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Stop giving preferential scores to Northern students, el-Rufai tells JAMB

He stated this as a guest on Channels Television’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ breakfast programme monitored by newsmen.

According to the governor, students in the North should not be given lower cut-off marks but the same cut-off marks as their counterparts from other parts of the country for them to be competitive nationally and internationally.

He said, “The north has always been behind in education, we’ve continuously been the disadvantaged region right from independence even though we’re given preferences, JAMB scores and all that. That has not helped, in fact, it has made our people lazy.

“Against this differential JAMB and FG (Federal Government) scores, I think people should be encouraged to work hard and compete and we are prepared to make our children in Kaduna State to be competitive, not only in the state but globally.

“The schools are closed now because, on the advice of security agencies, they need a couple of months to undertake massive security operations. They are doing that. We are confident that from the next two weeks, we would start the gradual reopening of schools.

“We have moved many of our students in rural areas that we are not sure we can protect to urban schools, thereby increasing the congestion in urban schools that we can protect.”

“The continuous closure of schools is exactly what bandits and Boko Haram want and we are not going to let them win but we must put the safety of our children and teachers first,” the governor noted, adding that the gradual reopening of schools would commence soon.

Punch

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JUST IN: Niger govt shuts eight banks, others for N456m tax debt

According to the Executive Chairman of the service, Mohammed Etsu, in Minna, pointed out that the exercise was carried out in line with the provisions of the relevant tax laws.

The affected banks include; Stanbic IBTC (N113.2m), Polaris Bank(N74.8m), UBA (N68.9m), Union Bank(N47.1m), First Bank (N45.7m), Heritage Bank (N31.5m), Unity Bank (N14m), and GTB (N8.2m).

Others affected are AEDC Plc (N45.8m), Aloe Vera International Hotel (N3.9m), and a Restaurant (N3.2m) in the state capital.

The Chairman explained that all efforts by the service to enable the defaulting organisations pay their respective tax liability yielded no positive result.

Etsu further called on other debtors to pay their outstanding tax liability to avoid sealing of their offices by the Service as the tax drive exercise is a continuous one.

Punch

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UPDATE: FG moves to avert health workers’ strike, meets JOHESU Tuesday

The Ministry of Labour and Employment spokesman, Charles Akpan, disclosed this in an invitation to journalists.

Akpan explained that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige will meet with the unions at his conference room by 2 pm.

JOHESU had handed down a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and threatened to go on strike if its demand for payment of outstanding allowances was not met.

The threat by JOHESU is coming barely a week after the Nigeria Medical Association and its affiliates also handed down a 21-day ultimatum to declare an industrial action if the FG failed to resolve all the issues contained in the various agreements signed with the doctors.

This is happening as the strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors entered its fifth week.

Punch

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Electricity: o tariff increament, says Minister

In a chat with newsmen, the minister of state for Power, Goddy Agba, said a committee set up by the government has submitted its report to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), for review following which the committee would further sit on to fine- tune it.

“There has not been an increase in electricity tariff. We are working on getting a suitable and acceptable tariff that will be acceptable to all Nigerians. It is going to be fair and equitable, I assure you if this,” the minister said.

“The intention of government is to solve the problem of the people; so it won’t unilaterally impose tariff that will bring hardship on her people. We are working together with Labour; we know the minimum wage is not enough to carry on all of the problems we have. So, I assure you that when a new tariff regime comes in place, both labour and Nigerians will be happy because we are not working in isolation of labour- labour is for the people; labour is on that committee and they are guiding us appropriately,” Agba said.

TheNation

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Electricity: No tariff increament, says Minister

In a chat with newsmen, the minister of state for Power, Goddy Agba, said a committee set up by the government has submitted its report to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), for review following which the committee would further sit on to fine- tune it.

“There has not been an increase in electricity tariff. We are working on getting a suitable and acceptable tariff that will be acceptable to all Nigerians. It is going to be fair and equitable, I assure you if this,” the minister said.

“The intention of government is to solve the problem of the people; so it won’t unilaterally impose tariff that will bring hardship on her people. We are working together with Labour; we know the minimum wage is not enough to carry on all of the problems we have. So, I assure you that when a new tariff regime comes in place, both labour and Nigerians will be happy because we are not working in isolation of labour- labour is for the people; labour is on that committee and they are guiding us appropriately,” Agba said.

TheNation

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Nothing evil about ember months, says FRSC

The Ogun State Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr Ahmed Umar, who made this known in an interview with NAN, in Ota, Ogun, implored drivers to change their attitudinal behaviours towards the use of roads to reduce crashes.

“So many ceremonies like birthday party, wedding and burial, among others, are fixed and those from abroad come home to felicitate with their loved ones, which sometimes increased the vehicular movement,” he said.

“Any misbehaviour by the drivers may result to disaster on the roads, so motorists need to exercise patience,” he urged.

NAN

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JUST IN: FG to recover millions of naira wrongly paid to 588 Doctors

Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, stated this when he fielded questions from State House correspondents in Abuja.

”Ministry of Health has gotten the list of doctors who supposedly are to benefit from the Medical Residency Training Fund.

”Total submission of about 8000 names were gotten and the Ministry of Health is scrutinising them.

”We have done the first round of scrutinization and they will now compare what they have with the Post-Graduate Medical College and the Chief Medical Directors who submitted the names.

”We discovered that about 2000 names shouldn’t be there because they don’t have what is called Postgraduate Reference Numbers of National Postgraduate Medical College and (or) that of the West African Postgraduate Medical College.

“So, this is it and that is the only thing holding back the Residency Fund payment because it is there already for… incurred expenditure has been done by the Finance Minister and it’s in the Accountant-General’s office.,” he said.

”So, once they verify the authenticity of those they are submitting, the Accountant-General will pay.

”In 2020, the submitted names didn’t come through the appropriate source, which is the Postgraduate Medical College and payment was affected and it was discovered that about 588 persons, who were not resident doctors benefited from such money.

”They are now finding it difficult to make the full refund. But they have to refund that money. Some are refunding, but there is no full consideration of the account.

”That account has to be reconciled to enable the accountants to pay the next round of funding for 2021,” he said.

NAN

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Motorists driving with earphones risk six months in jail –FRSC

FRSC Corps Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, in an interview with newsmen, said driving requires total concentration and road users should not take any risk on their lives.

He said it is illegal to make calls or receive same while driving, according to the National Road Traffic Regulations, 2012.

Kazeem said, “It is illegal. Driving entails 100 per cent concentration so you cannot be distracted. It is there in the regulation.

 “It is clear from the provisions of Reg 166 (1) that it is illegal to make phone call using EarPods earphone or whatever means.

“It is also clear that phone call is not restricted to telephone conversation between two or more people.

“Anything that will distract you while driving must be avoided. When we do public enlightenment, we even discourage drivers talking to passengers which could cause distraction.

“The law may not make it an offence but at the same time, it can distract you, even changing your cassette (while driving) can distract you and result to accident.”

Punch

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Drama as 19-year-old candidate who sued JAMB for N1bn handed over to police

According to the board’s Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, who briefed journalists at JAMB’s headquarters in Abuja, the candidate, Chinedu John, had claimed he scored 380 in the examination conducted in June was surprised to receive 265 from the board after the results were released.

Oloyede said, “We have 11 of them who tampered with their results. Two of them are already being prosecuted. The remaining ones we are going to withdraw their results and prosecute them. The main purpose is to sanitise the system, including our own staff.

“There was never any communication of 380 with this boy. Because this boy has accused JAMB, we are going to withhold his result until the investigation is concluded. We are going to request that our interactions with him be subjected to the public.”

However, the candidate’s father, Enugu-based lawyer, Ikeazor Akaiwe, appealed to the board to instead give room for further investigation.

“I will not stand against investigation. Let there be investigation but what I will not agree to is to prejudge him,” he said.

Earlier, John had said, “The result I have been receiving is not the result I am entitled to. I wrote the first JAMB in 2019.

“The first time, they sent 328 and later, I saw 278 when I checked it. I printed it. I couldn’t meet up for admission that year. I wanted to study medicine and surgery at the University of Ibadan.

“In 2020, the same thing happened. I scored 343, but by the time I went to the portal to print, I saw 306. I used the 306 and it gave me admission in UI. But because I didn’t have Further Mathematics, I had to forfeit it.

“I decided to leave Medicine and Surgery for them in 2021 so I picked Petroleum Engineering. In 2021, JAMB issued me two results. I saw 380 the first time I checked and then the second time, I saw 265.”

Punch

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UPDATE: LASUTH doctors warn of prolonged strike

The Association of Resident Doctors, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Chapter (LASUTH-ARD), has said that its members might not resume work even if the ongoing nationwide doctors’ strike ends.

The President of the chapter, Dr Azeez Ojekunle, disclosed this at a news conference in Lagos.

“We hereby set the record straight to citizens of Lagos that there are several local issues affecting the Lagos State Chapter of NARD and the healthcare delivery system.

“The LASUTH-ARD, in a show of unparalleled patriotism, has been engaging the government since past years with several correspondences and meetings.

“However, it has been series of unfulfilled promises after four months’ grace period since suspension of the strike.

“Following perceived insensitivity from the government despite all diplomatic measures explored, we were left with no other option than an avoidable industrial action.

“Today marks the 33rd day of the strike with no end in sight at the Lagos State and national levels,” he said.

#TheNation