Voice of the people

The Federal Government has rejected the proposed increment of license fee for courier services by the Nigerian Postal Service, NIPOST. The minister of communication and digital economy, Isa Pantami, in a tweet Saturday morning, insisted that the increase was not part of the regulation he approved for the agency on Friday, July 24. “Our attention has been drawn to an increase of licence fee, which was not part of the regulation I earlier approved for you,” he stated. He added that NIPOST chairman and Post Master General “were yesterday (Friday) contacted to put the implementation on hold and send a report to our ministry by Monday.” NIPOST’s proposed increase as announced, has generated huge outrage in the public. The new charges introduced by NIPOST are expected to cause an increase in the cost of courier services and delivery goods. According to NIPOST, companies which provide international courier services like DHL, UPS and FEDEX, are expected to pay N20m for a new licenc

Ondo 2020:Ondo state  Deputy Governor Ajayi reacts to defeat in PDP primary The Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Agboola Ajayi, has reacted to the emergence of Eyitayo Jedege as the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the October governorship election. Mr Ajayi said he “fought a good fight but had a lot of forces” that disturbed his emergence as the opposition party’s candidate.  Mr Jegede, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) from Ipele town, near Owo, defeated Mr Ajayi and six others in the election that held at Dome centre, Akure, the state capital. The former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state had 888 votes while the deputy governor polled 657 votes. Mr Jegede also won the PDP primary in 2016, and flew the flag of the party in that year’s governorship election, a contest he lost to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of the All Progressives Congress. Reacting to his defeat, Mr Ajayi, in a statement by his media adviser, Allen Sowore, said “th

MAGU OPENS UP ON RECOVERED ASSETS  The suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, says some of the vehicles recovered by the EFCC were auctioned to the Presidential Villa, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development as well as the Federal Inland Revenue Services and other agencies. He further stated that some of these agencies had not paid for the vehicles but there was an arrangement that the money would be deducted from their financial allocation. Magu, in a letter addressed to the Justice Ayo Salami-led panel titled, ‘Re: Alleged Case of Conspiracy, Enrichment, Abuse of Public Office and Other Infractions,’ explained how some of the recovered vehicles were auctioned. The letter was in response to an earlier report by the Presidential Committee on Audit of Recovered Assets in which Magu was accused of being unable to account for the interest accrued to N550bn recovered funds as well as reco

HOW SUSPENDED NSITF MANAGEMENT MISAPPROPRIATED #48BN July 22, 2020 The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, on Tuesday, alleged that the suspended management of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), misappropriated N48 billion. Ngige made the allegation at an investigative hearing at the House of Representatives on the alleged illegal suspension of the management of the agency.  The minister claimed that the management withdrew the amount through fake contracts, proceeds of which were recycled into private pockets. According to him, there were also irregular payments of salaries and allowances of N10 million not in line with the condition of service of the organisation or any reference to the Office of the Minister. He also claimed that the suspended management went on leave abroad in first class with their spouses and paid themselves N9.8 million each without the approval of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Ngige further accused them of eng

AKEREDOLU DEFEATS SEVEN CONTENDERS TO BECOMES APC FLAG BEARER   The Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, has emerged the candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the October 10 governorship election in the state. In the result declared around 12.25am, Akeredolu won in all the local government areas of the state, defeating other seven contestants. In the result, Akeredolu polled 2,458 votes, while Chief Olusola Oke came second, having scored 262 votes. Mr Isaac Kekemeke came third after polling 19 votes. The primary of the APC was conducted with over 2,500 delegates from the 18 local government areas of the state who converged on the International Event Centre, Alagbaka, Akure, the state capital, to cast their votes. Scores of armed security men from the police, the Department of State Services, the National Security and Civil Defence Corps and men of the Federal Road Safety Corps, were deployed in the venue of the exercise. No fewer than eight aspirants finally c

LASG introduces mobile application to report abandoned and disused vehicles in the state. - News Angle Magazine News Angle Magazine Lagos State Ministry of Transportation introduces a mobile application to report abandoned vehicles in the state. According to the chairman, Committee on removal of abandoned vehicles Henry Babatunde Ige said, the committee has been able to identify over a million of disused vehicles in the state through thier ad-hoc staffs in all 57LCDAs and has moved over 1, 000 vehicles to pond that are yet to be claim. The new mobile application will ease reporting and aid giving accurate details of abandoned vehicles in the state. Abandoned vehicles has turn hideout for hoodlums in the street of Lagos, which has now become a security threat and also a major cause of traffic gridlock in the state. Henry Babatunde Ige said, lagosians can now report abandoned vehicle directly from thier phone, giving accurate information such as pictures and locat

POWER PLAY IN NIGERIA ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENCY   Presidential Anti-corruption Panel Reacts to Magu-Malami Saga By Femi Odekunle -Posted: 1 day ago4894 Justice Minister Abubakar Malami and Ibrahim Magu of EFCC Below is a statement from Professor Femi Odekunle, a member of Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC),  over the alleged arrest of Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu. PRESS RELEASE BY PROFESSOR FEMI ODEKUNLE, MEMBER,PRESIDENTIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE AGAINST CORRUPTION (PACAC). This is a preliminary reaction of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) to the alleged ‘arrest’ of Ibrahim Magu, Acting Chairman the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Of course, the real information reaching us is that he was only invited to appear before a Panel set up not long ago concerning some alleged memo by Malami, Attorney General and Minister of justice, regarding some alleged malfeasanc

ILARO POLYTECHNIC REINSTATES SUSPENDED SUG PRESIDENT ADEBOYE  The Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State, has reinstated the suspended President of Students Union Government, Mr Olatunji Adegboye. Adegboye, a Higher National Diploma Banking and Finance Student was suspended by the Polytechnic after he was arrested by the Ogun State Police Command in February this year in connection with cult related activity. But the Polytechnic on Thursday elected to lift the suspension slammed on him following intervention by Governor Dapo Abiodun through series of meetings coordinated by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Tokunbo Talabi. A letter dated July 2, 2020 and signed the Polytechnic’s Registral, Osore, A.F (Mrs.) which was addressed to Adegboye, conveyed his reinstatement. “A follow up letter dated 30th June, 2020 and signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi wherein it was directed that the status quo be maintained pending the outcome of

GOV.WIKE HAS VINDICATED PRESIDENT BUHARI  Why Buhari didn’t deal with Fayose, by Adesina • Says Wike has vindicated President The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Mr. Femi Adesina, on Friday described the relationship between President Muhammadu Buhari and some of the governors, especially those on the opposite side of his political divide, as that between a father and his many children. Citing Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and former Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, who “had formed a tag team in the anti-Buhari tendency,” Adesina said: “He (Buhari) was a father ready to tolerate his many children, irrespective of their differing idiosyncrasies, propensities  “The President could have dealt with them in many ways, either overtly or covertly, but he let them be.” Adesina said on his Facebook wall in reaction to a newspaper advertisement this week in which Wike spoke glowingly about Buhari following some favours to his state. Adesina in the sta

FEDERAL HIGH COURT FIXED JULY 10TH TO HEAR SUIT  A Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed July 10 to hear a suit challenging the legality of the conviction of popular actress, Funke Akindele, her husband, Abdu-rasheed Bello, and 236 others. A Lagos-based Lawyer, Mr Olukoya Ogungbeje had gone to court seeking a declaration that the law upon which Akindele and others were convicted was inconsistent with the 1999 constitution. It would be recalled that Akindele, her husband, Bello and others were arrested, tried and convicted for violating the Lagos State Infectious Diseases (Emergency Prevention) Regulations 2020. Akindele is a popular Nigerian actresses who rose to prominence for her series, Jenifa’s Diary and broadcast on national television. She was said to have hosted a birthday party in her Lagos residence to celebrate her husband’s birthday, an act viewed as a violation of the state government’s regulation on infectious diseases prevention. According to Ogungbeje, the ar

  Following public outcry over the exploitative charges against Nigerian viewers, the President, Muhammadu Buhari, has waded into the crisisand is considering compelling a South Africa-based cable service provider, Multichoice to implement pay-per-view options to their subscribers in the country. Mr Amstrong Idachaba, the Acting Director-General of Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), announced this, as monitored by Naija News, while briefing members of an Ad Hoc Committee looking into the hike of DSTV tariffs in Nigeria. According to the acting Director-General, the cable service provider, Multichoice, has been directed by the government to suspend the implementation of its new hiked tariffs on different bouquets on DSTV, in the interim. He said, “I want to agree, with the Committee and call on DSTV to suspend the hike in tariffs”, Idachaba, said. On his part, during the hearing, the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, revealed that the Sporting rights monopoly of DS