Folarin Kehinde

Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, says the company has approved a 50 per cent salary increment for staff across board.

Rabiu made the disclosure in an internal memo signed on Sunday in Lagos by Mr Mohammed Wali, BUA’s Head of Human Resources.

The memo quoted BUA chairman as saying that the increment was to mitigate the impact of the economic hardship currently being faced in the country.

He said the salary increment would cover both permanent/regular and non-permanent staff with effect from Feb. 1, 2024.

“Sequel to the above development, the Human Resources and Finance departments are processing the increase to ensure that it is captured in the February 2024 payroll.

“It is hoped that with this magnanimous gesture, we will be more committed to our duties and put in our very best to justify the confidence reposed in us,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that due to the current economic conditions in the country, negotiations are ongoing between the organised labour and the government, for a new minimum wage.

Some unknown gunmen have killed Mr Sylvanus Namang, the publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State.

According to reports, the APC spokesperson was shot dead in Pankshin town, Pankshin Local Government Area of Plateau State, on Saturday, February 17, 2024.

It was gathered that Namang was gunned down outside his hotel room in the area by the hoodlums around 7:30 in the morning.

An official of the party, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident to journalists.

The source told DailyTrust that the APC scribe died from injuries sustained in the attack.

He described the late Namang as a dependable ally, and deeply committed to the development of the APC at the grassroots and state levels.

He noted that the party would issue a statement regarding the circumstances surrounding his death.

There was confusion in Benin City, the Edo State capital, on Saturday, following the emergence of two candidates at the 2024 All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election.

This followed a disruption of the voting exercise and violent attack by suspected political thugs.

The APC Governorship Primary Election Committee, led by Governor Hope Uzodinma, announced Hon. Dennis Idahosa as the winner of the direct primary election, having polled 40,453 votes to defeat other aspirants.

“Of the 12 aspirants that contested for this primaries, Clem Agba scored 100 votes, Monday Okpebholo 100 votes, Hon. Dekeri Anamero 230 votes, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu two votes, Gideon Ikhine 700 votes, David Imuse 400 votes, Charles Airhiavbere 162 votes, Osariemen Osunbor 180, Blessing Agbomhere 50 votes, Dennis Idahosa 40,453 votes, Ernest Afolabi two votes and Lucky Imansuen two votes,” Uzodinma said.

Uzodinma said Idahosa, having polled the highest number of votes cast by party delegates, was the winner of the Edo State APC governorship primary election.

He noted that earlier in the day, there was misinformation as to the venue of the primary election exercise, adding that the Protea Hotel venue was the right secretariat for the announcement of the results.

However, officials of the National Working Committee (NWC) appointed as returning officers for the exercise from the party’s headquarters in Abuja relocated from the initial venue where the announcement of results by Uzodinma was ongoing before they were violently attacked.

The NWC committee led by Dr Stanley Ugboajah declared another aspirant, Senator Monday Okpebholo, as the winner of the primary election and thereby announced him as the governorship candidate of the party in the forthcoming September 21, 2024 governorship election.

“Dr Blessing Agbomhere scored 834, Charles Airhvbere scored 919, Osareime Osunbor 688, David Imuse 507, Monday Okpebolo 12,145 votes, Dennis Idahosa, 5,536, Ernest Afolabi 2,090, Gideon 902, Ize-Iyamu 383, Anamero Dekeri 1,625, Lucky Imansue 503,” the electoral officer said.

“This is to certify that Monday Okpebholo has scored the highest votes, has been declared the winner of the APC governorship primaries and thereby declared the candidate of the party.”

Meanwhile, the Edo State publicity secretary of the party, Peter Igbinigie, said the Dr Stanley Ugboajah-led committee sent to Edo State is the one recognised law as the returning officer for the exercise.

He maintained that Governor Hope Uzodinma does not have the power or authority to return any aspirant as winner of the primary election.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has said that it is considering increasing the price of prepaid meters in the coming days.

The commission blamed the proposed increase on the high cost of production faced by meter manufacturers.

Sources say that the manufacturers have ceased issuing invoices to Distribution Companies (Discos) in anticipation of an upward price revision by the NERC.

According to them, the increase in prices is directly related to the foreign exchange crisis affecting the economy, leading to increased production costs and inflationary pressures on manufacturers.

Recall that in September 2023, NERC reviewed the price of prepaid meter in a circular marked NERC/2023/020, and jointly signed by Sanusi Garba, the commission’s chairman ’and Dafe Akpeneye, its commissioner, legal, licencing, and compliance.

The commission said a single-phase meter will now cost N81,975.16 instead of the previous price of N58,661.69.

Similarly, the price of a three-phase meter was increased to N143,836.10 from N109,684.36.

NERC, the sector regulator, approves the cost of prepaid meters, most of which are imported into the country as semi-knocked down units and assembled locally for use.

Prepaid meters have also evolved over the years with DisCos including features that mitigate against energy theft and offering more consumption data.

Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who utilized taxpayers’ funds for his journey to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to partake in the 37th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government, has drawn attention for being observed sleeping during the summit.

The two-day meeting, addressing the AU’s theme for 2024, “Educate an African fit for the 21st Century,” gathered African leaders to discuss crucial continental issues.

Criticism arose on social media, with Nigerians expressing discontent over Tinubu’s perceived lack of engagement during the summit.

Some of the Tweets from Nigerians, “@Michegwu stated, See the way he be like burnt offering, the shege wey his administration dey bring still dey do press up

Another Nigerian with the username, See today’s fashion stated, ” Mahmoud u just destroyed Nigeria.

Another called Citizen stated, “The meeting was held at 4am and that is the time daddy sleeps. We will hit the street when bread starts selling for 10k per loaf.

Commenting on the picture, another called, J.D stated, “He should be at home enjoying the company of his ground kids but no, greed won’t allow Emilokan to rest, illegitimate president. anu mpama

Commenting on the picture, another called, J.D stated, “He should be at home enjoying the company of his ground kids but no, greed won’t allow Emilokan to rest, illegitimate president. anu mpama

Another called, Onudez tweeted, “Sleeping drug baron. He just needed to sign some papers and leave. Incoherent old man 👴

Another called, Amazing Jaypee articulated, “Sleeping while the country is slipping into destruction.

Another Nigerian called, Proper Idoma boy stated, “Too much drugs.

Another known as, Peter obi’s advocate stated, “He has passed his prime. They said they don’t need his body but his brain. Shior!!

Notably, President Mohamed Ghazouani of Mauritania emerged as the new chairman of the African Union for the year 2024. The election took place during the 37th AU summit, with President Ghazouani succeeding President Azali Assoumani of the Union of Comoros, who held the AU Chairperson role in 2023.

The African School of Economics (ASE) has officially been announced as the Research and Implementation Partner for the country-wide innovative strengthening of smallholder farmers and productive land restoration project.

The project which was set up by the African Union Development Agency – New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA NEPAD) in Nigeria aims to mitigate the growing food crisis in the country.

The announcement was made at a high-level engagement event for the project earlier in the week, which was held over two days at the Presidential Banquet Hall in Aso Villa, Abuja FCT.

The was attended by the Vice President of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima, the AU Special Envoy on Food Systems, Ibrahim Mayaki, among other representatives from the Federal and State governments, as well as other stakeholders from Nigeria, Africa, and the rest of the world.

ASE, which was represented on the day by the Director of Communications Obinna Obiwulu, also presented its technical and research partners from Start North, Aalto University and LUT University in Finland, Kwakol Markets in Nigeria, and DHA East Africa from Kenya, with whom they will work for research and project implementation.

Work on the project is scheduled to commence in March.

A yet to be identified naval personnel attached to the Naval College of Administration and Finance, Owerri-Nta, Abia State, has shot dead a man identified as Majo Nwogu, for refusing to stop at a checkpoint, along Umuezegwu – Mbawsi road,in Isiala Ngwa North council area of the State.

Eyewitnesses stated that the deceased was shot as he rode through the naval checkpoint on his motorcycle and refused to stop as he was flagged down by the naval personnel.

Angered by the action, one of the naval personnel shot him on the back and he lay in a pool of blood as he battled for survival.

However, the Navy told Vanguard that the deceased was invited over a case of tricycle theft reported against him at Umunkpeyi-Nvosi and got shot in the course of arrest while struggling with the gun of a naval personnel.

Vanguard also gathered that the naval personnel had erected a barricade in the area where they demand motorcycle riders to disembark and trek through the barricade before continuing their journey.

A motorcycle rider in the area who pleaded anonymity, lamented the series of humiliation they have continued to suffer at the hands of naval personnel for not stopping to trek over the checkpoint,adding that Majo was killed for not stopping at the checkpoint.

Following the incident, the naval personnel allegedly asked other motorcycle riders to take the deceased to the hospital, and were said to have jumped into their van and fled the scene.

Sympathizers and kinsmen of the deceased who had gathered at the scene made efforts to take him to the hospital,but he died before he could get medical attention.

Vanguard gathered that the kinsmen later deposited his corpse at an undisclosed morgue in the area

Troops of the Nigerian Army have intercepted two Dangote trucks and three others allegedly transporting banned goods to the Republic of Cameroon, Leading reporters has learnt.

The trucks, loaded with 600 50kg bags of cement each, were on Friday paraded to journalists at the headquarters of the Nigerian police in Yola, the Adamawa state capital.

The interception followed an executive order banning the transportation of building materials across the country’s border through Adamawa routes by the Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.

While jointly displaying the vehicles, the spokespersons for the governor and the police command, Humwashi Wonosikou and SP Suleiman Nguroje respectively, told journalists that the trucks were intercepted a few kilometres before Jamtari, a border village between Nigeria and Cameroon.

Wonosikou said, “We’re here to address a disturbing trend in the state. As if the hardship on the people is not enough; there are some people who would want to test the will of the government and the government is saying such actions are unacceptable.

“We’re all living witnesses when the government came up with a policy of banning the movement of building materials across the country’s border. We’re a border state and we’ve had issues where items are transported across the border.

“But then the government, for building materials, would not want them transported out of the country. You can see behind me are trucks that were apprehended and brought here. They were intercepted by the military.

“And it is believed that these products are being transported out of the country, because if you look at it, where is the community at the border area in Adamawa State that requires this amount of cement to be used?”

On his part, Nguroje said, “Personnel have been deployed throughout the state to enforce the government order, banning transportation of building materials across the border.”

However, officials of the Yola depot of Dangote Cement, who were on the ground, vehemently denied that the products were being taken to Cameroon.

One of them who spoke on condition of anonymity for lack of authority argued, “This is a clear violation of our right to do business! It is absolutely wrong for our trucks to be intercepted within the Nigerian territory.

“The goods in these trucks were procured by our customer, who requested them to be conveyed to Jamtari. It is therefore not in our right to demand an explanation as to why he wants them there.”

But in a dramatic twist, one Abiola Oyetunji, identified on the waybill as the contact person, expressed surprise that the truck had left the company’s depot in Yola.

According to her, the trucks can leave the depot only after the goods have been sold.

“I’ve not sold the cement yet; how could the truck have moved out of the depot in Yola? The driver told me he was at the depot up to this time,” she added.

President Bola Tinubu has been appointed as the African Union (AU) Champion for Human Resources for Health and Community Health Delivery Partnership, reflecting his initiatives in the healthcare sector.

Acknowledging President Tinubu’s pledge to train 120,000 frontline health workers within 16 months, his commitment to doubling the number of primary health facilities across communities from 8,800 to over 17,000 in the next three years, and his visionary expansion of health personnel enrollment capacity, the African Union has rightfully identified him as a fitting champion for this continental cause.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) communicated this appointment to Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasizing President Tinubu’s recommendation by the Committee of Heads of State and Government of Africa CDC, led by President Azali Assoumani of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union.

In his new role, President Tinubu has been invited to address the Ministerial Executive Leadership Programme (MELP) under the theme, ‘Impactful Leadership in Health: A Whole Government Approach,’ scheduled for Saturday, February 17, 2024, at the Africa CDC Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, coinciding with the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of AU Heads of State and Government.

The Tinubu administration’s commitment to attracting global investments in Nigeria’s health sector, fostering cutting-edge infrastructure, equipping facilities, and enhancing the healthcare workforce aligns with the overarching goal of providing quality healthcare access to all Nigerians.