By Tolu Aiyegbusi

Dr Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, said on Thursday that plans had reached advanced stage to unbundle the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST).

Pantami stated this in Abuja at the unveiling and launching of Nigeria at 60 commemorative postage stamps.

The News Agency of Nigerian NAN reports that two stamps in N500 and N100 denominations were unveiled at the ceremony.

“ Soon we will be unbundling other parts of NIPOST such as Property and Development company, Transportation and Logistic company, NIPOST Microfinance Bank, among others.

“ We will achieve this by leveraging on all our infrastructures around the country,” the minister said.

The minister noted that so many positive transformations were taking place in the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST).

He mentioned the issuance of commemorative postage stamps as a means of documentation and propagation of the nation’s history.

He noted that the postage stamps would help Nigerians to appreciate the unity, beauty and strength of the nation’s diversity.

The minister called on Nigerians to use the occasion to reflect and appreciate the nation at 60’s journey so far.

“The stamps have been produced some months ago, but could not be unveiled due to certain circumstances.

“The production of the postage stamps was part of the items listed for the celebration of Nigeria at 60 preparations, ” he said.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, Dr Ismail Adewusi, Post Master General (PMG) of Nigerian Postal Services (NIPOST) said that the postage stamps were produced in order to celebrate the nation and document it for posterity.

He said that the history of Nigeria’s struggles dates back to past heroes and leaders whose struggles led to independence in 1960.

Adewusi noted that NIPOST had been part of the socio-cultural and economic growth of the country by the pictorial capturing of the country’s journey, via stamps.

He traced the history of postage stamps back to 1840 in the British Empire when the first set of postage stamps were introduced and later led to other postal reforms.

“ Postage stamps were introduced to profer solutions the prevailing communications and fiscal challenges in the British government,” he said.

Adewusi said postage stamps tell the true history of Nigeria as recorded through its lens.

“Postage stamps are a true recorder of events for history and witness to human civilization.

“ We offer user-friendly products at our different postal formations across the country,” he said.

NAN reports that the two sets of stamps came with Nigerian flag and inscription ‘Nigeria @60’ boldly written on them.

NAN also reports that NIPOST was carved out of the defunct Nigerian Post and Telecommunications  (P and T) department and remained a government agency even as its sister organisation, NITEL, was since unbundled and privatised. (NAN)

By Jessica Onyegbula

The Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) has called on the government to make legislation to end all forms of environmental pollution in the country.

The Executive Secretary, NIREC, Mr Cornelius Omonokhua, made the call in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

Omonokhua  noted with concern that the nation was experiencing its own fair share of environmental pollution and global warming effects.

“Our lands are polluted due to improper or lack of available dump site for domestic wastes, wrongful or excessive use of agro-allied chemicals which are mostly washed down into nearby rivers and streams thus also posing a threat to clean water.

“Our waters are polluted by direct dumping of refuse in water or water ways thus causing blockage of such water ways which results to flooding and contamination of water.

“These floods are responsible for loss of lives and property worth millions of naira on annual basis,” he said.

He said that secondly, crude oil drilling activities from the oil producing states is another aspect of water pollution mostly experienced in the southern part of the country.

“This involves oil spillage from the crude oil activities carried out in that region.

“These spillages be it on land or in water are responsible for the death of plants and aquatic animals thus making farming and fishing activities more difficult, ultimately affecting the means of livelihood of the host community,’’ he said.

Omonokhua said that improper chemical waste disposal by industries is also not left out of this.

He added that the pollution our air suffers mostly comes from emissions of carbon monoxide from automobiles and industries.

He also said that there are no stiff penalties for such emissions and as such a lot of vehicles drive around with visible emission, with heavy duty vehicles creating a dark cloud of soot while they are in motion.

Omonokhua said that indiscriminate burning of bushes and refuse also adds to the problem of air pollution in the country.

He said that the indiscriminate falling of trees without replanting, illegal mining, and so on, are all part of man’s activities that are taking a toll on the environment.

“The impact of these activities pollution resulting to climate change (climatic temperature rise) has given birth to high exposure to heat stress and ultraviolet radiation, absence of clean air, shortage of potable water, desertification and unpredictable weather.

“The fact that herdsmen and farmers are clashing over vegetation can be directly or indirectly linked to climate change.

“In order to mitigate the devastating effects of these pollutions, NIREC hereby calls on the government to make legislation particularly enabling the respective regulatory Ministries, Departments and Agencies to address and combat these crises,” he aid.

He called on all concerned industries that produce one form of waste or the other to be truly professional in their waste disposal methods and own up by cleaning up areas they have already polluted.

Omonokhua called on the Nigerian citizenry to be true nationalist by avoiding acts that could be inimical to the environment. (NAN)

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari says security chiefs have received marching orders to go harder on criminals, including shooting anyone found to be in illegal possession of AK-47.

Mr Femi Adesina, the President’s spokesman, in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, said the president stated this during a meeting with the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria.

The Council is co-chaired by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi.

The president, who briefed the traditional rulers on efforts by the government to improve the security situation in the country, said his administration had recorded appreciable successes in the North-East and South-South parts of the country.

‘‘But what surprises me is what is happening now in the North West where the same people, with the same culture, are killing each other, taking their livestock and burning properties.

‘‘As a result of that, we had a four-hour meeting of the National Security Council attended by the Ministers of Internal Affairs, Defence, Foreign Affairs, Service Chiefs, Chief of Defence Staff, the Inspector-General of Police and others and we gave clear instructions.

‘‘One thing that got to the press, which I read myself, was that anyone with an AK-47 will be shot.

‘‘This is because AK-47 is supposed to be registered and it is only given to security officials.

‘‘We closed the borders for some years, but the intelligence report I’m getting on a daily basis is that those who are conducting the abductions, the killings and so on  are still not short of arms and ammunition,’’ he said.

The President expressed dismay over attacks on police stations and killings of security personnel by criminals, warning that ”no investor will invest in a country that is unsafe”.

Buhari also stressed the need for traditional rulers to use their roles and positions as bridge builders in each of their communities to complement government efforts at ensuring peace and security.

He appealed to the traditional leaders to deploy their reach and influence in the best interest of assisting the government to ”root out those whose sole objective remains to cause trouble and destroy livelihoods and families across the nation”.

The president, who listened to various interventions from representatives of the traditional rulers from each of the six- geo-political zones in the country, pledged that his administration would continue to support and work collaboratively with them to ensure peace and stability.

He restated his marching orders to the newly appointed Service Chiefs to bring the security situation under control.

He noted that closer control could only be achieved with the cooperation and collaboration of traditional rulers and authorities, who occupy a critical role in the society.

‘‘By your role and positions with history dating back hundred years, the people trust you implicitly and in return you provide them with comfort and guidance in accordance with our cultural heritage and traditions.

‘‘You are the bridge builders in each of your communities.

”No one is better placed with your strength of moral authority to ensure that people who visit your communities for either business, leisure or any honest and credible reason are protected and made to feel at home,’’ he said.

In separate remarks, the royal fathers stressed the need for the traditional institution to be assigned definite roles, particularly on peace and security, within the ambit of the Constitution as well as regular engagement with the National Assembly on multiple fronts.

The presidential aide disclosed that the Sultan of Sokoto, the Ooni of Ife, the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe and the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, spoke at the meeting.

Others speakers included King Jaja of Opobo, Dr Dandeson Jaja, Emir of Bauchi, Dr Rilwanu Adamu, Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Muhammad Iliyasu and the Alawe of Ilawe-Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Alabi.

The meeting was attended by security chiefs including the National Security Adviser, retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno, and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.

The Director-General of Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi, and the Director-General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Amb. Ahmed Rufa’i were also in attendance. (NAN)

By Emmanuel Oloniruha

Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Governor of Ekiti, Dr Kayode Fayemi has said that federal salary structure should not be imposed on states.

Fayemi made the observation when he hosted pro-chancellors of state-owned universities on Thursday in Abuja.

Fayemi said that the same salary structure should not be imposed on states because federal and state governments do not have similar economic situations.

A statement issued by Mr Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, the Head, Media and Public Affairs of NGF Secretariat, quoted Fayemi as making the observation when the pro-chancellors deliberated on solutions to problems state-owned tertiary institutions.

“You can’t impose a federal salary structure on states because we do not all have the same economic or financial situations.

” I, for example, do not have the resources of Lagos State, so you won’t expect me to earn the same salary as the governor of Lagos,” he said.

The NGF chairman added that it was true that no state had fulfilled payment of salaries to states universities, but states were not always solely responsible for this.

“The people you appoint as vice chancellors need to speak truth to power, they need to be able to bite the bullet, and not just be a YES person.

“We need to work together to confront these issues, we are running glorified secondary schools as universities by this system and you have to help us in insisting that the institutions too, do the right thing, ” he added.

Fayemi agreed with the pro-chancellors that politics should not be involved in the nation’s school system, even though he argued that there were very smart people in politics in Nigeria.

Earlier, the pro-chancellors led by Mallam Yusuf Ali, the Pro-Chancellor of Osun State university, said that the seamless educational progression that the country should be experiencing was being hampered by paucity of funds.

He also listed other factors such as unions like: Academic Staff Union of Universities, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and the students.

Ali also admonished the owners of state-owned universities to relegate politics to the backgrounds when considering their appointees.

He said that only the best and brightest with sound academic profiles should made to engage in matters relating to education.

The team which represents all the 48 universities owned by states pleaded with governors to take over the burden of payment of salaries of state universities.

They also called for the reintroduction of scholarships for indigent students and assist the committee of pro-chancellors of states universities to erect a secretariat of their own to facilitate their activities. (NAN)

By Chimezie Anaso

Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra says the state has received 78,810 doses of Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

Obiano said this at the inauguration of the COVID-19 vaccine introduction to the state at the Chuwkuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH) Amaku, Awka, on Thursday.

The governor urged residents of the state to obtain immunisation forms and make themselves available for administration of the vaccine in order to curb the spread of the virus.

He assured them that Anambra had a good storage facility for the vacciines.

“Residents of Anambra should fill the vaccine forms in order to be eligible for vaccination,” Obiano said.

The governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to ensuring that Anambra was rid of COVID-19 virus and other viral diseases.

Obiano also warned the people of Anambra to always observe the COVID-19 protocols at all times as the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine does not guarantee 100 per cent immunity or cure for COVID-19 disease.  (NAN)