THE NATION WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2011
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NEWS 471 Lagos retirees to get N2.2b bond certificates By Miriam Ndikanwu
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HE Lagos State Government will, on Friday, present Retirement Bond Certificates worth N2, 287, 787, 241 to 471 retired public servants in the Contributory Pension Scheme. The event will take place at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium in Alausa, Ikeja. Director-General of the Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC) Mr. Rotimi Hussain spoke with reporters yesterday. Hussain said the government is determined to implement the provisions of the State Pension Reforms Act 2007.
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•Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi (second left); Commissioner for Labour, Employment and Human Capital Development Mrs. Bunmi Adelugba (left); and Director General, Ekiti Job Creation Agency, Mr. Funsho Aluko(middle); with some volunteers during activities marking the passing-out parade of the1st Batch of the State’s Youth Volunteer Scheme in Ise-Ekiti... yesterday.
Fed Govt to revert education system to 1-6-3-3-4 F OLLOWING the recommendation of the Presidential Task Force on Education, the Federal Government yesterday unfolded plans to revert the existing 6-3-3-4 education system to the 1-6-3-3-4 system. Under the proposed 1-6-33-4 system, there will be one compulsory year of Early Childhood Education (ECE) for five-year old pupils; six years of primary education, three years of junior secondary, three years of senior secondary and four years of higher education.
From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja
The Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Rufa’i spoke during the inauguration of the Education High-level Committee set up to implement the report of the Presidential task team on education . Prof. Rufa’i said President Goodluck Jonathan has ap-
proved the recommendations of the report, including “reverting the 6-3-3-4 to the original plan by adjusting its structure to include one year ECE for 5-year olds. Other recommendations for implementation, according to the minister, are: “Development of a synergy mechanism to utilise intervention funds from TETFUND, UBEC, MDGs,
NITDA, PTDF, NCC, CBN, etc; conclusion of the bureaucratic process for the approval and actualisation of the National Teacher Education Policy; resolution of political & financial issues impeding the implementation of the Teachers’ Salary Scale; addressing the challenge of the Federal Unity Colleges (FUCs) by realocating them under the management of UBEC, after its act has been amended to include the Secondary Education component.”
Court to hear appeal against Tinubu today
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HE Court of Appeal in Lagos will, today, hear an appeal by the Labour Party (LP) challenging the ruling of the state’s Legislative Election Petition Tribunal, which upheld the election of Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) as the Senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District. The tribunal, headed by Justice Maurice Eneji, had, on September 5, dismissed
By Eric Ikhilae
the petition of the LP and its candidate, Oladapo Durosinmi-Etti. It held that the petitioners failed to comply with paragraph 18 (1), (2) and (4) of the Electoral Act, which states that application for pre-hearing notice shall be by motion and not through a letter to the tribunal. LP is, by its appeal, praying the appellate court to set aside the tribunal’s ruling
and constitute another panel to hear the petition afresh. It argued that the tribunal erred in law, when it held that the petitioner’s application for issuance of pre-hearing notices must be by a motion and not through a letter. The appellant submitted that there are recent Court of Appeal decisions on the interpretation of paragraph 18(1) of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act 2010 (as
amended) relating to what form applications for prehearing notices should take. The appellant argued that recent decisions showed that it no longer matters, if the petitioner’s application for pre-hearing notices was done by a motion on notice, ex parte motion or a simple letter. It further argued that the tribunal’s alleged failure to abide by the recent decisions of the Court of Appeal has occasioned a miscarriage of justice.
Ajimobi begins second phase of road repairs •Commissioner warns against child abuse
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YO State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has approved the repair of 24 roads across the state. This marks the beginning of the second phase of his administration’s road rehabilitation programme. Sixteen roads were rehabilitated across the state in the first phase of the programme. In a statement yesterday in Ibadan, the state capital, the governor’s media aide, Dr. Festus Adedayo, said the projects would ease transportation and improve the state’s economy. Adedayo said the projects would be handled by both the state and local governments. He said those to be executed by the state government would be handled by the State Road Maintenance
From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan
Agency (OYSROMA) and some contractors. Adedayo said OYSROMA has already mobilised equipment to site. He said the Ministry of Works has been directed to call for bidding from contractors for roads that are too massive for OSTROMA to handle. The roads to be repaired include Idi-Odo/Felele Straight Junction; Bere/ Mapo/Idi Arere/Bode/ Molete road; Amunigun/ Lebanon Avenue; Bere/ Oranyan/Olomi Phase I; Bere/Isale Alfa/ Beiyerunka/Adeoti; Gate/ Oke Adu/Ode Aje/Aremo/ Orita Aperin Junction; and Eleiyele/Ijokodo Junction/ Poly Junction/Sango, Adelabu Shopping Complex Junction/Odo Ona Elewe
Junction/Apata/ChallengeExpress, all in Ibadan. Others are Owode/Afin road; Bode Ogbomoso (School of Survey)/AdikutaPalace road; Iseyin/Ibadan/ Oyo road to Okeho Road Junction (Oyo zone); Town Hall/Isale Taba/Oke Taba/ Shaki West Local Government Junction (Saki zone); Apake/Agbonyin road; Isale Afon/Ebenezer road; Take/ Sabo road (Ogbomoso zone); Idere/Ayete/Tapa road; Ibarapa Central Secretariat (Igboora)/Idere road (Ibarapa zone). Also yesterday, the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Adetokunbo Fayokun, warned against the abuse of children. She was reacting to the alleged rape of an SSS IIIpupil in Ibadan. Condemning the act, Mrs.
Policeman arraigned for OLICE constable alleged murder Igodih Gbefamoghan
was yesterday arraigned before a Magistrate’s Court in Akure, Ondo State. Gbefamoghan (26) was accused of killing a commercial motorcyclist in Okitipupa last Thursday. The suspect, who was on security duty at a bank, allegedly shot and killed
From Damisi Ojo, Akure
Chirstopher Okawon at about 11.30pm. Magistrate Johnson Adelegan remanded the suspect in prison custody and adjourned the case till December 16.
I’m hale, hearty, says Alaafin
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HE Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, yesterday said he is hale and hearty. He was reacting to rumours that he was critically ill. There were also speculations that he was dead. Speaking to our reporter on the phone, the Alaafin said the rumour was the handiwork of his detractors. The monarch turned 75 last Saturday and celebrated it low-key. This raised suspicion in some quarters. On Saturday, some persons
From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan
posted the news on the social network site, Facebook, that the Alaafin had joined his ancestors. In his usual cheerful voice, the monarch said: “Nothing bad has happened to me and it will not happen in Allah’s name. That is their wish, but I remain hale and hearty. I’m in my palace as I am talking to you. I was in Ibadan yesterday (Monday). So, thank you for your concern.”
Ogun PPN members to return to PDP
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ORMER members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ado/Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, who defected to the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) before the April elections, are to return to the PDP. This was the highpoint of a stakeholders’ meeting held yesterday at the Ota home of the party’s Grand Patron in Ogun West Senatorial District, Senator Ayo Otegbola. It was resolved that all PPN structures in the local government should be dissolved into the PDP “with immediate effect.” According to the meeting, all PPN secretariats should
be rebranded in PDP colours and formers members of PPN should start attending PDP meetings and participate in its activities. Those at the meeting include Chief Saubana Abatan; former Commissioner for Works and Agriculture Waliu Taiwo; his successor, Tunji Akinosi; Chairman, Ogun West PDP, Leye Odunjo; Kazeem Salako and Michael Fasinu. Others are State PDP Women Leader Mrs. Nike Oduntan; PDP Chairman, Ado/Odo Ota Local Government, Chief K.A Amusa; Engr. Segun Obiseye; Evang. Olusegun Omojoye; Alhaji Aremu Dada; Waliat Olukotun and Alhaji Adeniran Ekuro, among others.
FDI tops Nigeria’s agenda at meeting From Franca Ochigbo, Abuja
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•Ajimobi
Fayokun said the state’s Child Rights Law would be applied in prosecuting offenders. She urged heads of schools to ensure the safety of pupils and advised parents take special care of their girl-child to prevent sexual abuse.
HEAD of the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Australia, Nigeria has concluded plans to fully utilise the opportunity to attract more Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) into the country. The Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, spoke with reporters yesterday in Abuja. Aganga said his ministry had held preliminary discussions with the Australian authorities and business leaders ahead of the meeting, which is scheduled to take place between October 25 to 30. He said: “The Ministry of Trade and Investment would lead a delegation comprising major players in key sectors of the Nigerian economy to high-level investment meetings with Australian business leaders at CHOGM, as the meetings would translate into FDI for Nigeria. “The ministry would leverage the untapped opportunities in sectors of the economy, where the country currently has comparative and competitive advantages to attract more FDIs. These areas include mining, agri-business, petrochemicals, among others. “