Imo government threatens to arrest teachers protesting over unpaid 12-month salary

 

Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma has threatened to arrest any protesting teacher, worker or pensioner in the state, insisting that his government is owing no one.

He said those protesting against the directive of the government were not only ghost workers but rented protesters by enemies of the government to misinform the public.

The Governor who spoke through his Commissioner for Information, further accused the protesting teachers of constituting nuisance in the state and misinforming the public, warning those who engage in that, to desist or have themselves to blame.

Primary and secondary school teachers in the state on Thursday took to the streets of Owerri, the state capital, demanding for their 12 months unpaid salary arrears.

The protesters numbering over 300 stormed the government house, Owerri with their employment details and placards, painting the government in ”a bad light.”

Mrs. Grace Ajaelu, one of the protesting teachers who spoke to journalists, said she had spent 29 years in service, lamenting that she had not received salary since Governor Hope Uzodinma came on board.

“I was employed and started teaching in 1992, but since the tenure of Senator Hope Uzodinma, I have not received a dime. The last salary I got was in February, 2020.

“This is complete 12 months now, no salary. Why would the Governor tag us ‘ghost workers’ after 29 years of active service. This is the height of insensitivity and callousness.

“I’m getting ready for my retirement. I have no other source of livelihood as a widow. How will I take care of myself and family. Hunger is ravaging us in the house. This is the means from which I pay my family bills. Now the government has refused to pay me and called me a ghost worker. God, why?

“I appeal to the Governor to temper justice with mercy and pay us our one-year salary arrears. We are dying gradually.”

Another teacher from Mbaitoli LGA who gave her name as Juliet Akalazu, said that the Governor was suffocating them to death. She disclosed that she had spent eight years in active service.

Hear her, “since March last year, I have not received any kobo as salary. This government is wicked and insensitive,” she added.

Meanwhile, the government through its Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba, had described the protesting teachers as ghost workers mixed with hired crowd by enemies of the government to misinform the public.

Emelumba spoke to some journalists in response to the protest.

- DAILY POST

LASTMA officer hacked to death

 Godwin Obazu, an officer of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), has been hacked to death in Anthony area of Lagos.

In a statement on Thursday by Filade Olumide, assistant director of public affairs, Obazu and another officer were said to be in mufti and were on their way home having completed their morning shift, when they were attacked by a driver and some other persons with machetes and other dangerous weapons.

According to the statement, Olajide Oduyoye, LASTMA general manager, explained that the driver and others involved in the attack were protesting the recent seizure of a commercial bus in the area.

“Obazu was struck severally with machetes, resulting in deep lacerations on the head and his eventual death, while Adeniyi Hakeem, who was also attacked similarly, has been hospitalised and in a coma,” Oduyoye said.

He added that a commercial driver, whose bus with registration number FKJ 452 YC, was plying the Bariga to Oshodi route through the Ikorodu axis, when his vehicle was apprehended for violating the traffic law in the state.

Oduyoye, who said some senior officers were lucky to have escaped, described the attack as “senseless and unwarranted”.

Seven persons suspected to have participated in the attack have been apprehended and handed over to the police.

While the driver of the bus and a few others are said to be at large, the general manager said the police would conduct a proper investigation, and the wrath of the law would be brought to bear on all those found guilty of taking laws into their hands.

Meanwhile, Bolaji Oreagba, LASTMA director of operations, said the incident would not hinder the agency from performing its duties as demanded by the law of Lagos state.

- THECABLE

Mother, four children burnt to death in Ilorin fire disaster

 

A mother and her four children were burnt to death in a fire disaster that occurred in their home at Tanke area of Ilorin, Kwara State on Wednesday.

DAILY POST reports that the father of the family was away when the disaster struck at Ifesowapo Community, behind ‘F’ Division Police station, Tanke, in Ilorin.

Sources said the fire disaster was caused by candlelight as the area had been thrown into darkness for several days due to a downpour that damaged electric poles in the area.

The candlelight which ignited the fire disaster burnt all domestic items in the room and spread to the occupied by the mother and her children while sleeping, burning them to death.

The state fire service personnel that responded to a distress call put across could not do much as the victims had been burnt to death before their arrival.

Awodun Yinka, Chairman of the community, told newsmen that some people heard the noise from a room and parlour self contained apartment and rushed down but were unable to rescue the children and their mother.

According to his account, “We did not know about the tragedy on time, by the time we saw the smoke and rushed to the apartment to see what was happening, thick smoke had already enveloped the apartment, hence, we could not rescue any member of the family.”

Yinka, confirmed that, “the fire was caused by candlelight which spread across the room while the family was already asleep.”

He explained that the family must have resorted to the use of candlelight as a result of power surge, which has thrown Tanke area into darkness due to damaged electric poles caused by rainstorm in the area.

Landlord of the house, Ibrahim Gana, who was also injured in the attempt to rescue the deceased family members from the fire disaster, appealed to the state government to assist them, particularly the only survivor of the incident now receiving medical attention at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.

- DAILY POST

Germany, France announce plans to resume use of AstraZeneca vaccine

 

Germany, France and other European nations announced plans to resume using AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday after EU and British regulators moved to shore up confidence in the shot, saying its benefits outweigh the risks.

Reports of rare brain blood clots had prompted more than a dozen nations to suspend the use of the shot, the latest challenge for AstraZeneca’s ambition to produce a “vaccine for the world”, as the global death toll from the coronavirus passes 2.8 million.

The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) “clear” conclusion following an investigation into 30 cases of unusual blood disorders was that the vaccine’s benefits in protecting people from coronavirus-related death or hospitalisation outweighs the possible risks, though it said a link between blood clots in the brain and the shot could not be definitively ruled out.

“This is a safe and effective vaccine,” EMA director Emer Cooke told a briefing. “If it were me, I would be vaccinated tomorrow.”

Within hours, Germany said it would resume administering the AstraZeneca vaccine from Friday morning. Health Minister Jens Spahn said suspending the vaccine out of caution had been the right call “until the clustering of this very rare type of thrombosis had been examined.”

France too said it would resume use of the vaccine, with Prime Minister Jean Castex saying he would receive the shot himself on Friday afternoon.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said Italy would do the same, and that his government’s priority remained to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible.

Spain said it was evaluating a possible resumption, while Cyprus, Latvia and Lithuania said they would restart administering the vaccine.

Many governments had said the decision to pause inoculations was out of an abundance of caution. But experts have warned political interference could undermine public confidence in vaccinations as governments struggle to tame more infectious virus variants.

Reuters/NAN

Kamaru Usman: I hawked fufu, farmed while in Nigeria

 

Kamaru Usman, Nigerian-American mixed martial artist, says he used to hawk fufu while residing in Auchi, Edo state.

The 33-year-old brought this revelation to light during an interview with ChannelsTV’s Gist Nigeria on Wednesday.

Usman also revealed that he farmed in the village and sold petty products for his mother as the family tried wallowing out of the puddle of poverty.

“We grew up in the village. We farmed. I used to hawk Akpu on my head. I put hot Akpu on my head,” he said.

“It’s a struggle every day: How you gonna eat next week, next month. We owned a small store where we sold clothes and shoes and everything that sells. My mom was a hustler.”

The family, however, moved to Texas in the United States when Usman was 8 years.

Kamaru, nicknamed The Nigerian Nightmare, also talked about Samira, his daughter, and her interest in working out in the gym with him.

He, however, insisted that she will be trained in the basic moves that are necessary for self-defense.

“From about 6 months and 3 and half years of her life, she went to the gym with me every day. Then she hit about 5 years and then she started saying, ‘you know I’m not going to do this sport, daddy.’ I have accepted that,” he added.

“She’s got her thing: gymnastics. Just for self-defense, Jujitsu. But she must know how to control the situation if anything happens.”

Usman remains undefeated since he fought his way into the UFC. He will be facing Jorge Masvidal, another undefeated juggernaut, on April 24.

- THECABLE

Worries as Nigeria’s unemployment rate is now second on global list

 

According to the Labour Statistics Report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday, Nigeria’s unemployment rate increased to 33.3℅ in the fourth quarter of 2020.

“The number of persons in the economically active or working-age population (15 – 64 years of age) during the reference period of the survey, Q4, 2020 was 122,049,400. This is 4.3% higher than the figure recorded In Q2, 2020, which was 116.871, 186,” NBS said.

NBS added that in the case of unemployment by state, Imo state reported the highest rate of unemployment with 56.64%, followed by Adamawa and Cross River States with 54.89% and 53.65% respectively.

The States with the lowest rates were Osun, Benue, and the Zamfara States with 11.65%, 11.98% and 12.99% respectively.

Meanwhile, a publication by Bloomberg, reveals that unemployment in Nigeria, the Africa’s largest economy has surged to the second-highest on the global list.

The publication stated that Nigeria surpassed South Africa on a list tracked from 82 countries, revealing that Namibia still leads the list with 33.4%.

Many concerned Nigerians who spoke with DAILY POST correspondent, expressed worries over the alarming rate of poverty amid joblessness among Nigerians, especially the youths.

An On-Air Personality, Jude Adanu who spoke to our correspondent from Benue State, said the report indicated that Nigeria is rather retrogressing instead of making viable progress like other nations of the world.

“The question is, where are we going to, back or front? There is hardship in the land, and it seems no one cares.

“People are dying of hunger on a daily basis due to lack of jobs. While you are trying to assume your responsibility as a father and husband, your grown-up siblings who are supposed to be established with their own family, still depend on you for common feeding,” he added.

DAILY POST recalls a desperate move by a young man identified as Ogebe Abutu who took to the street of Abuja in 2020 with a banner seeking for a job.

In a video that circulated on social media, the desperate job seeker said he had no form of job and was ready to work if provided with any.

Displayed on the banner was his mobile number and a ‘mini CV.

Abutu who ignored peers’ opinion, stormed the street begging for help in what can be concluded as frustration.

According to the inscription on the banner, the young man also promised to provide jobs for another unemployed person if given a loan.

The banner read, “Somebody please help me with a job or a loan. I will create a job, help others. Trust me.”

In an interview with DAILY POST, the State Coordinator, African Youths Union Commission (AYUC), Benue State Chapter, Mr Aguredam Keghter Moses, said President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise of annual creation of job opportunities has failed.

According to him, “Just like this federal government recently advised the people to look for modus of protecting themselves, yes security is everyone one’s business, but it is more of the governments business than any other person because the primary function of the government is the protection of her citizenry.

“Secondly, making sure that people have jobs and are catered for. I clearly remember when this Government came on board with the promises of job creation yearly. Today, what is the situation like?

“To say the fact, many have lost hope in this present administration and I don’t think there is more they can offer.
”Youths are, therefore, advised to look for legitimate means of survival, like venturing into agriculture, and skill acquisition for their daily upkeep.

“I express worry because, much of the problem of insecurity is the result of unemployment. Now, the most flourishing business is kidnapping and banditry because they get rewarded, so what is the government saying indirectly?”

A job seeker, Mr Onome James who said he completed his one-year mandatory service under the National Youths Service Corps, NYSC, in 2010, told our correspondent that the Nigerian Government is reluctant on job creation.

“They will announce recruitment but when you apply, it’s either they tell you it’s cancelled or just like that. You will not hear from them again.

“For instance, the Nigerian Security And Civil Defence Corps announced recruitment in 2019 which we participated in the registration exercise but till this moment, no reasonable response.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, announced recruitment last year and we quickly applied without any form of hesitation but till now, nothing has been heard about it.

“Sometimes in 2020, we applied for the Nigerian Youths Investment Fund (NYIF) with the belief that we can get capital to start up a small business but our hope has been dashed as the government seems to have forgotten, ” he stated.

Similarly, a security personnel who pleaded not to be mentioned for fear of victimization attributed the rising insecurity across the country to lack of employment opportunities.

“They said ‘an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.’ Someone who is not engaged in any work would always think of the crime to commit.

“A man who has a job will not relocate to the forest to look for how to launch mayhem on innocent people.

“If the government can solve the issue of unemployment in this country, criminality will drastically reduce,” he said.

Meanwhile, a fashion designer, Miss Monica Olalekan, told our correspondent in Abuja that, “in the face of an employment crisis like this, entrepreneurship is the only way forward”.

She told DAILY POST that she acquired her designing skill during her NYSC days, adding that she initially took it for granted but the country’s employment reality forced her to pick it as a career.

According to her, “In Nigeria, it doesn’t matter your academic qualification. If you don’t embrace handwork, you may have to wait for your whole life.

“We all know that it is the responsibility of the government to make jobs available for the youths, but sometimes it is good that we help ourselves when they fail to help us.”

When asked if she still applies for a Federal Government job, she said, “I don’t think I need any other job as I am now. I only need capital to enlarge my business”.

- DAILY POST

Doyin Okupe: Shoot me If I failed as Nigeria’s president

 Dr Doyin Okupe, a former senior special assistant on public affairs to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, has said that he is ready to face a firing squad if he fails to deliver, if elected as Nigeria’s President.

Okupe who has made his 2023 presidential ambition known, claims he has the master plan for arresting the deteriorating security in the country.

The former Nigerian presidential advisor, in a newspaper interview, lamented that the activities of bandits are running the education system in the North aground,

He further averred that technology should be deployed to wipe out the criminals.

“No president has ever given a detailed explanation of how they intend to tackle insecurity, improve the economy is this country. They always don’t give a blueprint.

“I have a masterplan to eradicate insecurity, particularly the activities of banditry. If the situation continues the same way, I am going to run for presidency.

“I am ready to face firing squad if I don’t deliver as President of Nigeria''.

Explaining the odds in his running for the presidency, Okupe also said that Nigerian political space has been riddled with religious, ethnic and zoning biases.

“If all I am seeing is not handled better and properly too, I am telling you I am stepping out for presidency come 2023.

“If I have my way, I want to be a political coach (not a godfather). Mentor people and teach them what they should know before venturing into politics.

“I have been to the height of it all, we need to do things differently,” he said.

- PM NEWS