Assets declaration: Court orders Saraki’s arrest

In spite of a Federal High Court ex parte motion halting the arraignment of Senate President Bukola Saraki, the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Friday commenced the prosecution of the case.

The Prosecution Counsel, Mr Muslim Hassan, asked the tribunal to issue a bench warrant against Saraki for failing to appear before it.

Hassan faulted the Federal High Court for granting the ex parte motion halting Saraki’s arraignment.

He argued that the Federal High Court had coordinate jurisdiction with the tribunal and as such, had no powers to halt trial of the Tribunal.

The Defence Counsel, Mr Joseph Daudu, however, prayed the tribunal to adjourn the case until after the Federal High Court sitting on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Chairman tribunal, Mr Umar Danladi, adjourned the case till 1.30 p.m. for a decision to be taken.

Alleged N3.3b fraud: EFCC declares Saraki’s associate wanted

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) yesterday declared a former Director of the defunct Societe Generale Bank Nigeria Plc, Kennedy Izuagbe, wanted.

Izuagbe is also the Managing Director of Carlisle Properties and Investment Limited, which is mentioned in the alleged discrepancies in Senate President Bukola’s Saraki’s asset declaration forms.

The development suggest that the EFCC may have been probing the defunct SGBN.

A statement by the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said Izuagbe is wanted for alleged laundering about N3.6 billion.

The statement said:”Kennedy Izuagbe, a former Director of Societe Generale Bank Nigeria Plc and Managing Director of Carlisle Properties and Investment Limited, has been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Kogi LGA Workers Protest Over Unpaid Salaries

Kogi Local Government workers in Kogi State  blocked the Federal High Way around Koton Karfe in protest over non-payment of salaries and arrears by the state government despite the bail out by the federal government.

A corps member at the scene in Katon Karfe said that the protest has resulted in a heavy grid lock on the High way as commuters have been stuck on the road for hours.

The protest started around 8 am on Thursday  morning, and has gained momentum as more protesters come out to block the road.

Another source Idibia called via telephone to described the scene as chaotic with hundreds of protesters on the road causing over two kilometers of traffic as vehicle and commuters are trapped without movement.

Reacting to the protest, The Kogi State Commissioner for Finance, Alfa Zakari, has described as a rumor milling around the working class purporting that the government of Kogi State was in procession of the Workers Salaries Assistance Bail out Loan approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Kaduna tightens security around closed churches

Kaduna State government on Thursday  beefed up security around the two Assemblies of God Churches closed down in Saminaka, Lere Local Government Area, over leadership crisis.

Speaking with journalists in Kaduna, Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the governor, Samuel Aruwan, said the move was to protect members of the church..He called on leadership of the church to reconcile themselves for peace to rain among its members.

Aruwan further explained that the tightening of security in the area and other parts of the state was for safety and to avert break down of law and order. He, however, asked citizens to be law-abiding and cooperate with security agencies and government.

It would be recalled that Kaduna State Security Council on Wednesday announced the immediate closure of the two churches, a seminary school as well as a hospital as government’s previous efforts at resolving the crisis were aborted by those involved in the leadership tussle

examination malpractices in Nigeria

A N200,000 fine to be introduced as penalty against examination malpractices in Nigeria

WAEC results:Ghanaian candidates’ best in past three years

The West African Examination Council said candidates from Ghana had produced best results in West African Senior School Certificate Examination in the past three years.

WAEC’s Head of National Office in Nigeria, Mr Charles Eguridu, disclosed this at a dinner with newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.

Eguridu said Nigeria, by its population, should be the best in the examination but lamented that stakeholders in the country were not taking education of their wards seriously.

Eguridu said, “Over the past three years, candidates from Ghana have remained the best; it is saddening considering our population.

“We have been paying lip service to teachers; some schools do not have facilities; candidates do not have laboratories, vocational centres, libraries and textbooks.

“The outcome of such educational system will be self-evident; it is high time we got more serious with our value system and adopt excellence as our watchword.

“It is not that Nigerians are less intelligent, but we do not motivate our children; the love and quest for material things have taken over the level of responsibility in many homes.”

According to him, children were not monitored at home as they were left to watch movies and do other things at the detriment of their studies.

On the perceived credibility issue between WAEC and the National Examination Council results in terms of students’ performances, Eguridu said the council’s researchers would look into the matter.

Eguridu disclosed that from 2016, WAEC’s November/December General Certificate in Education examination would be known as “Private Candidates” examination while that of May/June would be “School Candidates” examination.

He explained that the change in name was to avoid tying the examinations to specific months.
 

On the debts being owed the council by some states, he said that 30 per cent of the states had paid while some others issued promissory notes.

Eguridu expressed the hope that the defaulting states would pay soon, adding that the council was considering the hardship being faced by some of the states.

On her part, Chairman of WAEC in Nigeria, Mrs. Anne Okonkwo, appealed to all well-meaning Nigerians to support the council to eliminate examination malpractice which was giving the country a bad image.

Okonkwo, who is the Director, Basic and Secondary, Federal Ministry of Education, said WAEC had international recognition and had deployed requisite technology for efficiency.

Eid-el-Kabir: Ram dealers grumble over low patronage

Livestock dealers in Kaduna on Thursday complained of low patronage for rams, barely a week to the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations.

A cross section of the dealers, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria in Kaduna, blamed the development on the nation’s economic downturn which affected this year’s business.

They complained that patronage had drastically dropped when compared to the same period of the celebration in 2014.

Malam Abdullahi Audu, a dealer in rams, said he had been able to sell only one ram since the beginning of the week which was not the case last year.