04082020 - Insecurity situation rapidly worsening — GOVERNORS

10 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2020
By Adesina Wahab &
Joseph Erunke
L AGOS—STUDENTS
in Senior Secondary
School class 3, yesterday,
resumed in Lagos State to
begin preparations for the
2020 West African
Secondary School
Certificate Examination,
WASSCE, billed to start on
August 17, 2020.
When Vanguard
visited some schools in
Alagbado and Ajasa areas
of Lagos, it was observed
that both private and public
schools tried as much as
possible to meet the health
and safety conditions
stipulated by the
government to prevent the
spread of the coronavirus
disease in the country.
However, Personal
Protective Equipment,
PPEs, demanded by the
Nigeria Union of Teachers,
NUT, were missing on the
staff of schools visited.
Also, while most private
schools have clinics or what
is called sick bays, public
schools had to rely on
sending back any student
:Vanguard
News
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SCHOOLS' RESUMPTION—Mrs. Oluwaleye Olayinka, Principal, Anthony Village Senior High School,
using infrared thermometer to test students' temperatures before permitting them to enter the
school premises, as resumption of classes, on gradual easing of COVID-19 lock down, begins in
Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Bunmi Azeez.
As senior high school students resume in Lagos:
PPEs, isolation centres, missing in most
schools •Minister to tour Unity colleges
found to be sick or running
a high temperature.
At Surulere Senior
Secondary School,
Alagbado, Vanguard
met three staff members
with infrared thermometers
at the gate, checking the
temperatures of staff and
students as they come in.
Two hand washing
facilities were also installed
near the gate for people to
wash their hands.
Two other hand washing
points were located on the
premises, while the
entrance of each class has
a bucket converted to a
handwashing facility and a
hand sanitiser placed on
top.
Students were not
allowed in unless they had
their nose masks on.
The Principal, Mrs.
Olufunmilayo Ojiba,
refused to comment on the
situation.
It was gathered that the
school has only 96 SSS 3
students and they have
been divided into four
classes to allow for social
distancing.
On how to take care of
any emergency, it was
learned that a nearby stateowned
health centre could
come to the rescue when
necessary.
At Grimes International
College, also in Alagbado,
each student was given a
free nose mask to
complement the ones they
brought from home.
The Proprietor, Mrs.
Gladys Grimes, said her
final year students are 34
and was divided into three
classes.
The school has a sickbay.
At Lawrence Private
Air Peace sacks pilots over pay
disagreement
By Lawani Mikairu
LAGOS—AIR Peace
airline, yesterday,
sacked some of its pilots
over disagreement in
salaries and allowances
There had recently been
lingering disagreement
over pay cut and reviewed
remuneration between the
pilots and the
management, which has
finally culminated to the
sacking of some pilots.
The pilots affected are
those said to be signatories
to the agitations.
Reacting to the
development, the airline
said: “The management of
Air Peace wishes to state
that it has taken a painful
but rightful decision, in the
circumstances the airline
has found itself, as a result
of the devastating effects of
the COVID-19 pandemic
on its operations and
financial health, to
terminate the employment
of some of its pilots.
“This decision was taken
for the greater good of the
company and its almost 3,
000 workforce, the affected
pilots inclusive. The airline
cannot afford to toe the path
of being unable to continue
to fulfill its financial
obligations to its staff,
external vendors, aviation
agencies, maintenance
organisations, insurance
companies, banks and
other creditors hence the
decision to restructure its
entire operations with a
view to surviving the times.
“The pandemic has hit
every airline worldwide so
badly that it has become
very impossible for airlines
to remain afloat without
carrying out internal restructuring
of their costs.
Anything short of what we
have done may lead to the
collapse of an airline as
could be seen in some
places worldwide during
this period. Therefore, we
decided to review the
salaries being paid to all
staff. The new salaries
reflect a 0%-40% cut of the
former salary depending on
the salary grades of every
staff. Even after the cuts, it
was obvious that for us to
be able to sustain our
operations and survive the
times, some jobs must
inevitably have to go.
“Air Peace has never, for
one day, ever owed salaries
to its workers in its almost six years
of existence, pilots inclusive.
Rather the management of Air
Peace has always been known to
be increasing salaries of its
employees periodically without
being prompted by staff. In fact,
in one fell swoop."
School in Ajasa,
enlightenment banners
about COVID-19
pandemic and safety
measures to be taken were
placed at the gate and other
conspicuous points in the
premises.
NUT reacts
Commenting on the
development, Chairman of
the NUT in Lagos, Mr.
Adesina Adedoyin, said:
“We have gone round some
schools and I have also sent
some officials of the union
to go round the six
education districts in the
state. It may take some days
to do a thorough
assessment of the situation,
but we can say that the
government has tried to put
in place some safety
measures in the public
schools visited.
“We hope that everything
works out well and there are
no hitches or negative
fallouts from this phased
opening of schools. As
teachers, we are always
ready to do the job we are
paid to do, only that we
want the safety of all
stakeholders to be
guaranteed.”
Minister to tour
Unity colleges
Similarly, as Unity
Colleges owned by the
Federal Government are
scheduled to re-open for
final year students today,
the Minister of State for
Education, Emeka
Nwajiuba, said he would
embark on an assessment
tour of the colleges.
Nwajiuba, in a statement
by Bem Goong, Director of
Press and Public Relations
in the Federal Ministry of
Education, stated that the
Permanent Secretary and
the directors in the ministry
would join him in the
Presidential panel report'll
reshape anti-graft war
—Forensic expert
By Dapo Akinrefon
LAGOS—-A Director of
Forensic Investigation,
International Institute of
Certified Forensic
Investigation Professionals,
United States, Dr. Yusuf
Aliu, said yesterday that the
report of the Justice Ayo
Salami-led Presidential
Panel investigating the
former Chairman of the
Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, Mr.
Ibrahim Magu, will set a
new tone in the fight against
corruption.
He said the alleged
massive fraud in the EFCC
and the Niger Delta
Development Commission,
which is the latest in the
assessment tour.
The statement reads:
“Ahead of August 4th, 2020,
Minister of State for
Education, Mr.
Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba
has announced that all the
104 Unity Colleges are
ready to open their gates
to exit classes tomorrow.
“Announcing the
preparedness of the Unity
Colleges at a meeting with
the Commissioners for
Education of the 36 States
of the Federation this
morning via the Zoom
platform, the Minister
lauded Principals of Unity
Colleges for the
comprehensive preparation
put in place for resumption.
“Across states, the
Commissioners reported
varying degrees of
preparation and readiness
for reopening between the
4th and 10th of August,
2020 for virtually all schools
within their jurisdictions.
“From today, the Minister
of State for Education,
Permanent Secretary and
Directors will embark on an
assessment tour of all Unity
Colleges to ascertain and
confirm the reports they
have received from the
Principals of Unity
Colleges.
“Similarly, Federal
Education Quality
Assurance Directors
deployed to the states
have been directed to
monitor compliance in
their respective states.
“The Commissioners
from the states were
enjoined to embark on
assessment tours of their
jurisdictions to ascertain
the level of preparations
for reopening.
“While most schools will
reopen tomorrow, others
will continue to fine-tune
their preparations in the
coming days for
reopening.”
spate of corruption
allegations cases, has put
the war on corruption
under severe scrutiny.
In a statement, Aliu stated
that the report of the
presidential panel on the
EFCC may further build or
erode the confidence which
the international
community repose in
Nigeria, especially,
concerning corruption
He said: “Ibrahim Magu
is innocent until he is
proven guilty of the offences
as alleged. He is being
questioned by the
presidential panel, who will
in no distant time release
their report. Political
analysts are of the
contention that if Magu is
eventually indicted for
corruption, then the war on
corruption by the present
administration is lost and
any gain made, would have
been rubbished.
“Though, majority of
Nigerians believed the
Buhari led government is
fighting corruption, the
International Transparency
Corruption Perception
index figures are proving
the contrary. In the 2019
report of Transparency
International, Nigeria was
rated 146 out of 180, with a
25 per cent on their
Corruption Perception
Index. A 25-percentage
score is an awfully poor
result for a country, which
prides herself as the giant
of Africa.
“The report of the
presidential panel on
Magu cum EFCC will set
a new tone on the way
forward for Nigeria with
curbing administrative
recklessness and attendant
executive corruption. The
report of the presidential
panel on the EFCC may
further build or erode the
confidence which the
international community
repose in Nigeria,
especially, concerning
corruption."
Ekiti workers
call off 3-day
warning strike
A DO-EKITI—-
WORKERS in the
Ekiti State civil service,
yesterday, called off the
three-day warning
strike.
This is coming barely 12
hours into the
commencement of the
industrial action declared
by the labour movement
to press for payment of
outstanding benefits.
This was sequel to
Governor Kayode
Fayemi’s readiness to
meet some of the
demands outlined by
organised labour at a
meeting held midnight
Sunday up to Monday
morning.