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The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, who stated this at plenary said the exercise will hold in 12 centres across the country on 26 and 27th May 27.
Lawan urged Nigerians to participate fully in the exercise as the National Assembly has no pre-conceived agenda but would be opened to suggestions from Nigerians on how to move the country forward.
Punch
The service’s Public Relations Officer, Sunday James, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists.
James quoted Babandede as saying this at the NIS headquarters in Abuja during a media chat on Innovations and Administration for Ease in Passport Issuance and Processing following the decoration of 87 newly-promoted Assistant Comptrollers-General and Comptrollers of Immigration Service.
The statement was titled, ‘NIS promotes senior officers.’
The statement quoted Babandede as saying “With effect from June 1, 2021, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has directed that the issuance of passports to Nigerians will take a period of six weeks during which applicants must resolve their concerns with the passport office and the office must resolve their concerns with applicants.
“If you submit incomplete documentation, you will receive a text message asking you to come and rectify the issues. Immediately you correct your documentation the six weeks start.
“When you apply you wait for six weeks and you will get your passport. If you don’t get it, hold us responsible.
“If any passport officer fails to contact an applicant and the passport is not issued after the stipulated time, disciplinary measures will be taken against that officer.”
Babandede said, “So, there will be no operations at the passport office from today until May 31. We will use this period to clear the backlogs of passports yet unissued.
“Payment portals have been closed locally from 12 midnight today. Payments from June 1, 2021, will be purely online.
On the re-issuance of passports, Babandede added, “Applicants can come for the re-issuance of their passports from June 1, 2021; six months before their passport validity elapses.
“This means that as soon as your passport has reached six months before it expires, you have the right to come for another one.
We have improved it from three months to six months. This will solve the challenges we have been facing with reissuing passports. Also, the public must know that we no longer take cash here.
Punch
In a statement signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “Governor, Nasir El-Rufai and Kaduna State authorities must end the harassment and intimidation of NLC leaders and to withdraw the illegal statement declaring Mr Wabba and other NLC leaders ‘wanted’.
The statement, made available to newsmen in part: “Kaduna authorities must respect the human rights of Nigerian workers, and ensure the safety and security of the leaders of Nigeria Labour Congress.”
Declaring NLC leaders ‘wanted’ simply for peacefully exercising their human rights is antithetical to the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 [as amended] and the country’s international obligations.”
“Authorities ought to protect workers from attacks by thugs. Allowing thugs to disrupt the peaceful protest by workers is illegal and unconstitutional.”
“The government of President Muhammadu Buharishould investigate why the security forces stood by and watched as thugs disrupted and assaulted protesters-and take action against those who did so.”
Using thugs to attack peaceful protesters is a crime against humanity. Authorities need to find out who was responsible for the assaults and punish them appropriately.”
SERAP stated further that “Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai should immediately reinstate Kaduna State University lecturers and nurses unlawfully dismissed for allegedly joining the strike in the state.
“We’ll hold Governor Nasir El-Rufai and Kaduna authorities to account for the blatant violations of human rights.
Governor Nasir El-Rufai should explain why he reportedly unlawfully sacked all nurses below grade level 14 in the state on the pretext that the nurses embarked on strike in solidarity with the NLC.
“We’ll see in court if the lecturers and nurses are not immediately reinstated.
“We urge the UN human rights special rapporteurs to put pressure on Governor Nasir El-Rufai and Kaduna state to immediately end the brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters.”
Vanguard
He made this known in a press statement by his media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, titled, ‘KDSG will not tolerate criminal acts disguised as industrial action’.
Part of the statement read, “Any academic staff of KASU that does not report for work will be dismissed. The authorities of KASU are to submit a copy of the attendance register for all categories of staff daily to the Secretary to the State Governemnt and the Commissioner of Education.
” All MDAs are also to submit daily copies of attendance register to the Head of Service;
” KDSG will not submit its treasury to the entitled minority. We will reform and rightsize our public service to meet the needs and resources of the Kaduna State even if the NLC strikes ad infinitum.
“The government remains committed to using all the resources it can generate to serve the interests of the majority of its citizens, providing social services beyond paying salaries, always putting the interests of the many ahead of the few.”
Punch
The governor directed the Ministry of Health in the state to immediately advertise vacancies for the replacement of the dismissed nurses.
Kaduna State has been grounded in the last 48 hours as aviation workers, bank workers, rail workers, electricity workers, health workers, teachers, amongst others, down tools in protest against the alleged injustice of the El-Rufai-led government and the mass sacking of over 60,000 civil servants.
However, the governor in a statement on Tuesday titled, ‘KDSG will not tolerate criminal acts disguised as industrial action’, described the action of the NLC as a “campaign of economic and social sabotage and lawlessness”.
In the statement signed by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai warned that any worker not found in his or her place of assignment would be dismissed.
The statement added, “The Ministry of Health will dismiss all nurses below GL 14 for going on an unlawful strike. Salaries that could have gone to them are to be given as extraordinary occupational allowances to the health workers who are at their duty posts to fill the gap of those absconding from duty. The Ministry of Health has been directed to advertise vacancies for the immediate recruitment of new nurses to replace those dismissed.
“Any academic staff of KASU (Kaduna State University) that does not report for work will be dismissed. The authorities of KASU are to submit a copy of the attendance register for all categories of staff daily to the Secretary to the State Governemnt and the Commissioner of Education.
“All MDAs are also to submit daily copies of attendance register to the Head of Service.”
Punch
This is contained in a letter addressed to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and read at plenary .
Buhari said the proposed loan which is equivalent to N2.3trillion is to finance the 2021 budget deficit of N5.6 trillion.
Buhari said the loan would enable the Federal Government to fund critical infrastructural projects in transportation, health, and education among others.
This is coming barely a month after the Senate approved the sum of $1.5bn and €995 million external borrowings for the Federal Government.
The loans were part of the $5.5 billion and €995 million external borrowings Buhari had, in May 2020, asked the Red Chamber to approve to finance various priority projects of the federal government and to support the state governments facing fiscal challenges.
Punch
The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has urged Muslims to look out for the crescent (moon) of Shawwal, 1442 AH tonight.
He gave the directive in a statement issued by NSCIA Deputy Secretary-General, Prof. Salisu Shehu.
The sighting of the moon of Shawwal, according to Islamic tradition, ends Ramadan and ushers in Eid-al-Fitr.
“If the crescent is actually sighted by informed persons on Tuesday night and His Eminence is so advised by the experts, he would address the press to declare Wednesday, May 12, as the first day of Shawwal (Eid day).
“If, however, the crescent is not sighted on Tuesday night, Thursday, May 13, automatically becomes the first of Shawwal, 1442 AH (Eid day),” he said.
TheNation
The Federal Government restricted gatherings at worship centres and banned night clubs as parts of measures aimed at preventing the spread of devastating strains of COVID-19 into the country.
Amid concern about the strains of the virus in India, South Africa, Turkey and Brazil, the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 at its press briefing in Abuja reintroduced some measures which were put in place during the second COVID-19 wave in the country.
Eminent virologist and Chairman, Expert Review Committee on COVID-19, Professor Oyewale Tomori, and a virologist at the University of Ibadan, Prof David Olaleye, in separate interviews with newsmen supported government’s actions.
They warned Nigerians that India’s COVID-19 crisis was an indication that there could be a resurgence of the virus in Nigeria.
Recall that the World Health Organisation Regional Virologist, Dr Nicksy Gumede-Moeletsi, in an interview with newsmen, said B.1.351 variant of the coronavirus, first found in South Africa, was spreading in 23 African countries.
To prevent a similar occurrence in Nigeria, the National Incident Manager, Mukhtar Mohammed, who rolled out preventive measures , said a nationwide curfew would be introduced from midnight of Monday.
He said the curfew would run from 12 midnight till 4am daily.
He also said gatherings for worship or weddings should not be more than 50 per cent capacity.
He said security agents had been saddled with the responsibility of enforcing all the non-pharmaceutical measures put in place by the government.
Punch
The ASUP National President, Mr Anderson Ezeibe, made the union’s position known at an emergency congress held at the Federal polytechnic, Auchi in Edo.
“Our members should continue to believe in the union the way they have been doing, we have very supportive members as you can see; the strike is in full swing.
“Every polytechnic is observing the strike and compliance level is very high, we will continue to persevere, victory is around the corner,’’ he said.
“It is true that the government has started doing something.
“The one that has been done is the issue of governing councils that have been reconstituted and the visitation panels that have been set up.
“Offers have been made for the payment of arrears of minimum wage and the N15 billion infrastructure revitalisation fund; they are still at the level of offer because the funds have not been released.
“We want to see the funds released for the sector and we want to see some other items that require processes to be put in motion.
“If we are able to get to that point, I am sure our national executive committee will take a second look at the strike,’’ he said.
TheNation
El-Rufai said this during a webinar organised by the Africa Leadership Group.
The governor was asked to clarify his tweet in 2012 wherein he said, “Anyone, soldier or not, that kills the Fulani, takes a loan repayable one day no matter how long it takes.”
The governor was asked to clarify his tweet in 2012 wherein he said, “Anyone, soldier or not, that kills the Fulani, takes a loan repayable one day no matter how long it takes.”
In his response, the governor said, “If a Fulani man dies in war, it is different. If a Fulani man is arrested by the authorities and convicted, it is not an issue. What the Fulani never forgets is when he is innocently targeted and killed and the authorities do nothing. He will never forget and he will come back for revenge. This is it.
“So, it is better to understand the context given the context of what I tweeted which had to do with an issue in Plateau State in 2012. I hope you get the context. So, it is not that Fulani will never forget. Anyone that goes through pain and sorrow either forgets or doesn’t forget but when it is extrajudicial, when it is extra-official, the attitude is completely different.
This is the context in which Fulani never forgets. It is not in every context. As I said, I lost relations during the war. It doesn’t mean I still hold a grudge. We’ve moved past that.”
Punch
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