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http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Emma Amaize Itsekiri National Youth Council, INYC, the apex body of youths of Itsekiri ethnic nationality in Warri, Delta State, has, in deference to the Olu of Warri, His Majesty Ogiame Ikenwoli, suspended its 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and International Oil Companies, IOCs, operating in Warri. In a communiqué issued at its World Congress in Ode Itsekiri, the INYC said: “To honour our king, His Majesty Ogiame Ikenwoli, the Olu of Warri, owing to his engagement with the Federal Government on the issues raised by the council that led to the 21-day ultimatum  to the Federal Government and IOCs, the council hereby suspends indefinitely all intended actions in this regard and, in this vein, calls on all aggrieved bodies, groups and community- based associations to accordingly sheathe their swords. “In reciprocation of the gesture, we anticipate that the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will immediately put in place mechanism to q...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J …preaches African unity with Egyptian envoy By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor Desirous of making a success of modular refining in Nigeria, Nigeria’s Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday, tabled the proposal before a team of Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers, NSCE, with a view to getting its inputs into translating the dream to reality. While presenting the proposal, Osinbajo drew the attention of the chemical engineers to the fact that Nigeria has the capacity to achieve anything if the people put their minds and ingenuity into it, and asked the society to come forward with its suggestions on the matter. The Acting president said, “The experience and expertise we need to do anything is here in our country. “It is evident that Nigerians have the knowledge, expertise and experience in virtually all areas of human endeavour to do anything required in the development of the country. He said the FG would be guided by the insight provided by t...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J …Campaign organisation rejuvenated …Potential presidential rivals split party leadership By Omezia Ajayi& Daud Olatunji Canvassers for a second term for President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday formally opened shop with a vow that Buhari, who is presently receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment in the United Kingdom is the best person to take the country beyond 2019. The move by the campaigners came as it emerged that other potential presidential aspirants waiting in the wings in the All Progressives Congress, APC, have successfully infiltrated the party’s National Working Committee, NWC with party leaders pledging loyalty to different potential aspirants. Meanwhile,  Presidential Spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina when contacted expressed ignorance about the development. “I am not aware of this,” Mr. Adesina said yesterday. The same sigh of ignorance was expressed by some of those in the front of the Buhari 2015 campaign, reflecting the exclusive story ...

http://ift.tt/2r4fmd9 General Manager, FSDH Merchant Bank Limited, Robert Ajiamah(left): Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Rilwan Belo-Osagie; Executive Director, Mrs Hamda Ambah, at the bank’s pre-yearly general meeting press briefing in Lagos: PHOTO: SUNDAY AKINLOLU Shareholders of FSDH Merchant Bank Limited have urged the company to pursue vigorously, its growth strategy, especially the focus in manufacturing and agro-allied sectors to enhance its profitability and increase shareholders’ value in the current financial year. Speaking at the company’s yearly general meeting, one of the shareholders, Muhiba Abas, said the performance of the bank was not as good as the previous year, considering the nation’s economic recession. She bemoaned the on-going recession that has bedeviled the country in the past one year, noting that the downturn has continued to impact negatively of firms’ bottom-line. Reacting to the inability of the company to pay dividend, she said: “i...

http://ift.tt/2orgTqT UNICEF As part of efforts to promote hygiene in schools, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and the Cross River State government have partnered to ensure that adequate access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is every human’s and every child’s right, using a five star approach. Yakurr Local Government Area (LGA) in Cross River State with support from UNICEF under the Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Programme (WSSSRP) II of Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN)/European Union (EU)/UNICEF Country Programme conducted a two – day training for head teachers, school teacher, environmental health club coordinators, Parent Teachers Association (PTA)/School Based Management Committees (SBMCs) from 84 public and private primary schools on hygiene promotion in and through Schools using the five – star approach. The training took place at the Local Government Council Secretariat Ugep. UNICEF LGA WASH Consultant, Mr. Collins Njoku, told journalists t...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, Mr. Tunde Fowler, has described as fantasy, the claim that the service awarded huge contracts to a young company, Active Solution Integrated Synergy, without following procurement process. FIRS’ vote for the company, Fowler told the Ad-Hoc Committee on Procurement, was on account of the national revenue emergency, which demands that FIRS thinks outside the box to generate enough revenue for the nation. “The proposal from Active Solution Integrated Synergy Limited came at the nick of time when FIRS tax revenue collection was nose-diving as a result of the recession in the economy and the perpetual fall in crude oil prices which exerted more pressure on non-oil revenue as government set high revenue targets which FIRS was expected to meet. “FIRS is determined to pass the litmus test set by the high revenue target and is poised to provide succor to government funding challenges. “This FIRS did by declaring a state of...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Anayo Okoli UMUAHIA — THE Anglican Bishop of Aguata Diocese, Most Reverend Christian Efobi, has called on federal and state governments to dedicate a special fund for the settlement of pension and gratuity of their retiring workers, lamenting the hardship retired workers go through. Bishop Efobi, who spoke at Umunze, Orumba South Council Area of Anambra State at the 4th Synod of the Anglican Diocese of Aguata, held at Saint Augustine’s Church, said the untold hardship retired civil servants pass through was uncalled for and urged the governments to address the issue. Efobi frowned at the backlog of pension arrears owned pensioners at both federal and state levels and called for urgent solution to the problems so as to improve the living standard of retired workers. Most Reverend Efobi commended Governor Willie Obiano for according priority to the welfare of workers and urged other state governments to ensure their workers are paid regularly. In its address...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Victor Ahiuma-Young & Festus Ahon DELTA State Council of United Labour Congress of Nigeria, ULC, has pleaded with the state government to enact laws that could eradicate and forbid any form of casualisation of workers in the state, saying “casulisation is slavery.” This came as investigation across the country revealed increasing casualisation of workers by both federal and state governments, a practice which has been rampant in the private sector. In most cases, investigation uncovered that casual workers are paid below the N18,000 minimum wage. In fact, some Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, that engage  casual workers even without the knowledge or even approval from government, pay the causal workers less than N10, 000 a month Weekend Vanguard checks across some MDAs across the country, confirm that casual workers are going through untold hardships, manifesting in poor pay, neglect, and maltreatment in the hands of government officials...