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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.

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