The National President, Association of Water Well Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners, Michael Ale, said this in Ibadan in an interview with journalists, on the sidelines of the national advocacy/sensitisation workshop on 2013 National Water Resources Master Plan and United National Water Convention for stakeholders in the South-West.
He said, “There should be regulation by the government because sinking boreholes indiscriminately can cause an earthquake in the future. It may not be now, it may be in the next 20 years, but it can cause an earthquake.
“Nigeria is not in an earthquake-prone region, despite that, we are having earth tremors now. It happened in Saki and other places and this is to say an earthquake can happen if we continue the way we are doing things.”
The National Economic Council (NEC) has disclosed that a final decision on the removal of subsidy on petroleum will be taken in June when the provision for its payment in the 2022 budget would have lapsed.
Answering reporters’ questions at the end of the monthly meeting attended by all the 36 state governors and other top government officials, Nasarawa State Governor, Abdulahi Sule, who spoke on behalf of NEC, said it was understandable that provision for the payment of the subsidy in the 2022 Appropriation Act will end by June.
According to him, any decision on the removal of subsidy will be taken after the budget provision runs its course in June.
He stressed that even though NEC had before now set up a committee on the issue of fuel subsidy, it was yet to take a position on it.
President Muhammadu Buhari who was at the newly constructed Kawo bridge executed by the El-Rufai administration, said ” there was an attempt to bomb me here…there was a market nearby .”….but his security escort were vigilant.
The President’s visit to Kaduna, his state of residence since retirement from the military, was expected to end on Friday(tomorrow).
THE Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, made the calls while delivering the 52nd convocation lecture of the University of Lagos, UNILAG.
“The bill sets to provide interest- free loans to students. The repayment of these loans shall commence two years after the completion of the National Youth Service Corps Scheme. However, we must all understand that public support for any such system will depend significantly on the tertiary institutions themselves.
“The Ninth House of Representatives has education as one of its key areas of focus in its legislative agenda. We have for instance taken active steps to upgrade many of our public institutions, elevating some colleges of education to universities of education among others,” he said.
“For Nigerian citizens to thrive in this new world, participate fully and productively in the new global economy and benefit from irather than be consumed by the technological advancements that are changing our world, tertiary education in Nigeria must be prepared to embrace reinvention and adapt to disruption, ” he stated.
ACADEMIC activities in the nation’s universities may be disrupted by the end of this month if the Federal Government is unable to implement the Memorandum of Action, MoA, it signed with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
Giving the indications in a chat with newsmen, the National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said the union was waiting for the period of grace given the government to lapse before taking the necessary steps.
“As a responsible union, we are consulting widely on the issues at stake. We have an MoA that is yet to be implemented fully and we also have the renegotiation of the 2007 Agreement pending. A lot of groups and concerned individuals have stepped in to intervene in the matter.
“We are responsible unionists and citizens and we must give room to those interventions; may be they can help persuade the government to do the needful. We have given them up till the end of this January and if nothing is forthcoming, we can take the next step,” he said.
It was gathered that if the union’s demands are not met, nationwide mobilisation of members would follow and congresses held to mandate the national leadership to act appropriately.
The TUC Deputy Secretary, Nuhu Toro, disclosed in Abuja, that the congress would hold a meeting over the subsidy issue.
Toro disclosed this ahead of the National Executive Council’s meeting on Thursday(Today).
He said, “We are having a meeting tomorrow (Thursday). The congress will disclose its decision after that meeting.”
Also speaking with newsmen, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria opposed the plan by the Federal Government to remove the fuel subsidy and increase the pump price.
The ASCSN President, Tommy Okon, said his association and Nigerians would resist the move.
He said, “Of course, Nigerians are rest assured that they would be defended by our union; that’s why we are here and that’s why we are saying it is a wrong decision to take at this time when workers wages are still stagnant. No increase, they have not made any provision.
“The transport system has not been looked into. So, you just wake up and say you are removing fuel subsidy. Where in other climes has this been done? Even when you give the subsidy, is it not the wealthy few that still hijacked it? The fight is not about workers, it is what Nigerians must rise and resist.”
A High Court in Abia State has ordered the Federal Government to pay the sum of N1 billion to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, and issue a letter of apology to him.
Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, made this known in a tweet, saying, “Mazi Nnamdi Kanu WINS as Abia High Court rules that the Federal Government violated his fundamental rights. Orders the Federal government to pay N1b to him and issue a letter of apology to him.
“Most importantly, the Court recommended political solution to the #Biafran agitation.”
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), said this while receiving, in the farewell audience, the Ambassador of Burkina Faso, Piabie Firmin Gregoire N’do, at the State House in Abuja.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.
“Leaders should do the best for their people within the limits of resources,” Buhari affirmed, adding that he hoped the outgoing Ambassador would use experiences garnered in the field “for decision making in your country when you go back.”
Nightclub celebrity, Obi Iyiegbu, popularly known as Obi Cubana has declared that 2022 is the year he showcases what he does for a living.
Obi Cubana had been grilled by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency over suspicious payments into his account by three convicted drug dealers from Nigeria, Malaysia and India.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had last year also invited the businessman to answer questions about the sources of his wealth.
NDLEA, however granted him bail after hours of questioning. He’s expected to return at a later date.
Out of the 81,005 applications received nationwide as of January 7, 2022, 1,404 applications – less than 2% of the total applications – were received from the five states in the South East.
Only 261 applications were also received from Lagos State, with Anambra State having the least figure of 158 applicants.
This was contained in a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, titled, “Recruitment: Police extend online registration by 10 days”.
The statement read, “The Nigeria Police Force wishes to inform citizens that the online registration in the ongoing 2021 recruitment exercise for interested and eligible Nigerians into the service of the Nigeria Police Force as Police Constables, has been extended to Saturday, January 22, 2022. With this extension, the NPF recruitment portal will remain open till midnight of the new date.
“The extension of the online application is informed by the need to ensure equal opportunity and even spread of applications, particularly from States in the South-East, South-South geopolitical zones, and Lagos State, to enable them to meet up with the required quota for their respective areas.
“A statistical analysis shows that a total of 81,005 applications were received nationwide as of January 7, 2022. Out of this figure, only 1,404 applications – less than 2% of the total applications – were received from the five states in the South East and 261 from Lagos State, with Anambra State having the least figure of 158 applicants.
Consequently, the Force enjoins States and Local Governments, religious bodies, and other interest groups in the affected Geopolitical zones and Lagos State to assist in mobilizing and encouraging their citizens and wards to take advantage of the opportunity to seek a career path in the Nigeria Police Force.
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