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All Posts in "Day: March 15, 2021"
Grammy Awards:Kingsley Moghalu Celebrates Wizkid, Burnaboy
Former presidential candidate, Professor Kingsley Moghalu joined other Africans and Nigerians in particular in celebrating A-list artistes Wizkid and Burnaboy for their feat at the recent Grammy-award event.Burna Boy,who was nominated for the second consecutive year, won the Best Global Music Album category while Wizkid won the Best Music Video for his song with Beyoncé; Brown Skin Girl, from Lion King: The Gift album.
Moghalu said:“I congratulate Burna Boy and Wizkid for their Grammy award wins this evening. Exciting news!This is a tribute to the industry of Nigerian youth and our country’s capacity to compete and win on the world stage. Nigeria’s got talent. Let’s use it”.
It’s Unconstitutional For North To Seek Power In 2023 – Ndume
Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) has said the clamour for a northern Presidency in 2023 would amount to the north seeking a third term in office.
He said such move is unconstitutional,just as he also faulted the call for amnesty for repentant bandits, insisting as criminals bandits should be made to face the full weight of the law.
He lamented while the nation was on the brink of collapse, many “Nigerians still trivilaise, tribalise and give the situation religious coloration. We are now in this sorrow state”.
He said no northern should be fielded in 2023 for the presidential poll.
According to him: “I am against APC producing its presidential candidate from the north. The APC presidential candidate should come from the south.
“If you have the presidential candidate of the APC from the north, it is tantamount to third term and to me, it is constitutional.The constitution says the President should serve two terms and we say the north should serve two terms.If you say the north should produce the President again, it means you are going for a third term which is not fair. I believe in fairness, justice, and equity.”
“Let the candidate come from the south. However, you cannot say you want to be the head of the house, and at the same time, calling for the division of the House.That is what is giving the Northerners the opportunity to say they want to be the President again because if you want to be the President of Nigeria, you must believe in the unity of Nigeria.
“If you want the country to be divided, which Nigeria are you going to be president of? So, for me, I support a candidate from the south, anywhere in the south.
“If you ask me, I will say each of the three zones in the south should bring one or two candidates and let us go to the convention for Nigerians, especially the APC to decide and whoever emerges will be given the support to win the election”.
NAFDAC Draws Battle-Lines With Drug Counterfeiters
Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has said there is no hiding place for criminals who circulate expired and falsified drugs and food products that are inimical to public health across the country.
She spoke weekend when her agency destroyed counterfeit drugs and vaccines, cosmetics, and expired food items worth over N2 billion in line with its strategy aimed at eradicating fake drugs and other spurious regulated products from circulation in the country.
The exercise took place in Kano and Awka in Anambra State; when the operatives of the NAFDAC combed the nooks and crannies of three geo-political zones of the federation- the North West, South East and the South-South to mop up expired drugs and unwholesome food products.
While counterfeit drugs and spurious food products worth over N1.4billion seized from both the South East and South-South zones were destroyed in Awka, Anambra State, similar dangerous drugs, and unwholesome food items worth N613m were destroyed at the Kalebawa dumpsite along Kazaure-Daura road, Dambatta, Kano.
Represented by Barrister Kingsley Ejiofor, the Director of Investigation and Enforcement in the Agency, Prof. Adeyeye disclosed that the fake products were seized by the operatives of the agency during various operations in the zones.
Prof. Adeyeye listed the products to include: substandard, falsely labelled medicines, unwholesome processed food products and cosmetics seized from manufacturers, distributors, and importers.
She added that the expired drugs were handed over voluntarily by complaint companies, Non-Governmental Organisations, Trade Unions, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria PSN and National Association of Proprietary and Patent Medicines Dealers NAPPMED.
She said others were those confiscated by Customs Service but violated, unregistered drugs, improperly stored vaccines, and tramadol, adding that the list also included Rohypinol intercepted on Benin-Asaba Expressway and other fake medicinal products intercepted at different times.
‘’The estimated value of the products destroyed in Kano is N613,300,290.00 while fake products worth N1,429,580,683.00 were destroyed in Awka, Anambra State, totalling N2,042,880,973.00,” she said.
According to her, the products include drugs such as antibiotics, antihypertensive, antimalarial, herbal remedies, psychoactive, controlled substance.
She added:‘’Food products such as spaghetti, vegetable oil, non-alcoholic beverages, sachet water, Chocolates, Noodles, etc. were also destroyed as well as cosmetics such as creams, pomade, and insecticides’’
Rape Suspect Says Devil Responsible For His Plight
A rape suspect, Quadri Azeez, 20, has told Osogbo Magistrates’ Court in Osun state, that devil influenced him to indulge in raping.
He told the court that his parents have been searching for spiritual solution to his act but to no avail.
“I always feel like raping girls that come my way, I always feel unease when I sight any girl, my parents has been going about for a spiritual solution to my problem before I rape this girl. This is the first girl I will ever rape.”
He was arraigned on two counts bordering on rape and assault.
The prosecutor, Inspector Elisha Olusegun, told the court that Azeez had on March 6, 2021 at Ara area, Ede, unlawfully have carnal knowledge and indecently assaulted one girl (name withheld) thereby committed an offense punishable under sections 358 and 360 of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol. II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002.
The court ordered that he should be remanded in correctional custody until further hearing on the matter which was fixed for today.
We May Resume Industrial Action-ASUU
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Sunday warned it may resume its suspended strike over victimization of members and non-payment of salaries.
The union accused Federal Government of victimising its members and tactically avoiding payment of their salaries for up to 10 months.
The chairman, University of Ibadan branch of ASUU, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, the union said despite suspending strike on December 24, 2020 on the condition that its members would not be victimised for their role in the last strike, many lecturers were still being owed salaries of between two and 10 months.
He added that while members are back to their duty posts to work, the harsh economy due to unpaid salaries and non-refund of deducted check-off dues will affect productivity.
Akinwile said the government has refused to remit deductions it made to the account of the union suggesting it is a plan to stifle ASUU.
The union leader warned that members could be forced to withdraw their services again if pushed to the limit.
According to Akinwole, while government is paying outstanding five months salaries for those on nominal role at an agonisingly slow pace, over 100 UI academic staff are being owed salaries ranging between two and ten months.
He said: “While ASUU as a union, and her members as individuals in various branches have remained faithful to this agreement by returning to classes and performing their respective duties, the Federal Government, true to type, has reneged on its part
“Contrary to FGN affirmation of its commitment to pay all withheld salaries of ASUU members who have not enrolled in the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information system (IPPIS),three months after the suspension of Strike, thousands of ASUU members across various branch are still being owed salaries.”
He added: “Instead of deploying the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) software developed by ASUU, which has been adjudged effective for payment of salaries, some of our members are still being denied their salaries and others are being coerced by agents of government to register on the repressive IPPIS for payment of salaries.
“The Union ASUU and her members are made to suffer from all the aforementioned attacks by the federal government while the public expects our members, some of who now live on the charity of family members and colleagues for survival to use their personal resources to discharge their duties diligently in the universities.
POS Merchants Seek Policy Change On Charge-Back Claims
POS merchants operating in Nigeria has implored the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to change its policy towards Charge-Back claims on POS transactions as fraud increases at an alarming rate.
The extant CBN policy allows POS cardholders to lodge a Charge-back claim within six months of the transaction while the POS Merchants have only 48 hours to defend the claim, otherwise the merchants will be automatically debited by the switch company.
The strategy fraudulent cardholders adopt,the merchant said, is to wait for a month or more before raising a false Charge-Back claim with their banks, knowing that the POS merchants may not defend the claim, because the transaction receipt might either have faded out or might have been archived.
They claimed to have lost millions of Naira to fraudsters as reports show rising cases of this type of fraud in the country,adding that the rise may not be unconnected with the rising public awareness of the process, making fraudsters to exploit the loopholes on daily basis with different Merchant outlets using different cards.
‘’POS Merchants in the country want the CBN to enact a policy that will criminalize the act of false charge-back claims to minimize its occurrence. The merchants want the CBN to mandate banks to reject the false charge-backs at their end using the evidence they already have in their system. The merchants also calls on the CBN to review the six month period, cardholders have to lodge a complaint and the 48 hour response time available for merchants to respond to claims of charge-backs’’,they said.
Advocating that cardholders should have a maximum of one month to claim while merchants should have one to two weeks to defend claims,the POS merchants reiterated their commitment to the apex bank’s policy to entrench a cashless society for the good of the country.
Produce Cheap Cars In-Country ,Vehicle Dealers Urge FG
The Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria (AMDON) has challenged the Nigerian Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) and other Nigerian vehicle assemblers to come up with a locally designed and produced car within a price range of N1.5-N1.7 million.
Prince Ajibola Adedoyin,the National President of AMDON, who disclosed this in Abuja also implored the Federal Government to extend the reduction of 5 percent on imported vehicles to cars and minivans, saying they convey less than 10 persons, which make up the bulk of the vehicles used for intra-city and intercity transportation
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Hameed Ali for opening their ears to call for a tariff slash on imported vehicles, as a way of improving Nigerians’ livelihood and ultimately solving the transportation nightmare.
He said the decision to reduce the duties and tariff on imported vehicles that carry more than 10 persons from 35 percent to 5 percent was a welcome development.
He added: “It’s a welcome development. We’ve been at the forefront of this for some years now, trying to let the government know that there is a need to allow levies to be reduced on imported used vehicles. We’ve made several presentations to relevant authorities. In fact, in this part of our world, that is the only means of transportation accessible to over 200 million people and that is why it’s been part of our cry for the government to bring down the price of imported vehicles.
“The cars should be included in this tariff reduction. We are not making a case for luxurious ones. They shouldn’t have limited it to vehicles that can carry more than 10 persons.If you look at our roads, there are some vehicles that are used for commercial transportation that only carry six or seven passengers. These sorts of vehicles are widely used commercially. We are talking of Toyota Sienna, Volkswagen Sharon, and co. These vehicles are everywhere for commercial purposes. Even cars too”
Lagos Chamber Canvasses Dispute Resolution Framework For Customs, Business Community
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry(LCCI) has expressed the need for the Federal Government to create an independent dispute resolution culture between the Nigeria Customs Service and the business community in the country.
It advised that the initiative should done within the framework of executive order.
Muda Yussuf,Director-General of LCCI,said the development was necessary to restore the confidence of investors in the international trade process.
He said:’’The reality is that the Nigeria Customs Service has a weak Trade Facilitation culture and an absence of customer service orientation. This disposition is hurting investment, frustrating trade, and creating a negative investor sentiment.
‘’Managing disputes with the Nigeria Customs Service on matters of product valuation and harmonized system of product classification is one of the most distressing encounters experienced by investors in the Nigerian economy.
‘’A major shortcoming in our international trade process is the absence of an independent, credible, and prompt appeal mechanism. It is a situation that is hurting investment and weakening investors’ confidence. Importers are left entirely at the mercy of the customs in the absence of a credible, independent window for dispute settlement between the customs and the private sector. Under the present arrangement, the Customs Service is the accuser and the judge.
‘’This mechanism is unfair to investors and not consistent with the principles of natural justice. Many companies have been compelled to pay outrageous additional charges on imports thus distorting their investment plans and projections’’.
He explained that a presidential intervention has become inevitable, especially with the onset of the African Continental Free Trade Area [AfCFTA],adding that there is a need to ensure a balance between regulatory controls, revenue generation and trade facilitation functions of the Nigerian customs service.
Group Sues Buhari Over Move To Borrow N895bn From Dormant Accounts
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sued President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Government over moves to borrow N895 billion of Nigerians’ money, in the form of unclaimed dividends and balances in dormant accounts, under the guise of Finance Act, 2020.
Joined in the suit as defendants are Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN); Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Ms Zainab Ahmed.
In a suit filed before a Federal High Court Abuja ,the group described the Finance Act as patently unlawful, unconstitutional, and a discriminatory legislation.
In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/31/2021 filed last Friday on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Ms Adelanke Aremo, the group sought for “an order of perpetual injunction restraining and stopping President Buhari from demanding, taking over, borrowing, and collecting Nigerians’ money in the form of their unclaimed dividends and funds in dormant accounts or transferring and moving the money into a trust fund known as Unclaimed Funds Trust Fund.
“The Federal Government should not be allowed to borrow Nigerians’ money. Borrowing unclaimed dividends and funds in dormant accounts owned by ordinary Nigerians would negatively affect their right to an adequate standard of living, and access to clean water, quality healthcare and education. Despite Nigeria’s dwindling oil revenue, the growing level of public debt, and widespread poverty, public officers including the President, Vice President, governors and their deputies, and members of the National Assembly have refused to cut their emoluments, allowances and security votes. At the same time, millions of Nigerians continue to bear the brunt of mismanagement and corruption.
“For there to be a borrower, there must be a lender. The intention to enter into such borrower-lender relationship must be known to both parties. Any other arrangement that allows a borrower to access funds from a lender without the knowledge and express consent of the lender will amount to stealing.Borrowing unclaimed dividends and funds in dormant accounts without due process of law and the knowledge and explicit consent of the owners is arbitrary, and as such, legally and morally unjustifiable.
“The move to borrow Nigerians’ money amounts to unlawful expropriation, as it is neither proportionate nor necessary, especially given the unwillingness or inability of the government to stop systemic and widespread corruption in MDAs, cut waste and stop all leakages in public expenditures. The borrowing is also not in the public interest.”