Thursday 17 December 2020

Crime has become means of livelihood for Nigerians under Buhari – SPN alleges

 


The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) has said crime of all sorts has become a means of livelihood for the electorate who are reportedly disappointed by the present administration.

SPN claimed that in the absence of jobs, basic infrastructure, better living conditions, many people have resorted to crime.

The party alleged that the electorate who cast their votes for President Muhamadu Buhari are disappointed that he could not fulfil his promises by improving the living conditions of the citizens.

SPN in a statement issued by the duo of Comrades Abiodun Bamigboye and Chinedu Bosah, Acting National Chairperson and Secretary respectively insisted that there is a strong link between lack of jobs and poverty to crime.

The party noted that some Nigerians are engaging in criminal activities due to implementation of the anti-poor policies under the present administration.

The duo said, “In the absence of jobs, basic infrastructure, better living conditions, crime has become a means of livelihood. Hence, there is a strong link between lack of jobs and poverty to crime; crime is not only organized, but it has also assumed a mass character.

“Due to the implementation of the anti-poor policies, the capitalist ruling elite is responsible for the growing mass poverty and unemployment in the country and mass insecurity.

“The forceful abduction of over 300 school children from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, barely two weeks after the killing of 46 rice farmers in Borno, has further confirmed the obvious failure of the Buhari-led government and the capitalist ruling elite to tackle insecurity.

“There is also a growing state of insecurity in the southern part of the country with the rising cases of armed robbery, burglary, gang attacks, cultist attacks etc. Also, the government and the capitalist ruling elite have failed to end these attacks.

“It is very obvious that the bureaucratic and corrupt security architecture of the bourgeois regime has failed woefully despite the huge budget allocated to the military and police, most of it being looted by the privileged top echelon of the military and police alongside their collaborating civilian top political officeholders.

“The rank and file of the military and police are poorly paid with the poor living conditions while the top echelon lives in opulence, and this explains the reason more officers are deserting the military force.

“Besides, the families of the rank and file officers who die in the line of duties are abandoned. This is one of the reasons the SPN demands the right of security personnel to freely join a union of their choice as a means to agitate for better welfare conditions.

“We need a mass and collective response to insecurity. The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) strongly advocates well-funded and democratically controlled non-sectarian community policing and defence committee of the working masses and the poor to effectively fight insecurity and crime.”

- DAILY POST

ALERT: Azimo, Transfer Wise not licensed money transfer operators, CBN warns

 


The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Wednesday warned that Azimo and Transfer Wise are not licensed to operate as international money transfer operators (IMTOs).

IMTOs are financial companies involved in the transfer of funds across countries.

Azimo and TransferWise are both London-based online money transfer providers.

In a statement issued by Osita Nwanisobi, the bank’s acting director of corporate communications, the apex bank warned that any person who solicits the services of  the unregistered companies does so at his or her risk.

“The attention of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been drawn to the activities of Messrs. Azimo and Messrs. Transfer Wise, both of which are purportedly transacting business, albeit unauthorised, as International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs),” the statement read. 

“The Bank wishes to notify the general public that neither Messrs. Azimo nor Messrs. Transfer Wise is licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria to operate as an International Money Transfer Operator (IMTO). 

“The Public is therefore advised to beware of the activities of Messrs. Azimo and Messrs. Transfer Wise and desist from patronising the companies forthwith. Anyone who patronises the unregistered companies, does so at his or her own risk.”

To boost forex liquidity, the CBN had announced that beneficiaries of diaspora remittances through IMTOs would have inflows in foreign currency (US dollar) through the designated bank of their choice.

- THECABLE

Lagos Govt orders public, private schools to vacate Friday

 


The Lagos State Government has asked public and private schools in the State to vacate on Friday.

The order was contained in a statement by the Director General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Ministry of Education, Mrs Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, on Friday.

According to the statement, schools are to resume on Monday 4th January, 2021, in compliance with the State’s academic calendar.

“The Lagos States Government has directed public and private schools in the state to vacate on Friday 18th December, 2020.

“Therefore, all public and private schools below tertiary level in the state are to close for the Christmas and New Year holiday on that day.

“Schools are to resume back on Monday 4th January, 2021 in compliance with the Lagos State harmonized academic calendar.

“It is important to note that boarders are to resume on Sunday 3rd January, 2021 while academic activities commences immediately,” the statement read.

- DAILY POST

How to link your phone number with NIN

 


The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given telecommunications operators in the country two weeks to block all SIM cards that are not registered with the National Identity Numbers (NIN).

Failure to do so will lead to your line being blocked or disconnected by the 31st of December 2020.

However, to avoid going into a new year with a blocked sim, please read through this article carefully.

What is NIN?

NIN is a set of eleven digits assigned to an individual, by The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), upon successful enrolment.

Enrolment consists of the recording of an individual’s demographic data and capture of the ten (10) fingerprints, head-to-shoulder facial picture, and digital signature.

The information is used to cross-check existing data in the National Identity Database to confirm that there is no previous entry of the same data.

How to Get your NIN?

If you have registered for your NIN, you should have your slip with you.

However, if you have misplaced it, you have to pay N500 through REMITA at any bank nearest to you; provide your Remita Teller to any NIMC Enrolment Centre (ERC) near you and request for a NIN slip print.

Alternatively, you can use the NIMC USSD service to retrieve it by following these steps:

How To Get Your NIN

Dial *346#; from the options displayed, select “NIN Retrieval”, by typing in ‘1’, if you are using the same phone number you enrolled with for your number.

Follow the steps displayed on your screen and provide the required inputs

Note: Using this service attracts N20 (twenty naira) fee-only (deducted from your phone credit balance).

However, Glo users might encounter some difficulties, a message from the service provider at about 10: 53 am today stated that their subscribers would not be able to retrieve NIN for now:

The message reads: “The code to verify your NIN is *346 on the registered mobile number. This service cost N20. However, you would be unable to retrieve your NIN on Glo for now. Sorry for this inconvenience.”

How to Link Your Phone Number With Your NIN

Linking your phone number to your number is very easy.

For MTN users, simply dial *785# and get it done in few seconds.

Airtel – Dial *121*1#

Glo – text REG to 746

You can also visit the nearest office of your service provider (be it MTN, Glo, 9mobile, and Airtel) to register/link your NIN.

Just go along with NIN and your SIM pack. If you do not have your SIM pack, you probably should be prepared to swear an affidavit.

To be on the safer side, you can call your service provider’s customer care.

- PM NEWS

‘Crime is endemic in Nigeria’ — US cautions citizens on travelling during holidays

 


The US embassy in Abuja and consulate general in Lagos have asked Americans to exercise caution while traveling or residing in Nigeria during the holidays.

In a holiday security advisory posted on its website, the embassy said it gave the warning given that crime is relatively higher during the festive periods.

It said “crime is endemic” in the country, asking its citizens to stay alert at all times.

It asked its citizens to be wary of public places including airports, places of worship, shopping centres and markets where it said “westerners are common attack targets”.

“The U.S. Embassy in Abuja and Consulate General in Lagos remind U.S. citizens to exercise caution while traveling and residing in Nigeria.  Crime is endemic throughout Nigeria, ranging from petty street crime to carjacking, and crime levels tend to increase during the holidays.  It is prudent to exercise particular caution during the holiday season and at holiday events,” the mission said.

“Demonstrations are relatively commonplace in Nigeria and generally affect traffic flow, especially if they progress along major thoroughfares.  Criminal and other elements often infiltrate large gatherings.  Terrorist organizations and individuals inspired by extremist ideology exist throughout Nigeria.  Shopping centers, airports, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, transportation hubs, street markets, and other public venues frequented by Westerners are common attack targets.”

The embassy and consulate advised Americans residing or travelling in the country to keep a low profile, review their personal security plans and to avoid large gatherings and protests.

- THECABLE

Lagos Govt orders public, private schools to vacate Friday

 


The Lagos State Government has asked public and private schools in the State to vacate on Friday.

The order was contained in a statement by the Director General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Ministry of Education, Mrs Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, on Friday.

According to the statement, schools are to resume on Monday 4th January, 2021, in compliance with the State’s academic calendar.

“The Lagos States Government has directed public and private schools in the state to vacate on Friday 18th December, 2020.

“Therefore, all public and private schools below tertiary level in the state are to close for the Christmas and New Year holiday on that day.

“Schools are to resume back on Monday 4th January, 2021 in compliance with the Lagos State harmonized academic calendar.

“It is important to note that boarders are to resume on Sunday 3rd January, 2021 while academic activities commences immediately,” the statement read.

- DAILY POST

Govt lied: 520 Kankara schoolboys captured not 333



The Katsina state governor, Aminu Masari appeared to have undercounted the students of Kankara Government Science Secondary school, seized by Boko Haram last Friday.

Masari had said 333 students were captured or missing.

But one of the boys captured said they were 520, according to a video timed to coincide with President Buhari’s birthday.

The unidentified boy said some of them have died, in the firefight between the military and the Boko Haram terrorists.

The school has a population of over 800 students and an audit of the students was said to have been conducted.

It appeared it was not thoroughly done.

Leader of Boko Haram, the elusive Abubakar Shekau, said he was happy with the operation.

He said many people thought he was lying when he claimed responsibility for the schoolboys’ abduction.

Shekau said he would not add anything since sceptics could now see the boys by themselves.

“Even if I didn’t say anything, here are my people speaking and here are your boys speaking too,” he said in a report by Humangle.

The capture of the boys on 11 December was a record by Boko Haram standards in holding human hostage.

In the group’s first daring kidnap of Chibok schoolgirls in 2014 April, 276 students were abducted.

In Dapchi in 2017, 110 schoolgirls were abducted.

- PM NEWS