News
Student loan: NANS begs Tinubu to remove NBA, ASUU from board
The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has asked President Bola Tinubu to remove the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA and the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU from the board of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, as proposed by the students’ loan bill signed into law on Monday.
The student body stated this during a visit to President Tinubu at the State House on Tuesday.
Speaking to State House Correspondents after engagements with the President, the NANS delegation, led by the body’s National President, Umar Barambu, revealed that they urged him to review the constitution of the special committee that will oversee the new Nigerian Education Loan Fund to include student representatives.
The NANS President said, “We thank the President for the Students Loan Bill. We have outlined the clauses that we are not too comfortable with.
“And part of them is the issue of that board that we mentioned to the President, which we said at least students’ representatives should be captured and there are some organisations that they put there, which to us, they don’t need to be there.
“We gave him an example, most especially the Nigerian Bar Association, ASUU. ASUU has its own microfinance bank running its own affairs without students on its board. So, I don’t think it’s wise for us to allow them to be inside our own board because it is purely students.
“We are the major stakeholders of that bank. So I don’t think allowing them to be there is good. Not only them, but we also mentioned a lot of people that they should remove and put more of student-oriented organisation.”
In response, the President promised to consider the requests of the NANS leaders but urged the students body to ensure unity among its members across the country to achieve more.
“You have to promote unity and stability among each other. You have to employ democratic means in your programmes and elections. I have to say, anyone who is unable to accept and celebrate a free and fair election, does not deserve the joy of victory,” Tinubu said.
The President stressed that poverty should not prevent any Nigerian from obtaining quality education at the highest levels.
He promised that his administration would commit more resources to the education sector to ensure that every Nigerian child, regardless of their background, has access to quality education.
“Poverty should not prevent anybody, any child, including the daughter or son of a wood seller, ‘boli’ (plantain) seller or yam seller from attaining their highest standard of education, to eliminate poverty.
“If we all believe that education is the greatest weapon against poverty, then we have to invest in it. If you eliminate poverty from one family, you can carry the rest of the weight,” the President said.
He thanked the students for supporting the removal of subsidy on petrol, explaining the reasons behind the decision and the need to curb smuggling.
“I’m glad you understand the reason for the subsidy removal. We were at a point where Nigeria tried to draw water from a dry well and that is no longer acceptable we equally must not continue to service the smugglers because they used to take our tankers and Premium Motor Spirit across the borders. We will put our money where our mouth is,” he said.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says the decision by Starlink to unilaterally review its subscription packages upwards did not receive the approval of the commission.
In a statement signed by its Director, Public Affairs, Reuben Mouka said the action of the company is in contravention of Sections 108 and 111 of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA), 2003, and Starlink’s Licence Conditions regarding tariffs.
The Commission commenced pre-enforcement action on the licensee on the 3rd of October, 2024.
The Federal Government has announced that it will commence implementation of the $750m World Bank-funded rural electricity project in November.
It said the project will provide over 17.5m Nigerians with new or improved access to electricity through distributed renewable energy solutions.
The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu, disclosed this when he appeared on Channels Television’s Sunrise daily programme on Thursday.
Recall that in December 2023, the World Bank announced the approval of Nigeria Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up project, being financed by $750m International Development Association credit and would leverage over $1bn of private capital and significant parallel financing from development partners.
The financing from development partners includes $100m from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet and $200m from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Other development partners collaborating on the programme include the United States Agency for International Development, the German Development Agency, SEforAll, and the African Development Bank.
But 10 months after its approval, the REA MD noted that the project would begin implementation next month without stating reasons for the delay.
He explained that three million anticipated beneficiaries would be connected through the isolated mini-grid, 1.5 million Nigerians through the inter-connected mini-grip, and 12 million would be electrified using a merged grid and solar stand-alone system.
Aliyu said, “There is a new project that we are starting next month called the Distributed Renewable Energy Scale-up project which is a $750 million financed by the World Bank.”
“The target of that project is to electrify 17.5 million Nigerians, and I must say that this is one of the most ambitious projects in the world based on my understanding from India that has moved many unelectrified people to have access to electricity.
“Three million of them through the isolated mini-grid, 1.5 million Nigerians through the interconnected mini grip, 12 million would be electrified using a merged grid and solar stand-alone system.”
Aliyu further said the project is estimated to last for five years and was built on successes recorded from similar projects in the past which cost $550 million and were funded by the World Bank and the African Development Bank.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an order barring the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (otherwise known as VIO) from further stopping vehicles on the road, impounding or confiscating vehicles, and imposing fines on motorists.
Justice Evelyn Maha issued the order in a judgment on a fundamental rights enforcement suit: FHC/ABJ/CS/1695/2023 filed by a human rights activist and public interest attorney, Abubakar Marshal.
Also affected by the order are the Director of Road Transport; the Area Commander, Jabi, and the Team Leader, Jabi, and the Minister of the FCT, also listed as respondents.
In the judgment delivered on Wednesday, October 2, Justice Maha upheld Marshal’s argument that no law empowers respondents to stop, impound, confiscate, seize, or impose fines on motorists.
The judge declared that the first to the 4th respondents, who are under the control of the 5th respondent (Minister of the FCT) are not empowered by any law or statute to stop, impound, or confiscate the vehicles of motorists and or impose fines on motorists.
She proceeded to issue an order restraining the 1st to 4th respondents either through their agents, servants, and or assigns from impounding, confiscating the vehicle of motorists, and or imposing a fine on any motorist as doing so is wrongful, oppressive, and unlawful by themselves.
Justice Maha further made an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents whether by themselves, agents, privies, allies or anybody acting on behalf of the 1st respondent from further violating the rights of Nigerians to freedom of movement, presumption of innocence and right to own property without lawful justification.
Folashodun Shonubi, a witness in the trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor Godwin Emefiele, told the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday that the naira redesign policy did not follow standard procedure.
Shonubi, a former CBN Acting Governor, said there were intrigues and politics around the 2022 redesign policy.
The former Deputy Governor (Operations) said: “When we had meetings with the defendant (Emefiele), he said there were politics and intrigues around the whole exercise.”
Led in evidence by Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), the witness said the redesigned naira notes produced by the CBN under Emefiele were not the same as those approved by ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the memo presented to the president for the redesign was solely prepared by Emefiele.
Shonubi said the normal procedure was for the Currency Management Department to recommend a redesign, after which a paper would be submitted to the Committee of Governors (COG) for consideration.
Upon the COG’s approval, the CBN Board would make a recommendation to the President.
The witness said after the President’s approval was received, the bank would then set up an internal committee to execute the currency redesign.
Shonubi, a member of both the COG and CBN Board, told the court that Emefiele killed the recommendation made in early 2021 by the bank’s Currency Department for a redesign.
He said: “The CBN did not follow the procedures (for redesigning the currency). I was a member of the CBN Board as Deputy Governor.
“The chairman of both the COG and board was the governor. In early 2021, the Currency Department recommended the redesign of the currency notes.
“A paper was presented to me and on the instruction of the governor (Emefiele). It was stepped down.
“In 2022, we again represented the paper and were asked to hold on.
“In mid-October 2022, the Deputy Governors were invited to a meeting in the office of the Governor where he (Emefiele) informed us that he had presidential approval for currency redesign.
“He showed us the memo, Mr President’s signature and instruction on the last page.”
Shonubi said under cross-examination by ace defence counsel Olalekan Ojo (SAN) that he was not aware of the discussions between the defendant and the former President over the redesign policy.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is trying Emefiele on a four-count charge of illegal acts causing public injury.
He pleaded not guilty.
Justice Maryanne Anenih adjourned till Tuesday.
The Senate yesterday summoned the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, over the deplorable condition of the Old Oyo-Ogbomosho Road.
The resolution of the Senate’s consideration of a motion of urgent public importance was moved by Senator Buhari Abdulfatai (APC – Oyo-North), who drew his colleagues’ attention to the worsening condition of the road.
Abdulfatai said the road, a major link between the South and North, had caused untold hardship for travellers, most of who were frequently stranded due to the poor state of the road.
For over 10 years after the Federal Government began major repairs on the road, Buhari said it had remained deplorable, causing regular accidents and daily gridlock by articulated vehicles.
Buhari in his lead debate underscored the im portance of good roads, saying apart from preventing avoidable accidents, it makes movement of goods and services easy.
He said: “The Senate is aware that transportation ensures stable prices in different markets and enables traders to regulate the supply of goods at locations, based on changing demands.’’
President Bola Tinubu will on Wednesday depart Abuja for the United Kingdom to begin a two-week vacation.
The vacation is “part of his yearly leave,” Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, revealed in a statement he signed Wednesday.
The statement is titled ‘President Tinubu goes on annual leave.’
“He will use the two weeks as a working vacation and a retreat to reflect on his administration’s economic reforms.
“He will return to the country after the leave expires,” the statement read in part.
Sources close to the President had confirmed to our correspondent that Tinubu was taking the two-week break as part of his annual leave.
Wednesday’s trip comes two weeks after the President returned from London where he met with King Charles III.
The UK becomes Tinubu’s 27th foreign destination since he assumed office about 16 months ago and his fourth trip to the country.
So far, he has visited Equatorial Guinea, London (four times), the United Kingdom (twice); Bissau, Guinea-Bissau (twice); Nairobi, Kenya; Porto Norvo, Benin Republic; Pretoria, South Africa; Accra, Ghana; New Delhi, India; Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates; New York, the United States of America; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (twice); Berlin, Germany; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Dakar, Senegal and Doha, Qatar.
How we secured Goldberg larger sponsorship for Lekki Astro League -Momodu
NCC commences pre-enforcement action on Starlink over price hike
Birthday Tribute to Dr. Oladele Alake: A Leader, Mentor and Visionary
Lekki Astro League Seeks Sponsorship As Season Kicks Off
Nigeria agrees to 1.5mbpd production quota set by OPEC
Hoodlums kill two Police operatives in Anambra
FRSC adopts town hall meetings to curb road crashes
“Brave and blessed woman”- Timi Dakolo celebrates his wife Busola as she turns 40 years old
Rapper Kanye West sued by former Security Guard who claims he wasn’t paid for his services
