News
Fayose launches presidential bid
OLUSOLA FABIYI
Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has told members of the Peoples Democratic Party that he would receive them at the Presidential Villa in 2019 .
He stated that the ruling All Progressives Congress was only given an opportunity to rule for one term , adding that the party has misused its chance .
Fayose , who is the Chairman of the PDP Governors ’ Forum , spoke at the party ’ s non-elective National Convention , which was held at the Eagle Square , Abuja on Saturday .
He was surrounded by other governors elected on the platform of the party .
“ When you come to the Villa in 2019 , I will receive you warmly ,” he told the party members .
Fayose further described the APC government as “ one chance people ( sic ).”
He added that the PDP had bounced back to life and boasted that the party would return to power at the centre soon .
Fayose , who officially unveiled his presidential ambition at the event , stated that Nigerians were getting a raw deal in the hands of APC , pointing out that the party after completing its first term in office must vacate the seat of power so that the PDP could take over and deliver the dividends of democracy to Nigerians .
Dressed in his 2019 presidential campaign shirt with a cap to match , Fayose said , “ The PDP is now a religion ; a belief that we are going back to our Villa . God will be with us . Those people there , at Aso Rock , they don ’ t know what they are doing . We make mistakes but our ability to correct them is what is important . It is time to arise and shine .
“ Shake the persons next to you and tell him or her congratulations . I don ’ t know about you but as for me , I am in Aso Rock already . I want to congratulate our great party and to promise Nigerians that we are going to deliver them from their hardship .”
August 13 , 2017
183 federal ministries , agencies in massive illegal recruitment
BAYO AKINLOYE
Almost all federal ministries , departments and agencies have been carrying out illegal mass recruitments , SUNDAY PUNCH gathered on Saturday .
Many government parastatals including the Central Bank of Nigeria , the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation , the Federal Inland Revenue Service , and the Nigerian Prisons Service , among others have been dogged by recruitment scandals which they have vehemently denied .
GRAFT
A document obtained by our correspondent showed that following a review carried out by the Ministry of Finance , 183 out of 185 MDAs had recruited 13,780 staff in recent years .
Out of this number , 6,917 were recruited without any formal approval ; 2,314 were employed by seven universities with governing council approval ; only while 4,549 had correctly obtained approval from the Office of the Head of Service and Federal Character Commission .
The review showed that out of the 185 agencies , only the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Army sought approval for their recruitment .
Following this discovery , a report prepared by the panel was forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari before he travelled to the United Kingdom for medical treatment asking that the MDAs be ordered to follow due process .
It was gathered that the President ordered the Office of Secretary to Government of the Federation to carry out an investigation , while also placing a ban on recruitment without approval .
One of the officials involved in the recruitment told SUNDAY PUNCH that under the pretext of replacing workers that had either resigned or were given the boot , the 183 agencies carried out mass recruitment without following due process .
The official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn ’ t authorised to speak to the press said , “ The worst culprits are
universities , hospitals and the Nigerian Prisons Service . One university in Nasarawa recruited 800 people without due
• L-R : President , Centre for Change , Dr . Joe Okei-Odumakin ; former President , Association For Educational Assessment in Africa , Mr . Esau Nhandara ; President , AEAA , Mr . Daniel Odongo ; Uganda Minister of State for Higher Education , Mr . John Muyingo ; and Registrar , Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board , Prof . Ishaq Oloyede , during the AEAA Conference on Enhancing Efficiency and Effectiveness in Educational Assessment in an Era of Rapid change in Kampala , Uganda ... on Friday . Photo : Centre for Change
Ozubulu killing : Osinbajo sends five ministers to Anambra
OLALEKAN ADETAYO
The Acting President , Yemi Osinbajo , on Saturday sent a fiveman Federal Government delegation to Anambra State to condole with the government and people of the state over last Sunday ’ s attack on worshippers at the St . Philips Catholic Church in Ofufe-Amakwa , Ozubulu , Ekwusigo Local Government Area of the state .
The Senior Special Assistant to the Acting President on Media and Publicity , Mr . Laolu Akande , disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Saturday .
According to Akande , the delegation was made up of the Minister of Labour and Employment , Dr . Chris Ngige ; Minister of Health , Prof . Isaac Adewole ;
POLITY
Minister of Foreign Affairs , Mr . Geoffrey Onyeama ; Minister of State for Environment , Ibrahim Jibril ; and the Minister of State for Education , Prof . Anthony Anwuka .
The ministers , who visited the community on Saturday , presented a condolence letter from Osinbajo to Anambra State Governor , Willie Obiano .
In the letter , the Acting President commiserated with families of the victims and the community on the death of their loved ones .
Osinbajo noted that the Federal Government under Muhammadu
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process while another hospital hired 200 without approval . Sources in the government told SUNDAY PUNCH that illegal hiring makes it difficult to sanitise the payroll and control personnel cost .
A senior government official said a lot of nepotism was involved and added that the illegal recruitment was one of the reasons there were regional imbalances in employment of civil servants .
“ More important , the recruitment is without reference to budgetary provisions , hence leading to the risk of unpaid salaries and the need for virement which increases payroll cost ,” the official stated .
Explaining how the illegal recruitment are carried out , the source stated , “ For example , if a director who earns N300,000 monthly should retire , the agency will bring in six people at the cost of N50,000 per month which they use in replacement of the retiree . So , they will have six workers that were never needed . They call it replacement and spread these slots to politicians . But it ’ s killing the civil service . In some cases , the slots are sold in exchange for six months ’ pay from those recruited .”
It was further gathered that apart from the probe and ban ordered by Buhari , the President approved that the Budget Office should be more involved in recruiting people to work in the civil service .
The source added , “ The SGF and the Head of Civil Service were told to issue circulars on recruitment . The minister of finance also recommended that the procedure should be amended to require a clearance letter from the Director General of the Budget Office to confirm budgetary provision for any planned recruitment .”
... heads will roll if perpetrators don ’ t repent , says bishop
CHIDIEBUBE OKEOMA and TONY OKAFOR
The Catholic Bishop of Nnewi , Hilary Okeke , has said heads will roll in Ozubulu community if the perpetrators of the August 6 killings refuse to repent .
The bishop stated this when a delegation of the Federal Government paid him a courtesy visit at the Assumption Cathedral , Nnewi , on Saturday .
CRIME
President Buhari
The Federal Government delegation was led by the Minister of Labour and Employment , Dr . Chris Ngige .
The bishop said the church had organised a special mass in the place , urging the perpetrators of the crime to repent .
He said , “ The incident is terrible . I can ’ t say why and how it happened . We have celebrated mass in the place . remained undeterred and would continue to use all available resources to ensure adequate security of lives and property in Anambra and across the entire country .
He said he had instructed law enforcement agencies to bring perpetrators of the crime to book without any delay .
The church in question has been sealed off . So , we had to use another church in the community to celebrate the mass to honour the souls of those who died and for the quick recovery of those who sustained injuries .
“ We also prayed for the perpetrators to repent and accept the Christ . We are not saying that the government should not play their role by prosecuting them . For me as a Christian , I want them to repent so as to save their souls . Besides , if they don ’ t repent , more people will be involved .”
He said the Catholic Church in the area had set up a fundraising committee to assist the victims . The bishop urged the federal and state governments to help the families of the bereaved .
The bishop said , “ This shows that the Federal Government cares for Nigerian citizens , whether they reside in the East , South , West or North .”