NEW MINIMUM WAGE: TUC SPEAKS ON AMOUNT AGREED WITH FG

Mr Bobboi Kaigama

The President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Mr Bobboi Kaigama, announced on Wednesday that a new amount agreed by the Federal Government and labour to serve as Nigeria’s new minimum wage would be announced next month.

Bobboi, who made the disclosure in an interview with the labour correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, said that the committee working on the minimum wage had almost concluded negotiations on the matter.

The Federal Government had set a September date to roll out a new minimum wage for workers, although the Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Ngige, was recently reported as “double-speaking” on the issue.

Civil servants in Nigeria are eagerly awaiting a wage increase after years of enduring a wage structure, described by analysts as one of the lowest in the world.

But public office holders in Africa’s most populous nation, including members of the bi-cameral parliament enjoy some of the biggest wages in the world, according to analysts.

Kaigama said that a tripartite committee meeting was holding on Wednesday in Abuja but refused to elaborate on issues being discussed at the meeting.

“The tripartite meeting is holding today but I do not want to pre-empt the outcome or the level we have reached in our discussions, otherwise there will be unnecessary anxiety.

”But by the end of August, I am assuring you that workers will know what the agreed new minimum wage will be”, he said.

On November 22, 2017, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the appointment of a 30-member committee to work out a new minimum wage. He inaugurated the committee on November 27, 2017.

2019: ASARI DOKUBO DISMISSES FAYOSE , TAMBUWAL, REVEALS PDP’s BEST CANDIDATE

Ex-militant leader in the Niger Delta, Alhaji Asari Dokubo, has advised the Peoples Democratic Party on the choice of presidential candidate ahead of the 2019 election.

Asari, who spoke with Sun believes that only former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has the credentials to wrestle power from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, come 2019.

Speaking on other candidates indicating interest under the umbrella of the PDP, Asari, said mentioning names such as Tambuwal, Sule Lamido, and others shows that the main opposition party is not ready for the election.

His words, “Yes, the PDP is not ready for a fight. If the PDP is ready for a fight, there won’t be talks of Tambuwal candidature, someone who is a governor in APC. He destroyed PDP and ran to APC. They are talking of Tambuwal, who knows him in Bayelsa?

“PDP governors are lobbying a character like that to join the PDP and contest for the presidential ticket. They are talking of Makarfi, a man who could not win Senate election; a man who during the 2015 presidential election allegedly voted for Buhari and showed his ballot paper to the people before putting it in the box.

“Such a man is the one some PDP people are lobbying to get on the presidential ticket.

“Sule Lamido is not different from Buhari. He is one of these arrogant Fulani people who feel they own this country and the rest of us are just like appendages.

“Yes, I was in the SDP with Atiku Abubakar. He is the most liberal of all the people coming from the North. He has his own baggage. Let us look at other people. What are people like David Mark doing that they can’t contest?

“Is it that they are not courageous enough to come and fight? So everybody in the North would abdicate to the Fulani. Other Northerners are even afraid to take their liberty even when we have told them that we have taken our liberty and they should take theirs.”

On Fayose, he added, “Yes, he has signified his intention but it is not going to fly. Who is going to run Fayose’s election for him? Whose money is going to be used?

“The South West does not vote heavily. The percentage of voters is low. Ekiti state where Fayose is governor has one of the lowest voting population.

“The other voters in South West are in the hands of the APC. For me, David Mark would have been the very best for PDP to galvanise the swing nationalities; those people outside Hausa, Fulani and Yoruba and bring them together to join with the Igbo and some other liberal Yoruba people.

“But if David Mark is not there, among the Fulani if the PDP insists on having a Fulani to become its presidential candidate, Atiku is their best bet.

“We also have Ibrahim Shekarau, a very honest and cerebral man. But does he have resources because election demands resources. At the end of the day, a lot of people do not know Shekarau in the South.

“Atiku already has platforms across Nigeria and whatever it is he can fight more. Aside that, he has also talked about restructuring and as an Ijaw man, we want to engage him, what he means by restructuring. If PDP is looking for somebody with a war chest to fight and that would attract a lot of people from the APC, it is Atiku.”

AYODELE FAYOSE WILL FACE CRIMINAL TRIAL AFTER LEAVING OFFICE - EFCC

Gov Ayo FAYOSE             Ibrahim Magul

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has said the outgoing governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, will face criminal trial at the Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti at the expiration of his tenure.

The anti-graft agency, made the a statement on Monday, July 16, when reacting to condemnation that trailed a tweet on its official Twitter handle that it would resurrect a poultry scandal involving the governor.

Speaking on the controversy generated by the tweet which has been deleted, EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, told Premium Times that only the court could clear Fayose of his criminal trial after leaving office. “While it is true that there is a subsisting criminal charge against Governor Fayose, the fate of the charge will be determined by the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti, at the expiration of his tenure, not the EFCC,” Uwujaren said.

The statement by the anti-graft agency read: “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has observed with interest, reactions to a tweet that purportedly appeared on the Commission’s Twitter handle July 15, announcing the imminent revival of the criminal case against Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State.

"In the opinion of most commentators, the tweet coming a few hours after Fayose’s protege, Kolapo Olusola of the People’s Democratic Party lost the governorship election to his All progressives Congress rival, Kayode Fayemi, betrayed the partisanship of the EFCC in the political contest in Ekiti State.
"Against the background, Commission is constrained to state that the purported tweet does not represent the views of the EFCC.

As a law enforcement organization the Commission is apolitical and was not involved in the recent Ekiti election. It therefore has no reason to gloat over the political misfortune of any candidate or political god-father. "While it is true that there is a subsisting criminal charge against Governor Fayose, the fate of the charge will be determined by the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti, at the expiration of his tenure, not the EFCC." 

Meanwhile, Prof Itse Sagay (SAN), the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), has allegedly said that Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti state has committed grievous sins in the last four years and will surely account for his actions someday.

According to Daily Independent, Sagay said Fayose through his language, attitude and actions has been sinning against God especially by wishing death upon President Muhammadu Buhari during his illness. The senior lawyer said Fayose had committed a lot of sins in office; in his attitude, in his language, in his behaviour and actions.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BRIDE PRICE, DOWRY AND DOWER

It's disheartening that people misuse BRIDE PRICE, DOWRY AND DOWER most often. Hence the need to clarify these words and help people understand and use correctly. First let's talk about bride price.

BRIDE PRICE  is a payment of specified amount of money or other acceptable consideration, by the groom (husband) or his family to the bride's (wife's) parents for the sole reason of formalizing traditional marriage. The money paid is called BRIDE PRICE.

DOWRY is the wealth transferred from the BRIDE'S (wife's) family to the groom (husband) or his family, ostensibly for the bride. In some societies, an amount of money or property that a woman's (wife's) parents give to the man (husband) she marries. In some cultures, the wife give gifts of wrapper to the husband after payment of the bride price. That gift from the bride to her husband is what is known as DOWRY.

Similarly, DOWER is the gift or property given to the bride herself (not her parents), by the groom (husband) at the time of marriage, and the said gift or property remains under the ownership and control of the bride (wife) only. It's a marriage gift from the husband to his bride. Some husband's give gifts of car, land or house to the bride after payment of bride price to her parents. That gift is what is called DOWER.

EKITI GOVERNOR-ELECT FAYEMI CELEBRATES WITH GOVERNORS AFTER HIS VICTORY AT THE POLLS. PHOTOS

The All Progressives Congress, (APC) candidate in the Ekiti governorship election, Dr Kayode Fayemi, won the governorship election according to the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission in majority of the 16 local councils in the state.

The former minister won in 11 out of the 16 local government areas of the state, polling 197,459 votes, and edging out his closest rival Olusola who got 178,121 votes by 19,338 votes.

Fayemi along with his wife, Erelu Bisi Fayemi were joined by governors of Ogun, Kebbi and Jigawa states; Ibikunle Amosun, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, Badaru Abubakar and others to celebrate the election victory.

EDEN HAZARD HINTS REAL MADRID MOVE AND DISCUSSES CHELSEA EXIT

Eden Hazard

Having starred for Belgium at the World Cup, the playmaker has suggested it might be time to 'discover something different'

Eden Hazard cast fresh doubt over his Chelsea future as the Belgium star appeared to confirm his interest in a move to Real Madrid.

New Blues boss Maurizio Sarri faces a battle to keep the forward, who believes his World Cup performances warrant him the Golden Ball and the right to choose his next destination.

The 27-year-old signed off from a successful campaign in Russia with his third goal of the tournament as Belgium beat England 2-0 in the third-place play-off in St Petersburg on Saturday .

About his future at club level after the game, Hazard told reporters they already know his preferred destination amid reports he could be a potential replacement for the departed Cristiano Ronaldo in Madrid.

"After six wonderful years at Chelsea it might be time to discover something different," Hazard said.

"Certainly, after this World Cup, I can decide if I want to stay or go, but Chelsea will have the final decision.

"You know my preferred destination."

Afforded a free role in behind Romelu Lukaku, Hazard was one of the most influential players at the World Cup.

After helping the Red Devils surpass their previous best of fourth, he feels his performances should earn him the title of the tournament's best player.

"Deserving it… well, it would be showing off to say I deserve it but yes, I do think I deserve it with my performances in the matches," he said about his chances of securing the Golden Ball.

"But there are other players in the World Cup, some who will play the final tomorrow, so it is not really important for me.

"If I get it I will be very happy and if I don’t get it I will be happy with the World Cup we have played".

PREMIUM TIMES CHALLENGES, KEMI ADEOSUN TO GO TO COURT, INSISTS HER CERTIFICATE IS FORGED

Mrs Kemi Adeosun 
Nigeria's Finance Minister

The publisher of the Premium Times, Dapo Olorunyomi, on Thursday, in Ilorin challenged the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun to go to Court on the story that she allegedly forged her youth service exception certificate.

Dapo insisted that the investigation the news medium conducted evidently shows that the exemption certificate the woman parades is a forged one. According to him, ”We didn’t just publish the story in question, it was a product indepth investigation, and we have it on good authority, that the certificate ‎she’s parading is a forged one. We challenge her to go court, we will meet her there”.

Olorunyomi stressed that Premium Times carried out a thorough investigation before publishing the story, adding that the organisation would encourage Adeosun to go to court because that is the best way she could prove the story if she believes it is not true. “Adeosun forged her exception certificate. The story is real. We did a water-tight investigation that took us three months before we came out with the story.

We encourage her to go to court if she will like to prove us wrong,” he stressed Olorunyomi stated this when responding to a question from a member of the audience after he delivered a lecture entitled “Independent Journalism At The Interface Of The Digital Transition” at the University of Ilorin .

He delivered lecture at the 9th Annual lecture organised by the Mass Communication Department of the University in memory of Mr Doyin Mahmoud, the Pioneer Head of the department who died in 2009.
Mahmoud, a respectable media executive was a former Managing Director of the Independent Newspaper Limited, the publisher of Daily Independent.

Responding to another question on the anti-corruption war, the veteran journalist advised the government to strengthen all the agencies responsible for the campaign against corruption and encourage all stakeholders to be part of the campaign to make it more successful. Olorunyomi, while delivering his lecture pointed out importance of independent media to democracy saying “you really can’t have a healthy democracy without independent media.”

The journalist who noted that there is increasing financial crisis occasioned by such factors as drastic drop in circulation of newspapers, dwindling patronage in advertisement militating against independent journalism, advised that stakeholders must be proactive in addressing the problem to ensure independent media is maintained. He described Mahmoud under whom he said he worked, as a great and knowledgeable journalist who he said was always thirsty of ideas and knowledge and after improvement of individual journalists and the institution of journalism.

Also speaking, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem expressed that legacies of Mahmoud were being celebrated by the Mass Communication Department and advised that people should do good to leave good legacy behind “We are all going to be was that people will be saying he was this he was that. Let is working hard to leave good was behind, ” he stated

In another development, a former Director-General of National Youth Service Corps, (NYSC) Maharazu Tsiga, has said he couldn’t have approved the request of Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, for an exemption certificate.

Tsiga was Director-General of the NYSC at the time the minister claimed to have applied for the certificate in 2009. This is even as the Publisher of the Premium Times, the online portal that broke the story, Dapo Olorunyomi, yesterday, in Ilorin challenged Adeosun to go to court on the story that she allegedly forged her youth service exception certificate.

Kemi Adeosun In a telephone interview with online portal, Premium Times, Tsiga, a retired general, further provided clues that further reinforced positions of NYSC’s serving and retired personnel, including a retired director of mobilisation, Anthony Ani, all pointing to the invalidity of the said ‘certificate’.

He repeated the point earlier made by Mr Ani that verifying any certificate claimed to be from the NYSC was an easy task. “We have what is called strong room. I believe from there they can easily identify if a certificate is issued by the NYSC or not,” he said. On whether anybody who graduated below the age of 30 but applied later to the NYSC for exemption could be exempted, Tsiga said “it is not possible.’’ He said even if one had reached 100 years, one would still have to serve, saying: ‘’In as much as you have not served, no matter how old you are, in as much as you were not mobilised to serve at the time you were supposed to serve, they can never give you exemption.

You must go for service.’’ Speaking in a Channels Television programme, Sunrise, on Wednesday, former Director of Mobilisation at the agency, Anthony Ani, had said there was no way a director-general who left the system in January could have signed a September certificate, among others. “I don’t know where the certificate comes from but (what) I say is that NYSC cannot make that mistake. The NYSC that I served, that I know, can never make that type of mistake,” Ani said

BREAKING: KWARA STATE GOVT COMMENCES PAYMENT OF JUNE SALARIES IN SPITE OF DELAYS FROM ABUJA.

Govs Aregbesola and Ahmed of Osun and Kwara State respectively  (Osun state government)

The Kwara State government commenced payment of June salaries despite the deadlocked Federal Accounts Allocation Committee(FAAC) meeting over disputed payments into the federation purse.

State governments are often due a monthly percentage from the federal coffers and most States rely on this money to offset salaries due to civil servants.

Monthly allocations to federal, state and local governments are only released following successful FAAC meetings.

Alhaji Demola Banu, Commissioner for Finance in Kwara said the salary payments will continue on Monday.

Banu expressed optimism that the deadlock which has delayed June salaries  across the 36 states, as well as at local and federal levels, will be resolved this week, and added that the state government sourced the money from alternative sources to pay its workers in the interest of their welfare.

He commended state and local government workers for their patience over the late salaries, stressing that all hands are on deck to resolve the differences which led to the  delayed release of monthly revenue to all tiers of government in the country.

Crude oil accounts for a chunk of Nigeria's earnings. Most States in the federation primarily live off what is shared monthly from crude oil earnings. 

UPDATED: EX-ONDO DEPUTY GOVERNOR'S DAUGHTER FOUND DEAD IN BOYFRIEND'S HOUSE

 
The daughter of the immediate past deputy governor of Ondo state, Lasisi Oluboyo, was on Sunday found dead at her boyfriend’s house. 
Until her death, she was a final year student of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko.

The Adenike Oluboyo, daughter of the immediate past deputy governor of Ondo state, Lasisi Oluboyo, was on Sunday found dead at her boyfriend’s house in Akure.

Ms Oluboyo, who was a final year student of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, was found dead in her boyfriend’s house, Adeyemi Alao, popularly known as Q.S.  Until her death, Adenike was a final year student of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko.

Femi Joseph, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ondo command, who confirmed the story to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), described the incident as  saddening and very unfortunate. “It is not a rumour but it is a fact that the young lady was found dead this morning and it is saddening and very unfortunate. “We are on it and trying to get some facts but the commissioner of police will brief the press about the details in another 48 hours,” Mr Joseph said. 

Adeyemi denied involvement in Oluboyo’s death when he faced journalists at the headquarters of the Ondo State Police Command on Wednesday in Akure.

According to him, it was the slain girl that brought two boys into his room, who eventually killed her.

Adeyemi explained that he had dated Oluboyo for four years before they parted ways in 2015, and that they only reconciled after the last Ramadan celebration.

Adeyemi, who completed his National Youth Service in 2017, said he had no reason to kill her because he hoped to use her father’s connection to secure job.

He said that Oluboyo came to his house on Thursday because of her project which he was helping her to do.

According to him, they had finished chapter one and her supervisor had already approved it and she came for final correction so that she could move to chapter two.

He explained further that the girl later travelled to Lagos on Friday to buy some wrist watches but she forgot to drop her project with him.

“Meanwhile, on Saturday she snapped both the soft and hard copy of her project to me on my whatsApp for correction.

“On Monday, I believed she was already in school when she sent me a text message to send her N2,000. But I was able to send only N1,000.

“So, I was surprised when I heard a knock on my door later in the day and she entered my room.

“She later told me that she wanted to receive some visitors in my place, and few minutes later she brought two boys in. I was not surprised because that was not her first time to bring someone to my house.

“Later when they came in, we exchanged greetings and I left them in the room. But after 30 minutes, one of the boys called me in and I discovered he held a small gun in his hand while the other boy was on her, naked.

“And I heard Khadijat saying ‘I will not tell anybody’. The boy strangled her to death and threatened me not to shout or else they would kill me.

“They later forced me to find a digger with which they dug the ground in my room and buried her

“They are the ones that killed and buried her. I could not shout after they left because of the implication of what has happened, for I was sure nobody would believe me.

“On the fifth day, I was not comfortable anymore, so I exhumed her body and confided in my younger brother who advised that we should inform our father about the development.

“It was my father who informed the police before I was arrested,” Adeyemi said.

Mr Femi Joseph, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command who paraded Adeyemi with other suspects, said he would soon be charged to court after completion of investigation.

BREAKING: NUC MAY LIFT BAN ON DISTANCE LEARNING IN NIGERIAN UNIVARSITIES SOON

THE National Universities Commission has disclosed that it is developing quality assurance protocol for Open and Distance Education in Nigeria, signalling the readiness of the Commission to lift the ban on distance learning in Nigerian universities.

Executive Secretary of NUC, Professor Abubakar Rasheed made this known in Abuja on Monday while speaking at a two-day retreat, organized for all Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities as a way of sustaining the periodic review of the challenges confronting tertiary education.

He said the protocol being developed by a team of experts, when completed, would enable the Commission to properly regulate the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in Nigerian universities when the ban is lifted.

Rasheed, therefore, charged the conventional universities in the country to accelerate efforts at introducing open and distance learning wings in order to expand access to tertiary education in the country.

He said: “We want to encourage our conventional universities to introduce Open And Distance Learning wings. We are working on developing the protocol for Open and Distance Learning so that we can have a quality distance learning education,” he said.

He noted that the high number of applicants for university education annually coupled with the population explosion, open and distance learning holds the future for tertiary education in Nigeria.

He, however, said the Commission would not allow 100 per cent online distance learning programme so as to give room for fraudulent individuals to make a caricature of university education in the country.

He insisted that the Open and Distance Learning would be complemented by face-to-face interaction in order to ensure the quality of products of the system.

NUC boss added that the Commission is re-engineering the universities curriculum in response to the needs of the nation.

Rasheed noted that for a successful tertiary education delivery in the country both private and public universities will have to come together as one and reinvent themselves in order to progress.

While stressing the need for a continuous review of tertiary education, Rasheed said: “Our system is growing. With over 164 universities with about 2 million students’ enrolment and over 60,000 academics in the system, we have a very expanding system that we need to become more regular with our review.”

~ NUC DENIES ANY VARSITIES RANKING YET

On the consistent rumours of Nigerian universities being ranked, Rasheed said the commission has not offered any ranking of universities, adding that the official ranking of all Nigerian universities would be released next year when all the accreditation might have been done.

He further challenged universities to come up with new programmes saying that the commission is ready to partner with them in order to move forward.