19102020 - #EndSARS: Stop Army's planned Op Crocodile Smile

14 — Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020
:Vanguard News
:@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058
EndSARS protests: NECO
reschedules examination
By Joseph Erunke
A
B U J A —
NATIONAL
Examinations Council, NECO,
has announced the rescheduling
of its Paper I Computer Studies
Practical earlier scheduled for
today to a later date.
The development followed
ongoing nationwide protest
against excess of the disbanded
Special Anti-Robbery Squad,
SARS and police brutality, tagged
‘EndSARS’ have begun to have
a heavy toll on candidates writing
schools’ examinations.
Specifically, the examination
body announced in a statement
by its Head, Information and
Public Relations Division, Azeez
Sani, said “This is to inform the
general public and especially
candidates that the National
Examinations Council (NECO)
has been constrained to
Insurgency: Gov Zulum declares
today fasting, prayers
G
O
V E R N O R
Babagana Zulum of
Borno State has declared today a
day special fasting and prayers
for divine intervention for an end
to insurgency in the state.
The governor in a statement
yesterday said “I hereby declare
Monday, October 19, for the
second round of statewide fasting
and prayers for peace in Borno. I
will like to request, with gratitude,
that we approach the fast with
the same enthusiasm, devotion
and faithfulness as we did on
Monday February 24.
“I will like to clarify that there
will be no public holiday on
Monday and there will be no
dramatic gatherings. What is
required is the purity of our
intentions and submission to
Allah as we fast and pray from
our homes, offices, market shops,
other businesses and places of
legitimate endeavours.
“One of the key goals of fasting
together is deferring to the
reschedule the Paper I Computer
Studies Practical’s earlier
scheduled to take place on
Monday 19 October 2020, 10am
to 1pm.
“The examination of this paper
will now hold on Monday 16
November 2020, 10am-1pm. This
unforeseen incident has been
caused by the ENDSARS protest
that blocked the free movement
of transport at the city entrance
gate Benin.
“The NECO delivery truck had
left its take off point well in
advance two days earlier to
deliver examination materials to
some states and has been held
up in the blockage since then.
“The Council wishes to assure
all stakeholders and the general
public that the affected
examination materials have been
retrieved intact and are in
custody of NECO’s vault.
“While regretting any
Almighty as a community in
worship and hope. Fasting
together would also remind us of
the realities we face and
strengthen the faith and
patriotism of our military and
volunteers in frontlines as well
as others who risk their lives for
humanitarian and
reconstruction courses.
“Our fast in worship should very
well include prayers against
anyone funding or supporting
Boko Haram in any way, and
prayers against anyone who
consciously benefits from the
Boko Haram crisis by any means.”
The governor who held series
of meetings with stakeholders
including traditional and
religious leaders over the
week, said another way to
support the military and other
security agencies in the fight
against the insurgents was for the
people to provide useful
information about them to the
security agencies
7Star Global gets AT licence
to float airline
7STAR Global Hangar, the
first private and
independent aircraft
Maintenance, Repair and
Overhaul in West and Central
Africa has received its Airline
Transport License (ATL) from the
Federal Government to float its
airline - 7Star Global Airline.
Speaking to journalists at the
Murtala Muhammed Airport
domestic wing, Lagos, the
Managing Director of 7Star
Global, Isaac Balami said 7Star
will passionately deliver world
class service and safety standards
and will operate both fixed and
rotary wing aircraft
He said: “The Airline is
established to bring perfection
into the aviation industry as we
target zero incident and zero
accident. We understand there is
no parking space in the air,
therefore safety is our watch
word."
"We aspire to be the safest
airline in the world with excellent
service delivery. We will also
continually promote teamwork,
culture and dignity within our
diverse workforce.
"We have our strategy and will
continue to strengthen it to
eventually become the best
aviation service provider globally.
Our goal is to be the best in
exceptional service delivery at all
times.
“I am proud to declare that
7Star global will be operating 5
helicopters and 10 E-145 jets.''
Balami also explained that the
airline will enjoy the services of
7Star Hangar as it is fully
equipped to do aircraft line and
heavy maintenance, including
aircraft wheels and brakes,
upholstery and general fixedbase
operation (FBO) services.
COMMISSIONING: From left; Head, Human Resources, Dangote Flour Mills, Datti Danguma;
Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Labour to governor of Ekiti State, Oluyemi Esan; National
President, Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB), Olaleye Quadri;
Executive Secretary, Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE), Adewale
Jones and Deputy National President, FOBTOB, Jimoh Oyibo during official commissioning of
FOBTOB Hostel Project 3 at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State over the weekend.
Northern govs didn’t call for retention of
SARS — LALONG
•Constitutes judicial panel on police brutality
By Therese Nanlong
J OS—CHAIRMAN
of Northern Governors’
Forum, NGF, and Governor of
Plateau State, Simon Lalong, has
dismissed media reports that
Northern governors demanded
for the retention of the disbanded
Special Anti-Robbery Squad,
SARS, in the northern part of the
country.
This came as Governor Lalong
announced the appointment of
members of a Judicial Panel of
Inquiry to investigate complaints
of police brutality and related
extra judicial killings in the state
Ghana’s $1m GIPC levy: Over 1,000 Nigerian
traders risk deportation by October ending
By Victoria Ojeme
A
B U J A —
NIGERIAN and
Ghanaian governments are yet
to reach a truce over the one
million dollars Ghana Investment
Promotion Centre, GIPC, levy, as
over 1,000 Nigerian traders in
Ghana risk deportation at the
end of this month.
The Ghanaian Ministry of
Trades has insisted that Nigerian
businesses wishing to trade in the
country must pay the $1 million
stipulated in the GIPC Act or risk
deportation.
The President of Nigeria Union
of Traders in Ghana, Chief
Chukwuemeka Nnaji, told
Vanguard: “We are calling on the
government of Nigeria to come
to their aid as their shops remain
shut to business for over 10
months despite promises to look
into the misunderstanding that
exists between the traders and
Ghanaian authorities.
They made the plea when the
traders took their protest to the
Nigeria High commission in
Accra, Ghana.
Nnaji, said their shops should
be reopened so that they could
go back to their normal
businesses, urging Nigeria
Government to evacuate the
traders if a truce could not be
reached with the authorities in
Ghana.
Responding, Nigeria charge De
Affairs in Ghana, Esther Arewa,
assured that the two
governments would meet to find
with a view to delivering justice
for all victims of the disbanded
SARS, and other police units.
This followed the
recommendation of the National
Economic Council, NEC, for the
establishment of state-based
judicial panels of inquiry by
governors to hear complaints
and ensure accountability in
the operations of police units
in their states.
The panel according to a
statement by the Governor’s
Director of Press and Public
Affairs, Makut Macham, is
headed by a retired Judge of the
Plateau State High Court,
Justice Philomena Lot.
a lasting solution to the crisis.
Recall that In August 2020,
shops belonging to Nigerian
traders in Accra were locked up
by Ghanaian authorities.
An inter-ministerial task force
on August 10 identified shops
owned by Nigerian traders and
requested for registration of
business taxes, resident permit,
standard control and GIPC
registration as prerequisite for
SACK: Workers threaten to shut Intels
operations on Wednesday if...
By Victor Ahiuma-
Young
M
A R I T I M E
Workers Union of
Nigeria, MWUN, weekend said
the management of Intels Service
Nigeria Limited had invited the
Union to a meeting on
Wednesday in the wake of seven
days ultimatum it issued the firm
over the sack of no fewer than
600 union members.
But the leadership of the Union
said the management of Intels
was aware of the union’s
demands, which was to withdraw
the sack letter and recall the
workers without conditions failing
which all operations of the
company nationwide would be
shut from Wednesday October 21,
until further notice.
President-General of MWUN,
Prince Adeyanju Adewale, told
Other members are: Retired
Commissioner of Police, Garba
Patrick, Ezekiel Daschen (Youth
Representative, Mrs. Rauta
Dakok (Representative of
Attorney General’s Office); Mrs.
Kiyenpia Mafuyai
(representative of Human
Rights Commission) while the
civil society is to be
represented by Dr. John
Jinung and Fatimah Suleiman.
The terms of reference among
others are to “receive and
investigate complaints of Police
brutality or related extra judicial
killings; evaluate evidence and
draw conclusions on validity of
complaints; as well as recommend
compensation and other
reopening their businesses.
They also demanded cash
payment of $1 million. But after
series of intervention by the
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign
Affairs and the Speaker of
Nigeria’s House of
Representatives, promises were
made by the Ghanaian
Authorities to open the shops.
But the promise remained
unfulfilled till date.
Vanguard that “the management
of Intels has invited us for a
meeting on Wednesday. We will
attend the meeting. But if they
fail to address our demands to
withdraw the sack letters and
recall the 600 workers, we will
down tools and shut operations
of the companies across the
country immediately. It is after
our demands are met, that we
can discuss other issues
especially, the welfare of the
workers.”
Recall that the union had last
Wednesday issued Intels
Services Nigeria Limited a sevenday
ultimatum to withdraw the
sack letters and recall the affected
workers or face total shut down
of its operations nationwide.
In a letter of ultimatum dated
October 14, 2020, to the
Managing Director, Intels Nig.
Ltd, Secretary General of
MWUN, Felix Akingboye,
remedial measures.”
The governor challenged
members of the committee to be
thorough, diligent and fair to all
those that will appear before them
to ensure that justice was served
to all parties without bias and
the committee was expected to
carry out its assignment within
six months and submit its report.
Meanwhile, the governor has
given insight into an interview
with journalists at the
Presidential Villa, Abuja where
he was alleged to have said that
Northern governors wanted the
return of the disbanded SARS.
The governor explained that
there was no way the Northern
governors would call for the
resurrection of an already
disbanded SARS as approved by
the President and announced by
Inspector General of Police but
what he simply conveyed in the
interaction with State House
correspondents was “the need for
deeper and holistic reform of the
entire policing architecture in the
country.”
He stressed that despite the
condemnable atrocities by some
members of the dissolved SARS,
''there are some among them that
are good and performed their
duties diligently, and as such
there should not be blanket
condemnation.
among others, said: “Over the
years the welfare benefits of your
employees (Intels Nig. Ltd.) and
that of your subsidiary Company,
AMS, had always been the
product of joint negotiation
between your Management and
the Union. In other words, the
employees of the Principal (Intels
Nigeria Ltd) and its subsidiary
AMS enjoy the same welfare
benefits.
“Recently, your management
declared about 30 of its employees
redundant and the Union was
duly consulted, and a joint
communiqué between
management and the union was
issued after due negotiation.
Regrettably however, we are
informed that your management
has terminated its contract with
AMS which has led to over 600
workers (who are our members)
being declared redundant
without due recourse to the
Union for the negotiation of their
terminal benefits.''