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Official: TETFund spends N120 billion on academic staff training since 2008
Academic Staff from public institutions across the country have so far accessed over N120 billion for training, within and outside Nigeria, from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) since its inception in 2008. The Chairman, Board of Trustees of TETFund, Alhaji Kashim Imam, disclosed this on Wednesday when he led a delegation of the fund to the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) on an assessment visit. Imam said for 2021 alone, the fund was investing N25 billion on academic staff training and development. Imam said the team was in the university for a verification visit and to assess the impact of the training programmes, through interaction with management and beneficiaries. He noted that the fund had to suspend the sponsorship of academic staff attending international conferences, ...
US company mistakenly deposits $1.2 million into woman’s account
It’s not quite the nearly $1 billion blunder that Citigroup Inc. made last summer, but Charles Schwab Corp. said it accidentally sent more than $1 million dollars to the Fidelity Brokerage Services account of a woman in Louisiana. Schwab blamed an “issue created by a software enhancement” for erroneously transferring $1.2 million in February to the Fidelity account of Kelyn Spadoni, rather than the $82.56 she had requested, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court in New Orleans last month. When the company realized the mistake and attempted to take the money back, it was gone and Spadoni wasn’t answering her phone, the bank said. Spadoni, 33, of Harvey, Louisiana, was arrested earlier this week and fired from her job as a 911 dispatcher, nola.com and WVUE-TV reported, citing the Jeff...
Rivers governor: I haven’t touched one kobo of council funds
Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike has boasted his administration has not touched one kobo belonging to the local government areas. Wike insisted since the council chairmen had their allocations and other revenue in full, they had no reason not to perform. The Governor said his administration had vigorously addressed security challenges in the state to enable all council chairmen deliver dividends of democracy to people at the grassroots. He spoke at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Local Government election grand finale rally in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area at Oginigba Primary School Field on Tuesday. He said: “The state government has provided the enabling environment for every local chairman in the State to perform. Since the inception of this administration, the State government has not...
President Buhari appoints new DTCA, NIIA chiefs
President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Ambassador Rabiu Dagari as Director-General of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA). The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Gabriel Aduda, in a letter dated April 8, 2021, addressed to Dagari, said the appointment was for an initial period of four years with effect from March 16, 2021. Letter read: “The terms and condition of your appointment is as provided in the appointment of Chief Executives of Government Parastatals and Agencies in the Federal Public Services. “It Is hoped that your performance at the Interview/screening exercise as well as your experiences as a seasoned Diplomat/Administrator will be brought to bear in the discharge of your duties as the Director-General of the Directorate,” Aduda...
Senate president condemns attacks on correctional facilities
President of the Senate Ahmad Lawan has decried recent attacks on Police formations and Correctional facilities in Imo. A statement by Mr Ola Awoniyi, the senate presidents Special Assistant on Media, said Lawan described those responsible for the attacks as enemies of the people and country. Lawan stated this in Owerri on Friday while inaugurating a road project completed by Gov. Hope Uzodinma of Imo. He said that the aim of the attackers was probably to cause a distraction for the Imo government or even the Federal Government. The road which was named after a former Senate President, Late Chief Evan Enwerem, was one of the infrastructural projects inaugurated to mark Uzodinma’s one year in office. Lawan advised the people to take ownership of the projects, utilise them well and protect t...
South-West PDP congress: Seyi Makinde, Ayo Fayose’s groups fight over 756 delegates
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, are to test their popularity with 756 delegates that will elect officials of the Peoples Democratic Party in the South-West on Monday. While Makinde is backing a former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Taofeek Arapaja, for the position of chairman, Fayose is mobilising for Dr Eddy Olafeso. Olafeso, who is from Ondo State, is a former occupant of the office. He resigned to contest the party’s governorship ticket in the last Ondo State election, which he lost to Eyitayo Jegede (SAN). Makinde had wanted the congress to hold in Ibadan, but the Fayose faction wanted it in another venue, saying the Oyo State capital was not safe for it and its supporters. However, two days ago, the National Working Committee of...
NNPC to partner Borno government to establish gas power plant
The Group Managing Director, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Alhaji Mele Kyari has said that the corporation will partner with Borno State Government to establish a Gas Power Plant following the vandalization of the national grid by insurgents which put the state almost three months into total blackout. Kyari who led a powerful delegation on a courtesy call on Governor Babagana Umara Zulum on Friday said, the Federal Government will not fold its arms and neglect the state which is been ravaged by insurgents, especially cut off from the national grid, as power is a source of income to the teaming people of the state. “We are here with my colleagues, the Head of Gas and Power Business, Engineer Yusuf Usman, Representatives of Greensville Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), which is a...
Kano NLC suspends planned strike
The organised labour has suspended the three-day warning strike it planned to commence today (Thursday) in Kano over the deduction of workers salary for the month of March by the state government. The NLC Deputy National President, Najeem Yasin, announced the suspension of the strike on Wednesday night at a joint news conference with other labour movement and affiliates in Kano after a meeting with the State government team led by the Head of Civil Service, Hajia Binta Lawan Ahmed. The NLC had last week given a seven-day ultimatum to the state government to refund and stop what it described as “illegal deduction” from civil servant salaries or face industrial action. Similarly, the labour leaders insisted that failure of the government to stop the “unexplained” deduction before the end of ...
AGF: I didn’t file any suit against Atiku Abubakar’s citizenship
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN), has said that he never filed any suit challenging the citizenship of former vice president, Atiku Abubakar. The AGF, through his media aide, Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, said Malami “has never filed any case before any court challenging the citizenship of the former Vice President.” The AGF was reacting to a report of AGF’s position in a suit filed against Atiku by the Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa before the Federal High Court, Abuja. He said: ”The Honorable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN has never filled any case before any court in the country challenging the citizenship of the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. “The matter ...
Nasarawa first lady restates commitment to fight violence against women
Nasarawa State First Lady, Hajiya Silifat Abdullahi Sule, has reaffirmed her resolve to fight all forms of violence against women. Silifat Sule, stated this while playing host to a delegation from Adogi who were in her office on Tuesday, on a thank you visitfor sponsoring the medical treatment of an infant, Ruqayya, who was raped last year. Recal that on May 27, 2020, a three-month-old baby, Ruqayya from Adogi, Lafia local government area of Nasarawa state was brutally raped by a 27 year old serial rapist, Ahmadu Yaro. Yaro had since been nabbed by Personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Nasarawa state command. Wife of the governor, who was overjoyed seeing Ruqayya looking healthy and playful after several surgical procedures at Jos University Teaching Hospital (J...
Report: US says ex-Egypt premier had diplomatic immunity from lawsuit
The Biden administration has said a lawsuit seeking to hold former Egyptian Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi accountable for alleged involvement in torture against an Egyptian-American activist should be thrown out because he held diplomatic immunity, the Washington Post reported on Monday. In a submission to the US District Court in Washington, DC, shared by the Post, lawyers for the US Justice Department said “El Beblawi held diplomatic status at the time when the suit was commenced” and the court should dismiss “claims falling with the scope of his immunity”. El-Beblawi had served as Egypt’s representative to the International Monetary Fund, but quit and left the US in late October, the Post reported. The department said in its court filing that it was not making any judgements on the me...
Court urged to restrain Nigerian government on £4.2 million James Ibori loot
The Federal Government has been sued over its planned use of the £4.2million linked to former Delta State Governor James Ibori. The President, League of Ndokwa Professionals (LNP), Chief Tony Amechi and Legal Adviser, Evans Ufeli, on behalf of the people of Delta State, are challenging the Federal Government’s plan to deploy the funds to projects outside Delta. The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the Minister for Finance are the defendants. In their originating motion, the plaintiffs seek a declaration that the first and second defendants’ decision to deploy the yet to be repatriated sum of £4.2million belonging to Delta State government (when repatriated) for Federal Government’s projects is unconstitutional and repugnant to natural justic...
