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Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020 — 13<br />
:Vanguard News :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058<br />
COMMISSIONING—From left: Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council,Federal<br />
University Gusau, Professor Funmi Togonu-Bickersteth; the Chairman Senate Committee<br />
on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Senator Ahmed Kaita; the Executive Secretary,<br />
TETFund, Prof. Suleiman Elias Bogoro; the Chancellor, Federal University Gusau, HRH<br />
Ezeogo Ewa Elechi, the Isu Oha 1 of Ohaisu Kingdom and Vice Chancellor, Federal University<br />
Gusau (FUGUS), Prof. Magaji Garba during the commissioning of 1,000 seat Multi-purpose<br />
hall (present central Library) at Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State.<br />
Corps members to receive<br />
N33,000 as allowance<br />
By Lumious<br />
Jannamike<br />
B<br />
A U C H I —<br />
BRIGADIER<br />
General Shuaibu<br />
Ibrahim, Director-<br />
General of the National<br />
Youth Service Corps,<br />
NYSC, has said the<br />
monthly allowance of<br />
corp members has been<br />
increased to N33,000.<br />
Brigadier General<br />
Shuaibu Ibrahim<br />
announced this during a<br />
working visit to the<br />
NYSC Secretariat in<br />
Bauchi State, according<br />
to a statement,<br />
yesterday, through Corps<br />
Spokesperson, Adenike<br />
Adeyemi.<br />
He said the increase<br />
was in line with the new<br />
minimum wage<br />
approved by the Federal<br />
Government.<br />
The NYSC boss said<br />
provisions for the new<br />
allowance had been<br />
made in the 2020 budget<br />
and “payment would<br />
commence as soon as<br />
funds are released by the<br />
appropriate authorities.”<br />
Recall that in<br />
September, last year,<br />
Ibrahim had hinted that<br />
the monthly allowance of<br />
corps members would be<br />
increased “immediately<br />
Kogi gov election: Tribunal fixes<br />
Feb 10 to hear Wada, PDP’s<br />
petition<br />
By Ikechukwu<br />
Nnochiri<br />
ABUJA—THE Kogi<br />
State Governorship<br />
Election Petition<br />
Tribunal, sitting in<br />
Abuja, yesterday, fixed<br />
February 10 to commence<br />
pre-hearing session on<br />
the petition the Peoples<br />
Democratic Party, PDP,<br />
and its candidate, Musa<br />
Wada, filed against<br />
Governor Yahaya Bello’s<br />
re-election.<br />
A three-man panel of<br />
justices headed by<br />
Justice Kashim Kaigama,<br />
ordered service of prehearing<br />
notice on all the<br />
parties.<br />
the government starts<br />
the payment of the new<br />
minimum wage<br />
“Your monthly<br />
allowance would be<br />
increased immediately<br />
PDP and its candidate<br />
had, in their joint<br />
petition marked EPT/KG/<br />
GOV/06/2019, prayed<br />
the tribunal to declare<br />
that Governor Bello of<br />
the All Progressive<br />
Congress, APC, was not<br />
the valid winner of the<br />
gubernatorial contest.<br />
Cited as respondents in<br />
the petition are the<br />
Independent National<br />
E l e c t o r a l<br />
Commission, INEC,<br />
Governor Bello and the<br />
APC.<br />
It would be recalled<br />
that INEC had, on<br />
November 18, declared<br />
Yahaya Bello of the APC<br />
as winner of the<br />
governorship election.<br />
The Returning Officer,<br />
Ibrahim Garba, who is<br />
the Vice-Chancellor of<br />
the Ahmadu Bello<br />
University, ABU, Zaria,<br />
declared that Bello<br />
polled the highest<br />
number of votes in the<br />
election with 406,222 to<br />
defeat Wada of the PDP,<br />
who scored 189,704 in<br />
the election.<br />
As collated by INEC,<br />
Bello defeated Wada<br />
with a total of 216,518,<br />
while Natasha Akpoti of<br />
the Social Democratic<br />
Party, SDP, came a<br />
distant third in the<br />
election with 9482 votes.<br />
However, Wada of the<br />
PDP insisted that the<br />
election was rigged in<br />
favour of the APC and its<br />
candidate.<br />
Aside contending that<br />
he won the election,<br />
Wada alleged that the<br />
exercise was marred by<br />
widespread electoral<br />
the Federal Government<br />
starts the payment of the<br />
new minimum wage to<br />
all public servants<br />
nationwide,”<br />
“Efforts are in top gear<br />
at all levels to ensure<br />
adequate welfare for all<br />
corps members.”<br />
malpractices and<br />
violence, adding that<br />
there was substantial<br />
non-compliance with the<br />
Electoral Act.<br />
The petitioners are,<br />
among other things,<br />
seeking a declaration<br />
that the second<br />
respondent, Governor<br />
Bello, did not secure<br />
majority of lawful votes<br />
cast at the election.<br />
They are praying the<br />
tribunal to issue an order<br />
nullifying the Certificate<br />
of Return the INEC<br />
issued to Governor Bello<br />
and declare that Wada<br />
scored majority of votes<br />
at the election, having<br />
fulfilled<br />
the<br />
requirements of section<br />
179(2)(a) and (b) of the<br />
Constitution.<br />
Alternatively, the<br />
petitioners are praying<br />
for an order directing<br />
INEC to conduct<br />
supplementary election<br />
in polling units, where<br />
elections were cancelled,<br />
noting that the margin of<br />
lead between the second<br />
respondent and the first<br />
petitioner, was Iess than<br />
the registered voters in<br />
the cancelled polling<br />
units.<br />
They further sought for<br />
a declaration that the Kogi<br />
governorship election<br />
that held on November<br />
16, 2019, and the<br />
subsequent declaration<br />
and return of the second<br />
respondent, are voided by<br />
corrupt practices in<br />
breach of the provisions of<br />
the Electoral Act, 2010 (as<br />
amended), which<br />
substantially affected the<br />
results of the election.<br />
Benue to hand over<br />
community, mission schools<br />
to owners in August<br />
—Prof Ityavyar<br />
By Peter Duru<br />
M BENUE AKURDI—<br />
State<br />
government has<br />
reiterated its<br />
commitment to ensure<br />
the return of all<br />
community and mission<br />
schools in the state to<br />
their original owners by<br />
August 2020.<br />
The Commissioner of<br />
Education, Prof Dennis<br />
Ityavyar, who gave the<br />
assurance, yesterday, in<br />
Makurdi, stated that<br />
modalities had already<br />
been put in place by the<br />
government to ensure a<br />
smooth handover of the<br />
schools.<br />
He explained that a<br />
committee had been setup<br />
to effect the<br />
handover, assuring that<br />
everyone was working<br />
round the clock to ensure<br />
that the target date was<br />
Bello swears s in 17<br />
commissioners, s, 3 SAs<br />
By Boluwaji<br />
Obahopo<br />
L OKOJA—BARELY<br />
48 hours after taking<br />
oath of office for second<br />
term, Governor Yahaya<br />
Bello of Kogi State, has<br />
sworn-in 17<br />
commissioners and three<br />
Special Advisers, SAs,<br />
informing them that he<br />
has zero tolerance for<br />
corruption..<br />
The Governor who<br />
spoke yesterday also<br />
assigned portfolios to the<br />
new appointees.<br />
He said “Every<br />
commissioner as well as<br />
all Ministry, Department<br />
and agencies MDA must<br />
operate an open door<br />
policy and make<br />
By Ndahi Marama,<br />
Maidugur<br />
B ORNO—THE<br />
Deputy Governor of<br />
Borno State, Alhaji Umar<br />
Usman Kadafur ,<br />
yesterday swore in four<br />
new Permanent<br />
Secretaries and Special<br />
Advisers to Governor<br />
Babagana Zulum.<br />
This came as one<br />
Special Adviser,<br />
Mohammed Ibrahim<br />
Kwajaffa, a Loyalist to<br />
former Deputy Governor,<br />
Usman Durkwa for<br />
mobilizing political<br />
faithful was not sworn-in<br />
over alleged loyalty to<br />
the former Deputy<br />
Governor and Chairman<br />
Stakeholders Forum of<br />
Hawul Local<br />
Government Area of the<br />
met.<br />
Prof. Ityavyar said:<br />
“Already, the Catholic<br />
Education Services, the<br />
NKST, the Anglican, the<br />
Methodists and all<br />
others who own such<br />
schools have all sent<br />
their representatives to<br />
the committee handling<br />
the process.<br />
According to him: “We<br />
are all working together<br />
and we have also<br />
prepared a very clear<br />
time table of what we<br />
intend to do and what<br />
will happen and we have<br />
written letters, formally<br />
informing all<br />
stakeholders of what we<br />
are doing.<br />
"The position of<br />
government is very clear.<br />
We are not going back on<br />
the decision; we are all<br />
eager to ensure the<br />
handover of the schools<br />
to their original owners<br />
by August 2020.”<br />
themselves available to<br />
the people because human<br />
capital development would<br />
form the nucleus of this<br />
administration”.<br />
The governor also<br />
warned the new<br />
appointees not to ruin its<br />
hard earned reputation on<br />
fiscal accountability with<br />
corrupt practices whilst in<br />
office.<br />
“The anti corruption<br />
agencies have scrutinized<br />
us based on petitions<br />
written by various people<br />
who are not happy with the<br />
way we carry out our<br />
reforms, and they have<br />
found us clean, don’t tarnish<br />
our reputation with corrupt<br />
practices, anyone found wanting<br />
will not be speared “ he said.<br />
Alleged loyalty: Dep gov fails<br />
to swear in SA to Zulum<br />
state.<br />
The ceremony which<br />
took place at Government<br />
House, Maiduguri,<br />
amidst tight security and<br />
party supporters was<br />
administered by Justice<br />
Musa Muhammad who<br />
represented the State<br />
Chief Judge.<br />
The current Deputy<br />
Governor and his<br />
predecessor (Durkwa) who<br />
just served one term in<br />
office following the demise<br />
of Late Umar Mustapha<br />
Zanna, incidentally are<br />
from the same ruling party,<br />
All Progressive Congress,<br />
APC.<br />
He was however asked<br />
to step down to allow the<br />
current Deputy Governor<br />
contest with the<br />
governor for the 2019<br />
general elections.