"Concessional Posting off the Table"NYSC D.G

The director general of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Johnson Olawumi, has disclosed that the scheme would no longer entertain requests from people, seeking concessional posting for their wards, relatives and friends for the NYSC mandatory one year service.

Olawumi, who was speaking during the opening ceremony of the training organised by the NYSC and the Housing Developers Cooperative Society for Corps Members at the NYSC Orientation Camp, Kubwa, Abuja, stated that the scheme has introduced a self-deployment mechanism to enable the prospective corps members choose a state where they wish to serve.

The DG, while urging members of the public to stop disturbing staff of the scheme with their requests for concession, disclosed that their online platform was designed in a way that corps members that have genuine reasons for concession would not be denied.

He said, “The NYSC is barring concessional posting; we have to take that decision, because in the past, we allowed concessional posting for prospective corps members, who had medical challenge, or married women or pregnant women, but as it stands now, our online registration platform has been designed in such a way to address the problem of those prospective corps members who have health challenges or married women.”

“So, all they need to do is that, in the process of doing their registration, there are information these categories of people need to supply and upload the documents, our portal has been designed in such a way that it will automatically post them to where they filled.

“I want to say that in the past few weeks we have been receiving requests from various quarters; ministries, departments, agencies, private institutions and individuals seeking for concessional posting. I want to say that they are just wasting their time,” he stated.

Olawumi explained that the training for the corps members organised by the scheme and the Housing Developers’ Cooperative Society was aimed at training and graduating skilled manpower in housing sector.

“The inauguration of 200 youth corps members for training in special areas of labour need in the housing development sector reaffirms our pledge to give useful skills to every willing graduate partaking in the national service,” he said.

Dr.Ngozi Iweala on Double Appointments

Former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been appointed into two key international positions.

She is to serve as Chair of the 28-member Board of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), an international Public-Private Partnership, which is committed to saving the lives of children and protecting people’s health by improving access to immunisation in developing countries, including Nigeria.

A statement from her Media Adviser, Paul C Nwabuikwu explained that she was elected to the position after a competitive international search process. “GAVI is a $12 billion multilateral partnership which disburses grants of upwards of $1.8 billion annually to developing countries for immunisation programmes,” the statement added.

GAVI brings together developing countries and donor governments, the World Health Organisation, (WHO) United Nations Education Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank, the vaccine industry in both industrialised and developing countries, research and technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private philanthropists.

Obasanjo Now a Children Story Writer

The former president said he decided to launch the story book entitled, “Peace Story for Children” to ensure the entrenchment of sustainable peace in the country.

Obasanjo, while launching the 14-page booklet illustrated with various cartoons at an event held at the OOPL, Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, attended by pupils from different secondary schools in the state, said that it had become imperative to sow the seeds of peace in the minds of children whose minds were more receptive to ideas.

Obasanjo, who was represented at the launch of the booklet by the Director of the OOPL Centre for Human Security, Prof. Peter Okebukola, noted that since the youths were the leaders of tomorrow, imbibing the essence of peace when young should be vigorously pursued.

Addressing the pupils from the various schools who also participated in a debate with the theme, “Whose Responsibility Is It to ensure peace? Is it the people or the government?”, Okebukola disclosed that Obasanjo called him overnight to tell Nigerian children to imbibe the culture of peace while still young.

"See Me in Court Tomorrow." Sariki

Senate President Bukola Saraki says he will be at the Code of Conduct Tribunal tomorrow September 22nd as a mark of respect for the rule of law. He said this in a statement he released this afternoon on his Facebook page

The Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki will appear before the Code of Conduct Tribunal tomorrowTuesday 22nd of September 2015. While the Senate President Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, had stated and maintained that he is ready to submit himself to due process of the law on any issue concerning him, he also believes that he has an inalienable right to resort to the same judiciary for protection when he feels his fundamental rights are about to be infringed upon.

The Senate President is a law abiding citizen and his absence from tribunal was based on legal advice he received from his counsel that it is not necessary for him to appear before the tribunal at this stage since the jurisdiction of the tribunal and the process of initiating the matter are being challenged before the federal High Court Abuja.

Following the adjournment for the determination of the motion on notice and the substantive suit before the Federal High Court to 30th of September and the appeal pending before the Court of Appeal adjourned to the 29th of September 2015, the Senate President has decided, as a law abiding citizen, to appear before the Tribunal in the interim.

Dr. Saraki has taken the decision to attend the Tribunal sitting to demonstrate his respect for the rule of law in spite of his personal reservation on the process of his trial and the purpose it may be intended to serve.

Dr. Saraki wishes to assure Nigerians of his absolute belief in the judicial process and is therefore confident that the course of justice would be served at the end of this matter.

Source :linda Ikeji

Lagos Gridlock to Ease in 48 Hours

The National President of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners, Mr Remi Ogungbemi, on Monday assured that the gridlock in the Lagos metropolis would clear within the next 48 hours.

Ogugbemi gave the assurance while speaking on the latest gridlock locking down Nigeria’s economic capital.

He said that various stakeholders had been working tirelessly with the Nigerian Customs Service to clear backlog of trucks in at the ports to allow vehicles to manuevre.

“Since the Lagos State Government relaxed the restriction of trucks to start moving in the day, accessing the ports had been difficult, due to trucks trapped by the law.

“Trucks in the port have to go out for incoming ones, the Nigeria Customs Service have to clear the ones in the ports, hence the backlogs that locked down Lagos.

“I hope it will get better within 48 hours as stakeholders are working tirelessly to ensure free flow of traffic and we are sorry for the inconveniences,” he said.

Mr Hyginus Omeje, Lagos Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), said NAN that the gridlock was a deliberate action by truck and trailer owners.

“The whole trucks and trailers that were supposed to go into the ports are lined up on the road in Apapa and other roads in the state. We have positioned our men in strategic places so that they do not take over the whole part of the road; they are lined up on one part of the road,” Omeje said.

A senior officer of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), who pleaded anonymity, also told NAN that LASTMA was disappointed over the gridlock.

“We have held several meetings with them on their operations not affecting other road users but they would not comply, the stakeholders should help talk to their people. Our men have been positioned at strategic places to work with other traffic agents to put the situation under control before the end of the day,” the LASTMA officer said.

A driver of one of the articulated vehicles, Mr Akeem Olaosebikan, said that the gridlock was as a result of the law restricting the movement of the vehicles.

“We have been on this queue since Saturday trying to get inside the port. I think the situation is because some trucks inside the port are unable to come out due to the time. Since the State Government has relaxed their order, I think some trucks will be finding their way out so that the gridlock will reduce,’’ Olaosebikan said.

Another truck driver, Mr Adekunle Teslim, urged government to rehabilitate alternative roads leading to the port to reduce congestion on the Apapa-Orile road.

“There are other roads leading to the Wharf but due to the bad state of the roads most trucks drivers concentrate on the Apapa-Orile axis. If government can repair Mile 2-Tin Can road, I think it will be better because it will reduce traffic on the Apapa route,’’ Teslim said.

But a commuter, Mr James Oduteliwo, appealed to the Lagos State Government to intervene quickly to end the gridlock, noting that transport fares had sky-rocketed, due to the gridlock.

“I spent close to three hours on the road before getting to the office, government should do something about this current situation,’’ Oduteliwo said

Source :Business  Day

See Me in Court Tomorrow. Sariki

Senate President Bukola Saraki says he will be at the Code of Conduct Tribunal tomorrow September 22nd as a mark of respect for the rule of law. He said this in a statement he released this afternoon on his Facebook page

The Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki will appear before the Code of Conduct Tribunal tomorrowTuesday 22nd of September 2015. While the Senate President Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, had stated and maintained that he is ready to submit himself to due process of the law on any issue concerning him, he also believes that he has an inalienable right to resort to the same judiciary for protection when he feels his fundamental rights are about to be infringed upon.

The Senate President is a law abiding citizen and his absence from tribunal was based on legal advice he received from his counsel that it is not necessary for him to appear before the tribunal at this stage since the jurisdiction of the tribunal and the process of initiating the matter are being challenged before the federal High Court Abuja.

Following the adjournment for the determination of the motion on notice and the substantive suit before the Federal High Court to 30th of September and the appeal pending before the Court of Appeal adjourned to the 29th of September 2015, the Senate President has decided, as a law abiding citizen, to appear before the Tribunal in the interim.

Dr. Saraki has taken the decision to attend the Tribunal sitting to demonstrate his respect for the rule of law in spite of his personal reservation on the process of his trial and the purpose it may be intended to serve.

Dr. Saraki wishes to assure Nigerians of his absolute belief in the judicial process and is therefore confident that the course of justice would be served at the end of this matter.

Source :linda Ikeji