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Crisis rocks Senate over secret recruitment

Crisis is allegedly brewing in the Senate over the employment slots allocated to the lawmakers by some federal agencies.

Some aggrieved senators have vowed to resist the sharing method allegedly adopted by the leadership of the Senate to allocate the slots.

Investigations by our correspondent revealed that the agencies gave the legislators the slots through their leaders.

But the slots were allegedly shared among the 10-member body of principal officers.

According to sources, many of the lawmakers are particularly bitter that their leaders allegedly shared the 100 slots allegedly given the Senate by the Federal Inland Revenue Service among themselves.

An aggrieved senator from the South-West, said on condition of anonymity, “We were given 100 slots by the FIRS but our leaders shared the slots among themselves.”

A ranking senator from the North-West said, “We have information that one of the leaders gave 26 slots to people in his senatorial district. There is a problem in the Senate already, because the leadership has cornered jobs meant for the entire Nigerians.

“Does it mean that you must know a senator before you get a job? Nothing is being done on merit. How will you get the best brains?

“The implication of this is that many people are being offered employment without undergoing any interview.

“They give them appointment letters because they know the leaders of the Senate. How can a single senatorial district get 26 slots when others have nothing?”

But a Senator from the South-East, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, told our correspondent that he expected every legislator to have been given a slot.

A member of the Senate Committee on Federal Character, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, also confirmed that there was a crisis in the Senate following the development.

He said, “The fact that the leaders allegedly collected 100 slots and share them among themselves has shown that we cannot win the war against the lopsidedness that we talk about in this country.

“Some of our colleagues are already coming to lobby us to take it easy with the probe but we are going ahead with it.”

Speaking with journalists on Tuesday, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Character, Danjuma La’ah, said he was aware that some agencies had been boasting that nothing would come out of the (secret recruitment) probe because they had allegedly reached out to the leaders of the Senate.

The committee is probing the allegations that some agencies had been secretly recruiting without advertising the jobs.

La’ah said, “We are hearing that some agencies will not honour our invitation because they have connection with the Senate leadership. I am not aware that any agency gave out employment slots to the Senate.

“The leadership has not told us that they received any slot.

“As the chairman of this committee, who is also representing Kaduna South, I am not in any way aware that we have been given any employment slots, so we are going ahead with our probe.

“I have taken it upon myself that I will probe deeply into the agencies’ claims and carry out an extensive investigation. We are going to expose all those that are tarnishing the image of the Federal Government.

“We are aware that some of the agencies are selling employment slots for as much as N1.5m when we have children who have not got jobs since they graduated.

“Some have become bandits and terrorists because the jobs meant for them have been cornered by some greedy people. Young educated Nigerians are joining Boko Haram because of a lack of jobs.”

On when the agencies would appear before the committee to defend themselves, La’ah said, “Never mind, they will appear soon.”

He added, “President Muhammadu Buhari is not happy with what is going and he has been looking for a way to sack people with bad records. I even want him to use this as a yardstick to sanitise the system.”

La’ah said on Friday the committee had asked the officials of the affected agencies to appear before them this week.

The committee last week started investigating the allegations of secret recruitment by some of the federal agencies.

They include the FIRS, National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, National Space Research and Development Agency, the National Open University and the Federal Civil Service Commission.

Border closure pushed inflation to 11.24% – NBS

The Consumer Price Index released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday showed inflation index rose to 11.24 per cent in September, barely a month after the border closure.

The 11.24 per cent represents an increase of 0.22 per cent when compared to the 11.02 per cent recorded in August.

The prices of food items have been on a steady increase since August when the Federal Government closed Nigeria’s borders to the neighbouring countries.

The NBS report stated that increases were recorded in all the divisions that determined the index. It said the food index rose by 13.51 per cent in September compared to 13.17 per cent in August. It said the rise in the food index was caused by increases in prices of bread and cereals, oils and fats, meat, potatoes, yam and other tubers, fish and vegetables.

The NBS report read in part, “The consumer price index, which measures inflation increased by 11.24 per cent year-on-year in September 2019.

“This is 0.22 per cent points higher than the rate recorded in August 2019 (11.02) per cent.On month-on-month basis, the headline index increased by 1.04 per cent in September 2019; this is 0.05 per cent rate higher than the rate recorded in August 2019 (0.99) per cent.”

In the same vein, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry noted that the border closure could have recorded a drastic reduction in smuggling of rice, and petroleum products among others. It, however, lamented that genuine businessmen who transacted legal business in the sub-region were victims of the border closure.

The LCCI who spoke through its Director-General, Muda Yusuf, in a statement noted that the government might mean well, but there were many businesses in the informal sector that had been adversely affected.

It read in part, “The closure of Nigerian land borders for close to two months now has come with benefits and costs. There are upsides and downsides. Reports indicate a drastic reduction in smuggling of rice, poultry products and sugar. The smuggling of petroleum products outside the country to neighboring countries has also declined considerably. We note and appreciate these outcomes.

“But it is important to reckon with the costs, supply chain disruptions and losses that businesses and individuals have suffered as a result of the closure. “Corporates, large number of informal sector players and individuals doing legitimate businesses across the borders have become victims of the border closure.

“This poses a dilemma. The government means well, but there are many innocent casualties.

“As we celebrate the benefits, we should also count the costs. Jobs have been lost; prices have skyrocketed; legitimate exports to the sub-region have been halted; intermediate products for some manufacturers have been cut off and some multinationals companies have been de-linked from their sister companies in the sub-region.”

It added that the economies of border communities had been paralysed with consequences for unemployment and poverty, stating that over 90 per cent of Nigeria’s trade with the West African sub- region was by road.

“We export manufactured products as well as agricultural products – detergents, toothpastes, plastic products, steel products, kitchen utensils, grains, ginger, onions, among others.

“We also undertake many exports to the sub-region. These are sources of livelihood of Nigerians doing legitimate business. There are also thousands of transporters who make a living from these legitimate trading activities. These are costs that would run into hundreds of billions of naira. We must weigh the costs and benefits.”

Most often, the LCCI noted, the government failed to count the cost of government policy on the citizens and businesses.

However, President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja reiterated that the border closure was an effort to support farming, fisheries and livestock sectors.

The President, represented by the Vice- Chairman of National Food Security Council and governor of Kebbi State, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, said this during the 2nd National Unity Food Fair 2019 organised by the National Council of Women Societies in collaboration with Travel Marketing Partners (Nigeria) Limited.

The President said he was not aware of protests against the closure of the nation’s borders, adding that the decision had been embraced by farmers who were already happy over it, as demand for locally produced foods had increased.

2020 Budget: Buhari To Repair State House Buildings With N4.5bn

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has a plan to spend N4.5 billion to repair State House buildings in 2020.

The Federal Government intends to spend a total of N58,446,014,724 in the presidency during the year, according to details of the Appropriation Bill he presented to the National Assembly on Tuesday.

A perusal of the document showed that of the amount, rehabilitation and repairs of State House office buildings alone will gulp N4.451 billion.

Rehabilitation and repair of residential buildings will cost N69,693,262, while a curious sub-head noted that rehabilitation and repairs of “housing” will take N10,575,702.

Chefs in the Presidential Villa will also in 2020 prepare food for the first family and their guests with cooking gas worth N18.5 million.

Fuel for generator has a vote of N45,678,552; refreshment and meals will cost N135,668,651, and welfare packages N240,730,180.

The president will also spend N91.6 million to purchase bullet-proof tyres for the many bullet-proof vehicles and plain vehicles in the fleet.

Further scrutiny of the document revealed that the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning will spend 43.6 per cent of the N9.4 trillion Federal Government’s main budget for the year.

The ministry will spend N4.1 trillion or 43.6 per cent of the MDAs vote made up of N748,602,309,977 for personnel; N3,063,398,998,775 for overhead; N3,812,001,308,752 for recurrent and N362,791,562,425 for capital expenditure.

The Debt Management Office (DMO) got an allocation of N2.749 trillion while N1.4 trillion was allocated to Service Wide Votes.

Other big spenders include the Ministry of Defence with an allocation of N878.4 billion; Interior, N254.8 billion; National Assembly, N125 billion; Police Affairs, N409.1 billion; National Security Adviser, N138.4 billion and the Ministry of Transportation, N135.6 billion.

Others are the Ministry of Power, N133.4 billion; Ministry of Works and Housing, N287.1 billion; judiciary, N110 billion; Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, N171.0 billion; Ministry of Niger Delta, N106.7 billion; Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, N444.2 billion; Ministry of Education, N652 billion; Ministry of Health, N427.2 billion and Aso Rock, N58.4 billion.

Apprehension In Bayelsa PDP As FG Drags Guber Candidate Before CCB On Monday

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State is in a fix on how to handle a petition against its governorship candidate, Senator Douye Diri, over his failure to declare his assets before the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) while he served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Principal Executive Secretary in Government House between 2013 and 2014

Tribune Online investigations revealed that Senator Diri is expected to appear before the CCB on Monday 14th of October, 2019, in response to the said petition filed against him by an anti-corruption group known as the Bayelsa Coalition for Good Governance and Accountability.

Tribune Online further learnt that the PDP flag bearer has since been duly served the CCB summon through the clerk of the National Assembly, but that he has allegedly refused to acknowledge receipt of the summon.

According to a source in the PDP, “Senator Douye Diri was evading service. When the summon was sent to his governorship campaign office, nobody was willing to accept it. That was when the summon was sent to him through the Clerk of the Natiional Assembly and served.”

Confirming the development in a chat with newsmen, the Executive Director of the Bayelsa Coalition for Good Governance and Accountability, Mr Joseph Ambakederimo, who filed the petition said they filed the petition and that they have appeared before CCB to defend their claims in the petition.

Mayor of Banjul, Rohey Lowe Launches REFELA in Gambia

The Mayor of Banjul, the capital city of Gambia was amazed with the generosity and benevolence of Rohey Lowe who recently launched the Gambian faction of REFELA, a network of women elected officials of substantial and local governments in Africa. According to Mayor Lowe, she is interested in the growth of women and the encouragement of the womenfolk to develop themselves globally. REFELA was founded in 2005 in South Africa for the reunification of three continental groups of local governments.

According to reports available to us, REFELA is the African section of the world organization, UCLG Africa with a membership of 44 national associations of local governments from all regions of Africa as well as 2000 cities that have more than 100,000 inhabitants.

Mayor Lowe emphasized further that the unification of African women is very necessary and will help propel the continent to the highest level in the nearest future. In records, REFELA has now become a fundamental part of UCLG Africa and represents locally elected women officials within the global women’s Commission of United Cities and Local Governments that is the UCLG. The highly revered Mayor of Bajul, Lowe further emphasized that the launch will mark a turning point in the aspiration of Gambian women in all areas of development and explained that REFELA is a women platform under the United Cities of Local Governments of Africa (UCLG) which is the umbrella organization and the united voice representing local governments in Africa. Mayor Lowe also stressed that the campaign to better the lives of women as advocated by REFELA took a very positive turn through her election as the first woman mayor of the Gambia’s capital city of Banjul.

In her further statement, Mayor Lowe expressed that the campaign to better the lives of women as advocated by REFELA took a very positive turn through her election as the first woman mayor of the capital city of Banjul. She then said that the situation is more challenging for rural women without active participation in the electoral processes because it will get worse. She admonished women that they should know that they constitute more than half of the country’s population and additionally they offer more than 54% of election and yet, they lack representation.

The Mayor also used the opportunity to call on Gambia’s women to get prepared for the 2021 election noting that she is ready to work with the women in actualizing that dream. She also urged women not to campaign and cheer the male folk but to focus on progressing the female contestant.

It could be recalled that the African section of the world organization of UCLG Africa has a membership of 44 national associations of local governments from all regions of the continent as well as 2000 cities that have more than 100,000 inhabitants. There is no doubting the fact that REFELA has now become a fundamental part of UCLG Africa and represents locally elected women officials within the global Women’s Commission of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG Women).

Lagos officials frustrate vehicle registration, milk applicants

Some Lagos residents, who want to re-register their vehicles, have lamented how officials of the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency under the state Ministry of Transportation frustrate and extort them.

They said aside from paying N46,000 for change of ownership documents and number plates, they were being made to part with extra cash for ‘processing’.

According to them, the officials charged each applicant between N10,000 and N12,000 extra, money that is not receipted.

Our correspondents were told that months after some motorists had paid the N46,000, they had yet to get their documents and number plates.

An engineer, Mr Edet Okon, said he paid N46,000 to change the ownership of a registered Honda Crosstour he bought, adding that three months after, he had yet to get the documents and the number plate.

He explained, “The car I am using was registered in the name of my company, because I took a loan to acquire it. When I completed payment for the car, the company transferred it to me and I applied for the change of ownership documents.

“I paid N46,000 to the licensing office since July. I don’t know what is keeping them from processing the application for change of ownership. I have yet to be assigned a new number plate. The official in charge wants me to bribe him and I am not going to do that. It is wrong for people to expect that they must be tipped to do their job.”

Another resident, Opeyemi Oyejide, said he could not understand the government’s inability to give him a number plate despite the fact that he had paid the required fee.

Oyejide, 40, advised the agency to issue temporary clearance permits to vehicle owners, who had commenced the re-registration process, to prevent security agents from harassing them.

He said, “For me not to have completed the change of ownership means that governance is at low ebb in this state. It simply implies that the government cannot perform the basic task it was set up for. I got the number plate for my first car in three days in this same Lagos, but everything has changed now.

“But if you are willing to offer a bribe, you will get the number plate in record time. I know somebody, who paid over the odds for re-registration and his number plate has been delivered, but because people like us refused to part with extra money, we have not got what we paid for.”

Another motorist, Adekunle Bello, said the charges for vehicle re-registration were exorbitant, alleging that government agents and their cohorts had created artificial scarcity of number plates to extort money from applicants.

A resident, Goriola Adegoke, who paid extra N10,000 to a government employee, said he got his documents and number plate under two weeks.

“That is not the standard procedure, because the money certainly goes into their pockets. I have yet to even get the receipt for the N46,000 I paid before adding the N10,000. The extra money facilitated the choice of the local government that reflected on the number plate. This is nothing but fraud,” he stated.

During a visit to the MVAA at Alausa, PUNCH Metro learnt from some officials that the processing of number plates ideally should take 48 hours.

But an official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that the licensing office at the state secretariat had stopped issuing number plates for re-registered vehicles.

He explained, “Before now, the government issued number plates to new vehicles and old vehicles brought for re-registration. But recently, it stopped issuing new number plates for old vehicles. So, we decided to apply for new number plates for people re-registering vehicles.

“The process of doing this is long. That is why we collect an extra fee of N12,000. I charge a total of N60,000 to re-register a vehicle. Those, who paid N48,000 cannot get new number plates except they add N12,000.”

Another official in the Alimosho area of the state said he charges N55,000 for re-registration of a sport utility vehicle.

Asked why the fee was high, he said the government had stopped what he termed the ‘re-reg’ scheme for old vehicles.

The agent stated, “They used to charge N20,000 for re-reg that time, but they have stopped. So, for us to get number plates for those doing re-registration, we adopt the process of new vehicle registration, which costs N30,000.

“For the change of ownership, you need a total of N55,000, in addition to two passports, means of identification, particulars of the vehicle and change of ownership and purchase receipts. Within two weeks, everything will be ready.”

But the General Manager, MVAA, Mrs Lape Kilanko, said the official lied.

According to Kilanko, the state government is still running the re-reg scheme, which costs N12,500 as against the N20,000 stated by the official.

She noted that the total amount for re-registration of a vehicle was N26,325, and not N55,000 or N60,000 as stated by the government worker.

The MVAA boss insisted that there was no scarcity of number plates in the state, adding that standard registration number plates did not also come at additional costs.

For clarity, PUNCH Metro gave an example of a Honda Crosstour for re-registration and demanded its cost implications.

She said, “The change of ownership process will require a letter of authorisation to transfer ownership, a police report for the change of ownership, sworn affidavit for the change of ownership, Central Motor Registry payment, valid means of identification of the new owner and an updated vehicle licence.”

According to her, the change of ownership fee is N2,500; Capital Gains Tax, N625; number plate, N12,500; pre-registration inspection fee (by the Vehicle Inspection Service Directorate), N3,800; Central Motor Registry, N1,000; administrative charges, N2,000; and vehicle licence, N3,900.

She said the total cost was N26,325.

The general manager noted that it would take 20 to 30 minutes for the registration of new vehicles and 48 hours for the completion of the change of ownership.

Investigation by PUNCH Metro revealed that a long chain of corruption involving officials of the agency was responsible for the differences in the rates charged.

“At every stage of the process, officials of the MVAA hike the official rates to line their own pockets,” a source said.

A client representative, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said unless the government made vehicle registration and re-registration a one-stop process, the fraud would continue.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Mr Olawale Musa, said the government would look into the issues.

Gates, France, US pledge $14bn to end malaria, HIV by 2030

The government of France, led by President Emmanuel Macron; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, represented by Bill Gates; the US government and other Global Fund donors have pledged $14.02 billion to end malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis by 2030.

This is the biggest amount ever raised for a multilateral health organization, and the largest amount by the Global Fund.

For context, this is more than the entire wealth of Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest billionaire, who was estimated by Forbes to worth $10.4 billion in 2019.

According to Global Fund, the funds will help save 16 million lives and end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria by 2030.

Peter Sands, Global Fund chief executive, had initially annouced the optimistic target of $14 billion, which was going to be far above what most donors had budgeted.

But President Macron called on donors to increase their commitments by at least 15 percent, as he raised France’s donation by 20 percent to $1.42 billion – $60 million more than previously announced.

The US Congress approved a commitment to give a total of $4.7 billion over three years, while Britain — despite Brexit challenges — pledged £1.4 billion, a 16% increase from initial budget.

Germany pledged €1 billion, a 17.6% increase; Canada pledged CAD930 million, a 16% increase, the European Union pledged €550 million, a 16% increase; Japan contributed US$840 million.

Further expanding its donor base, the Global Fund also welcomed 20 new and returning public donors.

Global Fund also said private donors pledged more than $1 billion for the first time ever, an extraordinary achievement led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s pledge of US$760 million.

NIGERIA PLEDGES $12M

Some African countries also participated in the historic fundraiser, with frontliners like Nigeria pledging $12 million, South Africa $10 million, Kenya $6 million, Zambia $5.5 million.

From the middle east and Asia, Qatar pledged $50 million, Saudi Arabia $30 million, and India $22 million.

During the fundraiser hosted by the French government in Lyon, Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said “Today’s Global Fund replenishment result is an incredible achievement”.

“This is a big day in the history of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria – and one that no one expected two decades ago when the diseases were at their peak.

“Thank you to all the donors who increased their contributions. We hope others are inspired to follow their lead and support the Global Fund to continue its life-saving work.”

Major recipients of the fund will be Nigeria, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique and Zimbabwe — where the issues being addressed are prevalent.

Global Fund and its donors believe that a world free of malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis is possible, and they add that they are working with development partners across the world to achieve that by 2030.

Online media will be regulated in Nigeria – Lai Mohammed

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says online news platforms will soon be regulated.

The minister said this on Thursday in Abuja when he inaugurated a seven-man committee set up to implement reforms in the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

Mohammed said the reforms that will be implemented by the committee are recommendations approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said Buhari approved an amendment to the NBC act to enable it to license WebTv and radio stations, including foreign broadcasters beaming signals into the country.

“The terms of reference of the committee are as follows; To establish and publish a new regulation for the licensing of web and internet broadcasters/international broadcasters in Nigeria,” he said.

“To immediately commence work on all statutory, legal and regulatory framework for further legislative action on the review of the NBC act by the national assembly.

“To work out the modalities for a competitive and reasonable salaries, wages and other welfare needs of the staff of the commission.

“To establish necessary protocols for the establishment or appointment of professionals or technocrats (non-partisan personality) to run the agency, and appointment into the board of the NBC.”

The minister said the president also approved the upward review of fines from N500,000 to N5 million for breaches relating to hate speeches, and the upgrade of political comments relating to the same to ”Class A” offence in the broadcasting code.

“I have no doubt that this committee, which comprises highly-experienced professionals and administrators, will carry out a thorough job that will reposition the NBC as an effective and efficient regulator,” he said.

Members of the committee are: Armstrong Idachaba, NBC director of monitoring (chairman); Godfrey Ohuabunwa, acting chairman of the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON); J.K. Ehicheoya, director, legal services, ministry of information and C
culture; Binta Adamu Bello, secretary, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON); Ibrahim Jimoh, director of administration, FRCN; Agbo Kingsley Ndubuisi, NBC board member and Joe Mutah, chief press secretary, ministry of information and culture (secretary).

President Buhari Extends the Retirement of His Nephew with 3 years more than 35 Service years

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the extension of service of his Chief Personal Security Officer, Abdulkarim Dauda, by three years.

Dauda, who was promoted to the rank of Commissioner of Police last year, is Buhari’s nephew.

By the presidential approval, the CPSO, who was due to retire from service on January 1, 2020, will now leave the force on May 13, 2023.

Born in 1963, Dauda was enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force as a Cadet Officer on January 1, 1985 and would clock the mandatory 35 years in service in January 2020.

Force Secretary, Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali, in a signal conveying Dauda’s tenure extension directed the force’s Department of Information Technology to amend their records to reflect the development.

The message with reference number 23853/FS/FHQ/ABJ/46 seen by our correspondent in Abuja on Wednesday, read, “The President, Commander in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Chairman, Police Council, has graciously approved the extension of service of CP Abdulkarim Dauda to May 13, 2023, when he would have attained 60 years of age. Commissioner, Information Technology, amend your records please.”

Prior to his posting to the State House as CPSO to the President, Dauda served in different police commands and formations, including the Sokoto State Command, Force Criminal Department, Lagos, Katsina State Command, Lagos State Command, Edo State Command, Police College, Kaduna, and Kano State Command.

The CPSO office was created by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan to pave the way for his aide-de-camp, Moses Jitoboh, to be part of his personal security structure.

But a few months after Buhari’s inauguration, his nephew was redeployed to serve as his CPSO.

It was learnt that Daudu subsequently removed Daura from his name to allegedly prevent the public from tracing his family connection to the President following criticisms over Buhari’s appointing his family and kinsmen to government offices.

Our correspondent learnt that the decision to extend Daura’s stay in the force had been generating tension in the Police Service Commission, as senior officials regard Buhari’s action as a usurpation of the PSC’s powers and a violation of the 1999 Constitution.

A PSC official claimed the CPSO was being groomed to succeed the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, in 2021.

He stated, “The plan is to promote the CPSO to the rank of AIG and then make him the IG in 2021 when Adamu retires from service. We believe the President was misled into extending Dauda’s tenure because he had no power to do so.”

In a related development, our correspondent learnt that the tenure of embattled DIG in charge of Training and Development, Yakubu Jubrin, has been extended by two weeks.

Jubrin clocked the mandatory retirement age on October 1, but The PUNCH learnt that his tenure had been extended to October 15.

Jubrin, who was queried for misconduct by the PSC, had approached the National Industrial Court seeking an order restraining the commission from sacking or demoting him.

The plaintiff in suit no. NICN/ABJ/294/2019, also sought a declaration of the court that the PSC could subject him to further disciplinary measures or dismissal.

The originating summons filed by his lawyer, Alex Izinyon (SAN), was supported by an affidavit deposed to by ACP Batagarawa Buhari, who stated that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), had informed the police that they had the mandate to handle the recruitment of 10,000 constables as directed by Buhari.

The commission last month queried the DIG for allegedly masterminding the disagreement between the PSC and the police by releasing the names of successful candidates and inviting them for medical screening without it’s permission.

The PSC also accused the DIG of making disparaging remarks against the commission’s Chairman, Alhaji Musiliu Smith, and a member of the board in charge of recruitment, Austin Braimoh.

My daughter deserves appointment as Special Assistant —Gov Okowa

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has said that his daughter, who was appointed as Special Assistant to the Governor on Girl Child, deserved the appointment.

He said this on Tuesday in Asaba, while addressing the issue of appointments into his cabinet for his second term in office.

Okowa said that contrary to the rumours that he had appointed two of his daughters, he had only appointed one of his daughters into his cabinet and that she deserved for the position.

He said, “I want state residents to know that I did not appoint two of my daughters. Only one was appointed as S.A. to Governor on Girl Child and she rightly deserved it.”

Okowa added, “We are trying to cut down our appointees this time around, obviously the number of appointees will be less than what we have in my first tenure.”