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IPOB’s sit-at-home Order : Absent Yourself From Work And forfeit August salary, Obiano threatens

Any government worker in Anambra who abstains from office on Monday because of the sit-at-home order by the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB, will forfeit his or her August salary, Governor Willie Obiano has threatened.

This was contained in a circular to heads of all the Ministries and parastaltals by the Head of Service HOS, Harry Uduh.

The government asked all Commissioners and Permanent Secretaries to monitor compliance in the State and report back

It reads: “The Government of Anambra State has directed that all workers in the State must attend to their duties on Monday 9th August 2021 as failure to do so will result in severe sanctions including loss of Salary for the month of August.

“All Hon. Commissioners and Permanent Secretaries are to monitor and report compliance please.

” Kindly give this information the widest publicity in your Establishment.” HOS.

Fear of possible attack has gripped residents but Anambra Police Command said there was no cause for alarm

Speaking with The Nation, Anambra Police spokesman, Ikenga Tochukwu, said their duty was to protect lives and property of the residents

He said the Command with the other sister agencies would make sure no harm would befell any citizen as they move about their normal businesses

Before the circular on Sunday, the State government had made it clear residents should ignore the order by IPOB and go about their normal businesses.

But many residents said they would stick to the safe option of staying away.

One of the traders said even if the government offered her N1m to go to the market she would not accept.

“Those people behave like wild animals. I have my family to take care of. if I die now, who will take care of them? IPOB members are not human beings,” she stated.

A government worker in one of the ministries told The Nation he would monitor the situation first before any taking decision.

He said it would be better to lose one month salary than his life in the hands of the ‘beasts’ when he was nearing his retirement period.

“No one will like to disobey government directive but the IPOB members are heartless.

” They are the “unknown gunmen”, nobody knows their minds. It’s a difficult situation for the workers in Anambra,” the worker said.

Onyeka Onwenu Speaks On ‘Secret Marriage, Sleeping With Obasanjo, King Sunny Ade

Popular Nigerian singer, Onyeka Onwemu, has open up on clams that she had a secret marriage with former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo.

Onwenu in an interview with Chude Jideonwo noted that the allegation that she slept with Obasanjo and had a secret marriage with the former President is false.

She also revealed she was accused while growing up of sleeping with many big men in Nigeria.

The veteran singer said: “I was accused of sleeping with Sunny Ade, Fela and Obasanjo.

“They even went to the extent of saying I got married to Obasanjo secretly. If he approached me to marry him, why would I keep it a secret? We would have made it public so that was funny.”

Onwenu further stated her marriage to her ex-husband would have almost killed her if not for her brother who saved her.

Falana Gives Malami 7 Days Ultimatum To Provide Information On Trial Of 800 Boko Haram Suspects

Human rights activist, Femi Falana (SAN), has asked the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, to provide information on the charges brought against 800 Boko Haram suspects.

Recall that in April the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) arrested dozens of persons during a nationwide crackdown on the suspected Boko Haram financiers and collaborations.

In a Freedom of Information (FoI) request signed by Samuel Ogala, Falana asked Malami to provide the information of their prosecution within seven days in accordance with the act.

The letter read, “In November 2020, the Governors of the North East Region applied to prosecute Boko Haram suspects who were arrested and held in detention by the security forces. The application was made on the ground that the process of prosecuting terrorists, which was solely reserved for the Attorney General of the Federation was unnecessarily unwieldy. Nonetheless, the application was not granted.

“In April, 2021, the Governors expressed their reservations over the delay in the trial of the terror suspects, demanding a prosecutorial power from the Attorney General of the Federation to enable their respective State Governments to prosecute the detained Boko Haram suspects. The request was also rejected.

“However, by May 2021, the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation was widely reported in the print and electronic media to the effect that the Federal Government had concluded arrangements to prosecute about 800 suspects linked to the Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram, as soon as the industrial action embarked upon by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) was called off.

“In the light of the above, we request that our law firm be furnished with information with respect to when these Boko Haram suspects would be arraigned in court, since the strike by JUSUN has since been called off.

“Kindly ensure that we are furnished with the requested information within 7 days of the receipt of this letter in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.

“Honorable Minister, whilst we anticipate your expeditious consideration of this application, please do accept the assurances of our esteemed regards.”

Important Things You Should Know About Late Captain Hosa Okunbo

It was earlier reported that Edo State-born politician, philanthropist and business mogul, Captain Hosa Okunbo is dead.
The billionaire, 63, died at the early hours of today Sunday after a long battle with cancer.

Okunbo, Chairman of Ocean Marine Solution Limited, died in London, United Kingdom.

Brief profile:

Idahosa (Hosa) Wells Okunbo (born 7 January 1958) was a Nigerian business magnate, investor, philanthropist and trained commercial pilot.

He served as either chairman or director on numerous company boards in Nigeria, spanning multiple business sectors such as the agro-allied, petroleum, telecommunications, power, real estate and banking industries.

Okunbo is a native of Edo State in the southern part of Nigeria.

He was born in Benin City to the family of Reverend Robert Amos Okunbo, a clergyman, teacher and community leader.

Okunbo had his primary education at Government Primary in Benin City, old Bendel State, now Edo State.

He proceeded to Federal Government College, Warri, in 1971, where he sat for West African Senior School Certificate Examination.

Okunbo was a native speaker of the Edo language, and a fluent speaker of English.

He pursued a desire to become a pilot by studying at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Training Centre, Zaria, Kaduna State, and became a professional commercial pilot at the age of 21.

He also attended ACME School of Aeronautics, Fort Worth Texas in 1983, where he obtained an Airline Transport Pilot License.

He established Hoslyn Ventures Limited, a company focused on procurement in the Oil and Gas sector and, since then, his business interests have grown in leaps and bounds.

Owing to the restiveness in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, Captain Okunbo set up Ocean Marine Security Limited, a pioneer Marine Security company responsible for offshore asset protection for major oil companies in Nigeria.

He is also the Chairman of the following companies

PPP Fluid Mechanics Limited, a crude oil logistics company
OMS Tankers Ltd, owners of the first indigenous marine tankers in Nigeria;
Westminster Security Solutions Limited, a franchise of Westminster Group Plc UK.
Wells Habitat Limited, a company partnering the Abuja Environmental Protection Agency
Hoslyn Habitat Limited, a foremost design, construction and landscaping company
Wells Property Development Company Limited, involved in the development of affordable properties / offices
Gyro Air Limited, operators of charter flight operations
…and a Director of the following companies:

Joint Marine Environ Guard Ltd (JMEG),
Secure Anchorage Area Limited (SAA)
Digisteel Integrated Services Ltd
Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Limited (IEDM), core investor in Ibadan and Yola Electricity Distribution Companies

Phil Nugent Nigeria Limited
In 1997, as part of his contribution to Nigeria’s electoral process, Capt. Okunbo was the leader of a business team that nurtured the idea that led to the introduction of transparent ballot boxes for use in Nigeria’s elections.

He also participated in numerous national and international fora as a resource person and has been honoured by different organisations and institutions.

In 2007, this distinguished gentleman was honoured with the Justice of the Peace (JP) in recognition of his astounding contributions to the promotion of peace and good governance as well as development of his constituency.

An Honorary Doctorate Degree was conferred upon him by the prestigious University of Benin for his contribution and benevolence to humanity as well as his achievements as an entrepreneur.

Captain Hosa is survived by wife, Nosa Okunbo, and children.

See Photo Of The Chibok Girl Rescued From Boko Haram Captivity With Her Children

A Chibok girl, who had been in Boko Haram captivity for about seven years has been rescued and reunited with her family in Borno State.

The Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum on Saturday, confirmed the return of the girl identified as Ruth Ngladar Pogu.

The lady is part of the over 200 students abducted from Government Secondary School (GSS) Chibok, in Borno State by the Boko Haram terrorists in 2014.

While in captivity, she was married off to one of the terrorists who captured her, with the union producing two children.

Earlier, this online news medium had reported that Governor Zulum of Borno State on Saturday revealed that another Chibok girl has been rescued from captivity.

Before Saturday’s confirmation, it will be recalled that Naija News had previously reported that a young lady who was part of the Chibok girls abducted by terrorists and her Boko Haram/ISWAP husband have surrendered to the Nigerian Army.

They surrendered and presented themselves to troops at the Bama area, within the Lake Chad region of Borno State on July 28 the report noted.

The photos of the rescued girl and the reunion with her family have now been obtained by our reporter.

Rescued Chibok girl

Speaking when he received the rescued Chibok girl at the government house in Borno, Governor Zulum said Ruth will undergo a rehabilitation and reintegration programme.

The Governor also expressed optimism that other girls still in captivity will also be rescued and return to their families.

He said: “I am extremely excited both as Borno’s governor and father of all sons and daughters of the state and also as a father to daughters.

“I know the feeling of families of those still under captivity but we have to remain hopeful especially with today’s development.”

BREAKING: Another Chibok Schoolgirl Rescued – Zulum

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State on Saturday revealed that another Chibok girl has been rescued from captivity.
According to the governor, the rescued girl was married to a Boko Haram fighter and returned with two kids she delivered while in captivity.

More details to come…

Strike Enters Day Six As Resident Doctors Lock Horns With FG Over Unmet Demands

Chances of an amicable and swift resolution of the dispute between striking resident doctors and the Federal Government took a hit on Friday as both sides stuck to their positions, trading accusations.

The Federal Government insists that the doctors have no basis for the strike they started on Monday and has asked them to resume work, but the doctors say the government must honour their agreement and meet their demands before they pick up their tools again.

On Friday morning, the President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, said the striking doctors will not heed the call made by the Minister of Health a day earlier asking them to resume work.

Dr Osagie Ehanire said on Thursday that there was no basis for the nationwide strike as most of the issues raised by the doctors (seven out of 12) were the responsibility of state governments and not the Federal Government. According to him, the five issues that the Federal Government were responsible for were already being addressed.

But NARD disagreed, faulting the government’s approach to the matter.

“You can’t have signed an MOA (memorandum of agreement) with us and (say) everything you have said, and you have not even called us since the beginning of 2nd of August, 8 am, when the strike started,” the NARD President said during an appearance on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily.

“The first thing you’re telling us is that we signed a document and we are not honouring it, (and) we need to resume work. They need to stand up to their responsibilities.”

This position, and the subsequent refusal of the striking doctors to resume work, angered the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige who threatened to utilise all the labour laws and tools at his disposal to ensure that the doctors face consequences for the strike. This includes the “No work, No pay” rule.

Dr Ngige is also not ready to negotiate with the doctors.

“I won’t meet them,” the visibly angry minister said when asked about the possibility of talks between both parties during an appearance on Politics Today on Friday night.

“No, I won’t; because I have other things to do”.

Like the Health Minister, Dr Ngige argues that it was wrong for the doctors to have gone on strike being essential workers.

He also dismissed the position of the doctors that the Federal Government had not communicated with them or fulfilled the terms of the agreement reached on April 10 when they suspended an earlier strike.

Rather than hold talks with the doctors, the minister said he invoked the “no work, no pay” rule on Friday afternoon.

“They will not receive money for the period that they are on strike and it will never count for a pensionable position in their career,” he said.

Asked if that was a fair position, the minister declared that “that’s what it is”.

“Even the ILO supports it because they (doctors) offer essential services,” he said, adding that they were not supposed to go on strike without notifying him 15 days prior.

Although the minister admitted that NARD sent him “a communique” of their meeting, detailing their grievances and the resolution to go on strike, it was not the same as a trade dispute notification which he insists is what they ought to have sent to him.

Officials of NARD maintain that the government left them with no other choice than to go on strike as the issues resident doctors were facing were serious ones.

“Usually there is no negotiation done until we go on a strike,” said the President of the Association of Resident Doctors at the National Hospital in Abuja, Dr Akanimo Ebong told Channels Television on Monday when the strike started.

The doctors are seeking the immediate payment of all salaries owed to all house officers, including March salaries (regardless of quota system).

They are also asking for an upward review of the hazard allowance to 50 per cent of consolidated basic salaries of all health workers and the payment of the outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowance, especially in state-owned-tertiary institutions, among other things.

This time around, even the strike has not led to talks, and with both sides maintaining their position, the strike has dragged into a sixth day, amid concerns that it can have major implications for health care delivery in the country and the race to halt the spread of COVID-19.

‘Baba Is A Problem Solver Who Loves Nigeria With Passion’ – FFK Reacts To Obasanjo’s Trip To Benin Republic For Sunday Igboho

The former Aviation minister, Femi Fani Kayode has reacted after ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo travelled to Benin Republic to visit his longtime friend “Nicephore Soglo” who was the ex-President of Benin Republic. The elder statesman, Obasanjo travelled to console him for the loss of his wife. However, it was also made known that he visited the incumbent President, Patrice Talon to ask that they grant Sunday Igboho asylum.

Sunday Adeyemo a.k.a Sunday Igboho has been in the custody of the Beninise government after he tried escaping to Germany with his wife. Some Yoruba monarchs have also visited Benin republic to plead for his release so that Igboho won’t be handed over to the Buhari-led government. Obasanjo has also taken this bold step just like other monarchs and Yoruba leaders are doing now.

In reaction to this, Femi Fani Kayode has made it known that Obasanjo is a problem solver and a great statesman who loves Nigeria with passion. He prayed that God will lead and protect him always.

Remanded Aminu Yar’Adua Not Late Ex-President’s Son – Family Source

The 36-year-old Aminu Yar’Adua who was remanded for allegedly killing four persons in an auto crash in Yola, believed to be the son of former President, Umaru Yar’Adua is the son of the elder Yar’Adua, Late Gen Shehu Musa Yar’Adua.

There had been reports that Aminu who was believed to be the son of the late former president’s son, was remanded by a magistrate court in Yola.

A family source that spoke with ThisDay on condition of anonymity said Aminu, who works with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, remains a member of the family, but there is a need to set the facts right.

NAN had reported that Yar’Adua, a student of the American University of Nigeria, Yola, was charged to court for allegedly causing death by dangerous driving.

The Police First Information Report (FIR) tendered in court by the prosecutor, Inspector Zakka Musa, stated that the accused had, while driving along Yola bye-pass in June, ran over six people as a result of overspeeding.

It was recorded that four of the victims were killed, while two others suffered injuries.

“Those that died in the accident were identified as Aisha Umar (30), Aisha Mamadu (32), Suleiman Abubakar (2) and Jummai Abubakar (30); while Rejoice Annu (28) and Hajara Aliyu (27) sustained injuries,” the report stated.

The prosecuting officer had told the court that the relatives of the late Aisha Umar, Suleiman Abubakar and Jummai Abubakar had demanded the sum of N15 million from the defendant as compensation.

But, when the FIR was read to the defendant as prayed for by the prosecutor, he denied committing the offence, describing the allegation as untrue.

At that point, the prosecutor pleaded with the court to adjourn the matter, to enable him duplicate the case file and forward same to the Department of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.

The Magistrate, Jummai Ibrahim, therefore, granted the prosecution’s request and adjourned the matter to August 19, 2021, for further mention, and ordered that Aminu son be remanded in prison custody until then.

ACG Of Immigration, Zone A, Oluremi Talabi, Sues For Efficiency As She Visits Lagos State Command

The Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration, Zone A, Oluremi Ajoke Talabi, during the week, visited the Lagos Command of the Immigration Service.
Lagos Command is part of Zone A which has under it Ogun State Command, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA Command, Seme Border Command, Lagos Border Patrol Command, Idiroko Border Command, Lagos Seaport and Marine Command as well as the Passport Control Command.

In a statement signed by Jide Ogungbe, Lagos Command spokesman and made available to NAOSRE, Talabi was received on arrival by the Command’s Comptroller of Immigration Service, CIS, Bauchi Aliyu.
Addressing officers and men of the Command, Talabi commended the Aliyu led team for carrying out their duties without attracting complaints from the public.
She warned officers against revealing any official information that is meant to be treated as confidential.

She advised officers to adopt “a need to know basis principle” in managing information.

In addition, Talabi pointed out that Lagos Command has the highest number of personnel in the country, a fact that calls for utmost professionalism in the overall interest of Nigeria in line with the administrative policies of President Muhammadu Buhari and Comptroller General of Customs, Colonel Hammed Alli, ret’d.

The ACG mandated officers to be watchful for fraudulent documents and revealed that the Service is currently implementing electronic-powered mechanisms that’ll make it easier to identify fraudulent documents.

Earlier, the Lagos Command CIS, in his address, dutifully gave a detailed account to the Zonal Coordinator with specific regards to the challenges and developments in the Command.

He revealed that his first project from the moment he arrived was to improve the condition of LSC’s Provisional and Annex offices, a task he disclosed has been accomplished strictly through Corporate Social Responsibility, CRS, supports from friends of the Service. The CIS also revealed that he was able to construct both the Quarter Guard and Parade Ground through the same donations.

Aliyu further disclosed that there is an imminent plan of the International Organization for Migration to fully fund and oversee the construction of a Personnel Training and Resource Centre for the Lagos Command.

He unveiled plans to build additional toilet and bathroom facilities to augment the existing ones.

CIS Aliyu informed the Zonal Coordinator that he has formed a committee that is presently working on the development of a compendium that would offer a concise interpretative collection of the most frequently violated Immigration laws for the sensitization of stakeholders.

He noted that the outcome of his visit to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has birth the governor’s generous heart of donating land that can accommodate the construction of the Service Headquarters structure in Lagos.

He revealed that his persistent verbal and written requests have resulted in the setting up of a Security Forum headed by the Secretary to the State Government for Intel and ideas sharing amongst security agencies in the state.

He stated the proposal he submitted to the Governor’s Office for the planned mop-up and repatriation operation of irregular migrants residing in the state.

“The proposal is a direct response to the concern raised by stakeholders during the meeting chaired by the Governor to address the menace of motorbike riders operating in the state,” he said.

However, he stated that despite the positive results of his efforts, more still needs to be done.

The CIS, therefore, tabled a number of requests for the ACG’s attention to improve the service delivery capacity of the Command.

He requested the facilitation of the deployment of junior officers and drivers as well as follow-up by her office to facilitate the completion of the Command building project.

He also requested support for the proposed inclusion of the E-Migrant registration slip as a checklist for resident permit applications; the setting up of a Music Band and the renovation of the Command Holding Centre.

The ACG however, promised to support within available resources and called for more commitment to duties.