The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Wednesday released the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results of 3,736 candidates after the board had invited them to come for physical verification and prove that they were not involved in malpractices.
Our correspondent learnt that the affected candidates had been invited last Monday.
However, four candidates were discovered by the board to indulge in malpractices ranging from inflating their scores to cheating and therefore had their results withdrawn.
According to JAMB, they are Adah Eche with registration number 97512230IB, Taiwo Omowumi with registration number 97049254GG, Vincent Onyinyechi with registration number 96531098BC and Afolasade Zainab with registration number 96634599GA.
The Head of Information, JAMB, Dr Fabian Benjamin, confirmed the development, saying the board would not spare efforts in identifying and sanctioning any candidate who attempted to falsify UTME.
He said, “Recall that when 2019 UTME results were released on Saturday, May 11, 2019, the board had explained, among others, that there was a post-examination discovery of serious infractions that might lead to withdrawal of any released result.
“Also, a number of candidates’ results were withheld for further verification and anyone not deeply implicated would have his or her result processed.
“There were, however, some that needed further direct interaction and interview to establish clearly whether they were culpable or not. Candidates in this category were invited to appear in eight centres across the country.
“Consequently, 3,736 candidates who were found to be either free of any blame or entitled to benefit of the doubt, have their results processed for release. The 3,736 results are now released.”
The Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), has asked the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, to stop misleading Nigerians, adding that senators earned N15m monthly and not N750,000 as claimed by Lawan.
Lawan had on Tuesday said there was no such thing as “jumbo pay,” adding that he earns N750,000 as salary.
Speaking with our correspondent on Wednesday, however, Sagay said Nigerians were more interested in how much senators take home monthly in salaries and allowances.
He said Lawan was only speaking half-truth because everyone knew that the bulk of the money earned by senators was embedded in their allowances.
Sagay said, “I respect and like him (Lawan), but what he has done is to give half-truth. He is telling us the actual salary without mentioning anything about the allowances.
“That is where the jumbo pay comes in, when you talk of building, furniture, domestic this or that, 15 items and those items alone bring everything up to N13.5m a month. So, simply mentioning the bare salary, which brings it to over N14m, is not sufficient.
“So, technically, he is right. That is their salary. But what is his income, take-home pay, at the end of the month? It is about N15m and we are not including many other things we need talk about now.”
Sagay said presiding officers of the National Assembly earned more than ordinary members.
The PACAC chairman, who was the first to expose the jumbo pay of federal lawmakers, said he was still trying to ascertain the allowances of principal officers.
He said, “What I have not been able to do is give details of what the leadership earns. There is the leadership aspect that I hadn’t revealed – the excess that the Senate President and Deputy Senate President, leader of the house; the same thing applying to the House (of Representatives).
“What they get – the current ones – that I have not been able to release. I had the details of the previous house. They were mindboggling; we are talking of one person getting up to N280m a year in allowances for his position. But I don’t know what they had during the Saraki era or what the present group is going to do.”
Oluokun Soyinka, son of Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, says the unidentified young man who refused to give up his seat for his father was within his rights to do so.
Oluokun said this in an open letter addressed to business mogul, Tonye Cole, who first reported the matter on social media.
Soyinka’s son, while thanking Cole for his concern, however, berated the youths on social media who used the opportunity to insult his octogenarian father.
He wrote, “The young man whose seat it was may have had a specific reason to insist on having his seat. He was within his rights, and WS (Wole Soyinka) would be last person to make an issue of it. My irritation, however, is reserved for the social media warriors.”
“Some vehemently defended the right of the young man to claim his seat. They hailed him for bravely standing up to oppression and divined how a young WS himself might have reacted in a similar situation. (He is an activist but a gentleman, so it is most likely he would have graciously given way to an elder who mistakenly sat in his seat).
“Some criticised WS for attempting to callously deprive a youth of the fruits of his hard-earned money. One wag even suggested he might as well have insisted on having the pilot’s seat.”
Oluokun said the young man missed an opportunity of showing an act of kindness to an old man.
Soyinka’s son said his father was disrespected and ought to have been treated better.
He added, “I believe the learning point of this controversy lies in understanding the difference between right and entitlement. The seat owner had a right – that is enforceable. But the elder though he or she is entitled to some deference and respect, can only hope for it. In this case, it was not given and WS, unhesitatingly moved seat.”
Oluokun added that it was illogical to in one breadth judge Soyinka for occupying another person’s seat and at the same time insist that the young man should not be judged for having tattoos.
He added, “To the online outraged, I would point out that those who like to see an elder given his due deference are entirely within their rights to judge the young man. And if they decide to add some profiling (the t-shirt, tattoo, face cap), please just ‘chop it’!
“He passed up a small opportunity to bestow an act of kindness, and commentators happily pointed out his emblems of youthful disregard for convention. After all, he had just disregarded a convention that many hold dear.”
Soyinka’s son said this was not the first time his father would plead with someone to allow him to occupy the window seat
He said his father does so most times to avoid people who would usually stop at the aisle to shake hands with him on the airplane.
Oluokun argued that his father was a national hero who had made many sacrifices for Nigeria.
He recalled how his father fought several military dictators and even had to go on exile.
Soyinka’s son said when his father returned to the country in the last 90s, he was given a free first class ticket by KLM in recognition of his heroism.
“I have not commented on the fact that beyond being an elderly man, WS has served his country in a way that many would do well to emulate. I will leave that for others to go into. Our garrulous online youths, however, should not take freedom of expression for granted. In his day, the dictator Abacha tightly controlled the then novelty called the Internet.
“People spent decades in jail, being tortured for merely hinting at criticism of the military ruler. Our freedom to hold our leaders accountable is a precious right bought by the heroism of many; some died, some are still living. So, as you fight your battles of today, please do so with a sense of history,” Oluokun said.
He said extending courtesies based upon age such as offering your seat in a crowded bus or lifting a heavy bag is not just a matter of convention or kindness but common sense.
He asked youths to remember that they would one day grow old and would one day rely on considerate fellow passengers or observant bystanders.
The pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, has asked Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to kneel before God and ask for forgiveness for breaking one of the vital 12 commandments of Christianity.
Afenifere said this in reaction to Osinbajo’s comment on insurgency and terrorism in the South-western part of the country.
Osinbajo had in the United States of America on Sunday claimed that ‘kidnapping incidents in the South-west were politically motivated”.
He also noted that “with respect to general kidnapping which we have seen in parts of the country, again, this is not entirely new. In fact, some of the kidnapping stories you read or listen to are simply not true anywhere, some are fueled by politics.”
Afeneifere condemned Osinbajo for the comment saying there are reports of the “failure of the state as the security forces are largely incapable or unwilling to safeguard the lives of our people”.
Speaking for the group, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, reeled out some of the incidents that had happened in the South-western part of the country.
He said, apart from the daily tales of horror across Yorubaland in the hands of “Fulani marauders”, the meeting (Afenifere) would like Osinbajo to answer some questions.
Odumakin asked: “Is the report of the kidnap of a district head from President Buhari’s town from May 1 (2019) to date politically motivated? Was the President speaking of another country when he handed kidnappers on the rampage to God? “Was the former Health Minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole, playing politics when it was announced that his son was kidnapped? What politics was afoot when the Ondo State governor recently announced that his convoy was waylaid by kidnappers?
“If he cannot answer these questions, he should kneel before his God and ask for forgiveness for violating ‘Thou shall not lie’ commandment. We further admonish him not to allow whatever ambition and political interest he serves to push him to make such infuriating comments again.”
The group called on President Muhammadu Buhari to take the issue of securing lives and properties of Nigerians across the country seriously.
The Afenifere also said President Muhammadu should “separate the office of the President of Nigeria which he occupies from being also the grand patron of Miyetti Allah”, to enable him tackle attacks by herdsmen and bandits with more ferociousness.
The President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan has said that there was nothing like jumbo salary for National Assembly members as being speculated in some quarters.
Lawan made the disclosure, when members of the Senators’ Forum paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja on Tuesday.
While further dismissing the jumbo pay issue, he revealed that his monthly salary as a lawamaker and that of his colleagues was N750,000.
“What I want to emphasize here is that I never believed that that there is anything called Jombo pay to the National Assembly.
“The National Assembly members both the Senate and the House receive what is their salaries and I receive N750,000 as my salary.
“But I need to function as a senator , my office needs to be properly funded,” he said.
He promised that the national assembly was going to be open to the general public in the conduct of its legislative activities, particularly in the area of funding
“National Assembly is going to be open to the public , I believe that the national assembly should have everything open , let Nigerians Know, what we are doing.
“I believe that Nigerians need to understand this, we need to continually engage with Nigerians and I will also argue that we continue to explain to Nigerians, they deserve to know how their resources are being utilised.
“ I believe that the national assembly needs proper funding because the legislature is so critical in any national development,’’ he said.
“This senate is a by-partisan senate, senators consciously decided to work for us and we take that very seriously, what that means is that we are going to make for progress Nigeria .
“Because what we have done is to be patriotic and we belong to various political parties, but once we are here Nigeria is our constituency.
“The Senate is going to be united in the conduct of its oversight. It is a senate that will work for Nigeria. We are going to do everything possible to remain united in a very by–partisan manner and remain focused .
“Because the challenges against Nigeria is enormous, we need to enhance our of security.
“We need to make sure the economy works for every one for those at the lowest ladder and those at the top, this is necessary I don’t believe that rancor or hostility will yield any positive result.
“I have witnessed how rancour undermined national development, I also witnessed a very peaceful and cordial relationship that at the end of the day produce the kind of outcomes that Nigerian desire.
“So we are here to follow the part of peace, but we are going to be very seriously and systematically in our over sight .
“A minister or head of organisation that is expected to function must function,” he said.
He said the senate was determined to ensure that the Nigeria returns to the January to December budget process .
“We have to work together and archive what need to archive for Nigerians .
“We know the challenges and we will work hard to ensure that we get the solution.
“This senate is determined to ensure for example we pass the budget in three months and we believe this is achievable and doable .
“All we require is for the executive to provide the appropriation bill in good time may be at the end of September or early week of September.
“The national assembly will sit to ensure that there is defence of the budget by the MDAs and before we live for Christmas we will ensure that the budget is passed, so that we go back the January to Decemeber budget cycle,’’ NAN quoted him as saying.
The Ado Ekiti Division of the Federal Court of Appeal has declared as invalid, the selection of Oba Ilesanmi Ajibade as the Owa of Odo Ayedun.
Justice E.O Dawodu-Williams, in the verdict of the appeal panel, resolved all the issues formulated for determination in favour of the respondent, Prince Adeniyi Adekunle, and consequently affirmed the judgment of an Ikole Ekiti High Court on the obaship tussle.
The lower court had earlier nullified the selection and appointment of the monarch, saying the selection process which produced him was faulty.
The Appeal Court, in its verdict on Tuesday, held that “Ekiti State Government erred to have cancelled the first selection process and having ordered for a fresh one since it has no absolute powers in law to do so”.
The court, however, validated the first selection process held on November 2, 2009, which produced Prince Adeniyi, an assistant director in the state Ministry of Information, as Owa of Odo Ayedun Ekiti.
Justice Dawodu-Williams held that “there is no evidence before the court which shows that the selection process that produced the claimant was marred by violence as alleged by the appellant” and consequently dismissed the appeal “for lacking in merit”.
While counsel for the respondent/claimant, Mr T. J. Omidoyin, described the judgment as “a deserving one,” counsel for the monarch, Mr Obafemi Adewale, said the judgment would be appealed before the Supreme Court.
Following the installation of the monarch in 2009, Prince Adebiyi had approached an Ikole Ekiti High Court, urging it to nullify the selection process that produced the king and upheld the first one conducted that produced him.
About 60 presidential candidates in the 2019 general elections have faulted the Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar over the controversy surrounding the use of a server, describing it as unnecessary.
They also criticised the report of European Union Election Observer Mission which alleged a lack of transparency in the guidelines of election.
The parties under the aegis of Joint Forum of 60 Presidential Candidates and National Chairmen, at a press conference addressed by Alhaji Mohammed Shittu, said the Independent National Electoral Commission did creditably well.
The event was also attended by the Co-Convener of the forum and chairman of West African Coalition of Political Parties, Chief Perry Opara.
Shittu said, “We reiterate that the INEC server controversy is unnecessary. It is a plot to discredit the election as political parties never agreed with INEC in any of the several pre-election meetings that results will be transmitted electronically.
“Parties agreed on a lot of issues with the commission and those were implemented. It is worrisome that only one political party out of 91 is saying a different thing on the presidential election while at the same time praising its performance on the other elections, especially governorship, conducted by the same INEC.
“INEC consulted widely and extensively, and together with stakeholders of which we are a part of, came up with the guidelines for the conduct of the 2019 general elections, which the commission followed to the letter. We recall that nine out of the eleven points for consideration we raised as candidates under the auspices of the Inter-Party Advisory Council and Coalition of United Political Parties respectively were adopted by the Commission. How then can the EU-EOM accuse the commission of a lack of transparency in putting up guidelines for the elections?
“Therefore, the report of the EU-EOM released over a week ago wherein they alleged a lack of transparency in the guidelines of election is bewildering. With all due respect to the EU-EOM, it is left to Nigerians to decide how we conducted our 2019 general elections.
“Going forward, we would like to urge President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately sign the Electoral Act Amendment into law once it is presented to him again by the National Assembly. That amendment will hugely improve our electoral system and its processes.”
The winner of the contest to replace Theresa May as leader of Britain’s ruling Conservatives and prime minister will be announced on July 23, the ruling party said on Tuesday.
Former foreign minister Boris Johnson is the favourite in the race, battling Britain’s current top diplomat, Jeremy Hunt.
The two candidates were chosen from a field of 10 by the Conservative party’s 313 MPs, and are now seeking to woo an estimated 160,000 party members who will make the final choice.
Postal ballots will be sent out between July 6 and 8, and the deadline for returning them has been set at 5.00 pm on July 22.
“The announcement of the next leader of the Conservative party will be made on Tuesday 23 July. This process has been agreed with both candidates,” the statement said.
Once a successor is confirmed, May would be expected to visit Queen Elizabeth II to formally tender her resignation as premier.
Her replacement would then make his own visit to Buckingham Palace to be confirmed in office.
The Conservatives do not have a majority in parliament’s lower House of Commons, but govern through an alliance with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
May announced her resignation last month after failing to get her Brexit deal through parliament, faced with opposition from both Conservative MPs and the DUP.
It is possible that the main opposition Labour party calls an immediate vote of confidence in the new prime minister, to force them to prove they have the support to govern.
This would have to happen by July 25 when parliament breaks for its summer holiday, or wait until MPs return on September 3.
Head coach of Nigeria, Gernot Rohr, has revealed that he has already mapped out his starting XI that will tackle Guinea in Wednesday’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, Group B fixture.
The Germany tactician stated that only fittest Super Eagles players will start against the Syli Stars, adding that a victory for the three times African champions will seal Nigeria’s qualification into the competition’s next round.
Nigeria head to the match after defeating Burundi 1-0 over the weekend, while Guinea played a draw against Madagascar.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday morning in Egypt, Rohr said: “Yesterday’s afternoon we put together already the team who could start eventually in this crucial game against Guinea because if we win it we are already through to the next round of the competition. That would be wonderful you know.
“At the moment the atmosphere is very good. The players are recovering and we will also prepare specially for those that are sick and to try to come back in good fitness.
“We had a very good training session this morning. We had a recovery program for the players who played more than 45 minutes against Burundi on Saturday.
“We had a big work which dwelled on physical and technical training for the other players too.”
The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit challenging Femi Gbajabiamila’s eligibility to contest the recently-concluded speakership election of the newly-inaugurated 9th House of Representatives.
The Court’s records sighted by our correspondent on Tuesday showed that Justice Inyang Ekwo dismissed the suit following the decision of the plaintiff, Philip Undie, to discontinue the case.
Undie had filed the legal action on May 21, 2019, asking the court to remove Gbajabiamila as a member of the House of Representatives and disqualify him from contesting the leadership election of the House of Representatives.
He had anchored the suit on the alleged conviction of the lawmaker for fraud and dishonesty by the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia in the United States of America in 2007.
But a new lawyer engaged by the plaintiff, Mr. S.D Okoro, appeared in court on Monday, to adopt a notice of discontinuance of the suit earlier filed.
In response, Gbajabiamila’s lawyer, Mr. Femi Adedeji, of the law firm of Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), said he had no objection to the application for the discontinuance of the case.
But Adedeji prayed that his client, having joined issues with the plaintiff by filing a counter-affidavit against the originating summons and a preliminary object, the suit should not be struck out, but should be dismissed so that it would not be re-filed in the future.
He also prayed for a cost of N1m to be awarded against the plaintiff.
Ruling, Justice Ekwo dismissed the suit as prayed by Gbajabiamila’s lawyer, but refused to award cost against the plaintiff.
The judge said, “On the last day of hearing of this case, Mr. Okoro appeared for the plaintiff but there was no processes before the court showing that there was a change of counsel before the court.
“Today (Monday), I take notice of a process titled ‘Change of counsel’ by Mr. Okoro dated June 20, 2019.
“Therefore, I am satisfied that Mr. Okoro has authority to represent the plaintiff in this case and therefore entitled to conduct the case in accordance with the law.
“Now, Mr. Okoro has adopted the notice of discontinuance dated June 17, 2019, and this is happening after issues have been joined in the substantive matter. Mr. Okoro is praying that the matter be struck out.
“I have listened to Mr. Adedeji, counsel for the 1st defendant, and on the consequential order to be made at this stage.
“It is the law that when parties have joined issues and the plaintiff seeks to withdraw the case, the proper order is that dismissing the suit.
“It is in this like that I agree with the learned counsel for the 1st defendant, and I hereby make an order dismissing this suit.
“On the issue of cost, I will not make any order as to cost since parties decided to end the matter peacefully.
“I allow them to go home without grudges against each other.”
In the suit, the plaintiff had alleged that Gbajabiamila, as a practising lawyer in the State of Georgia in the US, “was convicted and sentenced for fraud and dishonesty in relation to the sum of $25,000” belonging to a then client of the lawmaker.
