News

Correctional Service has no hotel, says Spokesman

Published

6 months ago

May 15, 2024

By Francesca Hnageior

The Nigerian Correctional Service NCoS has dismissed as untrue, online reports that it has established a hotel in Abuja, urging the public to be wary of misinformation.

Service Spokesman, Abubakar Umar, an Assistant Controller, disclosed this in a statement Wednesday in Abuja.

He said a malicious report making the rounds in some sections of the media has it that the Nigerian Correctional Service NCoS has just built a magnificent hotel.

According to him, the said report is not only misleading, but also targeted at misinforming the public.

He said for the avoidance of doubt, the said hotel was built in 2021 “And it is exclusively owned by the Correctional Cooperative Society COCOS), a Cooperative Society for all personnel of the Service which was formed in the year 1996”.

“The Cooperative Society operates a Microfinance Bank that provides financial soft-landing to both serving and retired personnel with the aim of improving their welfare through the provision of soft loans and other financial services.

“The Cooperative Society also serves as a fallback welfare system for retired and deceased personnel, while those who have been dismissed from Service get back their due entitlements upon disengagement. Presently, all such payments of entitlements to beneficiaries are up-to-date. The Cooperative Society has acquired housing estates, providing personnel, serving and retired, the opportunity to own personal houses without hassles.

“The said hotel has been opened for business since its establishment in 2021, and located along Bill Clinton Drive Airport Road, Abuja. In terms of funding and day-to-day administration, the hotel is owned by COCOS and managed as a corporate entity. The hotel has so far provided employment opportunities for many youths, and attracted commendations from dignitaries both within and outside.

“In his familiarization tour of the Service’s National Headquarters upon assumption of office, the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo commended the Service for the initiative of establishing the hotel and enjoined other institutions to emulate the Nigerian Correctional Service in this regard.

“The Controller General of Corrections (CGC) hereby advises the general public to disregard the said report as it is meant to cause chaos where none exists. He enjoins the public to patronize the hotel as it provides excellent services at competitive prices.

News

Troost-Ekong dismisses retirement talks

Published

31 minutes ago

November 18, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has vehemently dismissed any talk of retirement amid rumours that the Al-Kholood defender may quit the national team after the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Despite being just 31 years old, Troost-Ekong is the oldest player in the team, with Moses Simon (29) the second oldest, while Alex Iwobi, who is 28, is the third oldest player in the current squad.

Speaking at a press briefing on Sunday ahead of Monday’s (today) Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Troost-Ekong, who was named the Most Valuable Player at the last AFCON in Ivory Coast, affirmed his commitment to the national team.

“It is a question I get asked a lot by Nigerians, but I think it is a bit too early,” he said.

He continued, “I am 31 now, and I think I am playing my best football in recent years. We are only talking about 12 months from now, so after that, we will see,” Troost-Ekong explained.

“It will not be my decision; it will be up to the coaches. Once I feel I am no longer an asset to the team, I will have that discussion.

“But I still have some targets in sight—that will be the AFCON in 2025 and the World Cup in 2026. We’ll see what happens afterwards.”

Troost-Ekong could add to his 75 international caps when the Eagles host the Amavubi today in their final game of the qualifiers.

News

Use Ondo Guber poll as template in Nig’s future elections – Coalition of 51 INEC recognized observer groups tell FG+Photos

Published

36 minutes ago

November 18, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A coalition of 51 recognized INEC groups under the Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness, CCLCA have recommended that the Federal Government should adopt the Ondo Guber poll as a template for future elections in Nigeria.

The convener of the coalition, Dr Gabriel Nwambu made this disclosure in a post election press conference be stating that:

“Considering the manner the apex electoral body, INEC conducted the election in Ondo state last Saturday, we recommend this template for future elections in Nigeria.

Read full details of report below:

“We stand before you today as a coalition of 51 accredited observer organizations under the aegis of the Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness. Our mission has been to observe the Ondo State Governorship Election held on November 16th, 2024, and to provide an unbiased report of our findings.

OVERVIEW OF OBSERVATIONS:

We observed the distribution of both sensitive and non-sensitive election materials from the Central Bank of Nigeria in Akure to the Registration Area Centres (RAC) across the 18 Local Government Areas of the state under tight security in line with extant laws and the rules of engagement by the police. Ondo state has a total of 2,053,061 registered voters, but 1,757,205 people collected their Permanent Voters Card across the 18LGAs, 203 wards, and 3,933 polling units. INEC deployed 4 ad hoc staff pee polling unit, that is, one Presiding Officer and 3 Assistant Presiding Officers.
Out of the 19 registered political parties, 18 political parties fielded candidates for the election Although, 3 candidates stepped down before the election.
We also observed that the election materials were ultimately moved to the 3,933 polling units by INEC ad hoc staff, predominantly National Youth Service Corps members while the law enforcement agencies provided adequate security.

Voting commenced between 8.30AM and 10:00 AM in most observed polling units.

ELECTION INTEGRITY AND CHALLENGES:

Our field observers noted a few cases of voter inducement otherwise called vote- buying.An incident of concern involved military personnel denying access to accredited observers, despite proper identification.

Ladies and gentlemen, as a coalition of INEC Accredited Observer organizations, we are relieved to report that the election concluded without violence. This is a notable and progressive achievement as Ondo people have demonstrated maturity and the will to deepen our democratic values.The collation of results was conducted meticulously, adhering to the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. We as a coalition of INEC Accredited observer organizations having observed the performance of the BVAS in the process of authentication and accreditation of electorates, the logistics in terms of distribution of materials, the uploading of the FORM EC8A in the IRev viewing portal, the collation and announcement of election result hereby strongly recommend the Ondo state governorship election of 16th November, 2024 as a template for evey other election in Nigeria as we look forward to the Anambra state governorship election in November, 2025.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion,we assert that the Ondo State Governorship Election of 16th November, 2024, was conducted in line with the Electoral Act, 2022, and the 1999 Constitution as amended.

We as 51 INEC Accredited observer organizations hereby unequivocally declare that this election was transparent, free, fair, and credible. Importantly, we report no loss of life on election day, which reflects positively on the overall conduct of the election.
We would like to encourage those who lost in this election to be bold and exhibit the spirit of sportsmanship by congratulating the APC candidate who won landslide.

We commend the Inspector General of the Nigerian Police for the professionalism exhibited by officers and men in the discharge of their duties, the NSCDC, the DSS, and other paramilitary organizations in Nigeria as well as INEC for overseeing a credible election. Lastly, we applaud the people of Ondo State for their peaceful disposition, demonstrating their unwavering love for peace.

News

Tax Reform Bills: Northern Lawmakers Will Prioritize National Interest – Doguwa

Published

3 hours ago

November 18, 2024

Gloria Ikibah

By Gloria Ikibah

The leader of the Northern Caucus in the House of Representatives, Rep. Alhassan Ado Doguwa, has assured Nigerians that lawmakers from the North will prioritize national interest in the consideration of the proposed tax reform bills.

Doguwa who was the Majority Leader in the 9th Assembly stated this during an interview with journalists during a Tax Reform Interaction Organized by the House in Abuja on Monday.

He emphasized that the process will not be rushed and assured Nigerians that the bills will be carefully studied to ensure they serve the best interest of the people and the nation.

He said: “These proposed bills are obviously to do with fiscal federalism as it relates to sharing of resources to federating units and key government institutions. We must, therefore, be careful to study the bills diligently and consider them clause by clause with a view to doing justice to the people and to the bills in the overall interest of the nation.

“We will certainly NOT rush the passage of these bills in order to avoid making hasty legislations or laws that would, in the end, fail to address our practical economic realities as a nation.

“National interest will be the key word. It will be the watchword, and I believe all of us will be guided by national interest. The government itself, I want to believe, has good intentions. So, we will look at those intentions and see how we can educate and enlighten our people. At the end of the day, the law will be for the good of the people.”

The caucus leader commended the House leadership for organizing the interactive session, which he said has helped members to better understand the proposed bills, even as he emphasised the importance of ongoing consultations.

“We must commend the wisdom of the House leadership for coming up with this interactive session to further enlighten and clarify the contents and intentions of the proposed tax reform bills. Building on this good initiative, we will continue to hold further consultations at the levels of state and regional caucuses to create sufficient awareness among our members and other stakeholders.

“If there’s anything, we members can now say this should be a work in progress. This consultation has to be work in progress. We will pick it up from here and go into smaller legislative groups, caucuses, and state-level meetings to ensure people understand the importance of the bills”, Doguwa noted.

Doguwa reaffirmed the commitment of Northern lawmakers to promoting interaction, consultation, and public enlightenment about the tax reform bills.

“We, as members of the Northern Caucus, will build on the initiative of the House leadership, which promotes interaction and consultation, widening the scope of enlightenment for our people,” he stated.