the government responded to this report by getting the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) to conduct a survey of teacher competence. We took further steps to address these gaps by training and retraining the teachers.”<br /> <br /> According to him, 11,315 classroom teachers were trained in Literacy and Numeracy through SUBEB, and another 3,733 were trained in reading skills through the Global Partnership for Education. UBEC trained 5,945 teachers in Pedagogy, Lesson Plans and use of Teachers’ Guides.<br /> <br /> On June 3, 2017, the government conducted a competency test for primary school teachers. This test assessed their literacy and numeracy levels through a primary four test.<br /> <br /> The government considered giving teachers a 75 per cent threshold for a primary four test an extremely generous decision, he added.<br /> <br /> El-Rufai said the government seeks to hire 25,000 teachers to replace the disengaged 22,000, and eligible applicants have already applied.

Latest-News Why I sacked 22,000 teachers - Governor El-Rufai

Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has said the government sacked over 22,000 teachers because they were unqualified for the job. A...

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Patience Jonathan could not have genuinely earned the $15.5million which she claims ownership of - EFCC

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="500" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7f3l9HPAYGDkc2IU5KalWxxV6WZpgwSWOKLqPjjfYts7reF2rnskPxEgZ1AJ5rINL65Cf6jwfyRHVhArS_AhNmPIgjEuyANHOpor3y9gSYxp84rI8fa6wEW5s1U6QqC7rzhpGb81x00U/s400/Patience-Jonathan2-e1476960487578.jpg" width="400" /></div> <br /> The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has told the Federal High Court in Lagos that former First Lady Patience Jonathan could not have genuinely earned the $15.5million which she claims ownership of.<br /> <a id="more" name="more"></a><br /> <br /> In its defence to her suit challenging the freezing of her accounts, the commission argued that Mrs Jonathan does not run any business from which she could have earned such huge sums.<br /> <br /> EFCC said its investigations showed that the money was allegedly stolen from the Federal Government and its agencies, and that it does not belong to the former First Lady.<br /> <br /> “There is no way the plaintiff (Mrs Jonathan) could have genuinely earned the monies. She is the wife of the former president, a civil servant and a retired permanent secretary in Bayelsa State.<br /> <br /> “She does not run any profit and interest yielding business venture to generate such money.<br /> <br /> “Investigation conducted by the first defendant (EFCC) revealed that the plaintiff is not the owner of the funds in the accounts of the third to fifth defendants (companies), which funds were discovered to be proceeds of fraudulent activities of Waripamo-Owei Emmanuel Dudafa,” EFCC said.<br /> <br /> Mrs Jonathan sued the EFCC, Skye Bank Plc and three companies – Pluto Property and Investment Company Ltd, Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Ltd and Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Ltd.<br /> <br /> She is praying for an order restraining the defendants from tampering with her funds in the companies’ accounts domiciled in Skye Bank.<br /> <br /> She asked for an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the EFCC from transferring the funds to the Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account (TSA).<br /> <br /> Mrs Jonanthan said the funds in the companies’ accounts belonged to her, but she had been unable to operate the account after EFCC placed a “no debit order” on the accounts.<br /> <br /> The former first lady said representatives of the companies, who pleaded guilty to laundering the money, were unknown to her; nor were they authorised to represent them.<br /> <br /> “The plaintiff/applicant is the lawful owner of her hard earned funds,” she said, adding that her ownership of the money has not been controverted by a third party.<br /> <br /> Mrs Jonathan said she sought the assistance of Dudafa, former Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs to ex-President Jonathan, to open some accounts in her name.<br /> <br /> She said she was issued with four ATM cards after the accounts were opened.<br /> <br /> According to her, she protested the fact that three of the four accounts bore the names of companies she had no connection with.<br /> <br /> The bank, she said, promised to rectify the issue. She continued to operate the accounts pending when changes would be effected, according to the former First Lady.<br /> <br /> Mrs Jonathan said she went abroad in July 2016 for a medical check-up and discovered that she could not make payments from the accounts due to the “no debit order”.<br /> <br /> The former First Lady, in her written address, accused EFCC making moves to take her money from her through an order of forfeiture.<br /> <br /> She said the moves included the “procurement of some unknown persons who pleaded guilty to a charge and were convicted on November 2, 2016.”<br /> <br /> In urging the court to lift the “no-debit order” and grant her access to her accounts, Mrs Jonathan said she “needs her money to able to cater to her health.”<br /> <br /> But, EFCC, in its statement of defence, said its investigations revealed that between 2013 and 2015, “huge sums of money were stolen from the Federal Government of Nigeria and its agencies.”<br /> <br /> The agencies, it said, were the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), “etc”.<br /> <br /> EFCC said some of the funds “were converted to dollars and converted to the use of Dudafa”.<br /> <br /> The commission said between February 21, 2014 and April 19, 2016, Pluto Property “fraudulently received and retained” $3,096,377.38.<br /> <br /> The sum, EFCC said, was deposited by State House domestic stewards, Festus Iyoha and Peter Arivin, “using fictitious names on the instruction of Dudafa.”<br /> <br /> The commission said between November 14, 2013 and June 27, 2016, Seagate Properties received $3,624,998.78; while Trans Ocean received $3,765,711.87, “which are suspected to be proceeds of crime.”<br /> <br /> Another company, Globus Integrated Services Limited, was said to have received “a whopping sum of $5,119,021.45” in its account.<br /> <br /> EFCC said after it charged the companies, their representatives pleaded guilty to retaining $15,591,700.<br /> <br /> It insisted that after analysing the companies’ accounts, “it is crystal clear that the plaintiff was neither a director nor a shareholder”.<br /> <br /> The commission said it was Dudafa who allegedly procured the domestic stewards in the State House Abuja to deposit the monies “in an attempt to disguise the proceeds of crime using fictitious names”.<br /> <br /> EFCC said it obtained a valid court order to freeze the accounts, and that it did not need to inform Mrs Jonathan before doing so “as the funds in the said accounts do not belong to her”.<br /> <br /> It added that the firmer First Lady was not entitled to any reliefs, and that her case “is frivolous, spurious, speculative, vexatious and an abuse of court process and should be dismissed with substantial cost.”<br /> <br /> Justice Mohammed Idris had ordered parties to file pleadings in the case, indicating that witnesses, including Mrs Jonathan, may testify to justify the money’s ownership.<br /> <br /> The case will be heard on January 19.

Latest-News Patience Jonathan could not have genuinely earned the $15.5million which she claims ownership of - EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has told the Federal High Court in Lagos that former First Lady Patience Jonathan coul...

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