40—Vanguard, THURSDAY THURSDAY,, JANUARY 31, 2013
Kano to close 2,000 illegal private schools BY ABDULSALAM
MUHAMMAD ANO—KANO State Task Force on Private Schools, yesterday, said it has concluded plans to close down over 2,000 illegal private schools and colleges operating across the state. Chairman of the Task Force, Alhaji Baba Umar, told reporters that the step became imperative following the failure of proprietors of such schools to conform with laid down rules and regulations in the state. Umar said: “Majority of the 3,500 private schools and colleges operating across the state are illegal; no formal registration with government and over 2,000 of the affected schools operate below the benchmark set by government.” He further noted that this was happening in spite of substantial investments by Governor Musa Kwankwaso’s administration in the education sector, describing the situation as unacceptable.
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United Way Nigeria gets US Consulate support
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AGOS—UNITED Way Nigeria, a nongovernmental organization, has been endorsed by the US Consulate at its re-launch in Lagos, for their contribution to the nation’s human capital development and fight against social vices. United Way Nigeria is the Nigerian chapter of United Way Worldwide, an organisation with presence in over 45 countries and 1,800 communities across the globe. The movement ranks number one on Forbes list of the largest charities in the US, having raised over $5 billion in donations in 2010. Speaking at the event, US Consul General in Nigeria, Jeffrey Hawkins said: “I think United Way is well positioned to do a lot of good in this country. Its plans for Nigeria are very significant to the US, so I want to urge, encourage and thank United Way Nigeria.” C M Y K
Newly appointed members of the Federal Character Commission taking their oath of office, during the Federal Executive Council Meeting in Abuja, yesterday.
From right: Mr. Tunji Bello, Lagos State Comissioner for Environment; Mr. Miyideen Akinsanya, Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services, , and Mrs. Adeola Afun, Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, at the briefing on the workplan programme for environment and flood in Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.
Fulani herdsmen, Idoma clash displaces 550 in Benue M
BY PETER DURU
AKURDI—NO fewer than 550 persons were reportedly displaced by the bloody conflict that broke out between Fulani herdsmen and Idoma farmers at Amla Village in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State. Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Dr. Innocent Onuh, made this known, yesterday, while conducting news-
men round the affected areas and the displaced persons’ camps in Otukpo. Onuh said: “The total number of persons displaced by the crisis is a little over 550, and out of this number, children are over 150, while women are about 50. We have provided them a makeshift camp here in Otukpo, and we have been able to provide them with relief materials to ease their problems pending further assistance. ”We have also ensured that se-
curity was beefed up in the entire community consequent upon the decisions we reached at the council’s security meeting on Monday. Aside that, we have also directed security personnel to embark on a man hunt of all those behind the crisis in order to ensure that they were made to face justice.” Appealing to public spirited individuals, non-governmental organisations, as well as the federal and Benue State governments for assistance, Onuh how-
PDP threatens to sanction 3 Bayelsa refused to work with the done in consultation with the LG chairmen chairmen leadership of the party and their leadership and stakeholders of BY SAMUELOYADONGHA
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AYELSA—THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has threatened to sanction the Chairmen of three local government areas of Bayelsa State for allegedly undermining the authority of the party. The local government chairmen are those of Ekeremor, Sagbama and Kolokuma/ Opokuma local government areas of the state. Alleging that the affected
respective councilors, the state PDP Chairman, Col. Sam Inokoba, while briefing newsmen in Yenagoa, said the party would invoke its constitution if they failed to retrace their steps. He said: “Democracy at all levels of governance depended on regular consultations among the various arms of government and the major stakeholders. As we address you here today, the issue of appointment of vice chairmen which is supposed to be
the party has remained unattended to or unaddressed. “This is because the chairmen have arrogated such powers to themselves and jettisoned democratic principles in their respective councils.” Inokoba, however, appealed to the three chairmen to retrace their steps, by doing the right thing and allow the hard earned peace being enjoyed as a partyc in the state to reign.
....As Delta LG chieftains allege extortion by House proposals to organise workshops of that last payment when an-
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SABA—SOME local government chieftains in Delta State, yesterday, threatened to petition the Delta State Government and the National Assembly over alleged extortion by committees of the state Assembly. The LG chieftains who spoke to Vanguard, alleged that in the last two months various committees of the assembly had sent
costing N5 million for each LG. One of the chieftains said: “Before now the committee on local government affairs organised one and all the LGs paid N5 million each. ”Barely one month after, the committee on public accounts organised another workshop and we were made to pay another round of N 5million each. We were still recuperating from the effect
other committee sent N5 million workshop proposal to us.” Another LG top official also said: “Where will we raise such amount of money from in less than two months when we are still battling to pay our workers salaries. The truth is that we are even tired of these workshops because we do have other essential services to render to the grassroots.”
Bauchi suspends payment of allowance to workers
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BY SUZAN EDEH
AUCHI—FOUR months after the Bauchi State
Government started the deduction of 10 per cent of workers’ salaries following alleged ‘’dwindling state resources,’’ the government has now completely stopped payment of any form of allowance to the civil servants and local government work-
ers. The state government, however, approved the stoppage of the 10 per cent deductions commenced from September 2012 up to December 2012. This means that salaries would return to status-quo with effect from January 2013.” The government, while stopping payment of any form
of entitlements to its workers, blamed it on dwindling revenue, noting that the treasury staff will be paid 50 per cent of their special allowances. Meanwhile, the Chairman of Bauchi State Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, Mr. Ali Ahmed said labour unions have nothing to do with the suspension of special allow-
ever, urged the belligerent communities to maintain peace as the government was on top of the situation.
PDP group laments nonperfomance of Govs BY SIMON EBEGBULEM
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ENIN CITY—A group in Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, under the aegis of Save PDP Group, has lamented that majority of the governors elected on the platform of the party failed to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of their respective states due to their over concentration on the internal politics of PDP. The group which threatened to adopt the Arab Spring protest against non-performing PDP governors, said: “We are irrevocably committed to ensure that PDP governors, who are not doing enough in their states but had made the Governor’s Forum a body to confront the party on whose platform they emerged must be identified and sanctioned by the party.” In a statement by its National Chairman, Mr. Augustine Adebayo, in Benin City, Edo State, the group posited that members of the party in most of PDP states were sidelined by their governors, rather than administering their various states with a view to give the dividends of democracy to the people.
Anyim lauds NCPC BY JIMOH BABATUNDE
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BUJA—THE Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, NCPC, has been commended for the zero mortality level recorded during the 2012 Christian Pilgrimage exercise to Israel and Rome. Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, gave the commendation in Abuja, during the submission of the 2012 Christian Pilgrimage report by the NCPC, board and management.