1. INEC PLANS TO MAKE NIN COMPULSORY FOR VOTER REGISTRATION
A Commissioner in the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has hinted plans by INEC to make NIN compulsory for voter registration. According to him, INEC were finalizing plans to harmonize the NIN database and the voters register. He also said that this would help to stop the current problem of voter registration. Adding that the Permanent Voters Card PVC only lasted for 10 years, whereas the NIN is eligible for use throughout a lifetime.
Many Nigerians have been complaining about the overcrowded NIMC centers and the rationale behind the NIN registration amid a raging Covid-19 pandemic.
2. Herdsmen vs Ondo govt: Buhari told to arrest Garba Shehu
Senior pastor of Awaiting The Second Coming Of Christ Ministry, Adewale Giwa has called for the arrest of the senior special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu
According to Giwa, Shehu’s utterances are motivating Fulani herdsmen to kill, kidnap and terrorize the citizens of Nigeria.
The Presidency, through Shehu, had on Tuesday condemned Governor Rotimi Akeredolu‘s ultimatum to Fulani herdsmen to vacate Ondo forest reserves.
Shehu, said the presidency has been keenly monitoring events occurring in Ondo.
While reacting, the presidency urged the Ondo governor to respect the rights of the herdsmen, but failed to cite any violation of the constitution that Akeredolu’s order had breached.
However, Giwa, in a statement to DAILY POST on Wednesday said it was high time Nigerians held Shehu responsible for the killings across the country.
“If Nigeria was in a good position, Garba Shehu ought to have been arrested and investigated over the killings, kidnappings in the country.
“Last week, I called the attention of Governor Akeredolu to the activities of herdsmen in Ondo state.
“Now that the governor has made a good decision to send them packing within 7 days, the state can now have peace.
“It is now glaring that Garba Shehu is the one encouraging and motivating Fulani herdsmen to terrorize the people.
“Whenever they kill innocent people, the presidency has nothing to say. But, when people take action against them, you see Garba Shehu talking.
“I commend governor Akeredolu for listening to the citizens of the state, and I want to assure him that the good people of Ondo state are supporting him for this.
“Fulani are not Nigerians, they belong to Shahel and West African countries. They don’t look like normal human beings.
“When they hold positions of authority, they act like animals and scatter everything under them,” Giwa stated.
3. Trump to pardon former adviser Bannon
President Donald Trump has decided to pardon his influential former adviser Steve Bannon, US media reported Tuesday, though no official announcement had been made as Trump counted down his final hours in the White House.
Bannon was granted clemency after being charged with defrauding people over funds raised to build the Mexico border wall that was a flagship Trump policy, the New York Times said citing White House officials.
The paper said the president — who will leave office on Wednesday — made his last-minute decision after speaking to Bannon by phone.
The pardon would effectively wipe away charges against Bannon, if he was convicted, it said. CNN also reported the pardon for Bannon, but said Trump had not yet signed the final paperwork.
Before Trump flies to Florida on Wednesday morning — skipping Joe Biden’s inauguration — he is expected to issue scores of other pardons, with speculation rife over who might make the list.
The latest indications are that Trump will not take the legally dubious step of issuing himself and his children preemptive pardons.
According to CNN and other US outlets, Trump has a list of about 100 people to whom he may grant clemency.
4. Retired teachers protest unpaid gratuity, pension in Osu
Many retired teachers in Iwo, Osun State under the contributory pension scheme few days ago took to the street, to protest non-payment of their pension and gratuity.
The aggrieved retirees who stormed Iwo-East LCDA secretariat, Olomowewe, chanted different solidarity songs, and lamented that they took to protest because of the government’s refusal to pay them their pension since 2016 despite contributing into the contributory pension scheme while in service.
Some of the songs were “Oyetola pay us our money”, “Oyetola this suffering is too much”, “Oyetola stop lying”, among others.
Okunlola Joseph Oludare, who led the protest, told Vanguard that the state government had refused to pay their contributory pension since 2016, saying “They should stop telling lies, they have not paid us. Some of us are sick; some have died because they could not afford food.
“Schools are resuming now and our children will remain at home because we cannot afford to pay school fees.”
Another protester, identified as Mrs Adekunle, said this government needed to stop telling the people of Osun that they had paid pensions, when it had actually not done so.
“You will see N100 million in the news, yet we don’t get paid, so who are they paying?” She asked.
5. Old soldiers at war over unpaid 20-month pension arrears
Few days ago, the President of military veterans of the Association of Ex-Service Men and Family Welfare, MWO, Anthony Agbas, led some aggrieved members to the Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja, to protest non-payment of their 20-month pension arrears.
The protesters who appealed to the Federal Government to approve the payment of minimum wage arrears accruing to them from 2019 till date, demanded end to all deductions on the pension of all retired medical officers, and inclusion of officers who fought during the civil war into the military pension scheme.
While delivering a protest letter to officials of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Agbas lamented that over 97, 000 retired soldiers who were supposed to benefit from what he described as the Security Department Allowance, SDA, had been excluded.
He contended that only retirees from 2017 to date had been paid, leaving the majority of the ex-service men.
6. COVID-19: OAU resumes 2019/2020 academic session, cancels 2020/2021 calendar
The management of Obafemi Awolowo University has asked students to resume back for the continuation of 2019/2020 academic session which was suspended in March last year due to the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.
It also disclosed the cancellation of the 2020/2021academic session.
A statement issued by the university registrar, Mrs M. I. Omosule disclosed that the institution’s Senate approved that final year students in the Faculty of Pharmacy, Clinical Students in the College of Health Sciences and year four students in the Faculty of Agriculture are to resume into the hall of residence on February 7 while lecture commences the following day.
It also stated that other students would continue their classes virtually.
It reads further, “consequent upon the directive of the Federal Government that schools should re-open, the Senate of Obafemi Awolowo University at its meeting held today, 19th January 2021 announced the following resumption time-table for the continuation of the 2019/2020 academic session that was suspended in March 2020 following the outbreak of COVID-19:
“Final year students in the Faculty of Pharmacy, Clinical Students in the College of Health Sciences and year four (4) students in the Faculty of Agriculture are to come into residence on February 7, 2021. All other students are to attend their classes virtually.
“Lectures resume on February 8, 2021. The approved resumption programme is subject to periodic review in line with the realities and trend of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In addition, the Senate approved the cancellation of 2020/2021 Academic Session. Furthermore, in line with the directives of the Federal Government on prevention of community transmission of COVID-19, the Senate was emphatic on the need for both staff and students to strictly adhere to the following COVID-19 protocols: Regular handwashing with soap and running water. Use of hand sanitiser, Compulsory wearing of face mask and social distancing.
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