By Salisu Sani-Idris
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has arrested over 50 dispatch riders for various traffic offences within the city centre.

Alhaji Wadata Bodinga, Director, FCTA Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) made the disclosure while briefing newsmen shortly after conducting them round the seized motorcycles on Wednesday in Abuja.

Bodinga warned that the conduct and activities of dispatch riders in the city would no longer be tolerated by the FCTA and the motoring public.

He disclosed that the directorate had received a lot of complaints about the conduct of some of the dispatch motorcyclists within the city and “we have seen it too.

“We are here to parade the dispatch riders that we arrested for either riding against traffic in the city or beating the traffic lights.

“As you may observe, the number of dispatch riders has increased within the city, probably because of the COVID-19 pandemic, ravaging not only Abuja or Nigeria but the whole world.

“Because of their door-to-door services, dispatch riders can actually help with errands of people that are staying at home to deliver some of their needs.

“Just between Tuesday and today Wednesday, over 50 motorcycles and dispatch riders have been arrested for various offences.

“They are the major culprit of this beating of traffic and riding against traffic in the city which is not acceptable,” Bodinga said.

He said that the FCTA had directed all the people arrested to go for emotional evaluation at a recognised hospital in the FCT.

The director said that the enforcement was a continuous one, adding that all the Area Commands were detailed to ensure that traffic rules and regulations is respected in the city.

“This is Abuja and even where the traffic lights are not working, our men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force are there to ensure sanity.

“People should be seen to, at least, obey the traffic lights in the territory and sadly, that is not the case when it comes to this dispatch riders as you can see the results of the operation,” he said.

Bodinga disclosed that majority of them were not registered with the authority as dispatch riders.

“Because they are dispatch riders, we expect that these motorcycles should be owned by cooperate organisations but from the records, we have realised that most of them are just owned by individuals who just decided to put the box and start operation.

” And they will bring results first. After they have done that, then we are going to take them to the Mobile Magistrate Court which has already started sitting.

”After the magistrate session is over, then they will equally come for two weeks compulsory training with a formal letter from their various companies and organisations.

“For all the ones that have organisations, we have drafted a formal letter that we are going to send to their various companies and organisations, informing them of the conduct of their drivers.

”And also, the need for them to bring even their other drivers for mandatory training to update them on traffic rules and regulations,” he said.

He, however, said that the training was free but they would pay for their various penalties.

Bodinga said that after the training, the Transportation Secretariat would issue them Abuja Riders Permit that would limit them to only the areas that motorcycles were allowed to operate.

On his part, Mr Ihkaro Attah, the Chairman, FCTA Ministerial Taskforce on Traffic Management, said dispatch riders who were allowed to operate in the city were already abusing the privilege.

” They break traffic laws very regularly and it has become a source of worry to the FCT Minister. Mr Bodinga and his men swung into action and clamped down on them.

”We give the directorate pass mark for clamping down on these violators and some vehicles here are also involved.

”They will be going through psychiatric tests to ascertain if they are normal because if something is not wrong with them they must be wrong with something,” he added.

Fenerbahce will sign German midfielder, Mesut Ozil from Arsenal for three and a half years for an undisclosed fee, according to media report in Turkey on Wednesday.

The report says Ozil and the club have agreed on the transfer in principle and the 32-year-old would join the former Turkish champions later in January.

Fenerbahce Chairman, Ali Koc, said previously that signing Ozil, who has Turkish ancestry, was a “nice dream” for the club, who have suffered from financial woes in recent years.

Koc had said Fenerbahce would need to offload players to make any transfers in January.

Ozil fuelled rumours about a move to Fenerbahce with an Instagram post about Istanbul on Tuesday.

The German has not played for Arsenal since March 2020 and was not named in the squad list for the first half of the current Premier League season.

He has long been linked with a move to Fenerbahce, Turkey’s second most decorated club.

Ozil, who is one of the highest-paid players at Arsenal, is out of contract at the end of the season.

Arsenal FC is looking to offload players in January to trim the squad.

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, had said last week the club would wait for the January transfer window to make a final call about Ozil.

Arsenal are currently 11th in the standings on 23 points, while Fenerbahce are fifth in Turkey’s top tier Super Lig on 29 points, two behind league leaders Gaziantep. (Reuters/NAN)

By Solomon Asowata

Electricity consumer groups on  Wednesday kicked against the minor adjustment in electricity tariffs approved for the 11 electricity distribution companies by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

The groups, the Energy Consumer Rights and Responsibilities Initiative (ECRRI) and All Electricity Consumers Protection Forum (AECPF),  described the increment in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

NERC had approved the minor adjustment in tariffs for electricity users effective Jan. 1.

”The Commission hereby states unequivocally that NO approval has been granted for a 50% tariff increase in the Tariff Order for electricity distribution companies which took effect on Jan. 1, 2021.

“On the contrary, the tariffs for customers on service bands D & E (customers being served less than an average of 12hrs of supply per day over a period of one month) remains frozen and subsidised in line with the policy direction of the Federal Government.

“In compliance with the provisions of the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPRSA) and the nation’s tariff methodology for biannual minor review, the rates for service bonds A, B, C, D and E have been adjusted by NGN2.00 to NGN4.00 per kWhr to reflect the partial impact of inflation and movement in foreign exchange rates,” NERC had said in a statement on Tuesday.

Reacting, Mr Adeola Samuel-Ilori, National Coordinator, AECPF, said the adjustment was illegal, unjust and unfair to electricity consumers in the country.

According to him, the minor adjustment which is coming after NERC increased tariffs on Sept. 1, 2020, violates the provisions of Sections 32, 63 and 72 of the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA), 2005.

He said the Act provides that any minor tariff adjustment should be done after a period of six months,  stressing that the review was therefore an illegality.

“The DisCos didn’t fulfil the condition precedent to the increase in the Sept. 1, 2020 tariff in the first place.

“Such condition precedent can be found in Section 76(2)(b) and (7) of EPSRA 2005 which includes wide consultation with stakeholders and noticeable efficiency.

“The other issues have to do with  metering and directive on capping which repealed estimated billing methodology in order 197/2020 which is still subsisting.

“Our position is that we are examining the situation because it is a legal issue and we may need to go to court for interpretation if they go ahead with the adjustment,” Samuel-Ilori said.

Also,  Mr Sural Fadairo, National President, ECRRI, said the minor adjustment was not necessary at this point in time.

“NERC has a duty to protect electricity consumers from exploitation but what we are seeing now is clearly the opposite, with adjustment in tariffs within a very short period.

“We are therefore calling on the National Assembly to urgently intervene and halt this minor review for now,” Fadairo said. (NAN)

By Ifeanyi Nwoko

Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has cautioned Chinese companies operating in Nigeria to strictly obey the labour laws of the country as well as local customs.

Wang who is in Nigeria on a working visit gave the directive on Tuesday in Abuja while responding to questions from newsmen shortly after a closed-door meeting with Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Geoffery Onyeama.

Wang who was responding to questions about alleged mistreatment of Nigerian workers by some Chinese companies said that the government of China would not tolerate such issues if they occur.

He noted that most of the Chinese companies in Nigeria were obeying the laws of the land, pointing out that if there were exceptions, there were established diplomatic channels to address such issues.

“We make this clear to each and every Chinese company doing business in Nigeria, Nigerian laws must be strictly abided by, local customs shall be respected.

“We believe most of the Chinese companies here are doing well in this regard but there can be a few exceptions because of this or that kind of reasons they might have some labour issues.

“This is not something the Chinese government wants to see and whenever such issues occur we have diplomatic channels to communicate to make sure that the situation is properly handled to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Nigerian workers,” he said.

On the visit, Wang said that Nigeria in the first on the list of five countries including Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, Tanzania and Seychelles, which he would be visiting.

He said that the message which he is taking with him is that of strong commitment of China to work with African Countries to build a closer community with a shared future.

“China firmly supports Africa’s fight against COVID-19, when China was hit by the coronavirus, we received firm support from our African brothers and such support we always cherish.

“On our part, China has contributed supplies to 53 African countries and the African Union, for some of them, this has helped met their immediate needs.

“China remains a developing country, China’s cooperation with Nigeria is South South cooperation. What makes this different from North South Cooperation is that the former is all about mutual help and support between friends,” he said.

He assured that China’s relationship with Nigeria was neither political not a show of economic power but was based on the needs of Nigeria as dictated by the bilateral consultations between both countries.

“China sees to it that we do not interfere in Nigeria’s internal affairs.

“We have helped build a number of railways, highways and other projects, we believe this has contributed to Nigeria’s economic growth. Next step we will encourage more Chinese investment in Nigeria, with more investments, more jobs will be created,” he said. (NAN)

By David Adeoye

The Oyo State Government has commended the Federal Government initiative for the establishment of the Extended Special Public Works (ESPW) programme, aiming at addressing the unemployment issues in the country.

The Deputy Governor, Alhaji Rauf Olaniyan, gave the commendation at the state inauguration of the programme  in Akinyele Local Government Secretariat, Moniya in Ibadan on Tuesday.

Olaniyan declared that the ESPW programme was a direct attack on unemployment, noting that the programme would go a long way in bringing succor to the living standard of the 1000 beneficiaries from Oyo State.

He stated that the programme would complement efforts of the state government in addressing the problem of unemployment.

He disclosed that the state government would soon give letters of appointment to 5,000 teachers and over 2,000 non teaching staff as permanent workers in the service of the state.

He added that new medical personnel would soon be offered letters of appointment too, apart from some lawyers that have been recruited as state counsel.

“All these are aiming to reduce the unemployment rate.

“So, you will agree with me that this programme is actually complementing the efforts of the state government in bringing the unemployment in the state to minimum level,” he said.

The deputy governor further commended members of the state committee for the smooth starting of the programme.

He, however, stressed the need to fully carry the state government along in the selection process of the committee members in the next phase of the programme.

He implored the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to use performance indicator for the participants to be able to assess the progress of the programme.

He also urged the beneficiaries to see the programme as an opportunity to contribute their quota to the nation’s building and also improve their living standard.

Speaking, Mr Festus Keyamo, the Minister of State, Ministry of Labour and Employment, said that ESPW was aimed at shielding the most vulnerable from the ravaging effects of COVID-19 pandemic.

According to him, these include but not limited to, pervasive hunger, poverty, environmental degradation and joblessness.

Keyamo, represented by Mr Olufemi Ajao, said the programme engaged 774,000 selected unemployed Nigerians across the 774 local government areas in the country.

He added that the programme which would last for three months would provide the necessary economic palliatives to the 774,000 unemployed youths.

He further said that the Federal Government would closely monitor the implementation of the programme to ascertain the efficient utilisation of every resource, human/materials, committed to the programme.

On his part, the Director-General of NDE, Mallam Nuhu Fikpo, urged every beneficiary of the programme to reciprocate the gesture of the President Mohammadu Buhari-led government.

Fikpo represented by the NDE coordinator in Oyo state, Mrs Olayinka Olayemi, said that they could do this by diligently executing their assigned tasks throughout the duration of the programme.

The director-general also requested Nigerians living within all the benefiting communities to cooperate with the participants and officials as they go about their duties. (NAN)

By Ifeanyi Nwoko

Nigeria and the government of the Peoples Republic of China on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), to establish an inter-governmental committee that will coordinate the cooperation and relations between both countries.

The Committee which will be co-chaired by the Foreign Affairs Ministers of both countries will also strive to deepen the cooperation between both countries, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffery Onyeama said in Abuja.

Onyeama disclosed this while briefing newsmen after a closed door meeting with the Chinese State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi who is visiting Nigeria as first of five countries in Africa to be visited.

Nigeria’s foreign minister while lauding the establishment of the committee, noted that the decision by his Chinese counterpart to visit Nigeria first was a reflection of the importance which China attached to her relationship with Nigeria.

He pointed out that China had contributed greatly to the successes recorded in the priority areas of the current administration as declared by President Muhammadu Buhari, which include infrastructure development, economy diversification and job creation.

“He is on a five country tour of Africa and has selected Nigeria to be the first country that he visits, this is not a coincidence, it is a deliberate decision that reflects the importance that they attach to the relationship between both countries.

“This visit by the State Councillor is a very important one, we have held discussions and we agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding on establishing an inter-governmental Committee that will be in charge of coordinating all aspects of cooperation between the two countries in many areas in many sectors in which we are cooperating with the Chinese

“In our meeting today we talked about transportation, our railways, defense system, political matters and how to structure political cooperation.

At the end of the talks the Chinese government through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced a donation to Nigeria of 100 million Renminbis, the Chinese local currency which we reckon to be roughly 50 million dollars or N6 billion,” he said.

Some of the Minister on the Nigerian delegation included: Minister of Industry Trade and Investment Niyi Adebayo, Minister of Health Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Education Adamu Adamu and the Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika.

Also giving an account of the closed door meeting, the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi who spoke through an interpreter, said that the traditional friendships between Nigeria and China needed to be advanced.

He corroborated that both countries had agreed to set up intergovernmental committee that will synergise Chinese new developments, deepen cooperation and advance key projects to support more rapid industrialisation in Nigeria.

“We will expand cooperation into new areas of digital and green economy to make development more diversified.

“Our two countries will continue to work closely on COVID-19 response and strongly support each other to a final victory which is a cure.

“We will further engage in military and security cooperation to contribute to the Nigeria’s national security capacity building, we will also coordinate in regional and international affairs.

“We have every confidence that China-Nigeria strategic partnership will embrace and even brighter future, together we will make a great contribution to Africa’s peace and development for the stability and prosperity of the World,” he said. (NAN)

Media
By Rabiu Sani-Ali
Kano, Jan. 5, 2021 (NAN) The Kano State Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, has urged media organisations to synergise towards actualising enhanced salary structure for working journalists in the country.
Garba made the call on Tuesday in Kano at the annual congress and award presentation, organised by the Radio, Television and Theatre Arts Workers’ Union (RATTAWU), Pyramid FM chapter.
He said that journalists, being the watchdog of the society, needed to be well taken care of, especially in terms of welfare, allowances and benefits.
The commissioner noted that the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) had presented a Journalists’ Enhancement Bill to the National Assembly few years ago, adding that there was the urgent need for media organisations to work in synergy towards its actualisation.
Garba, a former National President of NUJ, said that the Kano State government was working hand-in-hand with all the media outfits in the state to ensure harmonious relationship.
He commended Pyramid FM for effective coverage of the state, stressing that the station had demonstrated high sense of professionalism and ethical standards in its content.
In his remarks, the General Manager of the radio station, Ismaila Ahmad-Dabai, said that the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) was committed to enlightening the general populace on government’s policies and programmes.
Ahmad-Dabai, who said that the station was committed to sustainable production, urged the state government to support it to overcome its challenges.
He reiterated the station’s commitment to continuing its educative programmes to sensitise and enlighten the public on the activities of the state government.
Also speaking, the Chairman of RATTAWU, Mustapha Rabiu-Zango, said that the event was organised for the union to conduct its annual congress and recognise some personalities for their contributions to media development in the state.
Rabiu-Zango said that the congress would facilitate deliberations on topical issues with a view to addressing some of the challenges affecting its members.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that highlights of the event included paper presentation as well as presentation of awards to some personalities and members of staff for their outstanding performances. (NAN)
RSA/CHOM/WAS
Edited by Chioma Ugboma and ‘Wale Sadeeq