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The Soun of Ogbomoso , Oba Oladunni Oyewumi , has expressed disagreement with the Oyo State Governor , Mr Seyi Makinde, on the proposal to turn the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology , Ogbomoso into a multi – campus institution .

The Vice- Chairman , House of Representatives Committee on Navy , Capt . Adejumo Ajao ( retd ), also called on the governor to rescind his decision on the move.

The monarch, who spoke to news correspondent through his Private Secretary , Mr Toyin Ajamu , said such a move would be a disservice to the people of the town and its economy .

He said , “Kabiyesi disagrees with the proposal of the governor to turn LAUTECH to a multi – campus institution . He was one of the stakeholders who fought for the establishment of the university then and that was not part of the proposal for the university.

“ There are other institutions owned by Oyo State which are not multi -campus . So why should LAUTECH be the only one ? Kabiyesi is not happy about this . Those institutions in other towns are not shared with other towns . This is not the position of Kabiyesi alone , it is the position of the entire Ogbomoso people . ”

The lawmaker , who represents Ogbomoso North , South , and Orire Federal Constituency, said taking some faculties away from Ogbomoso would be tantamount to hatred because there were institutions in other towns which were not shared with other regions .

The lawmaker said this in a statement by his Director of Media , Strategy, and Publicity , Mr Olusola Olayanju .

Ajao said , “ I will like to refresh the memory of Governor Seyi Makinde led administration that each of the zones in the state has one or more state institutions( Oyo had EACOED , Ibarapa with College of Agriculture Igboora , OkeOgun with Polytechnic at Eruwa and Saki, while Ibadan has Technical University ) without any campus in Ogbomoso . It will be tantamount to hatred if the decision to turn LAUTECH into a multi – campus institution sees the light of the day .

“ Though making LAUTECH a multi -campus institution has it advantage, but the adverse effects are numerous , so , I call on His Excellency , Engr Seyi Makinde to critically access the situation and rescind his decision on the move . ”

The estimated 25 million Nigerians that will benefit from the Federal Government’ s Solar Home Systems that commences this week will be expected to pay about N4 , 000 monthly , the presidency has said .

The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity , Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a statement titled “ 25 m Nigerians to own 5 m solar systems at N4 , 000 monthly . ”

The installation is in continuation of the implementation of the government ’ s Economic Sustainability Plan .

“ An important aspect of the scheme is the option of outright ownership by beneficiaries at a cost ranging from N1 , 500 per week to N 4 , 000 monthly depending on the capacities , for a period of three years , ” Akande said .

The presidential aide said , “The programme will include the assembly or manufacturing of components of off- grid solutions to facilitate the growth of the local manufacturing industry .

“ In view of the scale of materials required , solar equipment manufacturers /assemblers will be incentivised to set up facilities in Nigeria , thereby offering additional job opportunities to Nigerians .

“ In addition , installation , servicing and payment collections are expected to provide thousands of other jobs. In all, at least 250 , 000 jobs will be created . ”

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The Joint Committees on Appropriations of both the Senate and the House of Representatives have assured that they will submit the harmonised report on the rejigged N13.08 trillion 2021 budget proposals on Thursday for consideration and subsequent passage next week.

Disclosing this weekend, Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Jibrin Barau, All Progressives Congress, APC, Kano North, said, “Time table for that has already been drawn up and we shall work assiduously in keeping to it by submitting harmonized report of the budgetary proposal to the Senate on the 3rd of December , 2020 for final consideration and passage latest by the following week”.

Speaking with Journalists weekend in Abuja, the Chairman Senate Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency ( FERMA), Senator Gershom Bassey, PDP, Cross Rivers South) who lamented the poor funding by the Federal Government on road maintenance, said that N400 billion was required for such projects yearly, adding that the N38billion earmaked for maintenance of over 35,000 kilometres Federal Roads across the country will not give Nigerians the desired results.

He said, “What the committee has just submitted to the Appropriation committee for such exercise in 2021 fiscal year , is the N38billion proposed for it by the executive , which cannot cover up to one quarter of the entire length of deplorable roads in the country.

“Unfortunately , despite having the power of Appropriation , we cannot as a committee jerk up the sum since we are not in a position to carry out the estimation of work to be done on each of the specific portion of the road.

“Doing that without proposals to that effect from the executive , may lead to project insertion or padding as often alleged in the media.

“But the situation on ground as far as the committees on FERMA at both Chambers are concerned , is very bad ,requiring far more than N38billion earmarked.

“If the roads are well maintained on yearly basis , reconstruction and rehabilitation which require bigger amounts of monies and years to carry out may not be necessary as frequently as they are now.”

Vanguard

The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Judicial Inquiry probing the alleged killing of # EndSARS protesters by soldiers at the Lekki tollgate on the night of October 20 on Saturday resumed the viewing of a CCTV footage submitted by the Lekki Concession Company , operators of the tollgate .

The footage showed that the scene was calm until about 6 . 43 pm when people could be seen running towards the tollgate from the Oriental Hotel end.

Two minutes later , at 6 . 45 pm , military trucks with flashing headlights arrived the scene . There were no fewer than seven of them.

At 6 . 53 pm, about 10 minutes after the arrival of the military vehicles , the tollgate went into a blackout .

Two minutes later , at 6 . 55 pm , one of the military vehicles drove through the tollgate to the other end where the crowd of protesters was gathered .

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President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan , has warned that there could be anarchy if the Senate is scrapped as being clamoured by some Nigerians .

Rather , he challenged those who are not comfortable with the senators in the current 9 th Senate to vote them out in 2023 if they don ’ t like their faces .

Lawan stated this while declaring open , a retreat for top management staff of the National Assembly and National Assembly Service Commission in Abuja .

He described the Senate as a leveler which ensured that all parts of the country are equally represented unlike the House of Representatives where states with higher populations produce the highest number of lawmakers .

The Senate President also faulted the argument of those clamouring for the scrapping of the Senate because of the perceived jumbo pay being earned by the senators .

He said the annual budget of the National Assembly is less than one per cent of the nation’ s 2021 budget .

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The Federal Government has expressed satisfaction with the roles played by the military, police , and other security agencies during the # EndSARS protests.

The Minister of Information and Culture , Lai Mohammed , said this at a televised press conference in Abuja .

He lamented that six soldiers and 37 policemen were killed during the “ # EndSARS crisis ” , claiming that soldiers killed no protester at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos on October 20 .

Though there were reports that some protesters were killed and injured , the minister said the soldiers were professional .

He also said reports indicating that protesters were killed relied on unverified facts from social media .

The minister argued that soldiers and policemen “ deserve commendation not condemnation ” unless people would say “ their lives do not matter ” .

He also described as demoralising reports stating that protesters were killed without stating attacks on security operatives and infrastructure by hoodlums.

He said , “ It is important to say that the Federal Government is very satisfied with the role played by the security agencies , especially the military and the police , all through the EndSARS crisis . The security agents were professional and measured in
their response . Even when their lives were at stake , they exercised uncommon restraint . Their professionalism and measured response saved many lives and properties . For example , despite arresting hordes of looters during the violence in Lagos , the army treated them humanely and even counseled them before handing them over to the police .

“ The same cannot be said of those who unleashed mayhem on the security agents , killing and maiming them, sometimes in such a barbaric manner that is unprecedented in these parts . As I said earlier , six soldiers and 37 policemen were killed all over the country during the crisis . This is in addition to 196 policemen who were injured ; 164 police vehicles that were destroyed and 134 police stations that were razed.

“ Also , the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Nigeria Customs Service and Nigeria Immigration Service all lost infrastructures , equipment and other valuables to attack by hoodlums during the crisis . Eight medium security custodial centres in six
states ( Edo, Lagos , Abia , Delta , Ondo and Ebonyi) were attacked , with 1 , 957 inmates set free and 31 staff injured .

“ The Federal Government will therefore not accept a situation in which some so – called human rights bodies and jaundiced media organizations will continue to harass the security agencies over their roles during the crisis . Soldiers , policemen and other security agents deserve commendation, not condemnation , except , of course , their critics are saying they are not human beings and that their own rights do not matter . It is depressing and demoralizing to continue to vilify men and women in uniform , who themselves were victims of senseless violence unleashed by hoodlums .

“ The role of the human rights organizations , in particular , became suspect after they simply ignored the brutal killing and maiming of security agents during the crisis , as well as the orgy of violence that left 57 civilians dead , 269 private/ corporate facilities burnt /looted / vandalized, 243 government facilities burnt /vandalized and 81 government warehouses looted , and instead continued to dwell on the bodiless and bloodless ‘ massacre’ at Lekki Toll Gate .

“ They did not see anything wrong in the public and
private properties that were burnt or looted , neither did they see anything wrong in the fact that some of the businesses that were looted belonged to struggling young men and women . All they could see in their biased view of the whole situation was a hoax massacre . ”

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The Federal Government has insisted that there was no massacre when soldiers dispersed # EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate , Lagos on October 20 , 2020 as Nigerians and the international community are being made to believe .

The Minister of Information and Culture , Lai Mohammed , said this at a press conference in Abuja .

Mohammed who was joined at the briefing by heads of parastatals under his ministry attributed the reports of massacre to those he described as purveyors of fake news.

He said what was alleged to have happened could either be “ social media massacre” or at best “ massacre without bodies . ”

The minister said , “ While we await the judicial panel in Lagos to unravel what transpired at the Lekki Toll Gate , what we can say, based on testimonies available in the public space , is that the world may have just witnessed , for the very first time ever , a massacre without bodies !

“ Some have tagged it ‘ social media massacre . ’ The testimony of Brig . – Gen, Ahmed Ibrahim Taiwo of the Nigerian Army before the panel was compelling , and I am sure many of you have listened to or watched it . ”

Relying heavily on Taiwo ’ s testimony , Mohammed insisted that soldiers at Lekki Toll Gate fired blank ammunition into the air and that could not have done any damage to the flesh , not to talk of killing anyone .

He challenged those who alleged massacre at the toll gate to appear before the judicial panel to the world or simply admit that they goofed .

The minister said , “ Sadly, the purveyors of fake news and disinformation succeeded in deceiving the world that indeed there was mass killing in Lekki , even when, till date , not a single body has been produced and not a single family or relative has come out to say their child or ward was killed at Lekki.

“ More surprising and irresponsible is the fact that some people have been calling for sanctions against Nigeria or against Nigerian government officials on the basis of a hoax .

“ This is one of the dangers of fake news and disinformation . Once fake news is out, many run with it, without looking back , even when the truth is
eventually revealed .

“ We , therefore , want to use this opportunity to ask those who have alleged massacre at the Lekki Toll Gate to go to the judicial panel to present their evidence( s ) to the world or simply admit that they have goofed . ”

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that he will do whatever it will take to ensure that the #EndSARS protests does not repeat itself in the country.

Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Dingyadi, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the National Security Council meeting chaired by President Buhari at the Presidential Villa Abuja.

Dingyadi said that the meeting was convened to brief the President about security situation in the country.

According to him, “The meeting noted with concern the increasing cases of armed banditry particularly in the North West and North Eastern part of the country. The meeting agreed to be more proactive in dealing with the situation in a more decisive manner.

“The meeting noted the need to pay greater attention to the police in the discharge of its functions to maintain peace in the country, in the areas of equipment and moderne technology.

“The meeting thanked the President for the concern which he has shown in repositioning the police to perform more effectively.

“In his concluding remarks, Mr. President thanked members for the efforts they are making in maintaining peace and assured members that he will do whatever it takes to support security agencies in providing peace in the country.

“Mr. President assured Nigerians that he will do whatever it takes to ensure the repeat of EndSARS protests does not occur in Nigeria again.

“Mr. President reassured that all stakeholders will be involved in the process of maintaining peace in the country, particularly the youth, community leaders, traditional rulers, politicians, public servants, religious leaders etc.”

Asked to explain what the President meant by saying he will not allow a repeat of EndSARS protest and whether he would move against any such protest in future, the Minister said, “What we are saying is that government will continue to dialogue, it will continue to listen and will continue to carry all stakeholders along in ensuring that there is no repeat of what happened that destroyed a lot of properties, public and private, individuals in this country.”

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Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has assured that Nigerians will get used to the deregulation of the pump price of petroleum product just as they have become in the case of kerosene and diesel.

Speaking to State House correspondents after his routine briefing of President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Chief Sylva said diesel and kerosene were even more important to the ordinary citizens than petrol, which he said was mostly used by the elite.

He explained that trucks that move food produce from one part of the country to another use diesel while kerosene also used by most of the Nigerian masses has since been deregulated.

According to him, “Look at it, a situation where diesel has been deregulated long ago, a situation where kerosene has been deregulated long ago, and these are the fuels the poorest people in Nigeria interact with more. Why do I say that?

“If you want to transport food from the north to the south, it will be by trucks that are run by diesel, not with petrol. Those trucks that transport food from the north to the south are usually run by diesel.

“Kerosene is the preferred fuel at the lowest level of our society. These have been deregulated long ago. So, what is the problem with deregulating petrol, which is mostly used by the elite?

“Let us be fair to this country, let us be fair to the poor people in this country.

“If we have deregulated what they were using, then there is actually no reason why we should continue to subsidize petrol. I feel so. That’s my personal feeling.”

Vanguard

The National Examinations Council has released the 2020 National Common Entrance Examination results and fixed the national cut off marks at 142 .

NECO said that “ 16 , 713 candidates were absent due to the # EndSARS protests that rocked the country recently . ”

According to the organisation , a total of 70 , 580 candidates sat for the examination nationwide , out of which 24 , 416 candidates passed , scoring a minimum of 66 .

The Registrar and Chief Executive of NECO , Prof . Godswill Obioma , while presenting the results to the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu in Abuja said three students got the highest scores .

They were Umeonyiagu Chinua Crucifixio from Anambra State (199 ) , Onwuamanam Udochukwu from Enugu State ( 198 ) and Salaam Mariam Aderemilekun from Lagos State ( 197 ).

After receiving the results , Adamu said he was delighted with the speed with which the leadership of NECO conducted the 2020 National Common Entrance Examination despite the setbacks occasioned by the outbreak of COVID- 19 and the # EndSARS protest .

He said that with the Unity Colleges now 110 , admissions carrying capacity has been shored up to 26 , 625 for the current academic year.

Adamu said , “I understand that a total of 70 , 580 candidates sat for the examination, out of which 24 , 416 candidates passed, scoring a minimum of 66 . I noted also that the total carrying capacity of our 110 Unity Colleges now stands 26 , 625 , having added 720 slots with the establishment of six more Federal Science and Technical Colleges across the six geopolitical zones.

“ As has been the tradition for decades , the admission criteria include 60 per cent strictly on merit , 30 per cent based on states ’ representation in the Unity Colleges and the remaining 10 per cent to cover other sundry considerations such as special needs candidates , gender , local community and biological children of teachers , PTA, SBMC and old students organizations , etc.

“ Consequently , in this year ’ s admission , the 60 per cent merit based on admission will come first , followed by the 30 per cent equality of States and 10 per cent discretion .

“ I have , therefore , directed that within 72 hours of the receipt of the results , principals are to complete both the merit – based ( 60 per cent ) and 30 per cent of equality of states admission .

“ The selection meeting to be held at a designated date and venue will deal with the shopping and swapping of candidates to meet the 30 per cent states representation as much as possible . ”

Punch