News 14
Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Plateau task force commander hands over baton
Chijioke Kingsley Jos
ÏÏÏThe
L-R: Publisher & CEO, EMEA Finance, Christopher Moore; Associate, FBN Capital Limited, Chuma Onwuka; Group Head, Finance, Seven Energy International, Joe Kaye and Associate, FBN Capital Limited, Oladele Akinjo, during the EMEA Finance Achievement Award in United Kingdom… recently.
Retirees shut down Imo over unpaid 71 months pensions Val Okara Owerri
ÏÏÏNigeria
Union of Pensioners (NUP), Imo state chapter, staged a mass protest on Tuesday over non-payment of their pensions for upwards of 71 months by the state government. The retirees used the opportunity to draw President Muhammadu Buhari’s attention to the disrespect for pensioners by the Imo state government, noting that, ‘Non-payment of pension is corruption.’ Briefing newsmen, the NUP Chairman, Chief Gideon Ezeji lamented that pensioners in the state have never experienced
the level of abandonment and hardship they are facing under the Governor Rochas Okorocha administration. On the claim by the state House of Assembly that part of the problems of the pensioners was huge pension burden inherited from previous administration, Ezeji dismissed the assertion as untrue and unfair. He explained: “When Chief Achike Udenwa was governor, pensions were paid though not comprehensively. It was the same for Ikedi Ohakim. When Ohakim left office, civil pensioners were being owed only two months pension while local government workers were owed three months. Today, Civil pensioners are owed 13-16
months as at May, 2016; Local Government pensioners, 1417 months; retired primary school teachers, 23-26 months; Imo Broadcasting Corporation pensioners, 36 months, and Alvan Ikoku College of Education pensioners, 68-71 months. It is indeed outrageous, how senior citizens are treated in Imo state today.” Chairman of the Association of Retired Permanent Secretaries, Chief Fabián Agba lamented the impunity of the state government and said, “We cannot fight corruption without obedience to the constitution and laws of the land unless we want to foster anarchy. The resurgence in militancy and other armed agitations may not
be unconnected to the fact that constitutionalism has been set aside by government and the process of law jettisoned.” He stated that, “When a governor refuses to pay pensions, he has breached the constitution he vowed to uphold.”
Gov. Okorocha
Lagos commences internship for tertiary students ÏÏÏThe Lagos State government
has commenced an internship scheme for final year students of tertiary institutions across the state, tagged ‘Ready, Set, Work,’ an initiative aimed at equipping fresh graduates with necessary skills to become job creators rather than job seekers. The scheme, which is being anchored by the State’s Ministry of Education, commenced on June 11, 2016 with the training
of over 1,500 students on basic digital skills. The scheme is an intervention of the Lagos State Ministry of Education, aimed at providing Entrepreneurship and Employability training skills for final year students in Lagos State tertiary institutions. Over 2,000 students filled the application form for the programme, out of which 500 were selected to participate in the pilot edition.
Special Adviser to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Education, Mr. Obafela BankOlemoh, in a statement on Tuesday disclosed that on the first day of the programme, students of Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), and Lagos State College of Health Technology (LASCOHET) gathered at the Main Auditorium of the Lagos State University, Ojo, to register for a digital training session by
Google on some basic digital skills. He said: “The session was open to all students, whether or not they were enrolled for the READY. SET.WORK programme. Over 1,500 students participated in the training. On the same day, about 40 professionals participated in a train-the-trainers workshop for the volunteer facilitators of the RSW programme, which also took place at another venue on the campus.
Nigeria Army, under the auspices of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), on Tuesday, grieved as its Commander, Major General Tagbo Ude, handed over leadership of the command as a result of the compulsory retirement exercise of senior military officers carried out by the military high command recently. The Headquarters of OPSH was unusually calm as soldiers and officers wore looks of sadness as the Commander made his way to the conference room where he handed over to Brig. Gen. Abdulsalam Ibrahim, as the acting Commander OPSH. The sad looks on their faces, when Daily Times confirmed revealed that Gen. Ude can be best described as a true Nigeria soldier who is devoid of sentiment. According to an officer who pleaded anonymity, said that “you can see we are not happy that such a fine officer is leaving us. His name should not be found on that long list of retired senior officers because he is an upright man. I think it is outright injustice for our commander to be retired just like that after all his effort to ensure that Plateau State enjoys relative peace today”, he said.
Oyo Assembly confirms 15 commissioner nominees Remi Oladoye
ÏÏÏOyo
state House of Assembly has confirmed the nomination of 15 commissioner nominees forwarded by the executive governor of the state Senator Abiola Ajimobi last week. The names included Ms. Taibat A. Adaba, believed to be a nominee of the Alaafin of Oyo, Barr. Prince Oyewumi Oyewole, son of the Soun of Ogbomosho who contested the House of Representatives election in the 2015 general election and lost to a Labour Party candidate, and a governorship aspirant during the 2015 gubernatorial election, Dr. Azeez Adeduntan were among the nominees. Others are Mr. Abimbola Adekanmbi, former deputy Chief of staff to the Governor; Mrs. Atinuke Silifat Osunkoya, immediate-past Commissioner for Women Affairs; Mr. Abimbola Kolade, former Commissioner for Works; Barr. Abayomi Oke, son of APC Chairman in Oyo state, Chief Akin Oke; Mr. Wasiu O. Dauda, also a former Commissioner; Mr. Ajiboye Omodewu, a former Commissioner for Lands and Mr. Isaac Ishola Adisa respectively.