Flowerbud News

Author: Lawal AbdulSalam Olawale

  • Appeal Court sacks Kaduna Speaker, orders rerun in 5 polling units

    Appeal Court sacks Kaduna Speaker, orders rerun in 5 polling units

    The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has sacked the Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Hon. Yusuf Dahiru Liman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

     

    Liman was a member representing Makera Constituency in Kaduna South Local Government Area.

    The Court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of Return given to the speaker and conduct fresh elections in 5 polling units.

     

    Hon. Solomon Katuka of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had filed a petition before the tribunal challenging the election of the Speaker, Hon. Yusuf Dahiru Liman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) representing Makera Constituency in the Kaduna State House of Assembly.

     

    Katuka said that there were gross irregularities regarding the election of the Speaker and insisted that he won the election.

     

    The Tribunal had in September, nullified the election of the Speaker and ordered a rerun in 42 polling units in 5 Wards.

     

    However; the Speaker, the APC and INEC appealed against the judgment of the tribunal and Solomon Katuka of the PDP filed a cross-appeal seeking an outright declaration.

     

    The three-member panel led by Justice I. O Adejumo, Justice A. O Oyetula, and Justice P. A Obiora in a unanimous decision quashed the decision of the tribunal ordering a rerun in 42 polling units.

     

    The Appeal Court granted the prayers of the PDP candidate, Hon. Solomon Katuka, and ordered a rerun in 5 polling units in the constituency

  • Breaking: Tinubu presents 2024 budget Wednesday

    Breaking: Tinubu presents 2024 budget Wednesday

    Barring any last-minute changes, President Bola Tinubu will, on Wednesday, present the 2024 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly.

    Details later

  • Edo deputy Gov, Shaibu formally declares interest in 2024 governorship

    Edo deputy Gov, Shaibu formally declares interest in 2024 governorship

    The Edo State Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, on Monday formally declared his intention to contest the 2024 Edo governorship election under the banner of Peoples’ Democratic (PDP).

     

    Shaibu, in the early morning declaration, alluded to his political travails in the last couple of months, especially, and declared that he remained unbowed even as he forged ahead against the unfavourable disposition of his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki.

     

    The declaration event which was earlier scheduled to take place at Eterno Hotels, GRA, Benin, was shifted late Sunday night when information flittered in that one of the Governor Obaseki’s support groups, “Obaseki ending well”, also scheduled an event at the same venue for 7.30 pm on Monday. The development forced Shaibu to look for an alternative venue and he chose the sacred ground of a Catholic church in Benin City, the state capital.

    Addressing his supporters at the Bishop Kelly Pastoral Central, the new venue the deputy governor secured, Shaibu said that despite his present predicament, his antecedents in the struggle for democracy were parts of the propelling factors for him to move on to actualize his ambition.

     

    Describing himself as “100 percent Home Boy”, an allusion to the clamour that the next governor of the state must be someone who knows the state very well, and not someone imported, a veiled reference to the touted candidate of Governor Obaseki, Shaibu hinged his campaign on five pillars that include: infrastructural development, economic diversification, Education, Sports.

     

    Others are Skills development and job creation, healthcare, social welfare system, agriculture, rural development, poverty alleviation, environmental sustainability, and transparent governance.

    He said while working closely with Governor Godwin Obaseki in the past seven years, a solid foundation for progress had been laid in the state.

     

    “Under our administration, we have seen remarkable achievements and milestones, but there is still much work to be done. I am aware of the need by the greater Edo people for a more inclusive government, a government of the Edo people, by the Edo people, and for the Edo people.

     

    He reiterated that his administration would be “A government of individuals who have been there and know the pains and wishes of an average Edolite”

     

    Shaibu maintained that under his supervision, the state Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), grew impressively, which he attributed to the introduction of digital and cutting-edge ideas.

     

    “Back in the day, you didn’t just call me “Mr Constituency Project” for nothing. In my time as a legislator, I delivered 49 constituency projects at the state level and 13 solid constituency projects within my short stint at the federal level.

     

    “I have fought the good fight for you my people, Along the way, suffered humiliations and enjoyed many moments of victory but I am thankful in all things. I have been pressed but not crushed, persecuted but not abandoned, badly hurt but not destroyed. I resonate with the tireless and irrepressible Spirit of the Edo People. By the grace of God, nothing and no one can stop us. After all, I be original Edo son; your 100 percent home boy.

     

    “This is why today, I stand before you with great conviction and resolve, as I declare my intention to run for the office of the governor of Edo State under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the upcoming 2024 election”, he declared.

  • FG plans full autonomy for varsities

    FG plans full autonomy for varsities

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has indicated that the Federal Government is considering reintroducing the Policy of University Full Autonomy to promote progress and minimize external impediments.

    This decision is consistent with the government’s belief that university autonomy allows institutions to develop at their own pace.

     

    Tinubu expressed confidence in the proposed strategy while speaking through the Minister of Niger Delta Development, Engineer Abubakar Momoh, during the University of Benin’s 48th convocation event over the weekend.

    University autonomy will no doubt, transfer the responsibility of performance directly to the individual institutions rather than the current state of uncertainties,” he said.

     

    In his speech, the President highlighted university employees’ concerns about unpaid salaries.

     

    He announced a four-month wage payment for all university employees to ameliorate the problem.

    Furthermore, Tinubu pledged to keep the government’s commitment to improving university circumstances by providing critical facilities like lecture theatres, student hostels, administrative offices, and learning tools.

     

    These facilities, established through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), are meant to incentivize staff and students to achieve success.

     

    Tinubu pledged, “As a responsible government, we would continue to dedicate tangible resources to education and to formulate sustainable policies that would outlive this administration.

    Our universities have the multiple responsibilities of helping to expand horizons through research and technological breakthroughs, impartation of relevant skills and by being more entrepreneurial in outlook

  • Lecturers shortage hits varsities, ASUU blames japa, IPPIS

    Lecturers shortage hits varsities, ASUU blames japa, IPPIS

    Universities in Nigeria are facing a severe staff crisis as hundreds of teachers leave to seek greener pastures in foreign countries despite a high number of retirements at the varsities.

    In separate interviews with newsmen on Sunday, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) chapters corroborated this, saying the scarcity was caused by a surge in lecturers leaving Nigeria and concerns about the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System.

     

    ASUU at Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto said about 100 teachers had departed, while the union at the Federal University of Gusau in Zamfara said the institution needed about 1,000 academics to cover the gaps left by those who had left.

     

    The union at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, said the institution had over 350 academic vacancies, while 27 lecturers left two faculties at the University of Lagos and 100 workers at the University of Uyo fled the country.

     

    According to the union, there are over 500 academic openings at the University of Ilorin in Kwara State, and both academic and non-academic workers at the Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology are fleeing the country.

     

    Dr. Rotimi Olorunsola, Chairman of the union in Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology in Okitipupa, Ondo State, stated that many of the university’s workers, both academic and non-academic, had gone.

  • Sierra Leone Arrest Attackers After Assault on Strategic Army Base

    Sierra Leone Arrest Attackers After Assault on Strategic Army Base

    Sierra Leone security forces arrested several perpetrators who attacked a key military base in the capital Freetown and invaded prisons, President Julius Maada Bio said Sunday.

     

    “Most of the leaders have been arrested,” Bio said in a televised address. “The attackers are being repelled by a combined team of security forces and police. Calm has been restored,” he said.

     

  • FG sets to commence student loan scheme January 2024

    FG sets to commence student loan scheme January 2024

    Chief of Staff to the President, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, has said that efforts are underway to ensure the take-off of the Federal Government’s student loan scheme in January 2024 to ensure that Nigerian students can access the loans “to fund their educational aspirations.”

     

    He spoke in Lagos on Friday while delivering a lecture titled ‘Empowering Nigerian Youths in the Present-Day Economy’ at the 35th convocation ceremony of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH).

     

    Gbajabiamila stated that to make the process seamless, “applicants will apply online, be verified online, and be credited based on the verifiable documents and credentials they have submitted.”

    He said: “Earlier this year, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, signed the Students’ Loan (Access to Higher Education) Act, establishing the Education Loan Fund and creating a new legal framework to provide education financing through interest-free loans to Nigerian students. Efforts are underway to ensure that by January 2024, Nigerian students can access these loans to fund their educational aspirations.

     

    “The application system for the student loan programme is being designed so that there is no interface between the loan administrators and the beneficiaries. Applicants will apply online, be verified online, and be credited based on the verifiable documents and credentials they have submitted. Nobody will need to know anybody to qualify for these loans, so that access to this financing will be genuinely egalitarian.

     

    “The student loan system answers part of the question of how to fund a quality public tertiary education but doesn’t answer all of it. Any serious conversation about the future of tertiary education in Nigeria must include a thorough consideration of the ways and means of addressing the funding needs of public tertiary institutions beyond government subvention.

     

    Tribune Online

    FG sets to commence student loan scheme January 2024

    by Saheed Salawu November 25, 2023 Reading Time: 5 mins read

    A A

    FG sets to commence student loan scheme January 2024

    Chief of Staff to the President, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, has said that efforts are underway to ensure the take-off of the Federal Government’s student loan scheme in January 2024 to ensure that Nigerian students can access the loans “to fund their educational aspirations.”

     

    He spoke in Lagos on Friday while delivering a lecture titled ‘Empowering Nigerian Youths in the Present-Day Economy’ at the 35th convocation ceremony of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH).

     

    Gbajabiamila stated that to make the process seamless, “applicants will apply online, be verified online, and be credited based on the verifiable documents and credentials they have submitted.”

     

     

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    He said: “Earlier this year, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, signed the Students’ Loan (Access to Higher Education) Act, establishing the Education Loan Fund and creating a new legal framework to provide education financing through interest-free loans to Nigerian students. Efforts are underway to ensure that by January 2024, Nigerian students can access these loans to fund their educational aspirations.

     

    “The application system for the student loan programme is being designed so that there is no interface between the loan administrators and the beneficiaries. Applicants will apply online, be verified online, and be credited based on the verifiable documents and credentials they have submitted. Nobody will need to know anybody to qualify for these loans, so that access to this financing will be genuinely egalitarian.

     

    “The student loan system answers part of the question of how to fund a quality public tertiary education but doesn’t answer all of it. Any serious conversation about the future of tertiary education in Nigeria must include a thorough consideration of the ways and means of addressing the funding needs of public tertiary institutions beyond government subvention.

     

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    “In this regard, we cannot for much longer avoid the simple truth that tertiary education costs money, and the best institutions worldwide succeed, amongst other things, because they can generate significant sums through fees, investments and other means.

     

    “The simple truth is that for our institutions to compete favourably, we need more resources than are currently available to address the dangerous decline in the quality of scholarship and academic output and the graduates we produce from many of our institutions.”

     

    He stated that In a perfect world, access to education would be a fundamental benefit afforded to every individual from basic through tertiary. And our learning centres will be majestic citadels of research and innovation, open to all who seek knowledge, regardless of means. But this is not a perfect world. In this real world, education is a commodity and a quality education even more so. Therefore, the central public policy challenge is the conflict between the competing objectives of access and quality. How do we fund a quality tertiary education without imposing costs that make access to quality education impossible for most people?

     

    “We require a programme of aggressive and sustained investment in education. Not only in the physical infrastructure of classrooms and lecture halls but in technology hardware and software to facilitate information exchange and innovation.

     

    “In this new world, we have found ourselves in, nothing has changed as drastically as the nature of work and how we measure productivity. Today, many skills that guarantee employment and a healthy income for previous generations have been made redundant by technological advances.

     

    “This generation will not only be competing with one another for opportunities, but they will also be competing in a global marketplace, against students from all over the world, and against technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, blockchain and financial technology tools that are increasingly replacing the human function in the workplace. We must prepare them with these realities in mind.

     

    “To do this effectively, we need to develop a new understanding of the changing nature of work and the future of employment. The limits of our knowledge hinder us from effectively addressing the challenges of this new age and adapting to the changing realities we cannot escape. Collaboration between our higher institutions and the organised private sector is vital to carry out the essential work of engagement, research and review required to bridge the gaps in our knowledge. We need to do this as a necessary precursor to focusing national attention on these issues so that we can jointly rise to the demands of the moment. This is an objective that we cannot, for the sake of our future, leave to the government alone to pursue.”

     

    Rector of the college, Dr Ibraheem Abdul, said the institution had focused on youth empowerment through its various programmes.

     

    “Furthermore, to show how committed we are to the empowering of our youths, the management established Industry Advisory Committee to enhance her dynamic role of producing technical manpower for the economic and social development of Nigeria,” Dr Abdul said.

     

    According to him, when it comes to manpower development, technological advancement and youth empowerment, the college has been at the forefront.

     

    Some of the initiatives targeted at youth empowerment put in place by the school, as highlighted by the rector, include the Quadruple Helix Collaboration Scheme for Youth Empowerment; the establishment of a centre for technology marketing and product development; the YCT Industry Alliance Group (YIAG) Programme; and the Students Work and Study Scheme.

     

    “The Academic Board of the college, on this basis, carefully selected the theme of the lecture title, ‘Empowering Nigerian Youths in the Present Day Economy’. This topic holds significant relevance to our nation as we face the various challenges and opportunities that come with a rapidly evolving global economy. It is imperative that we equip our youth with the knowledge, skills and resources needed to navigate these dynamic economic landscapes and emerge as successful contributors to our society.

     

    “This topic cannot be better handled by anyone other than the chief engineer in charge of the engine room that drives and coordinates all national activities and development. The man who has been actively and practically involved in youth empowerment for several years and perfectly understands the workings and directions of the Renewed Hope Agenda of our dear president and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We have the privilege of hosting a distinguished speaker who will share his expertise and experiences in this field. It is my hope that this lecture will not only inspire our graduates but also ignite passion within them to pursue their dreams, overcome obstacles and contribute meaningfully to the development of our nation,” he said

  • Ondo crisis: Remain as Deputy Gov, Tinubu tells Aiyedatiwa

    Ondo crisis: Remain as Deputy Gov, Tinubu tells Aiyedatiwa

    The over six months political logjam in Ondo state has been resolved by President Bola Tinubu.

    President Tinubu met with all the gladiators behind closed doors for over six hours at the villa, Abuja.

     

    Those who attended the meeting included the National Chairman of the APC, Umar Gbanduje; embattled deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa; APC state Chairman, Ade Adetimehin; Speaker of the House of Assembly; Hon. Olamide Oladiji and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim.

     

    Other include members of the House of Assembly; the Secretary to the Ondo State Government; Princess Oladunni Odu; the Governor’s aides including Dare Aragbaiye; Aminu Raimi; and the Governor’s son, Babajide Akeredolu.

     

    Sources at the meeting told Vanguard in Akure that the president directed that the status quo should be maintained.

     

    According to the source, “the President frowned at the move to declare Aiyedatiwa as acting Governor and warned that such must never happen in the state.

     

    “President Tinubu directed that the deputy governor should go and resume work as deputy governor and not as acting governor.

     

    “He also directed that the state executive council should remain intact ditto for the party exco, contrary to threats.

    The President went further to ask Aiyedatiwa to do a letter of undertaking and maintain peace in the state.

    Mr. President also appointed the SSG, Princess Oladunni, Party Chairman, Adetimehin and the Speaker of the House, Oladiji to monitor and report the deputy governor if he deviated from the resolution reached at the meeting.”

     

    ” The President also gave a matching order to the deputy governor to withdraw all cases instituted by him and his group in the court with immediate effect.

     

    Recall that 11 members of the House of Assembly had planned to hold plenary in the state to declare the deputy governor as acting governor until it was scuttled following the intervention of the President.

     

    The lawmakers were alleged to have been infiltrated by some powerful forces outside the state who were pushing for Aiyedatiwa to be declared as the acting governor.

     

    It was also learnt that the National chairman of the party, Ganduje, bought into the agreement until the intervention of the President.

     

    The move was said to have been instigated by the deputy governor in the company of the national chairman of the party, Ganduje.

     

    Meanwhile, a group, the Progressives Mandate Renewal (PMR) has hailed President Bola Tinubu over his intervention in the political crisis in the state.

     

    The group said Tinubu has again proved himself as the leader of the people and a compassionate leader who appreciates loyalty.

     

    Its coordinator, Samson Ogunyemi said Tinubu had humbled the arrogance and pride displayed by the Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s group.

    Ogunyemi in a statement, in Akure, said:” The target of the deputy governor’s group is to declare the governor incapacitated and oust the governor. They were fervently rooting for the governor to be disgraced out of office.

     

    “While the meeting was going on, the deputy governor’s group was already jubilating on social media. They thought the outcome of the meeting would be in their Favour.

     

    “This is a defeated expectation for the deputy governor and his group. Their wishes and expectations have been dashed and defeated. The people of the state can now see the true nature of the deputy governor.

     

    “We are particularly happy that the President has ordered that the status quo must remain. This is the right step towards ensuring peace and understanding in the state.

     

    “The resolution passed and the request by the President that Aiyedatiwa should sign a resignation letter undated, will tame his excesses and guide him into behaving proper.

    We will continue to appreciate President Tinubu and assure him of our commitment and undying support.

  • 28 sacked Ede poly staff reinstated

    28 sacked Ede poly staff reinstated

    Court orders payment of five years salary

    The National Industrial Court, Ibadan division, Oyo State, has ordered the reinstatement of twenty-eight staff of Federal Polytechnic Ede, Osun State sacked illegally by the management in 2018 as a result of directive of Federal government.

    Delivery the judgment in suit number, NICN/OS/04/2018, Justice Opeloye Ogunbowale ordered that the management of Federal Polytechnic Ede ordered that Federal Polythecnic Ede to pay the 28 staff all their due entitlements for the work done and to do from January 2018 till date.

     

    The Court refused the claim of damages of N28m filed by the staff through their counsel, Barrister Yemi Abiona, however awarded a cost of N500,000 against the Federal Polythecnic Ede in favour of the dismissed staff.

     

    Read Also: Tinubu charges APC governors to remain servants to their people

    Justice Ogunbowale said “the disengagement of the claimants from the service of the defendants is ultra vires of it’s authorities and a breach of Section 17 of the Federal Polythecnic Act, 2004, provision of the Federal Polythecnic Ede Staff Manual, 2018, violation of the claimants’ fundamental human rights to fear hearing and rights of employment until mandatory retirement age of 65″.

     

    He noted that from the preponderance of evidence including documentary evidence before the court, it was established that the contract between the claimants; Mr Cornelius Nwokoro, Mr Ayodele Oni, Thomas Aborowa, Fatai Adeeyo and 24 others and defendant was that with statutory flavour, therefore “subsequent termination and disengagement of their contract of employment is subject to their respective letters of employment, confirmation of employment, provisions of the Federal Polythecnic Act, 2004 and regulated by the Federal Government of Nigeria public service rules”

     

    The Court discontenanced the submission of the Counsel to the Polythecnic, Mr Oluremi Ojo that the dismissal of the claimants from service was based on a Federal Government policy issued in 2007 to MDAs to outsource security personnel, saying such directive can not be applicable to the claimants whose appointments are based on statutory provisions.