Suspected Boko Haram extremists attacked a business school in northeast Nigeria on Friday with gunfire and two bomb blasts.
A suicide bomber died when he blew himself up prematurely in the car park of the College of Administrative and Business Studies in Potiskum, according to a security officer and a hospital worker. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to reporters.
A second bomb exploded in the college dormitory, but all the students apparently were already in classrooms.
Five students were wounded by gunfire and another 45 people are being treated for injuries sustained as they jumped out of windows and over walls to escape the attackers, the hospital worker said.
Those injured include schoolchildren from the neighbouring Government Science Secondary School, who also thought they were under attack. At least 40 students were killed when Boko Haram attacked that school last year.
In Friday’s attack, the gunmen arrived around 8 a.m. (0700 GMT) and opened fire at the gate of the business school, witnesses said. Security guards armed only with clubs ran away, said the witnesses who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
It is the first school attack reported since a 3-month-old multinational offensive drove Boko Haram out of towns and villages seized last year where the insurgents, who have sworn allegiance to the Islamic State group, declared an Islamic caliphate. Boko Haram means “Western education is sinful.”
Troops from neighbouring countries joined the fight as Nigeria’s home-grown Islamic extremist group began attacking across borders.
Nigeria’s military says the main fighting force of Boko Haram has fled to strongholds in the vast Sambisa Forest of northeast Nigeria, where Nigerian troops this month rescued nearly 700 girls and women held in captivity by the insurgents and destroyed about 20 camps.
Global
Friday, May 8, 2015
Civil Servants in Nigeria to go undergo mandatory screening
All civil servants on the Nigerian federal government payroll are to undergo compulsory verification and revalidation of their credentials and service records.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Danladi Kifasi, directed officials handling the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System to undertake the exercise.
The exercise, Mr. Kifasi said in a circular issued by the Permanent Secretary (Special Duties) in his office, Amina Shamaki, that screening should cover the verification and revalidation of vital documents belonging to all workers in the core Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
The Head of Service said staff of all Federal Government agencies in outstations in all the states of the federation would be screened in collaboration with other IPPIS stakeholders.
The exercise, which is in its second phase, would begin in Abuja from Monday, May 11 to May 22, 2015, and May 18 to 22, 2015 in the North-East and North Central zones.
When the exercise is concluded, Mr. Kifasi said it would provide a centralised database for the Nigerian Public Service with a single, accurate source of employee information that would aid government’s manpower planning and decision making.
The Nigerian government’s decision to screen its workers came about two months after PREMIUM TIMES exposed a case of certificate forgery involving a staff of the National Broadcasting Commission, Caroline Animan.
Ms. Animan, a confidential secretary at NBC, said to have been an employee of the Commission for over 20 years, presented a forged National Diploma certificate in Secretarial Studies purportedly issued by Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State (formerly Ogun State Polytechnic).
But the institution eventually confirmed the “certificate” presented by Ms. Animan (formerly Carolene U. Umelue) as fake, following an official investigation and document verification by the NBC.
The Principal Assistant Registrar (Exams and Records) of the Polytechnic, Olusegun Ogunpola, through a letter titled: “Re: Request for Document Verification: Carolene U. Umelue” dated June 23, 2014 categorically said the certificate was fake.
Subsequently, the NBC official saddled with the responsibility of verifying the document presented by Ms. Animan submitted a report titled “Re: Report On Document Verification: Statement Of Result Presented By Caroline Animan (Mrs)” to the Director General of the NBC through the Zonal Director, Ibadan Zone, on June 24, 2014.
The report indicted Ms. Animan and recommended she be ultimately dismissed after facing appropriate disciplinary committee, in line with Public Service Rule. It attached the letter from the Polytechnic and the forged certificate marked “fake” by Mr. Ogunpola of the Exams and Records of the institution.
Ms. Animan was investigated following noticeable poor work output.
Nigeria’s public service rule considers the presentation of forged credentials a case of gross (serious) misconduct for which erring officials should be punished with dismissal, once the allegations are proven.
It is uncertain at this time whether the NBC has taken disciplinary action against Ms. Animan, although insiders in the Commission suggested she has been suspended from duties.
Premium Times
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Danladi Kifasi, directed officials handling the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System to undertake the exercise.
The exercise, Mr. Kifasi said in a circular issued by the Permanent Secretary (Special Duties) in his office, Amina Shamaki, that screening should cover the verification and revalidation of vital documents belonging to all workers in the core Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
The Head of Service said staff of all Federal Government agencies in outstations in all the states of the federation would be screened in collaboration with other IPPIS stakeholders.
The exercise, which is in its second phase, would begin in Abuja from Monday, May 11 to May 22, 2015, and May 18 to 22, 2015 in the North-East and North Central zones.
When the exercise is concluded, Mr. Kifasi said it would provide a centralised database for the Nigerian Public Service with a single, accurate source of employee information that would aid government’s manpower planning and decision making.
The Nigerian government’s decision to screen its workers came about two months after PREMIUM TIMES exposed a case of certificate forgery involving a staff of the National Broadcasting Commission, Caroline Animan.
Ms. Animan, a confidential secretary at NBC, said to have been an employee of the Commission for over 20 years, presented a forged National Diploma certificate in Secretarial Studies purportedly issued by Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State (formerly Ogun State Polytechnic).
But the institution eventually confirmed the “certificate” presented by Ms. Animan (formerly Carolene U. Umelue) as fake, following an official investigation and document verification by the NBC.
The Principal Assistant Registrar (Exams and Records) of the Polytechnic, Olusegun Ogunpola, through a letter titled: “Re: Request for Document Verification: Carolene U. Umelue” dated June 23, 2014 categorically said the certificate was fake.
Subsequently, the NBC official saddled with the responsibility of verifying the document presented by Ms. Animan submitted a report titled “Re: Report On Document Verification: Statement Of Result Presented By Caroline Animan (Mrs)” to the Director General of the NBC through the Zonal Director, Ibadan Zone, on June 24, 2014.
The report indicted Ms. Animan and recommended she be ultimately dismissed after facing appropriate disciplinary committee, in line with Public Service Rule. It attached the letter from the Polytechnic and the forged certificate marked “fake” by Mr. Ogunpola of the Exams and Records of the institution.
Ms. Animan was investigated following noticeable poor work output.
Nigeria’s public service rule considers the presentation of forged credentials a case of gross (serious) misconduct for which erring officials should be punished with dismissal, once the allegations are proven.
It is uncertain at this time whether the NBC has taken disciplinary action against Ms. Animan, although insiders in the Commission suggested she has been suspended from duties.
Premium Times
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Video - Freed hostages from Boko Haram talk about their ordeal
More rescued women in Nigeria have been recounting their ordeal at the hands of militant group Boko Haram. But they've also been speaking out about apparent divisions in the ranks.
Asaba airported downgraded due to safety concerns
The Nigerian Government has downgraded the Asaba Airport over the failure of Delta State Government to put in place safety and security measures at the airport, an Assistant Director, Press & Public Affairs, Ministry of Aviation, James Odaudu,said Tuesday in Abuja.
Mr. Odaudu said with the downgrading, the airport would now be allowed to accommodate the operation of only Dash 8-Q 400 aircraft or its equivalent until all the safety issues were addressed.
He stated that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has raised several safety concerns.
The safety concerns according to the statement, were over undulations on the airport’s runway, the lack of the required strip, perimeter fencing, drainage, as well as lack of adequately trained technical personnel.
Mr. Odaudu said the decision was taken since no concrete steps had been taken to address the issues which were capable of compromising the safety of flight operation and the passengers.
“It has therefore become a matter of serious concern that despite a series of meetings with, and assurances given by the operators of the airport.
“The Federal Government has also drawn the attention of the owners of the airport to the fact that it has, through its inability to address the issues, violated compliance with safety standards.
“Safety standard as stipulated in the Nig. CARs Part 12.6.2 and 12.6.3 in respect of the airport runway and its associated facilities as well as adequately trained personnel were violated,” Mr. Odaudu said in the statement.
He quoted the Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, as saying that the downgrading was done in public interest.
“Because the Federal Government places very high premium on the safety and security of aviation passengers and would never compromise set standards for whatever reason. “The minister, however, assures that the airport would revert to its previous status as soon as all the safety concerns are adequately and satisfactorily addressed,” Mr. Odaudu said in the statement.
Premium Times
Mr. Odaudu said with the downgrading, the airport would now be allowed to accommodate the operation of only Dash 8-Q 400 aircraft or its equivalent until all the safety issues were addressed.
He stated that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has raised several safety concerns.
The safety concerns according to the statement, were over undulations on the airport’s runway, the lack of the required strip, perimeter fencing, drainage, as well as lack of adequately trained technical personnel.
Mr. Odaudu said the decision was taken since no concrete steps had been taken to address the issues which were capable of compromising the safety of flight operation and the passengers.
“It has therefore become a matter of serious concern that despite a series of meetings with, and assurances given by the operators of the airport.
“The Federal Government has also drawn the attention of the owners of the airport to the fact that it has, through its inability to address the issues, violated compliance with safety standards.
“Safety standard as stipulated in the Nig. CARs Part 12.6.2 and 12.6.3 in respect of the airport runway and its associated facilities as well as adequately trained personnel were violated,” Mr. Odaudu said in the statement.
He quoted the Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, as saying that the downgrading was done in public interest.
“Because the Federal Government places very high premium on the safety and security of aviation passengers and would never compromise set standards for whatever reason. “The minister, however, assures that the airport would revert to its previous status as soon as all the safety concerns are adequately and satisfactorily addressed,” Mr. Odaudu said in the statement.
Premium Times
Nigerian government burrows money to pay salaries
Africa's richest economy is borrowing money to pay salaries as it struggles through a "difficult cash crunch" brought on by halved oil prices, Nigeria's finance minister revealed.
The news comes as Nigeria prepares to welcome a new government at the end of this month and the country's naira currency remains in a slump, hovering between 180 and 220 to the US dollar. It was trading at 160 a few months ago.
Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala tried to be upbeat in a speech on Tuesday after lawmakers approved the 2015 budget - revised three times because of slashed oil prices that provide 80 percent of revenue for the government of Africa's biggest petroleum producer.
She said "revenue challenges" had prohibited the release of any funds for capital expenditure this year but that food prices and single-digit inflation remained quite stable. And she said the economy still was on course to grow 4.8 percent this year.
"We have front-loaded the borrowing programme to manage the cash crunch," Okonjo-Iweala told lawmakers.
"Out of the 882 billion naira budgetary provision for borrowing, the government has borrowed 473 billion naira to meet up with recurrent expenditure, including salaries and overheads."
That is bad news for the incoming government of President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, who takes over on May 29 from incumbent Goodluck Jonathan.
Buhari acknowledges that constricted revenue and endemic corruption threaten his will to deliver on development and reconstruction of areas devastated by a nearly 6-year-old rebel uprising in the northeast.
He says his fight against corruption should produce the money needed to bring change to a country where oil proceeds benefit a small clique while the majority of the 170 million people in Africa's most populous nation live hand to mouth.
Critics blame the financial crisis in part on the most expensive election ever held in Nigeria, though no one knows how much politicians from both sides spent during their campaigns.
Aljazeera
The news comes as Nigeria prepares to welcome a new government at the end of this month and the country's naira currency remains in a slump, hovering between 180 and 220 to the US dollar. It was trading at 160 a few months ago.
Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala tried to be upbeat in a speech on Tuesday after lawmakers approved the 2015 budget - revised three times because of slashed oil prices that provide 80 percent of revenue for the government of Africa's biggest petroleum producer.
She said "revenue challenges" had prohibited the release of any funds for capital expenditure this year but that food prices and single-digit inflation remained quite stable. And she said the economy still was on course to grow 4.8 percent this year.
"We have front-loaded the borrowing programme to manage the cash crunch," Okonjo-Iweala told lawmakers.
"Out of the 882 billion naira budgetary provision for borrowing, the government has borrowed 473 billion naira to meet up with recurrent expenditure, including salaries and overheads."
That is bad news for the incoming government of President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, who takes over on May 29 from incumbent Goodluck Jonathan.
Buhari acknowledges that constricted revenue and endemic corruption threaten his will to deliver on development and reconstruction of areas devastated by a nearly 6-year-old rebel uprising in the northeast.
He says his fight against corruption should produce the money needed to bring change to a country where oil proceeds benefit a small clique while the majority of the 170 million people in Africa's most populous nation live hand to mouth.
Critics blame the financial crisis in part on the most expensive election ever held in Nigeria, though no one knows how much politicians from both sides spent during their campaigns.
Aljazeera
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