Imo 2019: Olu Owerri moves to endorse guber/senate candidates

The apex sociocultural organization in Owerri zone Olu Owerri has mapped out plans to endorse a gubernatorial candidate of Owerri decent. 
This was as a result of her 22nd NEC meeting held on 1st November.
The NEC approved for an 8 man committee to work out a template for the endorsement of one out of the gubernatorial candidates of various political parties.
  The are to gather a comprehensive profile, records and antecedents of the candidates to help the Union in taking finally decision  on who she endorses come 2019 general election.

The committee is chaired  by Dr. Charles Ugwuegbulem and has Barr. Sylvester Nwogu as secretary. Other members are Mrs. Uche Ogbonna, Mr. David Opara, Chief Fidel Onyeheke, Mrs. Ogbonna Amarachi and Chief Jonathan Anukam.

In the other hand, another committee was as well set to do likewise on the Owerri senatorial sit.
The committee has Sir. Eddy Anyanwu as chairman and  Dr. Tony Nkwocha as secretary. Other members are Dr. Chris Obiukwu, Engr. Samuel Nwokeocha, Lady Doris Emeagha, Engr. Henry Uzoma and Elder Steve Anyanwu.

It will be recalled that Olu Owerri has been a strong voice championing the course of the Owerri man taking over power come next year as a step towards equity and fairness.
Olu Owerri has united the Owerri senatorial zone rewards this agenda and as well stretched her arms to other zones which has yield positive results.

Certificate saga: Nnamdi kanu takes WAEC to Court

The leader of the indigenous people of Biafra IPOB Mazi Nnamdi kanu this evening stated that he has instructed his  lawyers to take up the certificate saga of the Nigerian president Buhari.  In his tweet, he insisted the person in Aso Rock is an impostor from Sudan and not the real Buhari.

The tweet reads;
"I have this evening informed our lawyers in West Africa to commence immediate legal action against West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for issuing a fraudulent certificate to the Sudanese impostor in Aso Rock pretending to be the late dictator Major Gen. Muhammadu Buhari".

It will be recalled that the Biafran leader last week claimed he has all the evidence needed to  nail the now President of Nigeria who he said is an impostor. He made this on a live broadcast from Israel last week Saturday. What he has is yet to be known as he has promised to bring  it on come this month. 

Court stops NLC from embarking on strike action

The Abuja Division of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria has restrained the organised labour from embarking on an indefinite nationwide strike next week.

Justice Sanusi Kado directed both the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress to stay action pending the determination of a suit that was lodged by the Federal Government.

The order followed an ex-parte application that that was filed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr.  Abubakar Malami, SAN. The application was moved on Friday by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. Dayo Apata. It will be recalled that the organised labour had vowed to proceed on a nationwide strike action from November 6, to protest alleged refusal by both the Federal and State Governments to implement the proposed N30, 000 new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

Source: Vanguard

Buhari’s son begins NYSC 11 months after bike injury

President Muhammadu Buhari’s son, Yusuf, has started his mandatory National Youth Service Corps at the NYSC Orientation camp in the Kubwa area of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja is coming about 11 months after the President’s son had a bike injury in the Gwarinpa area of the FCT which got him admitted to a private medical facility in Abuja for a few weeks.

Yusuf had on Tuesday, December 26, 2017, sustained a head injury from a bike crash, breaking one of his limbs in the process.

He was thereafter rushed to the Cedar Crest Hospital, Gudu District, for treatment.

“He has undergone a surgery at a clinic in Abuja. He is in a stable condition,” the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, had said.


The young man was later flown out of the country and returned hale and hearty on March 1, 2018.

Yusuf’s sister, Zahra Indimi, confirmed that the President’s son had started the mandatory NYSC.

She shared the information on her Insta-story on Instagram, showing Yusuf’s photograph in the NYSC kit.

Source: Punch

Breaking: WAEC issus Buhari certificate

West Africa Examination Council, WAEC has issued President  Buhari Senior School Certificate. This move is  to put to rest the  controversy surrounding the his certificate.

More details loading....

Biafra: Amnesty international remembers 150 Biafrans killed by Nigerian forces

The international human right group Amnesty international today remembers the extrajudicial killing of Biafrans two years ago. The group expressed her displeasure in the handling of the civilian casualties in Nigeria.

 In her tweet, the body was quoted thus "on 24th Nov. will be two years since the release of our report showing Nigerian security forces, led by the military, embarked on a chilling campaign of extrajudicial executions & violence resulting in the deaths of at least 150 peaceful pro-Biafra protesters in the south east".

It will be remembered that since this report, the Nigerian government nor UN has called for a prob on the killing.

Oshomole is on his own ~ Rochas

The Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has said that the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Adams Oshiomhole is on his own and does not enjoy the full support of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He revealed this to journalists after a meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Imo State which is one of the states suffering from the primaries disputes, Okorocha said the national chairman, does not enjoy the support of the President in the actions he has taken especially in his state (Imo).

He accused Oshiomhole of not giving some candidates who won the primaries ticket in the state but rather gives those who did not win the ticket.

“Oshiomhole is on his own in this whole thing, there is no presidency’s support for him to refuse candidates who won an election and give wrong candidates who didn’t win the election.

“It is not with the consent of the presidency, so he is on his own”.

Okorocha called on Oshiomhole to respect the rule of law and court orders.

“I also request that Oshiomhole should respect the rule of law and obey court orders where applied”

He said the party has lost 5 million voters who are angry with Oshiomhole’s handling of the party’s affairs.

According to Oshiomhole, the national chairman must be brought to order.

He also denied that he is set to move over to the SDP saying he cannot leave a house he built and gave the name APC.

Source: Channels

Army discovers illegal military training ground

The 20 Model Battalion of the Nigeria Army located in Serti, Taraba, said it had discovered an illegal security training camp in Serti locality.

Sani told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the Special Adviser on Security to Taraba Governor, Col. Agyo Wapan (retd), had been invited as part of an investigation on the issue.

He said that the discovery followed calls by concerned citizens, who disclosed that no fewer than 300 youths were being trained in a public primary school in the area.

He said that on the receipt of the calls, he promptly responded by visiting the site and found over 300 young men were undergoing military training.

The commander said that the training was being conducted by GS Security Services, a security outfit in the state.

He confirmed that he had filed a report to his superior on the development and for the further directive.

The security outfit is allegedly hired by the Taraba Government to train selected youths as Marshals.

Sani explained that his men had profiled the young men and dismantled the camp while awaiting directive from Army Headquarters.

Alarm on the illegal training camp was a sequel to an unusual influx of hundreds of young men from some local government areas into Serti, headquarters of Gashaka Local Government Area.

A resident of the area, Abubakar Mohammed, told NAN that they raised the alarm because of the frequent clashes of youths who were commonly used by desperate politicians to hunt their enemies.

“We suspect that the state government is training them, under whatever guise, to use them to disrupt the election process in 2019,” he said.

Contacted, Chairman of Gashaka Local Government Area, Alhaji Umar Mohammed, explained that the training was at the instance of the state government.

He said that 10 youths were selected from each ward to be trained as marshals who would subsequently be deployed to provide security in their areas.

Mohammed said that before the exercise, the military, police and the Directorate of State Service (DSS) were invited to a security meeting where the issues of uniform and other kitting of the marshals were agreed on.

He said that those being trained in Serti were recruited from Sardauna and Gashaka areas “with the full knowledge of stakeholders in each ward".

Amalgamation of Imo Professional Bodies in crucial meeting with INEC

The Amalgamation of Imo Professional Bodies and Associations held a crucial meeting with INEC at the commision's Port Harcourt  Road office on Thursday, 1st November 2018 towards the group's resolve of enthroning good governance in Imo State through mass mobilization, citizen participation in credible electoral processes and deciding who should govern them. It also used the parley to present a template that will regulate the choice of the amalgamation on who governs Imo State in 2019, to INEC having circulated same to the various political parties before their primaries.

The Amalgamation is made up of notable professional,sociocultural and civil society organizations and led by Chief Emeka Diwe.

In his response, the REC said:

 "What you have done shows that you are ready to decide what happens in your State"

INEC as an organization,  in her wisdom, adopted a policy of posting people to work in their geopolitical zones. Majority of the top staff of the commission, especially Resident Electoral Commissioners in South East are indigenes of the zone. This is to ensure that you look at your people who should know you and you know them, when you are working.

We are not happy with the "less concern" attitude of the electorates in Imo towards the issues that affect them. As at today, more than five hundred thousand persons are yet to collect their PVCs and this is giving the Commission serious concern.

Again, with what happened during the last party primaries, you people have a lot of work to do on your members and followers.  The masses have been so impoverished that they can be bought with 1000 naira to vote the wrong candidate.

As you are aware, the votes now count, that is why politicians now resort to vote buying.
INEC is the umpire and must be seen to be fair to all parties.
I commend the leadership of the groups here and urge you not to relent.

Present at the meeting were Leaders and representatives of the Association of Imo Indigenous Town Unions, Nigerian Bar Association(NBA), the Nigerian Medical Association(NMA), the Academia, Orluzurumee, Olu Owerri, Olu Okigwe, National Youth Council of Nigeria(NYCON), National Association of Nigerian Students(NANS), Catholic Youth Organization of Nigeria (CYON), Amalgamated Traders Union, and members of the Imo NUJ.

Members of the delegation took turns to engage INEC on the need to ensure a level playing ground for all parties and maintain  the highest level of independence while carrying the Imo common masses along.

Minimum wage: Union strikes next week

The Nigeria Labour Congress has rejected the N22, 500 minimum wage recommended by the Nigeria Governors Forum, adding that an indefinite strike shall commence on November 6, 2018.

The President of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba, said this at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

The NLC President said the NGF was unknown to law and thus had no right to make such a decision.

Wabba said, “Our attention has been drawn to a communiqué issued by the NGF after its meeting on October 30, 2018, claiming that governors can only pay N22, 500 as the new national minimum wage.

“First, we wish to state that the forum is not a negotiating body but merely a political organisation for the convenience of state governors.

“The tripartite committee from inception sent letters to each state government to send in their memoranda as their contributions to the new national minimum wage negotiating process. 21 states sent in their memorandum quoting figures.”

The NLC President noted that the initial demand of the union was N66, 500 and not N30,000.

He added that it was after negotiations that the organised labour decided to accept N30,000.

Wabba said if the government insisted on N22,500, the NLC would have no choice but to revert to its initial demand of N66,500.

He added, “The demand of organised labour is not N30, 000. Our demand is N66, 500. N30,000 is the compromise figure arrived at the end of negotiations by the tripartite partners – government, employers and organised labour. The new minimum wage was a product of intense negotiations that lasted for almost one year.

“The governors had six representatives on the Tripartite Committee – one state governor represented each of the geo-political zones. The representatives of the state governors were part and parcel of the work of the negotiating committee from beginning to the end.

“It is important to note that the national minimum wage is not an allocation to workers. It is a product of negotiation by the tripartite partners. The unilateral pronouncement by governors of N22, 500 minimum wage is an abuse of every known principle of industrial relations, labour laws, processes and international best practices.”

Wabba agreed with the NGF that only five per cent of Nigerians were salary workers.

He, however, urged governors to remember that salary workers were the biggest taxpayers whose services were critical to the development of the nation.

The NLC President added, “Our demand is that the constitutional, legal and morally right step to take at this point is for the Chairman of the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Negotiating Committee to submit the report of the already concluded national minimum wage negotiations to Mr President for transmission to the National Assembly for consideration and passage into law.

“We wish to reiterate our position adopted at our National Executive Council meeting of October 23, 2018, that any figure below N30, 000 will not be accepted by us.”

“We call on our members to continue to mobilise in preparation for the commencement of an indefinite strike on November 6, 2018, if by then necessary steps have not been taken to adopt the recommendations of the tripartite committee".

Members of the Economic Management Team again on Wednesday met at the Presidential Villa, Abuja over the new national minimum wage.

That was the second time they would be meeting on the matter this week, having met earlier on Monday on the same issue.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo presided over the meeting that was held shortly after the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council.

Those who attended did not speak with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting.

The Presidency has yet to issue a statement on the meeting as of the time of filing this report.


Source: Punch.

Minimum wage: Labour rejects N22,500 goes back to N66,500 demand Says no more negotiation

THE organised labour on Wednesday rejected the N22,500 proposal by the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, as the new Minimum Wage. Briefing journalists at the Labour House, Abuja, President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba said with the new twist of things by the government, labour has gone back to its previous demand of N66,500.

Wabba said that the N30,000 which was the agreement at the end of the Tripartite Negotiation Committee meeting was a product of compromise.

He explained that 21 states responded through a proper memoranda at the initial stage of the negotiation and even the quoted figures. “There was public hearing and inputs were made before we arrived at N30,000. The demand of organised labour is not N30,000. Our demand is N66,500.”

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru.

2019: Ohanaeze Ndigbo, others demand presidential debate, regional government

The apex socio-cultural organisation in Igboland, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Igbo World Assembly, IWA,  and other Igbo socio-cultural organisations have demanded that a well packaged presidential debate be held to enable Nigerians make informed choice on who to vote for in the 2019 presidential election.

Ndigbo were also unanimous in demanding that Nigeria goes back to the first republic constitution that gave all regions of the country windows of equality, competitiveness and fairness for a rekindled spirit of one Nigeria.

The Igbo groups shared their similar ideologies during the business conference of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in the Diaspora represented by Igbo World Assembly, IWA, in Enugu, yesterday. While Ohanaeze Ndigbo is the apex socio-cultural orgainsation of Ndigbo, IWA is made up of members of the organization in the Diaspora with membership in 37 countries. Chairman of IWA, Chief Nwachukwu Anakwenze, said the group would mobilise Ndigbo and other Nigerians for the 2019 elections but that its support for any political party would be based on the position of such party on  restructuring, presidential debate and rule of law. Anakwenze said, “We are happy that the ball is set for another election and among other things, we demand a debate by the presidential candidates to enable the electorate make informed choices. “One of our goals is to regenerate the relationship with our brothers and sisters from the South South region and work for the sustained security in our region. We are resolute in making peace and combating the adversaries that have plagued us. We do not believe in promoting ethnicity but in a system where all sections are treated equally.” President General of Ohanaeze, Chief Nnia Nwodo, who presented the keynote address, stressed that the position of Ohanaeze had been that Nigerians were better together and that considering the investments Ndigbo have made in the country, they would have a better deal in an equitable Nigeria. He advised the people of the South East to take advantage of the 2019 general elections to support a government that would change the narrative in the country. Nwodo said the yearning of majority of Nigerians was to institute a system of government that would re-engineer the economy akin to what obtained in the first republic, suggesting that the only way to achieve that was to restructure the system of governance. “Four zones out of the six in the country have set the agenda for restructuring. I appeal to our people to go out and vote during the election because your warfare is your vote,” he pleaded. Nwodo said that he looked forward to a time when the children of highly placed politicians in the country would share the same classrooms with less privileged Nigerians as was the case in the first republic.

Source: Vanguard

Minimum wage: Governors settles for 22,500

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has agreed to pay the sum of N22, 500 as new minimum wage for workers, as against the existing N18,000.

Chairman of the Forum and Zamfara State Governor, Abdul’Aziz Yari, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

He explained that the decision followed an emergency meeting of the governors where they deliberated on the new minimum wage after a briefing from the forum’s representatives at the Tripartite Committee.

The governor noted that the welfare of the people was the ultimate concern for the forum, lamenting the deteriorating economic situation experienced by the vulnerable segment of the populace.

Before agreeing to a figure, he explained that the governors considered the stride of development in their states, particularly in health, education and infrastructure.

Governor Yari added that the meeting did not take a position that would only reflect a figure, but also a sustainable strategy based on the ability and capacity of the states to pay.

The organised labour had demanded N30,000 as new minimum wage but the NGF said most of its members do not have the capacity to pay the sum.

As series of negotiations and meetings between the government and labour leaders ended in a deadlock, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) threatened to embark on a fresh nationwide strike on November 6.

The unions explained that the decision was necessary following what they described as the government’s unwillingness to implement a new minimum wage for workers in the country.

This, among other things, led to a meeting of the NGF with the Federal Government, presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

The meeting had also ended inconclusively, prompting an emergency meeting of the state governors today.


The statement reads;

 Following a meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum where we deliberated on the National Minimum Wage after a briefing from our representatives at the Tripartite Committee, we submit as follows:

The welfare of all Nigerians is our ultimate concern. In all our States, we are concerned about the deteriorating economic situation experienced by the vulnerable segment of our population.

In agreeing to a National Minimum Wage, however, the Forum is even more concerned about development, particularly in the health, education and infrastructure spheres.

It is, therefore, our considered position that since the percentage of salaried workers is not more than five per cent of the total working population, our position must not just reflect a figure, but also a sustainable strategy based on ability and capacity to pay, as well as reflective of all our developmental needs in each State.

After all, Section 3 of the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission Act provides that “the Commission shall recommend a proposition of income growth which should be initiated for wage increase and also examined the salary structure in public and private sector with reasonable features of relativity and maximum levels which are in consonance with the national economy".

It is in this sense that we feel strongly that our acceptable minimum wage must be done in such a way that total personnel cost does not exceed 50 per cent of the revenue available to each State.

Governors, therefore, agreed to pay a national minimum wage of N22,500.

Governor Abdul’Aziz Yari Abubakar.
(Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum)

Source: Channels

News flash: Oshomole suspended

15 APC governors has suspended the APC national chairman former governor of Edo state Adams Oshemole.
The governors stated that he is incapacitated and not fit to lead the party.

More details on the way.

Just being born in America no longer qualifies you for citizenship ~Trump

President Donald Trump plans to abolish the right to citizenship for anyone born in the United States — guaranteed by the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution — with an executive order, he said in an interview excerpt released on Tuesday.

While Trump asserts that he can change the provision with such an order, that is far from certain: there is a set process for modifying the constitution, which does not include presidential decree. 

His comments came shortly before a hotly-contested midterm election in which the president has sought to place the issue of immigration at the forefront.

“I was always told that you needed a constitutional amendment. Guess what? You don’t,” Trump said in an interview with Axios. “Now they’re saying I can do it just with an executive order".

The president’s opposition to the constitutional provision centres specifically on the fact that children born in the US to immigrant parents — whether they are in the country legally or not — are automatically citizens.

36 more APC Rep members to dump party

There were strong indications on Monday that more All Progressives Congress members of the House of Representatives might leave the party as the raging crisis over the loss of return tickets for 2019 deepened.

Findings showed that about 36 more aggrieved members could leave the party next week.

Recall that up to 70 members had protested their loss of return tickets after the party’s primary election to its appeal panel.

Incidentally, the panel was said to have resolved only eight of the cases in favour of the petitioners, leaving the majority of 62 out of the equation.

On Wednesday last week, a member from Kaduna State, Mr Musa Soba, resigned from the APC on the floor of the House in Abuja to cap his protest against alleged “injustice.”

confirmed to our source that about 36 aggrieved members would be in the next batch to leave the APC.

He added that more members would leave before November 17.

Soba stated, “About 36 more members will follow next week.

“Others will also exit before the 17th of November.”

The Majority Leader of the House and leader of the APC caucus, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, in a quick reaction on Monday, told our source that there were “genuine” and “not so genuine” cases, which would ultimately be resolved by the APC.

Gbajabiamila gave details, “These things are normal during election cycles when people feel short-changed. It has happened across all parties and it is how it is handled that matters.

“Some have genuine cases and some not so genuine. However, I know many of the members who might have lost out during the primaries and I believe over time when the dust settles, their issues will be resolved one way or another.

“I know them to be fierce party loyalists, who will remain true to the party. Of that, I am confident.”

The defection plans are on in spite of the ongoing efforts by President Muhammadu Buhari to resolve the disputes in the party.

Three weeks ago, he had summoned the aggrieved lawmakers to the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, just days to the submission of the final list of candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The source stated that any meeting that would not resolve the issue of the return ticket in their favour was a “waste of time.”

The source spoke further, “There is still the last window for the substitution of the names of candidates before expiration in December.

Written by John Ameh.

Video: Nnamdi Kanu grants interview on Israeli national live TV

https://youtu.be/ntN4wY1-OQo

The leader of the indigenous people of Biafra IPOB Mazi Nnamdi Kanu on Monday granted the Israeli national TV interview. He discussed Biafra and the plight of indigenous people of Biafra alongside his attack and escape.

Government should deduct tithe direct from worker's salaries ~ Archbishop

The Archbishop of Kampala, Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, has suggested that the government of Uganda deduct tithe from workers’ salaries.

Speaking during a mass, the Catholic Archbishop said many Christians don’t tithe and this affects church projects, reports Citizen Kenya.

“Whenever we ask for tithe, everyone gives only what they have at that time. But the Bible says a tenth of whatever you earn belongs to the church,” said Archbishop Lwanga.

“Give me your support as I front this proposal because it is good for us. Aren’t you tired of putting money in the baskets all the time?”

Archbishop Lwanga said he wanted Uganda to go the German route, where Germans, who are registered as Catholics, Protestants or Jews have a church tax (Kirchensteuer) of 8-9 per cent deducted from their annual income.

“I was told Germans made agreements with their government to deduct monthly tithe from their salaries and forward it to the church and this money they use to build and renovate their churches,” he added.

Source: Punch