Author: Olaiya Lateef Kayode

The Taraba state Government has approved N75,000 allowance for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members posted to schools in the state.

This was said in a press statement by Zainab Usman, the state Commissioner for Information and Reorientation.

She said: “As an emergency response to the education situation, His Excellency has approved significant allowances for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members serving in Taraba State schools:

“An additional ten thousand naira will be added to their monthly allowance. A one-time payment of fifty thousand naira as medical allowance. An accommodation allowance of twenty-five thousand naira per term, totaling seventy-five thousand naira for three terms.”

Exceptional corps members “who distinguish themselves while serving in schools will be offered automatic employment opportunities,” the statement read.

According to the commissioner, other procedures are also being implemented to guarantee transparency in Taraba’s enrollment and teaching processes.

According to him, the rise in new enrollments in both elementary and secondary schools during the last 10 working days has prompted an immediate response.

“Commencing this term, an ICT-based registration system will be introduced. This will apply to teachers and both new and returning students. Ensuring that they are registered will guarantee the provision of essential school materials upon their arrival,” the statement added.

She also said “Uniforms, shoes, socks, and books will be made available by January to support students in their pursuit of education” while in the coming year, the State Government will cover the examination fees for all SS3 students, enabling them to write both WAEC and NECO examinations.

“Exceptional students will be eligible for sponsorship and scholarships,” the commissioner said.

Aside from that, “Adult learners seeking new enrollment should be directed to the various Mass Education Centers, ensuring accessibility to education for all”.

Tension has gripped the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra state, as a panel recommended the dismissal, suspension, and expulsion of more than 14 individuals, including both staff and students, for various offences.

The implicated individuals comprise a Priest and three lecturers, with additional students facing expulsion for offences like aiding and abetting.

This information was disclosed in an official release signed by Dr Emmanuel Ojukwu, the special adviser to the Vice Chancellor for Public Relations and Special Duties, and provided to journalists in Awka on Sunday, September 24.

Recall that the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Charles Esimone, has been grappling with a major challenge related to sexual harassment, extortion, and various transgressions within the University.

Three lecturers were accused of extorting funds from students who successfully completed their courses, and employing fellow students to carry out these malevolent acts.

“The Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka has taken disciplinary actions against the following staff and students for various offences.

“Principal Executive Officer 11, abandoned his duty post for a considerable length of time. As a result, he was indicted for gross misconduct and suspended from duty for six months to serve as a deterrent to other officers

“Senior Executive Officer was indicted for fraudulent financial transaction concerning the University. She was suspended for six months on half salary” the Varsity said

The Reverend priest and another were both accused of aiding and abetting examination misconduct after collecting gratification from students.

One of the lecturers was indicted for clearing and graduating a student, who had 12 outstanding courses.

The panel recommended that he should be dismissed from the services of the University, while the result should be withdrawn and further credentials such as Certificates and Transcripts should not be issued.

Amid growing tension and concerns in the social media space over the death of Nigerian music star and rapper, Ilerioluwa Aloba, also known as Mohbad, his former boss, Naira Marley, who left Nigeria few days before Mohbad’s death is set to return to Nigeria.

R on Friday, reliably gathered that Marley who many people accused of being responsible for Mohbad’s death is said to have grown tired of being fingered in his former protégé’s death and may jet back into the country this weekend.

A source told R on Friday that Marley is considering cutting short his engagement abroad to return to Nigeria and douse mounting tension that has kept his name on the lips of many social media users for more than a week.

While Marley is believed to be in Europe, his partner, Sammy Larry, who was alleged of constantly bullying Mohbad may also be forced to return.

A source in one of the security agencies saddled with the responsibility of unraveling the cause of the rapper’s death following an autopsy carried out told R that all suspects mentioned in the in the case will be reached out to in a matter of days as soon as autopsy is completed.

Though the source didn’t reveal how Marley and others whose name had been mentioned in the saga would be brought into the country but it was gathered that they will soon be back for questioning.

When R reached out to Marley’s camp on Friday for his reaction, his management refused to speak on the matter as they directed this reporter to another number that would be best to answer questions.

It was also gathered that Larry’s family are reportedly mounting pressure on him to return and clear his name of any wrong doing.

Mother of late rising music star Mohbad has revealed why she distanced herself from her son despite his fame. According to the mother of the deceased singer, she stated that her son lived in fear due to bullying and physical assault.

Born on June 8, 1996 in Lagos, the singer died on September 12, 2023, in a controversial manner with fingers pointing at his record label, Marlian Music which is headed by popular singer, Naira Marley.

During an interview with TVC, Promise Aloba, the late singer’s mother said that during the lifetime of the artiste he took good care of her. However, she hardly made it known that she was the singer’s mother because ‘he was scared I might get kidnapped or killed.’

Aloba said, “I don’t tell people I am Mohbad’s mother, because he was scared, I might get kidnapped or killed.

“I’ve spent just five months in the new house he rented for me, he even visited me 3 times. He took me out of where I was living before to Ikorodu, he said he wanted to be visiting me from time to time.

Speaking about the plans the deceased had for her the aggrieved mother said, “He just rented a huge space comprising of 3 shops for me. I’m yet to open it. He gave me money that I used to buy 2 big freezers and a big generator. The day he died, he promised to send N5 million so I can buy goods to stock up.

“His wife said she will come and meet me, that I should get someone that will support me because we cannot buy the goods at once, that it will take us 3 days to buy all the goods.

Mohbad’s mother during the interview said that she is scared to go back to her base, Ikorodu, Lagos.

She said, “But now I’m scared, I can’t go back to Ikorodu, I called someone to help me rent the shop out and give me the money. My son did not enjoy himself, he lived in fear. He did not enjoy himself.

“Whenever I visit him here, he sits right there and I’ll sit with him, then take him upstairs to sleep but he’ll be shaking his head. I even thought all those problems and attacks had stopped, but when they beat him again recently after he dropped his EP, I said these people haven’t left you, and he usually went to the police station to report, because I witnessed it twice.

“I spent 10 days with him, I did not know he was going to die. I left on Saturday and he died on Monday. And the reason I left on Saturday was because he had a show, he begged, begged, and begged me not to leave. So, I told him that won’t he allow me to go to church on Sunday, that I’ve missed church for two weeks and I needed to go and pray because I’m losing myself. It was the church that I mentioned that made him let me go.

“Because him and his wife were pranking me, I told him that I was going, but because he didn’t want me to go, he delayed giving me my feeding money because he knows I’ll leave if he gives me the money. Normally, he gives me feeding allowance every month.”

President Bola Tinubu has established a humanitarian and poverty alleviation trust fund for the country.

Betta Edu, the minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation, made the announcement on Friday at the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States.

Edu said 30 percent of the funding is expected to come from the federal government while the balance of 70 percnet is expected from donor agencies.

According to the minister, the fund would have several governing caders with a structure that would show accountability and transparency.

“Thirty percent of the funding expected in this trust fund will be coming from the government of Nigeria, and is expected that the rest of this funding comes from other nations, the United Nations, donor agencies, philanthropic individuals, private sector, who we want to bring fully into the space amongst other forms of innovative fundraising,” she said.

“The essence is for us to be able to adequately address the issues which we face on the ground as a matter of urgency.

“I’m sure we already know that the president declared a state of emergency on food security in Nigeria, he equally had a state of emergency on other things like humanitarian crisis and our ability to provide durable solutions.”

Edu said the government was counting on the support of the international community and development partners to provide adequate support in tackling poverty in Nigeria.

“And as we make plans to come in and address this need, what must be key at the back of our minds is providing durable solutions,” she added.

“We must be able to address education for these persons, we must be able to address their livelihood, we must be able to address their reintegration back into communities, we must be to address their resettlement, including the provision of proper shelter for them to stay in.

“We must be able to address their GPV needs amongst other things and we’re counting on your support.”

Edu said the number of persons affected by the humanitarian crisis in the country is expected to rise and asked concerned parties to act fast.

She added that the government is seeking urgent international support to address human and climate-induced displacement and poverty in the country.

Martin Griffiths, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, welcomed the initiative, saying it would take more than the efforts of the government to tackle humanitarian issues.

The gallant military officers have rescued six of the 24 students of the Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State, abducted by gunmen Friday morning.

Daily Trust reports that bandits in their large number invaded three of the school’s hostels, forced their way into the rooms through windows and abducted 24 students.

Also military personnel were said to have engaged the attackers in a gun battle, before they escaped with their victims.

However, a top military source close to the Commander of 1 Brigade Nigerian Army, Gusau, confirmed to Channels TV that six of the students had been rescued.

The source said that the Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Sani Ahmed, was leading the operation with other security agencies in the forest along Tsafe Local Government Area (LGA) of the state to rescue the remaining victims.

He added that several bandits were neutralised and weapons recovered during the operation.

The Federal government through the Minister of Finance, Adebayo Olawale Edun, has attributed the naira’s incessant decline to approximately $6.8 billion in overdue forward payments within the foreign exchange market, according to Bloomberg.

He insists that addressing this issue is crucial for stabilizing the local currency.

He clarified that the resolution of these unpaid contracts could fortify the naira’s value and open avenues for additional foreign exchange inflow.

Over the course of several months, the Nigerian naira has been on a consistent downward trajectory in terms of its value.

Over the course of several months, the Nigerian naira has been on a consistent downward trajectory in terms of its value.

In the currency exchange parallel market yesterday, it neared the threshold of 1000 naira per US dollar.

This depreciation can be attributed to the insufficient supply of dollars by the central bank to this particular market.

“The issue we have now is that the market is not liquid enough,
“We are committed to encouraging liquidity based on reforms that have been made at the moment, on the fiscal side and the monetary side. And together with the restoration of trust and confidence, we think the FX flows will return,” Edun, who accompanied President Bola Tinubu to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, said in a recent interview
CBN MPC Meeting Delayed
Also yesterday, the Central Bank of Nigeria had to postpone their Monetary Policy Committee meeting in response to the crisis in the FX market.

Some have speculated that the delay in the meeting is attributed to the reshuffling of the new leadership in the apex bank.

It is worthy of note that President Tinubu has appointed a new CBN governor in the person of Olayemi Cardoso. In addition, the acting governor and four deputy governors have resigned, which has left a gap in making important decisions.

In recent weeks, the central bank has maintained a rather passive stance, leading to a scarcity of dollar supply via official channels.

This scarcity has resulted in a swift decline in the value of the naira, which has plummeted from about 900 naira per dollar at the onset of September.

Due to the insufficient supply of dollars from the central bank, individuals are being compelled to seek foreign currency through unofficial means on the streets.

Additionally, Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa, is grappling with its highest inflation rate in over 18 years.

Projections by economists suggest that the central bank is poised to raise interest rates, but the timing remains uncertain due to the postponement of their next meeting, with no announced rescheduling.

In response to the delay and speculations, the Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun, has assured the public that the situation will inevitably reverse once there is a boost in the supply of dollars in the market.

He stated,

“The commitment is to maintain the existing reforms and improve them. Improving the FX market further so the gap narrows, looking at all options for boosting supply so the one-way bet of speculators that we are seeing at the moment is reversed.”

Daily Trust

Bandits on Friday morning abducted an unspecified number of students from the Federal University of Gusau.

The bandits in large numbers were also said to have invaded the Sabon-Gida community of the Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Daily Trust gathered that three students’ hostels were attacked and all the students were carted away by the bandits during the attack.

The bandits were said to have been engaged by troops of the Nigerian Army in a fierce gun battle, but they escaped with the victims.

Sources in Sabon-Gida told Channels TV that the gunmen invaded the community around 3 am and started shooting sporadically.

“They entered the town around 3 am and started shooting indiscriminately. We have yet to confirm the number of students kidnapped because the bandits entered three hostels and kidnapped all the students there. It is difficult to ascertain their numbers now.

“They were seriously engaged with the army troops but the way these bandits operate, they will divide themselves into two, one group will move with the kidnapped victims while the other will stay behind to protect the first group.

“The first group had left with the students while the second group engaged the army in a gun duel,” a source was quoted as saying,

Some notable Nigerians including the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February 25 election, Peter Obi among many prominent Nigerians, including former ministers, ex-governors, non-serving senators, top politicians and other categories of highly-placed individuals and firms, who lost the land allocated to them in Abuja by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

The revocation order issued through a public notice and published as advertorial in this edition of The Nation, was done as a result of failure to develop property or contravention of relevant laws.

Among those affected are: Ex-Governors/Senators Liyel Imoke and Joshua Dariye. Imoke was Cross River State Governor while Dariye was served in Plateau State.

Also on the list is former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Kanu Agabi (SAN).

Also revoked are properties allocated now deceased former public office holders such as: the late Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) the late Ufot Joseph Ekaette and the late publisher of Leadership newspaper, Sam Nda-Isaiah.

There are 165 properties revoked by the FCTA in this batch.

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, on assumption of office, hinted that owners of undeveloped plots and those who ran foul of the city’s Land Use Act, would forfeit ownerships of such land.

Yesterday’s statement by FCT Permanent Secretary Olushade Adeshola, gave effect to the minister’s warning.

The Permanent Secretary said the measure was taken due to the violation and contravention of the terms of development of the Right of Occupancy.

The statement reads: “The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) hereby informs the general public that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has in the exercise of the powers conferred on him under Section 28 (5) (a) and (b) of the Land Use Act, 1978, revoked the under-listed plots with names and titles as reflected in our records for continued contravention of the terms of development of the Right of Occupancy to wit non-development”.

The affected properties are scattered all over the various districts in the FCT – Utako; Katampe Extension; Idu Industrial Area; Asokoro; Jabi; Wuse; Wuye, Gudu and Maitama.