The Chairman, National Association of Nigerian Students/Joint Campus Committee, Ekiti Axis, Abiola Ogunleye, on Wednesday, reiterated the association’s readiness to rid higher institutions in Ekiti State of sexual assault.
Ogunleye said NANS would work with the schools’ management to ensure that lecturers engaged in such “animalistic” behaviour were dismissed and prosecuted.
The NANS leader, who spoke at a press conference at the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, charged tertiary institutions in the state to place a premium on the welfare and security of students and resist all manners of victimisation against them.
He, however, lauded the EKSU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Eddy Olanipekun, for expelling a lecturer who was recently found guilty of sexual assault, saying, “That will send a signal that there are no sacred cows on campuses.”
Ogunleye added, “Protection of students against all forms of victimisation, sexual assault and harassment is our priority. The management of all higher institutions operating in Ekiti have assured us that they won’t tolerate such acts.
“Even when a lecturer was indicted of sexual assault here in the EKSU, he was dismissed from this university. This confirmed that the management has zero-tolerance for sexual harassment.”
The application portal for the N75 Billion Nigeria Youth Investment Fund, NYIF is now officially open.
The Fund announced the take-off of the fund today, even as the youth are busy waging a campaign to end SARS and SWAT.
“Dear Nigerian Youth,
“We appreciate your recent actions against oppression and Brutality. However, while you’re figting for the right course, Do not forget that Registration for the Nigerian Youth Investment fund which ₦75Bn was awarded to is ongoing.
“Kindly Register that your business or idea to get it funded by the CBN as we push to make a positive impact on our economy through your youthful strength and energy”.
Youth with business ideas that require funding can apply for the fund through the following link:
President Buhari and the Federal Executive Council approved the fund to help the realisation of business ideas of Nigeria’s teeming youthful population.
It is dedicated to investing in the innovative ideas, skills, talents and enterprise of the Nigerian Youth and aimed at turning them into Entrepreneurs, Wealth Creators and Employers of labour contributing to national development.
In approving the fund, Buhari considered Nigerian youth as resource to be harnessed and not a problem.
“The Fund will serve as a catalyst to unleash the potential of the youth and enable many of them build businesses that will employ and in turn empower others”, said Gabriel Aduda, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Sport and Youth Development.
“A multiplier effect of economic expansion and growth required to thrive in an increasingly competitive and connected world where adding value is the only sustainable pathway to success is expected to be achieved,” Aduda said in the preliminary information about the fund.
According to him, a minimum of N25 billion each year in the next 3 years, totalling N75Billion will be required to ring fence the NYIF.
“For the remaining part of 2020 an initial sum of N12.5 billion will be needed to kick start the NYIF. It is expected that successive governments will keep the Fund, akin to a Youth Bank, alive.
Juventus forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, could miss his side’s Champions League clash against Barcelona, after he tested positive to Coronavirus.
Ronaldo has left the Portugal squad on Tuesday and goes straight into quarantine.
UEFA’s protocols call for a player to be COVID-negative for at least seven days, before he can be allowed to feature in a Champions League or Europa League match.
Ronaldo tested positive on October 13 and Juve’s tie against Barcelona is scheduled for October 28.
“Participants from Group 1 or Group 2 who have verified confirmation that they have now recovered from the virus are invited to submit documentation of this to the UPAP, including the date of diagnosis of the virus, complete relevant medical history and any other medical documents in this context e.g. SARS-CoV-2-RNA test or any other laboratory tests.
“This must be provided at least one week before the team’s next UEFA Match,” UEFA’s protocols read.
The 35-year-old will certainly miss the upcoming matches against Crotone and Dynamo Kyiv.
End SARS protesters are condemning the “secret meeting” a few Nigerians held with some governors and tycoons.
The virtual meeting was held Monday night. It lasted nearly three hours.
In attendance were Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), and Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq (Kwara).
Others were Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, Aliko Dangote, Tony Elumelu, and Aisha Yesufu.
The rest are Ayo Balogun (Wizkid), Folarin Falana (Falz), Adebola Willams (Debola Lagos), Dipo Awojide and Pamilerin Adegoke.
Screenshots of the parley have leaked on social media.
Respondents insist that the protesters have no leaders. They are accusing the government of infiltration.
Trouble started after Dipo Awojide, who co-led the London protest, announced on Tuesday that he and others were in a meeting.
Awojide disclosed that 7 of them met with some leaders of the private sector and governors between 10pm-12:45am.
“They pleaded with us to either stop the protest or protest peacefully. They promised to ‘move mountains’ and ACT today.
“I currently don’t have the permission of the 7 people that attended to disclose their identity but I can assure you they are the same people who have been at the forefront in Lagos, Abuja and London.”
The lecturer stated that the discourse was very heated and every concern was communicated.
In other tweets, he said any committee the presidency/police wants to set up on the way forward must include Aisha Yesufu, FK Abudu, Douglas Jack Agu (Runtown) Falz.
“Davido and Wizkid have really really tried. But I deliberately left out their names. Those 4 people for starters. We can add: Mo, Rinu, Bulawayo Bukarti and Debo Macaroni.
“These 8 people should be speaking to government. #EndSWAT #EndSARS…No political jobbers. No career activists. And I don’t want to have anything to do with it”, he added.
However, Segun Awosanya (Segalink), regarded as the Nigerian who started the campaign against Police brutality and #EndSARS, was not at the meeting.
On top of this, Awojide did not include him in the names he suggested. He is being queried by Segalink’s supporters.
Protesters are criticizing his exclusion. They are recalling how he intervened at several times during arbitrary arrests.
However, some argue that it was not compulsory to have Segalink at the meeting. The activist, they say, was now close to the Police and may no longer be neutral.
Others are demanding an end to all forms of meetings. This set believes the youths should remain focused and continue with the demonstrations.
On Wednesday, Segalink sounded bitter about the matter, declaring that “hijackers” have taken over.
“Special thanks to @SavvyRinu et all who started the organic protest before the hijackers took it over. We shall overcome. #EndSARS #ReformPoliceNG”, he tweeted.
Meanwhile, Aisha Yesufu, has reiterated that she doesn’t wish to be included in a panel.
“Let it be known that I, Aisha Yesufu is not interested in being in any committee. The streets is where I belong not the table.
“That’s my strength! Let those who are good at the table be put forth. We must always put our best foot forward!”, the freedom fighter asserted.
Tope Akinyode, a lawyer, criticized meetings being held without public knowledge.
“Some people are already using us to catch cruise over this #endsars protest, because at what stage did we agree to people representing us in a meeting?
“Also, those accusing others of “cult” group have also been in a purported meeting with the IGP. What’s going on?”, he wrote on Twitter.
Nonso Egemba l, popularly known as Aproko Doctor warned that authorities are creeping in to penetrate leading voices.
The medical practitioner said the government “is succeeding in dividing us, using fault lines where it will be easy to crack us from.
“This is not the time to allow personal bias, resentment or the need for glory to influence our actions. If we all want the same thing, we should all be speaking with one voice,” he tweeted.
An Indian husband walked to a police station in India carrying the decapitated head of his wife who he beheaded after accusing her of having an affair.
Chinnar Yadav attacked his wife Vimla with a sharp weapon after a heated argument in which he accused her of being unfaithful with their neighbour, according to police.
After killing and beheading his wife, Yadav was then filmed carrying her severed head to their local police station in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
The shocking video clip shows him walking down the street holding a weapon and his wife’s bloodied head by the hair in the Neta Nagar area of Banda district on 9 October.
It is thought that Yadav also injured his neighbour in the attack after accusing the pair of infidelity.
The video clip ends as Yadav is about to enter Baberu Police Station to surrender. On arrival, police arrested him and recovered the murder weapon.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mahendra Pratap Chauhan said: ‘After a heated argument, the accused attacked his wife with a sharp weapon, killing her and then beheading her.
‘After which he carried his wife’s severed head to Baberu Police Station where he surrendered.
‘The accused was arrested and the weapon was also recovered from him by the cops.’
Similar scenes were captured in Uttar Pradesh in February when another man decapitated his wife and walked through the streets singing the Indian national anthem.
A delegation of the Federal Government led by the Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige, met behind closed doors with the leadership of the Senate on Tuesday to appraise the University Transparency Account Systems payment platform developed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
The meeting, chaired by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, also had in attendance, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris and the ASUU leadership led by the President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi.
Ngige had before the commencement of the meeting, said the parley was at the instance of the Senate President, as part of efforts to resolve the lingering crisis between the Federal Government and ASUU.
Addressing journalists after about a three-hour closed session on the issue on Tuesday, Ngige said, “ASUU has demonstrated to us, how the UTAS they developed could work but the demonstration will continue.
“We will involve other government agencies who would also come and assess it. Discussions on it are not foreclosed yet.
“UTAS is homegrown software. It is what we call local content that Mr President is encouraging. It will be considered by the government,” Ngige added.
ASUU had rejected the IPPIS as it embarked on indefinite strike on February.
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, told the meeting that the current impasse between ASUU and the Federal Government was an ill-wind that would not do any of the two parties any good.
The Senate President asked the two parties to find a middle ground to resolve their differences.
“It has to be a win-win situation,” Lawan said.
Tuesday’s meeting with the Federal Government delegation was after a similar dialogue with ASUU by the Senate leadership on Monday.
A former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomole, on Tuesday, sought for an out-of-court settlement in the N10bn libel suit instituted against him by Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom.
Ortom had filed the suit against the former APC chairman over his comments against him at a press conference on July 27, 2018, where Oshiomhole accused the governor of having a hand in the death of two Catholic priests and other parishioners at Mbalom Community, Gwer East Local Government Area on the grounds that one of the priests had preached a “very critical sermon” against him (the governor).
Earlier on the suit, Oshiomhole had filed six preliminary objections which the court resolved all in Ortom’s favour.
However, at the resumption of the case on Tuesday, counsel for Ortom, Samuel Irabor, submitted that he was ready to call his witnesses, but said that Oshiomhole’s counsel, Festus Jumbo had informed him that they have considered putting up a retraction of the publication and it would be ready within a week.
He said he was applying for another date to take a look at the terms of settlement canvassed by Oshiomhole.
Titus Akhuwa who held the brief of Oshiomhole’s counsel, Festus Jumbo confirmed the submission of Governor Ortom’s lawyer.
The Presiding judge, Justice Augustine Ityonyiman of State High Court sitting in Makurdi, after listening to both parties, adjourned the case to October 29, for a report on the out-of-court settlement.
It is a new dawn in the realm of #EndSARS protests nationwide and sadly a seed of disunity has been planted.
A zoom meeting attended by Wizkid, Twitter influencers, Dipo Awojide, Pamilerin, Governors of Lagos, Ogun and Kwara states, Tony Elumelu, amongst others which was brought to light has caused confusion online.
Segalink who exposed this meeting in a lenghty thread on Twitter asked Nigerians to beware and go home saying that the #EndSARS movement has been hijacked by politics and desire for personal gain.
This thread is coming after Dipo Awojide took to his official page to list people who he believes should constitute a committee to represent the youths and omitted Segalink.
This has caused a lot of debate online with many accusing him of being used by the powers that be to sow a seed of discord amongst the youths why many called for an explanation from the zoom meeting attendees on why it was kept a secret from the youths agitating for a change, majority have however called on youths not to be distracted by this.
Senators on Tuesday commenced debate on the general principles of the 2021 budget estimates, presented to the Joint session of the National Assembly last Thursday by the President Muhammadu Buhari.
Senators from the ruling All Progressives Congress commended the Buhari regime for coming up with the N10.08trn fiscal document tagged, “Budget of Economic Recovery and Resilience”.
But their Peoples Democratic Party counterparts described the budget as unrealistic for implementation.
The Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, who started the debate, said the proposed budget deficit of N5.19tn represented 3.64 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product, which was above the threshold set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.
He said, “Even though the deficit is covered by N4.28trn of new borrowing and funds obtainable from privatisation proceeds and multilateral and bilateral sources, it is important for our Committee on Finance to raise the matter for the National Assembly to permit this increase, as specified in the extant law, particularly given the special circumstances which made this necessary.
“It is important to point out that issues of revenue shortfall and meeting unexpected emergencies can only be tackled either by borrowing, cutting expenditure, shrinking the economy, reducing government and social services, rationalisation, and job cut, among others.”
However, the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the budget did not show that the Buhari regime understood that the world had changed and that the country’s problems had intensified.
He said, “The oil era is fading out, but the government retains an attitude of business-as-usual. This is not a time for tokenistic ideas. Nigeria needs big ideas. This 2021 budget proposal failed to deliver on that point.”
However, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, pointed out that the budget proposal was an estimate and assumption.
“Concentrate on those things you think we can do to make this budget perform optimally,” Lawan told Abaribe.
However, the Deputy Chief Whip, Sabi Abdullahi, said Abaribe was merely playing to the gallery.
He listed the various interventions provided in the budget, particularly in the health sector, social security and support for the small and medium scale industries, as a genuine attempt to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Nigerians.
Joining the debate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu pointed out that this was the first time that Nigeria’s debt to GDP ratio would be above over 3 per cent.
He said, “I want the Committee on Finance and Appropriation to find a solution to this. I have been very worried about the way we are going in terms of borrowing. I am concerned on the loans being given by China. They will not let you go off any of the debt because all the money is for specific projects and if they are not done they take over..”
Meanwhile, the Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, urged the Senate not to pander to the secession agitation around the country, stressing that constitutional amendment underway would address the widespread agitation for restructuring the country.
He said, “The constitutional reform process is there in the National Assembly to satisfy the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians for restructuring and reshaping our federation to make it an inclusive and an all-embracing polity.”
Also, members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday debated the general principles of the 2021 Appropriation Bill, raising concerns over deficit and borrowing plan to finance the budget.
Several members also criticised the rising recurrent expenditure by the Federal Government at the detriment of capital projects.
Leading debates on the budget, the Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, noted that the Federal Government in 2020 had been was able to achieve between 50 to 60 per cent implementation rate.
Nigeria’s Head of Police Mohammad Adamu has established a new Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) squad to “fill the gaps” left by the notorious police unit Federal Special Anti-robbery squad (FSARS).
The force spokesman Frank Mba said the IGP had also ordered all personnel of the disbanded SARS to report at force headquarters in Abuja for debriefing.
“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP M.A. Adamu, NPM, mni has, today, 13th October, 2020, in accordance with Section 18 (10) of the Police Act 2020, ordered all personnel of the defunct SARS to report at the Force Headquarters, Abuja for debriefing, psychological and medical examination. The officers are expected to undergo this process as a prelude to further training and reorientation before being redeployed into mainstream policing duties,” Mba said.
Mba said prospective members of this new team will also “undergo psychological and medical examination to ascertain their fitness and eligibility for the new assignment.”
The SARS was dissolved on Sunday but there are allegations that they were still on the streets attacking and brutalizing protesters.
Just hours after Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday tried to assuage protesters by promising “extensive” reforms to stop the rising crisis of police brutality, another civilian was shot and killed by police during a protest in Surulere, Lagos State.
Protesters, who clamored for the dissolution of the unit, have continued to protest noting the government’s ineffectual promises of police reforms and investigations in the past.
The Guardian has earlier reported that the police boss ordered all state commissioners of police to ensure no officer and other insignia of the defunct SARS is seen in public.
In the “police wireless message” dated October 12, 2020, seen by The Guardian, the state commissioners of police are to ensure “strict compliance” of the directive.
Investigation and prosecution of erring officers are the latest demands of the protesters with the standing demand that police brutality in the country must end.
With celebrities adding their voice to the #EndSARS hashtag, it jumped to the top global trend on Twitter and drew international support from UK-based footballers like Mesut Ozil and Marcus Rashford, musicians and actors.
Nigeria’s global superstars, Wizkid and Davido, who are also part of this generation of protesters, have been physically present in London and Abuja – where the latter’s presence stopped police officers from shooting at protesters.
The protests against the police have largely been organized on social media, fuelled by personal accounts of police abuses and videos of brutal incidents, including the beating of civilians and the firing of live ammunition at protesters.
