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12 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2022
:Vanguard
News
:@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058
DIALOGUE—-From left: General-Secretary, NUTGTWN, Ali Baba; Resident Rep, Friedrich-
Ebert–Stiftung, Dr. Daniel Mann; National President, NUTGTWN, John Adaji, and National
Chairman, Ghana Mine Workers Union, Mr. Kwarko Memsah, during the Policy Dialogue
on Sustainable Industrialisation and Employment, in commemoration of 2022 Africa Industrialisation
Day by NUTGTWN, with the Friendrich-Ebert-Stiftung, in Abuja, yesterday.
Photo: Olu Ajayi.
We've received only N44.7bn from
FG, Delta replies Oshiomhole
By Festus Ahon
ASABA—DELTA State
government, yesterday,
said former National
chairman of the All
Progressives Congress, APC,
Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, lied,
disclosing that it (Delta State)
has so far accessed a total of
N44.7 billion from the
accumulated N240 billion
due to it as an oil producing
state.
State Commissioner for
Finance, Fidelis Tilije, who
made the clarification while
briefing journalists in Asaba,
explained that the received
amount comprised of a
quarterly receipt of N4.9
billion for three quarters, and
the recently accessed N30
billion from the N100 billion
bridging finance application.
Saying that the total
accumulated amount was
....Blasts APC, says over 130 million
Nigerians live below poverty line
N240 billion and not N250
billion, Tilije noted that N240
billion was approved by both
the Federation Account
Allocation Committee, FAAC,
plenary and National
Economic Commission,
NEC, for the payment to
commence.
He said: "Because of the
chronic nature of the nation's
economy at the moment, the
payment was spread out on a
quarterly basis for five years.
"As we speak today, Delta
has received N4.9 billion in
three quarters, which gives a
total N14.7 billion. The
balance will be paid
subsequently on a quarterly
basis.
"We attempted to discount
part of this payment to the
tune of N150 billion, that we
didn't do again because we
came back to look at the books
and therefore, decided we do
N100 billion.
"Out of the N100 billion
which is part of the approval
received from the state House
of Assembly, we have thus far
accessed N30 billion as we
speak."
Tilije explained that the
funds were being applied in
the execution of ongoing
legacy projects, including the
leisure park and film village,
Koka flyover, Ughelli-Asaba
road dualization, Kwale
industrial park, payment of
pension arrears and
development of the three new
universities.
Meanwhile, the state
Commissioner for
Information, Mr, Charles
Aniagwu, also at the briefing
berated the presidential
candidate of the APC,
Senator Bola Tinubu and the
state governorship candidate,
Senator Ovie Omo-Agege
over their unprovoked attack
on the Delta State
Government.
Aniagwu said the duo were
not current with the
development strides of
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa,
noting that over 130 million
Nigerians live below poverty
level against APC promise to
lift 100 million Nigerians out
of poverty.
DESOPADEC sends IDPs home with cash
DELTA State Oil
Producing Areas
Development Commission,
DESOPADEC, has doled out
cash support to victims of the
recent flood disaster, as the
commission gradually closed
its Internally Displaced
Persons, IDP, camps sponsored
by it.
No fewer than 6,000 persons
at the four IDP camps in Oleh,
Ashaka, Evwreni and
Okwagbe received cash gifts
ranging from N40,000 for
individuals and N100,000 for
households, as the camps
came to final close, weekend.
Managing Director of the
commission, Askia Ogieh,
said the gesture was in
keeping with the mandate of
the commission to ensure the
well being of the people in its
mandate area and also in
fulfillment of Governor
Ifeanyi Okowa's promise to
the people that the state would
support them in settling back
to their homes and businesses
after the flood.
"The pride of any
government is in wellbeing
and happiness of its people
and we are pleased to see this
in the faces of our people as
they begin to return home after
the unfortunate flood disaster
that impacted seriously on
them and their businesses.
"We are extremely proud of
our response before, during
and after the flood and it is
assuring that the people can
now go home happy and
confident to resume their
normal life. While we must
commend them for their
discipline, love, friendship and
cooperation among
themselves at the camps, we
are especially grateful to
Governor Okowa, for not
only approving and
supporting the initiative but
also for taking time off to visit
the camps, encourage, play
and pray with the IDPs."
As the flood approached, the
commission made efforts to
de-silt various water channels
but when the flood increased
it took steps to open up four
IDP camps across the state to
complement those opened by
the state government.
"The whole idea was to
ensure that not only were the
IDPs well provided for but that
their pains were turned into
joy during their stay. As they
go home, we also saw the need
to provide them with the cash
support to enable them restart
their lives. They have lost a lot
to the disaster. We cannot
possibly replace all that they
have lost but we believe that
the cash support will provide
some cushion for them.”
Sack Ngige, Adamu now if..., NDU ASUU tells Buhari
By Emem Idio
Y ACADEMIC ENAGOA—
Staff
Union of Universities, ASUU,
Niger Delta University, NDU,
Bayelsa Chapter, has called
for the sack of the Minister of
Labour and Productivity, Dr.
Chris Ngige, his Education
counterpart, Adamu Adamu,
and the Minister of Finance,
Zainab Ahmed, for their roles
in the payment of half salaries
to lecturers.
They alleged that Ngige,
Adamu and Ahmed were
complicit.
The lecturers, who
converged in their numbers
at a special congress on the
NDU Law Campus
Auditorium, Yenagoa, with
solidarity from students, the
Nigeria Labour Congress,
NLC, civil society groups, also
marched around the campus,
carrying placards protesting
Federal Government's half
salary payments to its
members.
Some of the placards read,
“We are not casual workers
and we will not accept half
salary," “IPPIS violate varsity
autonomy," "FG, state govt
should not kill public
universities in Nigeria,"
"Children of the poor have
right to university education,"
among others.
Addressing the congress,
Chairman of ASUU NDU,
Prof. Kingdom Tonbara, said
that the branch strongly
kicked against casualization
of academics, and the
bastardization of public
universities in the country by
the Federal Government.
He said: "That's the bone of
contention, pro-rata salaries
have reduced ASUU to casual
staff. That is the bone of
contention. Are we casuals? No.
We are not going to accept it.
"NDU ASUU is in support of
our national body that children
of the poor must attend
universities, a people united
cannot be defeated. ASUU,
students and civil society say
they are in support of the struggle
of ASUU."
Don’t back those working against
N-Delta, NDDC tasks staff
By Davies
Iheamnachor
PORT HARCOURT—
Acting Managing
Director of the Niger Delta
Development Commission,
NDDC, Emmanuel Audu-
Ohwavborua, has charged
staff of the commission to
ensure that they do not work
with those working against the
progress and development of
the Niger Delta region.
Audu-Ohwavborua spoke
during a Staff Work Ethics/
Organisational Behaviour
Advocacy Programme at the
NDDC headquarters, in Port
Harcourt, Rivers State.
The NDDC boss said he
identified those he described
SPCC Class of 82 marks
anniversary, presents award
to NDDC boss
EFFURUN—THE new
management
committee of St. Peter Clavers
College, SPCC, Aghalokpe,
Uvwie Local Government
Area of Delta State, has been
enjoined to surpass the
achievements of the pioneer
Management Committee, in
order to take the school to a
greater height.
Pioneer chairman of SPCC
Class of 82, Efe Afe, during the
40th anniversary of the class,
held in Effurun, said the
celebration was aimed at
restoring SPCC to an enviable
height it attained in the good
old days.
He thanked God that 40 years
Amnesty office: IYC backs
reforms on PAP
UMBRELLA body of
Ijaw Youths worldwide,
the Ijaw Youths Council, IYC,
has thrown it's weight behind
the Interim Administrator of
the Presidential Amnesty
Programme, PAP, Maj-
General Barry Ndiomu (retd)
in his desire to re-define the
operations of the amnesty
programme, in consonance
with global standards and
protocols.
According to the council,
despite the flaws noticed in the
amnesty programme and it's
stumbling journey of 13 years,
the few months of Ndiomu
have shown considerable
review and re-engineering of
PAP's operations, which has
led to open commitment of
employment and
as enemies of the Niger Delta
region in his book entitled:
'REAL ENEMIES OF THE
NIGER DELTA,' noting that
achieving the goals of any
organisation is tied to the
efficiency of the organisation’s
workforce.
He said: “I identified
amongst others, indigenes
of the Niger Delta region
as one category of enemies.
I also identified those with
power and influence, those
that find themselves in the
corridors of power, in
government offices. Some
indigenes of the region
who find themselves in
position of influence, but
refused to put the region’s
interest first."
Wike pledges logistics
support for Kwankwaso
GOVERNOR Nyesom
Wike of Rivers State has
pledged to provide logistics
support for the campaigns of
the presidential candidate of
the New Nigeria People’s
Party, NNPP, Rabiu
Kwankwaso, in the state.
Wike made this known,
yesterday, when the NNPP
candidate inaugurated the
Mgbutanwo Internal Roads
in the Emohua Local
Government Area of Rivers
State.
Wike, a chieftain of the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
who invited Kwankwaso to
the event, described him as a
man of integrity, who meant
well for Nigeria.
He said Kano was very
important for the victory of
PDP in the 2023 presidential
election, next February, but all
his entreaties to PDP stalwarts
not to let Kwankwaso go
proved abortive.
Wike said he persuaded
Kwankwaso not to dump the
PDP earlier in March but
enemies within the party
pushed him out.
Wike said the former
governor of Kano State has
what is required to put
Nigeria together, adding that
it was unfortunate that they
were no longer in the same
party.
He said: “You are a man of
integrity. It is unfortunate we
are not in the same party but
God will help at the
appropriate time. People like
this are people that should
talk about the leadership of
the country. I have no
apologies to make to
anybody."
ago, most of them who were teenagers
have become captains of
industry following the training
they received at St. Peter Clavers
College, Aghalokpe.
The federal lawmaker
disclosed that the group had
earlier built a state -of-the-art
computer centre for SPCC, which
was commissioned by the
Orodje of Okpe Kingdom as one
of its achievements during his
tenure.
"I thank God that 40 years ago
we were boys but today we are
captains of industry. This is
because of the training we got
from SPCC, our school didn't
have perimeter fence then but
no student dare to leave the
school premises without
permission, the reason is
discipline," he stated.
empowerment of genuine
beneficiaries of the programme
by agencies of government,
including the private
sector.
IYC, through its National
Spokesman, Ebilade Ekerefe,
said the amnesty programme,
now 13 years old, has
recorded some achievements,
but not without controversies
regarding its management.
He added that the ongoing
efforts by the new amnesty
boss to consult and interact
with stakeholders on the
review process is gladenning
and would stop the
misconception that he is
coming to terminate the
programme abruptly when
the mandate of PAP is yet to
be completed despite the fact
that it has stayed longer than
expected.