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The suspended management of the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund has insisted that all trainings, contracts and rehabilitation carried out by the organisation received the approval of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, and the National Assembly.

The minister had last Thursday announced the suspension of NSITF Managing Director, Adebayo Somefun, three Executive Directors and several top officials over allegations of corruption.

But the suspended management on Sunday denied the allegation of contracts splitting levelled against it.

The management stated, “There was no contract splitting as claimed by the minister. The trainings referred to were budgeted for in the year 2017, 2018 and 2019 appropriations for over 5,000 staff nationwide, and Procurement Planning Committee meetings were held for the procurement of goods, works and services to commence the procurement activities.

"All these details were included in the budget for these years, taken for budget defence in the supervising ministry, officially endorsed by the minister himself, approved and transmitted to the National Assembly for necessary approval during the budget defences for these years.”

On the allegation that the project of construction of 14 zonal/regional offices in 14 states running into billions of naira was a policy that was done without board or ministerial knowledge, the management explained that the minister personally increased the construction by adding Akwa and Asaba sites and insisted that the projects were in the 2019 budget, and brought for the budget defence in the supervising ministry chaired by the minister himself.

The management added, “It is therefore not true that such policy issues were being done without board or ministerial knowledge, not to talk of approval." See Also Politics NSITF Management Rejects Suspension By Minister Of Labour, Ngige 0 Comments 2 Days Ago

They also debunked claim by the minister that construction of any new regional offices was executed.

It explained that what was done was a renovation of abandoned NSITF offices to enable the fund move out from rented offices where such abandoned properties were located.

The suspended management alleged that suspending the top officials of the Fund even before a panel of inquiry was inaugurated could deny the officials the right frame of mind and official space to adequately respond to the allegations.

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The Aide De Camp of Nigeria's First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, Usman Shugaba, has been restored.

Checks by SaharaReporters on Sunday revealed that apart from her ADC, other security personnel attached to her and initially withdrawn had also all been reinstated.

An Aso Villa source, who confirmed the news to SaharaReporters, said that Mrs Buhari stood her grounds and insisted on their reinstatement despite the many forces against the move.

"Aisha's ADC was reinstated. She said no ADC if it is not that same person. Seems the woman still has her strength or nobody is in charge of the house.

"The ADC and all the police details were reinstated," the source said.

Recall that the crisis in Aso Villa leading to the arrest and detention of Shugaba and other security personnel attached to the First Lady happened in early June when Buhari's Personal Assistant and Private Secretary, Sabiu ‘Tunde’ Yusuf, refused to embark on a 14-day isolation upon returning from a private trip to Lagos.  See Also Sahara Reporters Backstory Behind Aisha Buhari’s Gunfight With Sabiu Yusuf By Farooq A. Kperogi 0 Comments 2 Weeks Ago

After refusing to self-isolate for the said period and forcing his way into Aso Villa, Shugaba and his colleagues rough-handled Yusuf, who later escaped to the residence of Mamman Daura, Buhari's nephew and member of the 'cabal'.

Subsequently, Yusuf with the active connivance of Buhari's Chief Security Officer, Idris Kassim, ordered the Federal Capital Territory Commissioner of Police, Bala Ciroma, to arrest Shugaba, Escort Commander and other policemen attached to the first family. See Also Breaking News BREAKING: Aisha Buhari's ADC Released, Reassigned To Force Headquarters, Others Regain Freedom 0 Comments 2 Weeks Ago

It was claimed that gunshots were fired in the process of trying to get Yusuf out of the Villa, thereby breaching security code around the President, who called for a probe into the incident.

The incident led to the withdrawal of Mrs Buhari's security details until this weekend when they were reinstated. See Also Sahara Reporters War In Aso Rock Villa: President Buhari’s Personal Assistant, Yusuf, Mamman Daura And Aso Rock Cabal Gang Up Against Aisha, Move To Strip Her of Security Details 0 Comments 3 Weeks Ago

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Here are some of the stories you may have missed this week.

Following Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu's COVID-19 status, his deputy, Agboola Ajayi has advised him to hand over the governance of the state to him in acting capacity since he was now incapacitated.

Akeredolu had on June 30 confirmed testing positive to COVID-19 and immediately begun self isolation and promised to start working and attending to files from home. 

Ajayi, who spoke on Saturday in a statement by his Media Adviser, Allen Sowore, said the refusal by Akeredolu to handover the governance of the state was a flagrant disregard for the country's constitution. 

He disclosed that the governor, who is also a lawyer should know better and hand over to him instead of halting the smooth running of governance in the state because of his COVID-19 status. 

He gave the governor a 21-day ultimatum to hand over and allow him carry out government activities for the benefit of the state. 

Ajayi said, "Section 190 (2) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) is apposite in the prevailing constitutional abberation in Ondo State. 

"However, it should be noted that Mr Governor is at liberty to handover or not within 21 days after which the constitution becomes operational. 

"Ostensibly, the refusal and failure of Mr Governor to handover the running of government to his deputy while he is temporarily incapacitated in self- isolation underscores his absolute disregard for our nation's supreme document, 1999 constitution (as amended) as well as the tenets of rule of law. 

"The governor's position is a spite on Ondo State people and a direct assault on the provisions of the constitution which he swore to uphold.

"Governor Akeredolu's deliberate mounting of obstacles to smooth running of government machinery while he's in self isolation as a result of the fact that he has been tested positive for COVID-19 privileges the hypocratical  nature of Ondo State Government's war against the ravaging pandemic."

Akeredolu had on Friday described his deputy as a threat to governance in the state.

He also explained that Ajayi was no longer a member of APC, noting that the idea of handing over governance to him was a non-issue.

But the deputy governor in his reply described the claims of Akeredolu as an illusion and a diversion from the real issue of him handing over governance.  

He advised the governor to resolve the lingering crisis in the state's health sector mostly doctors strike instead of decapitating energy at pulling him and his office down.
 

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Following Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu's COVID-19 status, his deputy, Agboola Ajayi has advised him to hand over the governance of the state to him in acting capacity since he was now incapacitated.

Akeredolu had on June 30 confirmed testing positive to COVID-19 and immediately begun self isolation and promised to start working and attending to files from home. 

Ajayi, who spoke on Saturday in a statement by his Media Adviser, Allen Sowore, said the refusal by Akeredolu to handover the governance of the state was a flagrant disregard for the country's constitution. 

He disclosed that the governor, who is also a lawyer should know better and hand over to him instead of halting the smooth running of governance in the state because of his COVID-19 status. 

He gave the governor a 21-day ultimatum to hand over and allow him carry out government activities for the benefit of the state. 

Ajayi said, "Section 190 (2) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) is apposite in the prevailing constitutional abberation in Ondo State. 

"However, it should be noted that Mr Governor is at liberty to handover or not within 21 days after which the constitution becomes operational. 

"Ostensibly, the refusal and failure of Mr Governor to handover the running of government to his deputy while he is temporarily incapacitated in self- isolation underscores his absolute disregard for our nation's supreme document, 1999 constitution (as amended) as well as the tenets of rule of law. 

"The governor's position is a spite on Ondo State people and a direct assault on the provisions of the constitution which he swore to uphold.

"Governor Akeredolu's deliberate mounting of obstacles to smooth running of government machinery while he's in self isolation as a result of the fact that he has been tested positive for COVID-19 privileges the hypocratical  nature of Ondo State Government's war against the ravaging pandemic."

Akeredolu had on Friday described his deputy as a threat to governance in the state.

He also explained that Ajayi was no longer a member of APC, noting that the idea of handing over governance to him was a non-issue.

But the deputy governor in his reply described the claims of Akeredolu as an illusion and a diversion from the real issue of him handing over governance.  

He advised the governor to resolve the lingering crisis in the state's health sector mostly doctors strike instead of decapitating energy at pulling him and his office down.
 

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Many parts of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, were on Saturday submerged in flood following heavy rainfall, which lasted for several hours in the city.

The downpour left many houses submerged while vehicles were prevented from moving around except for articulated ones during the period.

Areas affected by the flood include Igbore, Ijeja, Isale-Igbehin, Amolaso, Kuto, Abiola Way, Kuto, Lefenwa, Oke-Mosan amongst others.

At Abiola Way, just before the NNPC junction, the dual carriage road was completely submerged while part of the building within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library was not spared.

Amolaso area and the communities beside and behind the Oke-Igbehin Government House were among the worst hit places as houses and shops were completely taken over by the flood.

The Ijeja Bridge linking the area with Omida on one side and Ogbe and Itoku on the other side were destroyed with the asphalt on the road washed away that vehicles couldn't pass through the area.

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Yobe Education Awareness Group has appealled to the state government to rehabilitate Government Day Secondary School, Gashua, as buildings of the school remain dilapidated. 

The group also lamented that with the rain season already in and the possible reopening of schools soon, leaky roofs will discourage students from attending classes. 

Students attend the school with prayer mats because there are no desks and chairs in classes for them to learn with. 

“We are not challenging but pleading. The only government senior secondary school that children of masses do attend in the whole Gashua is GDSS but if you go there you may shed tears,” said Ali M. Kachallah, leader of the group.

“We are calling on the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, to also intervene to rescue this school in his home town,” he added. 

Yobe State had been at the bottom of WAEC/NECO performance annually since 2005. 

The state has 7.23 per cent literacy level, the lowest in the country.

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A 24-year-old woman named Ifeoma Ozuogu has been arrested alongside her husband by the police for allegedly inflicting injuries on her 10-year-old home help, Nneoma Nnadi, over the fall of her baby to the ground.

Ozuogu used hot iron, knife, nail and hammer to inflict injuries on the little girl.

The incident happened on Wednesday at Aku in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State.

Nnadi was said to have carried her madam's little baby with the view to pampering her to sleep around 12am when the baby mistakenly fell to the ground.

Though there was no physical or internal injury on the baby, Ozuogu descended heavily on the girl over the incident by burning her skin with hot iron and also using nail to puncture her head.

The next day, Ozuogu inserted pepper into the little girl's vagina and locked her up in the toilet for refusing to wash the plates.

It took the intervention of neighbours, who heard the girl's cry, to rescue and rush her to hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, the police have been accused of trying to compromise and  cover up the matter after the accused offered them bribe.

When SaharaReporters reached out to the brother of the victim, Samson Nnadi, on Saturday, he confirmed that the  Commissioner of Police in the state had taken up the matter and vowed to charge the couple to court on Monday.
 

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Boko Haram insurgents have attacked a United Nations aid helicopter in Nigeria's North-East region.

The terrorists, according to the UN, launched the attack on Thursday in Damasak, Borno State, killing two civilians including a five-year-old child in the process.

Edward Kallon, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, on Saturday said both fatalities and several others injured in the attack were on the ground.

“A UN Humanitarian Air Service helicopter was hit by bullets during the attack. No aid workers were on board at the time and crew members are all safe,” Kallon said in a statement.

A UN communication said the aircraft was shot as it approached Damasak and the pilots managed to fly back to Maiduguri, AFP reports. 

 

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