News
I Inherited N59.6b Local Debt, N48.6 Foreign Loans- AbdulRazaq
Kwara state Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has given the local debt profile his administration inherited from the past government at N59.6 billion (N59,585,637,336.62).
The governor added the indebtedness was at May 29th, 2019, his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye told our correspondent exclusively in Ilorin, the state capital.
Ajakaye added as at December 2018, the new administration
inherited a sum of N48.6 million (N48,599,040.43) as foreign loan also bequeathed by the past administration.
AbdulRazaq had earlier revealed that Universal Basic Education
Commission (UBEC) blacklisted the state because immediate Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed government mismanaged the N1.5 billion grant meant to upgrade schools in Kwara in 2013.
This, according to the government, necessitated the ban placed on Kwara state by UBEC in accessing grant from the commission.
But the former governor Ahmed refuted claims his
administration mismanaged UBEC counterpart funds.
Ahmed’s spokesman, Dr Muyideen Akorede, absolved former Governor Ahmed’s administration of any wrongdoing regarding the management of UBEC funds.
He maintained that the federal agency essentially cancelled a N2 billion grant to the state when the government borrowed from UBEB its 50 percent cent counterpart fund of N1.5 billion for the payment of salaries at the height of the 2015 economic recession which prevented most states in Nigeria from meeting salary obligations to workers.
But Governor AbdulRazaq said: ” we regret to say that the last administration cannot be forgiven for the criminal neglect of the schools because the consequences are there for all to see.”
He added that Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed’s response to the outrage greeting the diversion of N1.5 UBEC funds has raised more questions on the sordid neglect of public schools under him.
He said that Ahmed’s statement that claims that funds weren’t diverted or mismanaged hold no water in the face of revelations from UBEC and the decrepit state of the schools.
The government said the mismanagement is apparent in Kwara ranking 37th — or the lowest — on the list of UBEC Matching Grant Disbursement Performance as at April 30, 2019.
The government said Ahmed’s claim that his government used the N1.5 billion to pay workers’ salary was untenable and fishy for an administration that received N22 billion Paris Club refund and additional N3.4b billion bailout funds that were meant to help states pay workers when federal allocation dropped.
News
FG Raises Duty Tour Allowances, Others for Public Officials
The Federal Government has approved an upward review of allowances for officers in public service.
Some of the allowances under review include Duty Tour Allowance, transport allowances, uniform allowances, and overtime allowances.
The decision was reached at the 46th meeting of the National Council on Establishment, chaired by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack.
The NCE, which serves as the highest policy-making body for public service matters, is chaired by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and includes the Heads of Service from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The meeting was preceded by a two-day technical session chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Service Policies and Strategies Office.
News
Soun of Ogbomoso Urge Subjects Resident In Plateau To Promote Unity, Peace
The Soun of Ogbomosoland, Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye has tasked the people of Ogbomosoland residing in Plateau State to unite and corporate with the government.of day both at the state and federal so as to move the Nation forward.
Oba Olaoye who gave the charge at grand reception organised to welcome him to Plateau State by the sins and daughters of Ogbomosho land residing in Plateau State advocated for national unity and peace of the nation.
” I urge you all to cooperate with the Government of the day and respect constituted authorities. “
” I implore that we sustain our exemplary good work ethics and strive to uphold the integrity of the land at all times,”
Olaoye urged the sons and daughters of Ogbomoso residing in the state to join hands in supporting his quest to develop the town.
He said, “To achieve this, it’s crucial that the indigenous people embrace their town with love and pride. I believe this is the foundation for meaningful growth.
He said to achieve a great country, Nigerians must commit to patriotism and rededication to the ideals of nation-building.
Speaking further, Oba Olaoye said” I did not know I was going to be King, until God revealed it to me, and that was the reason why I left the United States of America. “
Oba Olaoye emphasized that his aim is to put Ogbomosho in its rightful place and that there is the need for the people in the town to unite with him for the development of the town and that it was God that sent him to rebuild the city and to work for the progress of the city.
“ We are working to ensure that Ogbomosho would be different. In terms of development, Ogbomoso will be different in terms of peace, Ogbomoso will be different. I want you to know it is a new thing in Ogbomosoland.
“We cannot solely rely on the government. While the government will contribute significantly, much of the effort will come from us. It is time for us to unite, roll up our sleeves, and work together to develop our town.”
Speaking earlier the Asiwaju Yoruba of Plateau Chief Olajide Olagbemiro welcomed the Traditional ruler to the state and restated their commitment to peaceful coexistence with their host communities.
Jide said, “The Yourbas are peaceful people who obey constituted authorities .
We would continue to stay peaceful with our host communities, he added.
Our correspondent reports that the Soun of Ogbomosholand also paid a courtesy call on his Royal highness Da Jacob Gyang Buba, the Gbong Gwom Jos.
Foreign
BREAKING: Namibia Elects First Female President
Namibia’s ruling SWAPO party was declared winner Tuesday of last week’s disputed elections, ushering in the southern African country’s first woman president after a disputed vote that the main opposition has already said it does not recognise.
Vice-President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah took just over 57 percent of ballots followed by the candidate for the main opposition Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) with 25.5 percent, the election authority announced.
Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, becomes the first woman to rule the mineral-rich southern African country that has been governed by the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) since independence in 1990.
The November 27 election was extended twice as logistical and technical problems, including a shortage of ballot papers, led to long queues.
Some voters gave up on the first day of voting after waiting for up to 12 hours.
The IPC has already said this was a deliberate attempt to frustrate voters and it would not accept the results of the elections.
Its presidential candidate Panduleni Itula, 67, said last week there were a “multitude of irregularities”.
No matter the result, “the IPC shall not recognise the outcome of that election”, he said on Saturday, the last day of the extended vote.
Opposition Rejects Poll
Itula said the IPC would “fight… to nullify the elections through the processes that are established within our electoral process”.
An organisation of southern African human rights lawyers serving as election monitors said the delays at the ballot box were intentional and widespread.
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) admitted to failures in the organisation of the vote, including a shortage of ballot papers and the overheating of electronic tablets used to register voters.
Of the nearly 1.5 million registered voters in the sparsely populated country, nearly 77 percent had cast ballots in the presidential vote, it said Tuesday.
The election was seen as a key test for SWAPO after other liberation-era movements in the region have lost favour with young voters.
In the past six months, South Africa’s African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority and the Botswana Democratic Party was ousted after almost six decades in power.
Namibia is a major uranium and diamond exporter but analysts say not many of its nearly three million people have benefited from that wealth in terms of improved infrastructure and job opportunities.
Unemployment among 15- to 34-year-olds is estimated at 46 percent, according to the latest official figures from 2018, which is almost triple the national average.
Nandi-Ndaitwah, a SWAPO stalwart known by her initials NNN, will be among the few women leaders on the continent.
The conservative daughter of an Anglican pastor, she became vice president in February this year.
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