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The Nigerian Youth Congress (NYC), Kogi State chapter has passed vote of confidence on the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission INEC Prof. Mahmood Yakubu for the adequate preparation and execution of plans toward the off-circle governorship elections in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo states.

The state Chairman of NYC Comrade Alfa Ebune stated this on Wednesday at a press conference held in Lokoja ahead of Saturday governorship election in Kogi state and other two states.

Ebune said that the vote of confidence passed on the INEC and the Honourable Chairman of the commission Prof. Mahmood Yakubu was borne out of unbiased observation made by the youth group on the preparation of the commission toward the off-season elections in the three states.

He said “INEC Chairman has done creditably well in the preparation and execution of plans toward the conduct of the governorship elections in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo states.

“This off-season elections
“NYC whole-heartedly commended the commission because if this trend of performance is being sustained and improved upon Nigeria will be great and it will be a country of our dreams”.

The youth group who also lauded the effort of the security agencies especially the military, said they have done much in ensuring that there is adequate security of life and property in the forthcoming election.

“The Police and the DSS have also tried their best so far and we hope that they will hold on to this effort till the end of the election expected to be peaceful and devoid of violence.

“This election , we observed that INEC and the security agencies are determine to write their names in gold by righting the wrong of the past in the electoral process of this nation” he stated.

The NYC state Chairman used the occasion to appealed to the INEC staff deployed from other states to Kogi for the conduct of election not to allow themselves to be used by dubious politicians who are willing to win election at all cost, saying such act would not only tarnish the good image of the commission but it would rubbish the trust the people have for the commission.

“They should uphold the virtue of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is determine to give a robust electoral system to the nation devoid of malpractices and other ills associated with Nigeria election.

“This election the international communities are watching us and they will use it to measure the level of transparency in the Nigeria electoral system. INEC should ensure that voting materials reaches the hard to reach zones across Kogi state” he advised.

By Emmanuel Daudu

The National Coordinator/CEO of the National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA), Hajiya Halima Shehu, has on Tuesday stated that she will work hard to justify her appointment by President Bola Ahmed to ensuring that the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda is to its brim achieved.

Addressing journalists  in Abuja, shortly after her assumption of office, Shehu said her work experience in the ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in the last four years has availed her the opportunity to interface with the needy across the country.

She said: “As we all know, the NSIP programmes have now been running in the country since 2016 across the country but it’s yet to completely alleviate poverty out of the country. First, because the population of poor/vulnerable is twice higher than the average population of Nigerians who can afford the basic human needs and not up to 30% of the population have been empowered.

“Poverty as we all know, engenders crime in any society, the more the people are uplifted out of poverty the lesser the crime rate in any society. As we all know, the programmes have witnessed so many criticisms in the country for lack of transparency, accountability, free and fair selection of beneficiaries, realistic data base and publicity amongst others.

“We hope to do better in this aspect especially now that the programmes are governed by an act which is a legal framework that clearly states the function of the Agency, the CEO and stakeholders.

“Again, I will say I am certain that Mr President has recognized our leadership qualities and that’s why he has assigned us such a huge task upon us therefore we have to be focused, committed, dedicated and passionate in carrying out this sensitive assignment of poverty alleviation, which is one of the biggest promise In his Renewed Hope mandate.

“But this cannot be achieved without a great team and collaboration from all stakeholders both home and abroad which includes National/International Development partners amongst others. My working experience in this ministry in the last 4 years has availed me the opportunity to interface with the needy across the country and I have personally witnessed life changing situations on this programmes to the beneficiaries.

“We have taken a lot of risk in carrying out this humanitarian services sometimes when we get to riverine areas we get into a boat or a helicopter to get to this beneficiaries. So, I know exactly the scope of work at NSIPA and the huge task ahead of us to be accomplished in limited timeline.

“I have confidence that with full support by the Ministry, NSIPA would make the ‘ Renewed Hope Mantra of President Bola Tinubu ‘s administration a practical reality among vulnerable Nigerians.”

The Youth Empowerment and Social Support Operations (YESSO 2.0) has expressed its readiness to partner with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in an efforts to take thousands of vulnerable youths out of poverty bracket in Nigeria.

According to Jamaluddeen Kabir,
National Communications Manager
National Social Investment Programmes Agency, in a press release signed on
06/11/2023, disclosed that the National Programme Manager of YESSO 2.0, Comrade Richard Romanus disclosed this when he led a delegation to the NDE National office in Abuja.

Comrade Romanus noted that the visit was to seek support and collaboration from stakeholders to help in achieving set goals for the commencement of YESSO 2.0 programme.

The programme manager said, his team was ready to partner with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), with a view to enhancing employment opportunities for thousands of Nigerian Youths in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Removing more Nigerian youths from the shackle of poverty according to Romanus is achievable under the supervision of Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

“We have identified NDE as a major player in the success of YESSO 1.0, hence, we are here to seek the same support to make YESSO 2.0 even bigger and more successful. We have quite a number of programmes lined up for implementation that will enable the teeming youth population to become gainfully empowered and maximize their entrepreneurial potential.

The National Programme Manager noted that most youths were unemployed not because there was no job to do “but because they did not have the required and marketable skills that would grant them employment.

“YESSO is about training on skills for jobs, so we will partner with NDE to train these thousand of youths on marketable skills that will make them self-employed, to be self-reliant, and to even have access to start-up funds where possible. He stated”

In his response, the Director General of NDE represented by the Director, Vocational Skills Development, Mr. Issah Abdu stated their readiness to collaborate with any group or organisation on how unemployed youths in the country can be taken out of poverty index.

The Director General congratulated the new YESSO National manager and his team on their appointment, saying youth empowerment must be administered by the youths themselves.

He disclosed that the NDE had collaborated with the World Bank in the implementation of the YESSO 1.0 Programme,assuring that NDE will partner different programmes of YESSO 2.0 to ensure its success.

“With youth empowerment , positive engagement of the active population, engagement of idle minds, social tension and insecurity will reduce in the country”

He further disclosed that the NDE has 96 vocational skills acquisition centres across the country, including Agricultural centres and Mobil Training Workshop booths in rural areas.

Highlight of the meeting includes technical session and discussions on possible area of partnership.

The crisis rocking NUPENG leadership has taken another dimension

The crisis started when the NUPENG general secretary and some handful of executive decided to usurp the PTD election by hand picking some of their surrogates as National Chairman and executive of the branch

This development angered some of the executives of NUPENG and other stakeholders of NUPENG who frowned at the high level of highhandedness and abuse of power by the general SecretaryNUPENG afolabi olawale

Who singlehandedly midwives the election in Ibadan at the detriment of other contestants who wanted the election conducted in Abuja without imposition of candidates.

Petrol tanker drivers proceeded to Abuja and held their own election in Abuja and produced lucky osusan as national chairman.

This ugly development has stirred uneasiness in NUPENG, leading to some affiliates of the union threatening to pull out the Union if the general secretary, who is an employee of the vacate his position

NUPENG, one of the main affiliates of NLC, is nose diving into crisis as one of the elders of union stated.

Elders of the union are planning to intervene to save and bring it back to the way it was before the election

The president of the union is undecided on the affairs since he doesn’t have a mind of his own and can not reverse the position of the general secretary.

The National secretrate of PTD is under lock and key at the time of filing this report. Mr olu adesanya said that the factions engage themselves in a supremacy battle as the afolabi faction tried to force themselves into the national secretrate of the union . He also accused afolabi as using ptd as a cash cow .

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the election of Hon. Joshua Audu Gana of the People Democratic Party (PDP) for the Lavun/Mokwa/Edati Federal Constituency, Niger State (2023-2027).

According to Hon.(Dr) Joshua Audu Gana, member Lavun/Mokwa/Edati Federal Constituency, Niger State (2023-2027), responding to the historical judgement, Hon Gana said: “My dear Constituents on Wednesday, 1st November 2023, the Court of Appeal Abuja delivered a historic ruling on Appeal CA/ABJ/EP/HR/59/2023 where the Judges unanimously affirmed the mandate you freely gave me on February 25, 2023 election as the duly and rightful winner of that election.”

It could be recalled that that the National and State House of Assembly Election Tribunal on September, 11th 2023 nullified Gana’s election and of which Hon. Gana appealed that judgement at the appellate Court.

“The affirmation by the Court of Appeal truly brings to rest the contest for our Federal Constituency,” he said.

The Court of Appeal on Wednesday, a three-man member unanimously upheld the argument by the lawyer of Gana, that the Tribunal was wrong to have held in favour of the petition, Abdullahi Usman Gbatamagi and the All Progressive Party (APC).

Describing the judgement, Gana said: “Our victory at the Court, which is a clear reflection of what happened on Election day reinforces the principle that the judiciary is the final hope for the common man and democracy.”

Still speaking on the judgment, he said that when the Election Petition Tribunal ruled against him on September, 11th 2023, he was sure that it would not stand, “I was optimistic that the tribunal had erred and that travesty of justice was not going to stand and today, their Lords at the Court of Appeal agreed with us that we won the elections,” he said.

He promised all inclusive representative saying, “We will not take the electorate for granted. We see the judgement as an opportunity to serve our people as a means of deepening the democratic culture and all hands must be on the deck in serving our people,” he promised.

To his constituents, he made more promises to them saying, “I wish to assure you my good constituents that I am more than ever ready to serve and will be more focused and consistent in drawing attention to issues affecting our constituency and follow through until solutions and  resolutions are found.”

He called on his APC counterpart not to see the judgement as a blow, but to join hands with him in bringing development to their constituents. “I urge my brother and friend Hon. Abdullahi Usman to see the outcome as a true expression of the people’s will and God’s doing and give all the support that is required for the good of our people as we shall be magnanimous even in victory,” he said.

NiMet, NSE to Deepen Collaboration
While playing host to the national executives from the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), the Director-General/CEO of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, who was represented by the Director, Engineering and Technical Services, Dr. Mansir Aminu, has pledge to sustain the collaboration with the NSE.

The DG’s representative stated that the theme of the upcoming 2023 National Engineering conference which is Re-Engineering the Manufacturing sector for competitiveness and enhanced growth is in line with the goals, products and services of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, of which, the instrument calibration laboratory domiciled in the Regional Training Centre, Oshodi, Lagos, is one of such.

Dr. Mansir Aminu further added that NiMet as an organization and under the leadership of Professor Mansur Bako Matazu has devoted a chunk of the Agency’s resources to training and human capital development of its members of staff and the Engineering department is not an exception.

In his remark, while commending NiMet for the continued support to the society, the President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr. Tasiu Sa’ad Gidari-Wudil used the opportunity to intimate NiMet on the upcoming National Conference, while also stressing that the association under his leadership has kick-started the development of a Smart office project and training facility for Engineers. The centre according to him will enclose not just research and development unit but also a commercial unit where academia can conduct their research, as well as market the product and output of such research.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had scored the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) 9th position in it’s Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS).

In an advertorial, the anti corruption body listed NiMet as having attained 9th position in the overall ranking out of four hundred and four (404) Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) administered in 2023 with NiMet scoring 78 percent and 2nd position in the Presidency and Extra Ministerial category.

According to ICPC, the objective of  administering the EICS is particularly to track ethical, integrity and compliance deficiencies in the MDAs, and proffer remedial actions for the management of the MDAs and the government as appropriate. For Ministries, Departments and Agencies’ effectiveness and responsiveness, the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in the scorecard as configured are to identify some ethics and integrity standards that MDAs must comply with within the areas of Management, Performance, Service and Professional Conduct.

The primary goal of deploying the EICS, which started in 2016 with 20 MDAs, is to ensure MDAs understand the quality of their statutes and government policies and take into account their level of compliance with ethical and accountability standards for efficiency and service delivery.

The Commission however stressed that the deployment of EICS is vital to building good ethical structures in organisations and enjoined MDAs to integrate the compliance practices into their systems to reduce corruption in public offices.

The attainment of this new ranking not only places NiMet at a good stead of best practice but also as an Agency that executes government policies.

Joint unions in Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), have kicked against the announcement by Sen. Godswill Akpabio, the President of the Senate, referring to some members of the agency’s board as  executive board members.

The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) and Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) made their position known in a letter addressed to Akpabio on Thursday and made available to newsmen in Abuja.

It will be recalled that Akpabio had on Wednesday announced the constitution of a new board for FERMA, but referred to some of the members as executive board members, as against the usual members of the board.

The letter, jointly signed by Mr Paul Onimisi, ASCSN Chairman and Mr Abdulmumin Idris, AUPCTRE Chairman, described the announcement by the senate president as discouraging and demoralising to the staff of the agency.

“The appointment of some members as executive board members to eventually take over the running of the departments is contrary to FERMA Act and detrimental to the career progression of the employees of the agency.

“It will not serve the agency any good in achieving its mandate.

“The appointment of some persons as executive board members is contrary to the provisions of Section 2(2) of the FERMA Act as amended and career progression within government agencies.

“It is counter productive and demoralising for career officers as the intention is for the executive board members to take over from career officers who are running departments.

“We urge you respectfully, distinguished Senate President, to confirm the appointment of members of the board in accordance with the Act that created the board.

“To do otherwise is to usher in a chain of events that will disrupt the structure of the Agency, derail its mandate and demoralise the workers,” the unions maintained.

The unions’ executives said  the direct consequence of making some members of the board executive members to head departments was to derail the agency because workers would not support it.

The union leaders emphasised that particular adverse result of the contraption of making some board members executive board members was the creation of a board within a board.

They added that such would drive the agency in contra-direction in terms or its mandate.

“The agency and its members of staff are peacefully working towards the achievement of its mandate in their service to the nation.

“An urgent clarion call is hereby made for the immediate reversal of this illegality to forestall looming anarchy this contraption may cause,” the unions stated in the letter aimed at drawing President Bola Tinubu’s attention to the anomaly.

“In line with Mr President’s renewed hope agenda, it is our lawful demand that the appointees be confirmed as board members not executive board members.

”Any contrary action to the provisions of the FERMA (Establishment Act 2002) as amended will be resisted,” the joint unions threatened.

The Canadian Government has expressed readiness to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda by supporting the humanitarian and poverty alleviation response in Nigeria.

According to a press release signed by Rasheed Olanrewaju Zubair (ANIPR),
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Honourable Minister, MHAPA, on Tuesday, the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Jamie Christoff, made this known when he led his team to visit the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu at her office in Abuja.

Ambassador Christoff said the Canadian Government has committed to put in One Hundred and Fifty-Two Million Dollars as part of their assistance to the country for various programs. However, a small portion has been earmarked for humanitarian response.

He said some of the general funds will be spent in Nigeria to focus on vulnerable women and young girls across the country.

The ambassador lauded the establishment of the Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund, saying it is a welcome development that will aid better coordination with the government at drivers seat. He noted that it would be of interest to the Canadian government.

“I am here with my team to register our support to the mandate of the President in his efforts to alleviate poverty and reduce humanitarian crises in Nigeria through your ministry” he said.

Responding, the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, while commending the High Commissioner for finding time out of his busy schedule to visit her and kind words on President Tinubu’s Initiative, assured him of a mutual working relationship.

Edu informed the High Commissioner of the determination of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to significantly tackle multi-dimensional poverty and humanitarian crises in Nigeria by 2030 in line with the SDG target.

She assured the visiting Envoy that the Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund will be used to address emergency humanitarian responses and issues of poverty alleviation in Nigeria, saying its application will be in a transparent manner.

The minister  asked the High Commissioner and all other Humanitarian Responders to re-evaluate their contributions to Nigeria and work towards providing durable solutions to ‘our country’.

She advocated for a radical change on approach of partners implementation, to enable the people who need help the most truly get it with less duplication and wastage.