Gombe State Governor Approves N10,000 Transport Allowance for Workers Amid Calls for New Minimum Wage.

Gombe State Governor Approves N10,000 Transport Allowance for Workers Amid Calls for New Minimum Wage.

Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has announced the approval of a N10,000 transport allowance for state workers as part of measures to alleviate economic challenges. This announcement was made in his 63rd Independence Day message on Sunday. Governor Yahaya also revealed that the state has initiated a food distribution program targeting 400,000 beneficiaries.

In his Independence Day message, Governor Inuwa Yahaya, who also serves as the Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, disclosed the state's commitment to improving the welfare of its workforce. He stated, "Our administration has already approved N10,000 transport allowance to all workers in the state pending the determination of a new minimum wage." This gesture is seen as a step towards addressing the financial needs of workers while awaiting the finalization of a new minimum wage.

However, it's worth noting that the approved transport allowance of N10,000 falls short of the N35,000 approved by the Federal Government for its workers, a decision attributed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

Nigeria's minimum monthly wage, which was approved in 2019, stands at N30,000. Nevertheless, the country has been grappling with a challenging economic climate, marked by soaring headline inflation, which reached 25.80 percent in August 2023. The removal of fuel subsidies has added to the economic strain, intensifying calls for a new minimum wage to address the increasing cost of living.

Governor Yahaya's decision to provide financial relief to state workers through the transport allowance is seen as a response to these pressing economic challenges. As the state awaits further developments on the minimum wage issue, this allowance aims to ease the financial burdens faced by the workforce.

The move also underscores the commitment of Gombe State's government to address the needs of its citizens and workers amid economic uncertainties. As discussions on a new minimum wage continue, the governor's decision offers immediate support to workers in the state.

Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya's announcement of a N10,000 transport allowance for Gombe State workers reflects the state government's commitment to supporting its workforce amid calls for a new minimum wage. As Nigeria grapples with economic challenges, this decision aims to provide immediate financial relief to state employees while discussions on the minimum wage continue.

WAEC Appoints Dr Amos Josiah Dangut As New Head Of Nigeria Office.

WAEC Appoints Dr Amos Josiah Dangut As New Head Of Nigeria Office.

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has appointed Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut as its new Head of the Nigeria National Office (HNO).

Dr. Dangut succeeds Patrick Ehidiamen Areghan, who it said completed an innovative revolution in the West African examination body with digital certificates ‘WAEC Verify’ and a platform for research.

In a statement signed and released by Acting Head Public Affairs, WAEC, Moyosola Adesina, the new head of national office is to pilot the affairs of the regional examination body for the next two years and consolidate on the gains of the previous administration led by Areghan.

Dr. Dangut is an astute scholar with various educational publications in international and national journals having joined WAEC in 1998 as an Assistant Registrar (AR) II and rose through the ranks to become a Deputy Registrar in April 2018.

Until his appointment as the Head of the Nigeria National Office, Dangut was the Deputy Registrar/HNO’s Office.

Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut was born on October 2, 1967, in Mbar District of Bokkos Local Government Area, Plateau State. He had his first degree in Animal Production in 1991 at the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State. Having bagged a Bachelor’s Degree, as a man whose thirst for learning can never be quenched, he proceeded further to undertake some studies leading to the awards of Master of Science in Animal Science in April 1994 from the prestigious University of Ibadan, Doctor of Philosophy (Animal Science, 2017), from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi and finally, Master of Education (Administration and Planning) in 2020 from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

UK Govt Promises Support To Hummanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Ministry in Nigeria.

UK Govt Promises Support To Hummanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Ministry in Nigeria.

The United Kingdom has pledged to support the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in its drive to reduce humanitarian crises and end poverty in Nigeria. 

Development Director, British High Commission, Abuja, Dr Christopher Pycrof made this known Thursday when he paid a visit to the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation,  Dr Betta Edu in her office.

Pycrof assured the Minister that the British government would place at her disposal any assistance her Ministry might require to succeed in its mandate.

According to him,  "I just like to make it absolutely clear to you that the UK Government will provide you with support, we have a team which is focused both on the humanitarian side but also increasingly on the development side as well.

"So we are looking to work to provide durable solutions and we should be able to reduce that sense of separation between the need to provide lifesaving humanitarian support on the one hand, and then the need to provide development support on the other.

"We see it as a holistic approach for people to be in humanitarian need for as little time as possible, to work with them to be able to achieve sustainable livelihoods durable solutions, and then development which benefits everybody here in Nigeria. We have a lot of expertise which I would make available to support the ministry.

Describing the Minister' ,job as "one of the most complicated jobs in government",  Pycrof commended Edu for the excellent manner she has  so far piloted the affairs of the Ministry stating that her passion and commitment will make a big difference.

"I think it's probably safe to say that you've got one of the most complicated jobs in government. Not only have you got responsibility for dealing with the humanitarian situation, but then the poverty alleviation agenda means that you're also going to be involved in financial issues, in health, agriculture, education, infrastructure and employment etc. And you must coordinate from federal government with the State governments as well” Pycrof said. 

Responding,  Dr. Edu expressed immense gratitude to the UK government for the great support and partnership over the years. She was optimistic that working together,  would birth a better result for Nigeria.

"We are really very grateful to the UK for continuous support. President Bola Tinubu has carefully selected his agenda to meet the needs of Nigerians in a sustainable manner. His priorities are to eradicate poverty, ensure food security, create jobs and protect the citizens of this country. Nations and development partners must key into this agenda for better coordination and impact. We are glad that you have committed to supporting the ministry we urgently require that support to make an impact.

The Ministry will work with other line ministries and the state governments, Local Government and development partners including great nations like yours to achieve the needed results.” Said the Minister.

Remi Tinubu, Akpabio, Wike others attend Nigeria's 63rd lndependence Day Thanksgiving Service.

Remi Tinubu, Akpabio, Wike others attend Nigeria's 63rd lndependence Day Thanksgiving Service.

•••Nigeria will be great again, says First Lady.

A Nigeria of abundance has begun, and to be part of the greatness that God has started in the nation, Nigerians must look beyond their current realities and embrace hope anew.

Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs Remi Tinubu, gave the counsel in her remarks at the 63rd Independence Day Interdenominational Thanksgiving Service, held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, on Sunday.

According to a statement by her media aide, Busola Kukoyi, the First Lady urged Nigerians to thank, praise and worship God for His faithfulness and love.

 

The First Lady, who described the theme of the Thanksgiving, ‘Christ in Me, the Hope of Glory’ as a sharp reminder that hope is not just a catchphrase, called on Nigerians to draw strength from the Renewed Hope agenda of the Bola Tinubu-led administration.

“If we do not have hope, how do we become part of this greatness that God has started in the Nation? We find through the love of Christ, a deeper message of hope, especially, in the theme for this year’s celebration, ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’,” she stated.

“Good governance,” she said, “can only be impactful if we all follow the example of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who embodied the fruit of the spirit, including love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance and forgiveness.”

As the nation marks her 63rd Independence Anniversary, the First Lady appealed to Nigerians to celebrate the unity that defines our diversity.

“There is no challenge, obstacle, or difficulty that we cannot overcome or surmount if we imbibe the nature of Christ who said in Matthew 11: 28; come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest with your souls.

“In times like these, all we do is to keep our hope alive, the lively hope which Jesus Christ has birthed in us,” she added.

In a message on the theme ‘Christ in Me The Hope of Glory’, President, Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC), Revd Dr Israel Akanji, highlighted the need for citizens to put their hope in God as well as align themselves with efforts by the current administration to forge a national rebirth, as captured in the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

The church service was attended by President of the Senate, His Excellency,  Sen. Godswill Obot Akpabio; Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele; Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), H.E Sen. George Akume; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), H.E  Nyesom Wike; Service Chiefs, among others.

Ondo secures World Bank support for 700km rural roads.

Ondo secures World Bank support for 700km rural roads.

Ondo state government said it has secured €3.5 million and about $500,000 from the World Bank for the rapid transformation of rural communities across the state.

It said the fund included N1.5bn counterpart funding would be used to construct 700km of rural roads under Rural Access and Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank-assisted programme.

The special adviser to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Rural and Community Development, Kolawole Babatunde, disclosed this in Akure at the weekend at an interactive session with Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ondo State.

Babatunde, who represented Akoko South East/Akoko South West Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives between 2015-2019, said the rural roads would be constructed in phases and funded through World Bank and the state counterpart fund.

He said the state government keyed into RAAMP for ease of transporting agricultural products to prevent frequent spoilage of farm produce, abd tackle food scarcity as well as grant access for the rural parts of the state for marketing and farming activities.

 

He said: “This projects will be broken down based on the roads we are intervening in and we’ve gotten

“This is aside the N1.4 billion governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has released as counterpart fund to us. The way it works is that the funding has to get approval of the world bank. We write to them stating the roads we are intervening in, the cost, then the world bank will give approval.

“For every action we take as directorate and agency, we get the approval of Mr Governor first. Then, it comes to us, we finetune, then it goes to the world bank.

“As counterpart fund, we’ve gotten N1.4 billion and when a state pushes such amount, you could be rest assured of what will come in as world bank intervention.

According to him, “We are not limited to the €3.5 million and the US$ 500,000, it is a pool. It depends on how we are able to fast-track our construction that will determine the number the amount we will be able to access.

“We have about 20 states in the project but it has been my prayer that we access more fund than any other state in the country so that we can have more rural roads.”

Credit: The Nation Newspaper 

Ilebaye wins BBNaija All Stars edition.

Ilebaye wins BBNaija All Stars edition.

Ilebaye Precious Odiniya, simply called Ilebaye, has won the Big Brother Naija All Stars edition.

Ilebaye was announced last night during the grand finale of the TV show which held in Lagos.

She became the third female housemate to win the grand prize after Mercy Eke and Phyna.

The 22-year-old edged out Mercy Eke, CeeC, Adekunle, Pere, and Cross, at the end of the 10-week show, winning the ?120 million cash prize.

Before she was announced winner, Big Brother asked Ilebaye and the first runner-up, Mercy Eke, to walk out of the house to the stage.

The All Stars season ended in grand style with thrilling performances by Nigerian music artistes BNXN and Skales.

The BBNaija All Stars edition was the most competitive as it paraded most of the popular former housemates from previous editions of the reality show.

It premiered on July 23 with 20 ex-housemates competing for the N120 million cash, the highest ever since the inception of BBNaija.

Pere, CeeC, Alex, Kiddwaya, Mercy, Tbaj, Angel, Neo, Alex, Cross, Seyi, Whitemoney, Uriel, Doyin, Princess, Soma, Ike, Adekunle, Venita, and Ilebaye were introduced on the first day of the show.

Four more housemates joined them as guests after the third housemate was evicted.

The guest housemates were Sholzy, Kim Oprah, Prince, and Lucy.

Credit: The Nation Newspaper 

FCTA warns owners of revoked plots of land to stay off.

FCTA warns owners of revoked plots of land to stay off.

Owners of the plots of land revoked by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in Abuja have been warned to stay away from such properties.

Anyone found tampering with the revoked land will be severely dealt with, the FCTA warned at the weekend.

Officials of Development Control Department of the FCTA, led by its Director, Muktar Galadima, foiled an attempt by owners of some of the affected properties in the Maitama District to resume development on the sites.

The team, accompanied  by security operatives, confiscated building equipment found on the sites and chased away those found on site. Others were  arrested  for profilling.

FCT  Minister Nyesom Wike  revoked no fewer than 165 plots of land in the service districts  over non -development.

The revocation order placed on the affected plots according to the minister, was due to the continuous contravention of the terms of agreements as contained in Section 28(5) (a) &(b) of the Land Use Act.

Responding to questions from reporters during the operation, Galadima said that his office got the hint that some owners of the revoked land were going back to sites, in violation of the order.

He said: “Recently, FCTA has revoked some plots for non – development and also sent his last warning on abandoned buildings since December 2022, so, it is unfortunate that those revoked properties, some people are trying to come back and work on them particularly on weekend.

“So, we  are on this operation to ensure that all the revoked plots, nobody goes back and work on them and also to use this opportunity to call on the public that any revoked properties that  somebody is trying to work on, definitely the administration will not only remove such structures but will ensure prosecution of the person involved.

“The revocation just commenced last week and then we just got information that some people wanted to go back to sites, and we have already intimated our officials to be on the watch out to make sure that nobody goes back to work, because any officials found wanting will be severly dealt with in accordance with the laid down civil service rules and regulations”.

Concerning information that some of the affected property owners may have gone to court to seek redress, he said: “I am not aware of anything like that, if at all some have gone to the court as you said, then I will live it to the court to decide, but for now I am not aware of such, and even, the decision of court have to be communicated to the administration for it to study it and decide if there is any need to review it or not.”

Credit: The Nation Newspaper