The Nigeria Police Force has commenced nationwide recruitment of constables .
The NPF , however , barred persons with bow legs, knock knees , bent knees , and gross malformation of teeth from being enlisted into the Force .
Others barred from the exercise include persons with amputated body parts , defective eyesight , and a speech impediment .
This is contained in a public notice signed by the Force Public Relations Officer , DCP Frank Mba .
According to the notice , applicants must be within the ages of 17 and 25 and must possess a minimum of five credits in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination in not more than two sittings .
The police further stated that women who wish to apply must not be pregnant as of the time of recruitment .
Interested candidates must have a functional email address and National Identification Number .
The online application would be open from July 14 2020 , to August 23 , 2020 .
Workers in Ondo State Public Service have threatened to down tools following the government’s failure to pay their outstanding salaries.
The workers, under the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), gave the notice in a letter made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure .
They gave the Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, till Wednesday, July 15, 2020, to do the needful.
Their decision to embark on industrial action was contained in a letter to the governor and jointly signed by state Chairman of Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), Oluwaniyi Fabunmi and the State Secretary, JNC, Kehinde Olomiye.
The letter reads, “We write to bring to your attention the already ‘gathered cloud’ of very serious impending Labour/Government face-off which will be the very first in the life of your administration as the elected Governor of Ondo State.”
The JNC had, therefore, issued a five-day ultimatum to the state government calling for negotiations or the workers would go on strike.
NAN reports that the workers are demanding for their leave bonus and other entitlements pending over the years.
The Commissioners of Education in 19 Northern States have supported the suspension of school reopening amid the pandemic by the Federal Government.
The commissioners made this known in a communique issued in Kaduna State, after a virtual meeting to consider school reopening and other issues to strengthen the education sector .
The communique was signed by the Commissioner of Education, Kaduna , Dr Shehu Makarfi , who is also the Chairman of the Northern States School Exchange Programme.
The meeting was attended by commissioners of 13 of the 19 northern states namely, Kaduna , Bauchi , Gombe , Niger, Nasarawa , Adamawa , Taraba , Kogi , Kwara, Katsina , Kano, Borno and Jigawa .
The commissioners applauded the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu , for taking a decisive stand against school reopening and pledged their full support.
According to them, keeping schools closed considering the spike in cases of COVID- 19 across the country is a sure step in ensuring that children remain safe .
“ We have , therefore , resolved that schools should be reopened only when it is safe to do so and when states have complied with the minimum COVID- 19 safety protocols as outlined by the NCDC .
“ We will also participate in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination and other examinations only when it is safe to reopen schools and when coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Education, ” they said .
The commissioners also resolved to carry out a holistic assessment of schools to determine safety status for reopening and submit reports to their respective governors for consideration .
“ Schools ’ infrastructure, such as dilapidated classrooms , students ’ hostels , source of safe water , sanitary facilities , including hand washing equipment and security are critical and should be improved .
“ We will equally clear schools of bushes and grasses , as well as fumigate school ’ s surroundings to support learning and ensure safety when schools resume , ” they said .
They , however , appealed to the Federal Government to support states in putting safety measures in place for school reopening .
The suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission , Mr Ibrahim Magu, who is being investigated over corruption allegations by a special presidential panel , has applied to the Inspector -General of Police , Mohammed Adamu , to be released on bail.
Magu , who has been in detention since his arrest on Monday , requested to be granted bail through a letter sent on his behalf by one of his lawyers, Mr Oluwatosin Ojaomo .
He has been appearing before the panel from the detention of police facilities in Abuja since his arrest .
His lawyer ’ s letter dated July 10 with the IGP office ’ s acknowledgement stamp bearing the same date , and obtained by The PUNCH on Friday, requested that Magu be granted bail “ on self – recognisance. ”
“ Finally, if our application for bail on self – recognisance is not acceptable , we are ready to provide a credible surety that will ensure the availability of our client anytime he is needed for the purpose of this investigation , ” the letter added .
The letter was copied to the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd ) , and the Chairman of the Presidential Probe Panel on the activities of EFCC , Justice Ayo Salami ( retd ) .
It was also copied to l the Chairman of Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti- Corruption , Prof Itsay Sagay ( SAN ) , and the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Investigation , Federal Criminal Investigation Department , Garki Area 10 , Abuja , where Magu is said to be detained .
The suspended EFCC chairman has been appearing before the Justice Salami- led panel from the detention since his arrest .
His lawyer stated in his letter to the IGP that all the allegations were bailable, implying that his client was statutorily entitled to released on bail even when he is formally charged with offences arising from the allegations .
He also reminded the IGP of his “ recent directives to all police formations in Nigeria not to detain any suspect for any offence which is bailable in nature due to the COVID- 19 pandemic that is ravaging the world which Nigeria is not an exemption ”.
Ojaomo stated that his client had denied all the allegations being investigated by the panel including the ones leveled against him by the Attorney- General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN ) “ and has provided both documentary and oral evidence to clear the air on all the allegations ” .
The House of Representatives has faulted the decision by the Federal Government to suspend the plan to partially reopen schools for pupils in final classes to take external examinations .
The Committee on Basic Education and Services particularly criticised the decision to disallow Nigerian pupils from sitting for the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination to be conducted by the West African Examination Council for the 2019 / 2020 academic session .
Schools at all levels have been shut due to the COVID- 19 pandemic .
The Presidential Task Force on COVID- 19 had earlier in June said the Federal Government, in what it called “ safe reopening of schools , ” had approved the resumption of pupils in graduating classes, including Primary 6 , Junior Secondary School 3 and the Senior Secondary School 3 .
In approving the resumption of graduating classes , the government said water must be provided in schools for hand- washing and both pupils and teachers must wear face masks while observing social distancing .
Later , the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba , had during the press briefing by the PTF announced that the 2020 WASSCE would hold between August 4 and September 5 .
But the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu , at the end of a meeting of the Federal Executive Council presided over by the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd . ), on Wednesday said all federal schools would remain closed until it was safe to reopen them.
Adamu also urged state governments that had announced schools ’ resumption plans to rescind such .
The minister stated that WAEC could not determine the resumption date of schools for Nigeria . He alleged that the council announced the date of examination while the government was still consulting stakeholders on what to do .
Reacting to the development , Chairman of the committee , Prof Julius Ihonvbere , however , expressed the displeasure of the lawmakers through a statement issued on Friday, titled ‘ WASSCE Should not be Cancelled . ’
Ihonvbere said , “ The House Committee on Basic Education and Services received with amazement , the announcement by the honourable Minister of Education that Nigerian students would not be participating in the forthcoming WASSCE examinations .
“ He did not inform the country if this was in agreement with other West African leaders or in consultation with the examination bodies , the state governments , and other stakeholders in the education sector. The minister also did not also inform the public if the decision was the outcome of a meeting with all state governments that are in charge of all but the Unity Secondary Schools that are owned by the Federal government .
“ This sudden policy reversal is not good for the country. It is bound to create further confusion in the education sector , create disappointment and suspicion among parents , frustrate the students and show to our development partners and Nigerians that the distortions and disarticulations in the sector are only getting worse .
“ The reversal also shows that our policymakers may just be adopting a laid- back approach to the need to confront the novel coronavirus rather than taking proactive and creative steps to manage and contain it. ”
Ihonvbere stated that the committee disagrees with Adamu and “ believes that reconsideration is urgently needed to save our educational system . ”
THE Federal Government told the Senate that President Muhammadu will present before the joint National Assembly, the 2021 Appropriation Bill.
Disclosing this year in Abuja while briefing principal officers of the Senate and House of Representatives led by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed said that President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the Ministry to expedite action on next year’s budget estimates to enable him to present the 2021 budget proposal
The Minister met with the leadership of the National Assembly on plans to submit the 2021-2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) later this month.
Ahmed further disclosed that in keeping strictly with the January – December budget cycle, the President will today sign into law, the revised N10.8 trillion budget for the year 2020 passed by the National Assembly in June.
The Minister said, “This for us is a journey towards ensuring that the progress that we have made as a collective to return the fiscal year to January – December is maintained for the 2021 budget as well.
“The President has directed that we must deliver the budget to the National Assembly by the end of September,” the Finance Minister said.
Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra has called a general election for April 11 of next year when he will step down as his country’s leader.
His announcement formally marks the beginning of the process to hold presidential and legislative elections.
“Fulfilling my commitment, here is the decree calling a general election for April 11, 2021,” Vizcarra said in a televised address from the government palace.
Re-election is not permitted in Peru and presidential terms last five years.
Previously the vice-president, Vizcarra came to power in March 2018 after Pedro Pablo Kuczynski was forced to resign as president over a corruption scandal related to millions of dollars in bribes paid by Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.
Vizcarra stressed that the presidential term could not be extended by “political crises, or the pandemic, or any other factor.”
If no presidential candidate gains an absolute majority in the first round of voting, there will be a run-off between the top two candidates.
Vizcarra said the announcement would be published Thursday in the official government gazette.
“We are within the terms of the law. From now, in a little more than nine months we will have a change of authorities,” he added.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva , has said the Federal Government did not at any time promise to keep the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit ( petrol ) permanently low .
Sylva also said the government had concluded that it could no longer bear the burden of petrol subsidy .
The minister said these in a statement published on the ministry ’ s Instagram page, with the title ‘ Deregulation : The facts and the reasons behind the policy ’ .
“ After a thorough examination of the economics of subsidising PMS for domestic consumption, the Federal Government concluded that it was unrealistic to continue with the burden of subsidising PMS to the tune of trillions of naira every year , more so when this subsidy was benefiting in large part the rich , rather than the poor and ordinary Nigerians , ” he said .
According to him , deregulation means that the government will no longer continue to be the main supplier of petroleum products but will encourage the private sector to take over the role of supplier of the products .
“ This means also that market forces will henceforth determine the prices at the pump . In line with global best practices, the government will continue to play its traditional role of regulation to ensure that this strategic commodity is not priced arbitrarily by private sector suppliers, ” Sylva said .
He likened the regulatory function to the role played by the Central Bank of Nigeria in the banking sector , “ ensuring that commercial banks do not charge arbitrary interest rates ”.
The minister said , “ Petroleum products are refined from crude oil. Therefore , the price of crude ( the feedstock ) for the refining process will affect the price of the refined product .
“ When crude oil prices were down , government , through its regulatory functions , ensured that the benefits of lower crude oil prices were enjoyed by Nigerians by ensuring that PMS was lowered . At that time , we indicated that an increase in crude oil prices will also reflect at the pump . ”
He said one of the reasons the country had been unable to attract the level of investments desired into the refining sector had been the burden of fuel subsidy .
Sylva said , “ We need to free up that investment space so that what happened in the banking sector , aviation sector and other sectors can happen in the midstream and downstream oil sector .
“ We can no longer avoid the inevitable and expect the impossible to continue. There was no time government promised to reduce pump price and keep it permanently low . ”
Banks have advised customers to remove their face masks when carrying out transactions through Automated Teller Machines to ensure that their faces are properly recognised .
Findings revealed that some banks have installed face detection features in their ATMs which can prevent an ATM from dispensing cash if it is unable to recognise the face of the user .
While the banks have introduced the wearing of face masks as a condition to enter the banking halls , they have also advised customers to remove it when they want to withdraw money from ATMs .
In an email to its customers on measures to keep transactions protected , Fidelity Bank said , “ Wearing of face masks is a safety and precautionary measure we must all adhere to in this period of the COVID- 19 pandemic .
“ However , we advise that you remove your face mask while making withdrawals or carrying out ATM transactions to allow our ATM properly recognise you .
“ Fidelity Bank ATM machines have face detection features installed to curb incidences of fraudulent ATM withdrawals .
“ Consequently , you may not be able to carry out any transaction if our ATMs are not able to properly recognise you . We apologise for the inconvenience that this may cause you . ”
As lockdown continues to ease gradually , banks have continued to expand their operations.
In an email to its customers , Guaranty Trust Bank Plc listed its branches that would be accessible to customers .
It said , “ When visiting any of our branches , kindly protect yourself by wearing a face mask at all times . It is also very important that you keep a safe distance when in a queue inside or outside the branch.
“ Before visiting any of our branches , please remember that you can withdraw up to N 150 , 000 at all our ATMs and that you can do most of your banking from the safety of your home . ”
GTBank said the customers could bank through its e – payment platforms .
The Federal Government has put on hold the planned resumption of federal schools .
It has also stopped students from participating in the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations earlier scheduled for August 4 to September 5 .
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu , disclosed this to State House Correspondents at the end of a meeting of the Federal Executive Council presided over by the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd . ).
The minister said federal schools would remain closed until it is safe to reopen them.
He also urged state governments that have announced school resumption plans to rescind such .
Adamu stated that the West African Examinations Council could not determine the resumption date of schools for Nigeria .
He said he would prefer that Nigerian students lose an academic year than to expose them to heath dangers amid the coronavirus pandemic .
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