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  • NAPTIP DG orders nationwide crackdown on child trafficking

    NAPTIP DG orders nationwide crackdown on child trafficking

    Dr Fatima Waziri-Azi, Director-General, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), has urged stakeholders to intensify actions against child trafficking in the country.

    Waziri-Azi made the call in a statement by by Mrs Stella Nezan, Head, Public Relations unit in Abuja on Monday.

    The director-general directed all NAPTIP zonal and state commanders to leave no stone unturned towards tackling child trafficking within their jurisdictions.

    She urged them to commence surveillance operations within their coverage areas in the interest of the public.

    ”We have to ensure that child trafficking is completely tackled, all those involved in buying and selling of human beings should be apprehended and prosecuted,” she said.

    According to her, child trafficking is an inhuman activity that should not be allowed in human society.

    ”Shutdown those places they call baby factories. Apprehend and prosecute those who own them, it is illegal and barbaric,” she said.

    Waziri-Azi said that NAPTIP was committed towards strengthening partnerships with other law enforcement agencies to ensure a successful campaign against child trafficking.

    ”The spate of child trafficking, kidnaping and stealing of children is worrisome, we can’t fold our arms and watch.

    ”The law empowers the agency to deal with all cases of human trafficking, buying and selling of human beings as well as cruelty against children.

    ”I know that we have been quite proactive in delivering on our mandate, we have recorded tremendous breakthroughs, we need to be more resilient.

    ”As an agency, we have rescued many many children from their abductors and reunited then with their families, we need to do more,” she said.

    The D-G urged members of the public to support the agency with intelligence information to enable it track down trafficking offenders.

    She said that those involved in the illegal activity are known to members of the public, saying,” they can be apprehended if the right information is provided”

    ”Let’s be more vigilant, let’s endeavour to report suspicious movements within our environments, together we shall win the battle,” she said.

  • Alleged certificate fraud: Court remands ex-FIIRO DG

    Alleged certificate fraud: Court remands ex-FIIRO DG

    Justice Sherifat Solebo of an Ikeja Special Offences Court yesterday remanded Chima Igwe, a former Director-General of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO)for alleged certificate fraud.

    She ordered that Igwe should be kept at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre pending perfection of bail she granted him in the sum of N500,000 and two sureties in like sum.

    According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Igwe pleaded not guilty to a three-count charge of giving a document with false information, using office to proffer unfair advantage and making a false statement to a public officer.

    The charges were proffered against the ex-director-general by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).

    According to ICPC lead counsel, Mr Henry Emore, Igwe committed the offences in Lagos sometime in December 2002.

    The ICPC alleges that Igwe, while being a public officer with FIIRO, knowingly gave, with intent to deceive, an attestation letter signifying completion of a PhD programme from the University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC), Republic of Benin, to the organisation.

    “He conferred unfair advantage upon himself through the presentation of attestation letter which enabled him to gain many promotions at FIIRO and rise through the ranks to the directorate cadre.

    “Sometime in January 2020, Igwe made a false statement to detective Andrew Osove, an investigating officer with the ICPC.

    “He falsely told Osove that he completed his PhD programme at UAC, Republic of Benin, in 2001, when, indeed, he knew that such a statement was untrue at that particular time,” ICPC said.

    The alleged offences contravene Sections 17(1)(c), 19 and 25(1)(b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act.

    Igwe’s counsel, Mr E.O. Ekong, via a bail application dated Sept. 27 and supported by an 18-paragraph affidavit, had asked the court to grant him bail in liberal terms.

    In a short ruling, Solebo granted Igwe bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.

    “The two sureties should reside in Lagos and should be employed with proof of income. The address of the sureties must be verified by the court.

    “The defendant is to be remanded at the correctional centre pending perfection of bail.

    “This case is adjourned till 21, 22, 23 and 24 February 2022 at 9 a.m. for trial,” the judge held.

  • NECA DG, Timothy Olawale is dead

    NECA DG, Timothy Olawale is dead

    The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has announced the death of its Director-General, Dr Timothy Olawale.

    NECA Secretariat said in a statement issued in Lagos on Saturday that Olawale passed on, on Friday, Oct. 1 in a hospital in Abuja.

    “It is with deepest sadness that we announce the passing of Dr Timothy Olawale, our Director-General, which occurred on Oct. 1 2021 at a hospital in Abuja.

    “He is survived by his wife, children and other relatives; we pray the good Lord to grant his family and us all, the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss,’’ it stated.

    The statement added that the association was in contact with the family and more information would be communicated in due course.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the late Dr Olawale was confirmed as the substantive Director-General of NECA in January 2019, after six months in acting capacity.

    He succeeded Mr Segun Oshinowo, who retired in December 2018 after serving the association for 19 years.

  • Buhari approves take-off of National Senior Citizens Centre, appoints Omokaro as DG

    Buhari approves take-off of National Senior Citizens Centre, appoints Omokaro as DG

    President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the take-off of the National Senior Citizens Centre with Dr Emem Omokaro as Director-General and 12 members with immediate effect.

    Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, confirmed this in a statement in Abuja on Monday.

    According to the presidential aide, the approval is in line with Section 16 (2) (d) of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution as amended, which mandates the state to provide adequate social services and improve the quality of life of the elderly.

    The National Senior Citizens Centre was passed into law as the National Senior Citizens Centre Act, 2017 to cater for the needs of senior citizens (70 years and above) in the country.

    ”To realise this noble objective and ensure relevance and spread, persons of proven integrity from key ministries and organisations have been appointed into the centre’s Governing Board,” Shehu added.

    Consequently, he said the president had approved the appointment of retired AVM. M.A. Muhammad as Chairman of the Board, with Mansur Kuliya, representing the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development as member.

    Dr Chris Osa Isokpunwu, representing Federal Ministry of Health; Mr Umar Abdullahi Utono, representing Federal Ministry of Works and Housing; and Dr John Olushola Magbadelo, representing Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity were also appointed as members.

    Other members include: Mrs Bulus Friya Kimde, representing Federal Ministry of Women Affairs; Mr Sani Mustapha, representing Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) and Prof. Usman Ahmed, representing Geriatric Association of Nigeria.

    Other members are Mrs Victoria Onu, representing Coalition of Societies for the Rights of Older Persons (CORSOPIN) and three other stakeholders namely Dr Dorothy Nwodo, Prof. Mohammed Namadi and Dr Emem Omokaro who also serves as Director General.

    The president also approved the appointment of Ahmed Mustapha Habib as new Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to replace retired AVM Muhammad, now the Chairman of the National Senior Citizens Centre.

    ”The appointments are for an initial period of four years,” the statement revealed.

  • JUST IN: Buhari approves appointment of Fikpo as NDE DG; Issa Aremu as Director, National Institute for Labour Studies

    JUST IN: Buhari approves appointment of Fikpo as NDE DG; Issa Aremu as Director, National Institute for Labour Studies

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo as the substantive Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE).

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that before now, Fikpo has been the Acting DG of the agency.

    According to a statement released by President Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, the appointment is for a period of four years effective from 18th May, 2021.

    In addition, Buhari also approved the appointment of Issa Aremu as the substantive Director of the National Institute for Labour Studies.

    Before his appointment, Aremu has been a notable Trade Unionist who has risen through the ranks in the Trade Union hierarchy in Nigeria.

    His appointment is also for a period of four years effective from 18th May, 2021.

  • Its Official! WTO meets next week to confirm Okonjo-Iweala as DG

    Its Official! WTO meets next week to confirm Okonjo-Iweala as DG

    Sequel to recent developments in the tight race for the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), all seems set by the organization to appoint Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as its first female and first African leader next week.

    The global trade body announced Tuesday that it would hold a special meeting of its General Council on February 15 “to consider the appointment of the next WTO director-general”.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the announcement comes after United States President Joe Biden’s administration last week offered its “strong support” to Okonjo-Iweala, marking yet another sharp split from his predecessor Donald Trump, who had blocked her nomination for months.

    TNG reports that key WTO ambassadors tapped Okonjo-Iweala back in October as the best pick to lead the organisation but Trump’s administration maintained its opposition to her appointment and said it backed her opponent, South Korea’s trade minister Yoo Myung-hee, instead.

    Since the WTO makes decisions through consensus among all 164 member states, the US position left the process to replace Roberto Azevedo who stepped down a year ahead of schedule last August at a standstill.

    Observers suggested that South Korea had long been under pressure from the United States an ally that has 28,500 troops in the country to defend it from nuclear-armed North Korea to keep Yoo in the race.

    But Seoul suddenly announced last Friday that she was abandoning her bid, just hours before Washington announced its change of position.

    With no further obstacles in her path, Okonjo-Iweala is expected to quickly be tapped for the director-general post at Monday’s meeting.

    It remains unclear if she will be asked to take the reins immediately or if her term would start at a later date.

    Once she does, she will have her hands full.

    Twice Nigeria’s finance minister and its first woman foreign minister, 66-year-old Okonjo-Iweala is seen as a trailblazer in her country.

    A development economist by training with degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, she also spent a quarter of a century at the World Bank, rising to be managing director and running for the top role in 2012.

  • FG announces replacement for sacked NDE DG

    FG announces replacement for sacked NDE DG

    The Federal Government has appointed Mallam Abubakar Fikpo as the Acting Director General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to replace Dr. Nasiru Argungu who was sacked from the position on Dec.7

    Mr Festus Keyamo, Minister of State, Labour and Employment, confirmed the appointment in a letter titled “Appointment as Acting Director General of National Directorate of Employment” and addressed to Fikpo on Wednesday in Abuja.

    “Following the directive of Mr President relieving Dr Nasiru Argungu as the Director General of the NDE, you are hereby directed to take over as the Acting Director General of the Agency pending ratification by Mr President.

    “This is to ensure there is no vacuum in the administration of the Agency,” the minister said.

    Keyamo, who is also the Supervising minister of the agency, said the directive takes effect from Monday, 7 Dec.

    The minister enjoined the Acting Director General to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the Agency, while also ensuring a proper handing over to him by Dr Nasiru Argungu of all government property in his possession.

    It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had on Dec. 7 relieved Dr Nasiru Argungu of his post as the Director General of the National Directorate of Employment, with a directive to the Minister of State for Labour and Employment to propose an Acting Director-General from among the Senior Directors of NDE based on competence and seniority.

  • No palliatives stored in any NYSC camp-DG

    No palliatives stored in any NYSC camp-DG

    Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim has stated that palliatives are not stored in any of their camps across the country.

    He said this when the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, visited the NYSC camp in Kubwa, Abuja on Friday, to assess the amount of damage after it was looted by hoodlums.

    Ibrahim, who said they were preparing for the camp to be reopened on November 10, 2020, begged Nigerians not to attack their facilities.

    He said the attack on the camp by looters was bad as their duty was to train young Nigerians to better serve their communities.

    Adamu, who described the camp as heavily looted, said they were working hard to round up the perpetrators.

    He said 53 people had been detained so far for looting the camp and some of the items recovered.

    Adamu called on members of the public to provide information about people they know looted any property in any part of the city.

     

     

  • APC Governors Forum DG replies Oshiomhole over ‘pig’, ’empty brain’ comments

    APC Governors Forum DG replies Oshiomhole over ‘pig’, ’empty brain’ comments

    The Director General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Dr. Salihu Moh’ Lukmam on Tuesday said he holds the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in high esteem and will not join issues with him.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that Lukman had recently told Oshiomhole to take the back seat while the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu markets himself to the electorates. The DG said the Edo campaign was appearing more like a contest between Governor Godwin Obaseki and Oshiomhole.

    Responding, Oshiomhole on Monday lashed at Lukman comparing him to a pig and having empty brain.

    Reacting to Oshiomhole’s outburst, the DG in an interview with newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday said, “You are all aware of the statement attributed to the former National Chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. I want to make two brief statements as a rider to what I will call an appeal. The first statement is to say very unequivocally that I hold Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in a very high esteem.

    “I respect him, not just as a leader of APC, but as a person. I have had very good relationship with him and my relationship with him is special. My relationship with him is not in the way people imagined. The question of agreeing or disagreeing has been part of our relationship. I respect him and I respect every leader of the party.

    “My prayer and hope is that our leaders will be able to have the needed large heart to tolerate one another and tolerate all of us because as human beings, God has created us differently. And it is the basis of the test of leadership – to be able to show an open, accommodating disposition to each one of us.

    “The second statement I want to make is that I grew up in a very complex extended family set up and one of the things it has done in terms of my personal make up is that it imposes on me to be accountable at every point in time.

    “When I commit an offence, based on my upbringing in that environment, I never transfer any of my offences to my parents or to any of my senior ones. I was always made to account and where there is the need as part of that accountability for me to be punished, I get punished. Having said that, I am open and ready to account for whatever I had said to the party and the leadership; if in the end the process of accountability requires that I get sanctioned, I will accept and I will remain in this party and continue to contribute in whatever way I can to help the development of the party.

    “I account for my ‘offence’. Nobody should transfer my offence to any other leader of the party. That is the reason why I said I don’t think it is a matter that we should belabour. I take responsibility and all that I have said, you all have it. It is written in ink. It is not verbal communication that I can dispute. They are written documents.

    He then appealed to party leaders to show some respect for resolving all the challenges facing the party for the sustenance of the party ethics.

    “I have said it over and over again and I will repeat it- I am a proud member of the APC and my membership of APC supersedes any other responsibility that I may be called to discharge. I believe today in Nigeria, APC is about the only political party where internal contestation is permissible and to some extent, people like me are enjoying that privilege on account of availability of such a space.

    “I have said it before that people can call President Muhammadu Buhari by any name, but I think the liberal environment we have in APC should be attributed to him because if he had conducted his affairs as the President of this country and being the leader of the party in the way, for instance, one of the former Presidents had conducted himself under PDP, we would not have had this freedom.”

    When asked if he is under threat of sack following calls for his sanction by some party chieftains, Lukman said, “No. I have said it before and even in the last statement in the submission to Gov. Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee, I am very proud to work for Progressive Governors and no doubt people would have individual positions on the position that I have taken but as far as I know, I think it encourages me that our leaders are truly disposed to engagement when it comes to issues of ideas on how to develop this party.

    “So, it is not a matter of running away from certain issues that I had raised. I talked about the dangers of a single story as espoused by Chimamanda and I did not want the story that is all over the air now around what Comrade Oshiomhole said to be the only or single story. I want people to hear from me. I mean, I respect him and that is it.”

    But when asked if the six months period given the Governor Buni led Caretaker Committee would be enough to accomplish its assignment and some of the DG’s recommendations in his letter to the committee, Lukman said he has confidence in the committee to deliver.

    “That is why I said that I have absolute confidence in the Gov. Mai Mala Buni Caretaker Committee. We are not God, so leave that, only God that is perfect. He has set out from the beginning and has an unhindered and problem free exercise. Especially on issues that will be contextual, it is going to be contested, so anything could happen. At the moment, I am confident about the Caretaker Committee. They are working and I am absolutely sure they will begin to address the issues in no distance time.

    “Whether they will have problem of time? We will cross the bridge when we get there. I think it is better to have that approach than to set out with the mindset that there will be problem, we will continue to be-labour the matter and that will distract them from focusing on getting initiated. That is my position.”

  • Okonjo-Iweala raises alarm: Some influential Nigerians sabotaging my campaign for WTO job

    Okonjo-Iweala raises alarm: Some influential Nigerians sabotaging my campaign for WTO job

    Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance and candidate for the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala has raised the alarm that some highly placed Nigerians are making moves to sabotage her campaign for the position.

    In a statement on Friday by her Media Adviser, Mr Paul Nwabuikwu, the former minister said
    these persons and their cohorts are peddling outright lies and distortions designed to invent a non-existent scandal in order to paint her and her campaign in negative light.

    The statement said, “It has come to our attention that there is an ongoing effort by some well-connected Nigerians to sabotage the campaign of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the country’s candidate for Director-General of the World Trade Organization.

    “As part of this campaign, these persons and their cohorts are peddling outright lies and distortions designed to invent a non-existent ‘scandal’ in order to paint the Candidate and her campaign in negative light.

    “An example of this is the effort to misrepresent the Campaign’s relationship with Mercury Communications, one of the organizations and individuals that have done voluntary, pro bono work for the Campaign.

    “Mercury was never formally engaged by Dr Okonjo-Iweala and its work for the Campaign was done strictly on volunteer basis.

    “Against this background, the attempt by these elements to manufacture a ‘controversy’ in the local and international media by distorting the facts and creating falsehoods to link the Campaign with some of Mercury’s current or past clients to push a false impression is contemptible.”

    The minister in the statement said that it is sad that the elements behind this campaign are placing their “squalid concerns above the interests of the country.”

    She added, “We urge all well-meaning Nigerians to ignore this condemnable effort.

    “Dr Okonjo-Iweala is humbled that her campaign is progressing in the right direction and that her candidacy has been embraced by many Nigerians, including a growing number of spirited volunteers.”

    While appreciating the strong show of support by both the Presidency and Nigerians, despite the efforts of the persons engaged in this negative exercise, Okonjo-Iweala assured that she would continue to do her best to make her candidacy count for the country.

    Meanwhile, Mercury on Friday also issued a statement denying receiving the campaign contract of Okonjo-Iweala for the WTO job.

    “Mercury does not and has never had a contract to represent Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s campaign for WTO. Her campaign team is comprised of volunteers.
    A small number of Mercury employees are volunteering to help Dr Ngozi in her campaign for WTO Director General. She is not a client of our firm and the campaign has never had a contract with Mercury. An administrative error was made when the staff volunteered, leading to a precautionary LDA registration. This was cancelled because it was unnecessary,” the statement said.