Newspapers Headlines For 05/07/13 -PUNCH *** Police arraign innocent man for murder, Shock pervaded the quiet atmosphere of the Ebute Meta Magistrate’s Court, Lagos, after an investigation police officer, Corporal Alagbe Olumide, admitted that he was forced to arraign a murder suspect, Ayodimeji Alegbeleye, for the crime he never committed. Alegbeleye, 29, was being tried for the murder of one James Igbahan in January 2013 at Ajah. The police had claimed that the accused stabbed Igbahan with knife in his left ribs which led to his death. After the two counts were read to him, and he had pleaded not guilty, the prosecution lawyer filed application for his remand in prison custody pending the advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. -TRIBUNE *** Rivers PDP crisis: Odili, others rally against Amaechi, visit Jonathan LEADERS and elders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, on Thursday, met with President Goodluck Jonathan at the State House, Abuja, on a solidarity visit. Among the delegation were the acting deputy national chairman of the party, Chibudom Nwuche; state chairman; Chief Felix Obuah; former governor of Rivers State, Dr Peter Odili; Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms Ama Pepple; former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Austin Opara; state secretary of the PDP, Walter Opuene; Abiye Sekibo and Fred Kpakol. Receiving a delegation of the PDP from Rivers State, who came on a solidarity to him at the Presidential Villa, President Jonathan warned that indiscipline would no longer be tolerated in the party. In an apparent reference to the perceived disloyalty of Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, President Jonathan flayed officials elected under the PDP who, he observed, were secretly working with opposition to undermine the ruling party. This is just as the delegation insisted that Chief Rotimi Amaechi can leave the party as if he so desires. -THE NATION *** Reps committee recommends removal of immunity for President, VP, Governors, Deputies - The President, the Vice President, governors and their deputies should lose the immunity they enjoy, the House of Representatives Constitution Review Committee has recommended. Also proposed by the Committee headed by Deputy Speaker Emeka Thedioha, is the scrapping of the Joint States-Local Government Accounts and the elimination of the States Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC). The committee recommends that local government councils should maintain their own special accounts to be called Local Government Council Allocation Account into which shall be paid directly allocations made to the local government from the Federation Account. The committee said no request for creating of state was valid. It deleted if from its recommendations. It agreed to a proposal that independent candidates be allowed to contest elections. -THISDAY *** NLC Cautions FG against ASUU Strike - The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Thursday warned of the impact of the strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on students and the educational sector. It called on government to not only end the strike immediately by implementing the agreements en tered with ASUU, but also to declare a state of emergency in the education sector. The NLC said in a statement that while the strike was avoidable, it was made inevitable by the federal government’s insensitivity and penchant for reneging on agreements. The statement by NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar, said the issues articulated by ASUU were not self- serving but tenable, valid and germane to the sustenance of a qualitatively viable education system. “In a nutshell, these issues include, the lingering crisis at the Rivers State University of Technology (RSUST); the continued violation of the rights of the re-engaged 49 academics at the University of Ilorin; the non-release of the White Paper on special visitation to the University of Abuja; the parlous state of the economy and government’s disregard for its agreements,” the NLC added. -VANGUARD *** Senate moves to end 67-day-old ASUP strike - THE Senate has waded into the 67-day-old strike by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics ASUP, raising hope of imminent resolution. President of ASUP, Dr. Chibuzor Asomugha, said yesterday that the Senate Committee on Education has intervened to end the protracted industrial action. According to him:”The Senate Committee has pledged to intervene and meet with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and the Office of Accountant-General of the Federation with a view to sorting out issues around the completion of appointment of members of governing councils of six polytechnics and the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) imbroglio.” Asomugha, who described the ASUP meeting with Senate Committee as fruitful, said “specific assignments were given to different stakeholders with Tuesday next week as deadline for results.” Present at the intervention meeting were members of the Senate Committee on Education, Education Minister, Professor Ruqayyatu Rufa’i and Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu. WHAT ARE OUR THOUGHTS ON THESE?
Posted on: Fri, 05 Jul 2013 08:36:58 +0000
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