News
FCCPC Blames Grain Hoarders For Rising Food Inflation In Nigeria
‘Unscrupulous actors’ are the major contributors to food inflation in the country, says the Federal Competition and Consumers Protection Commission (FCCPC).
Other causes, according to the commission, are price fixing by bad eggs and entrance levies imposed by market associations.
FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Tunji Bello said with time, ’all the bad eggs’ engaged in hoarding, artificial market creation, price fixing, and gouging, would be checkmated by the government.
Bello added that “unethical practices” remained offences punishable under sections 18(3)(c), 62,63,66(1),108 of the FCCP Act 2018.
He spoke during a town hall meeting with industry captains, Micro, small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), market leaders, farmers, transporters, and service providers in Kano.
Noting that the Act prescribes stiff penalties ranging from heavy fine to jail terms for offenders, he told the stakeholders that the commission chose to, first, explore the option of dialogue in the “spirit of democracy.”
Bello explained that FCCP investigators found out that the unscrupulous produce merchants were in the habit of mopping up and hoarding newly harvested grains from farms and markets, thereby ‘’endangering our national food security.’’
His words: “Without caring for the consequences of their action on fellow countrymen and women, some of these unscrupulous actors go as far as taking some of the food items they had mopped up from farmers or the markets and smuggle them across the borders to sell at a premium.
“Don’t get us wrong; we are by no means saying everyone is guilty here. We only have a few bad eggs involved in such unethical practices. It is therefore our collective responsibility to work together to achieve reasonable pricing of goods and services, especially at a time the country is undergoing bold economic reforms which may bring temporary discomfort today but will usher a better economy for us tomorrow.”
Bello consequently solicited the support of the Kano State stakeholders to curb the unwholesome practice in the national interest.
Listing the gains of an earlier engagement by the commission in Lagos, Bello noted that President Bola Tinubu had already responded to some of the yearnings of the stakeholders in the form of new policies.
He said: “We have a very listening President. He feels for the people, shares their pains, and is ever willing to go the extra mile to cushion the effects of the hardship the ongoing economic reforms have brought.
“The Federal Government has also commenced the implementation of zero Value Added Tax (VAT) and excise duties on pharmaceutical products and medical devices. Just as a number of taxes have also been removed to assist micro, small, medium enterprises as well as taxes being removed from public transportation.”
The Executive Vice-Chairman urged the stakeholders to be patriotic by sharing the gains of the concessions granted them by the government with the consumers.
“For instance, when the government assists the operators of public transportation with easy credits to convert their vehicles from petrol to relatively far cheaper CNG(Compressed Natural Gas), we don’t expect them to charge the same fares as those who buy petrol,” Bello said.
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has given accreditation to more foreign schools to write the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The Acting Director, Information and Public Relations, Mr. Azeez Sani, disclosed this in a statement.
The newly accredited schools are in Niger Republic and Equatorial Guinea.
“NECO Accreditation Team visited the Schools to assess their readiness to write the SSCE and BECE.
“The Accreditation Team inspected classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer laboratories, workshops, examination halls and sport facilities to determine their adequacy and suitability for NECO Examinations.
“After a thorough evaluation and comprehensive assessment, the schools were granted full SSCE and full BECE accreditation status,” the statement said.
The statement added that the accreditation of additional foreign schools is a testament to NECO’s commitment to providing quality education and assessment beyond the shores of Nigeria.
“With its expanding global presence, NECO is poised to become a leading examination body in Africa, offering opportunities for students worldwide to benefits from its expertise, thus contributing to the advancement of education in Africa and beyond.”
In another development, the statement disclosed that candidates are participating in the on-going NECO SSCE External in Diffa, Niger Republic.
“The UNHCR School, Diffa, Niger Republic is the first NECO SSCE External Centre outside Nigeria.”
NECO examinations are now written by candidates in Benin Republic, Togo, Cote’ d’Ivoire, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Saudi Arabia.
Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, suffered the worst defeat of his managerial career as they lost 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday night.
The Premier League champions were already on a run of four consecutive defeats ahead of the visit of the North London side.
James Maddison scored twice in the first half to set Spurs on their way to a sensational win.
Pedro Porro drilled in a third, before Brennan Johnson got on the scoresheet late in the game.
The result leaves City in second place with 23 points. They could go eight points behind Liverpool by the end of this Game Week.
Guardiola takes his men to Anfield next weekend.
News
FUOYE Re-Marks Exam Papers of Student Failed By Lecturer Over Sex-for-Grade Scandal, Secures Justice
The Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, has cleared a female student, Ramota Olahanloye, to graduate following the re-marking of her final-year examination scripts.
Olahanloye had alleged that a lecturer, Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia, demanded sexual favours from her, and when she declined, he deliberately failed her in two final-year courses.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser on Media to the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Wole Balogun, the university confirmed that Olahanloye’s allegations were investigated, and her scripts were re-marked.
“The young lady’s scripts were re-marked, and she performed fairly better than the scores initially awarded by Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia,” the statement read.
According to Balogun, the university management approved Olahanloye’s revised results, which qualified her for graduation.
“The university management has given executive approval for her results to be processed. She has since commenced her final clearance from relevant units of the university,” the statement added.
Balogun also disclosed that Agbegbedia had been sanctioned by the institution for his misconduct.
Olahanloye expressed her joy over the resolution of the case, saying, “I am happy that I have gotten justice, and I really appreciate the university Vice-Chancellor for setting up the committee that investigated the matter.
“I was shown my entire results, including the graduation list with my name on it. I have started my clearance as a graduating student of the university, and I am truly happy.”
Her father, Rasaki Olahanloye, also lauded the university for its commitment to justice.
“I can confirm to the world that FUOYE has served justice to my daughter. I was shown her upgraded results after her scripts were re-marked, and it is clear that she passed.
“The university fulfilled its promise to ensure fairness, and I appreciate the VC, Prof. Sunday Fasina, and the committee members for ensuring my daughter gets justice,” he said.
School principal suspended in Akwa Ibom over poor feeding of students
NECO accredits more foreign schools for SSCE, BECE
Guardiola suffers worst defeat of career as Tottenham hammer Man City 4-0
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