Latest News in Nigeria this Night, 3rd of November, 2020

Latest News in Nigeria this Night, 3rd of November, 2020

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Strike: Ordinary Nigerians attend public varsities, Fayemi begs ASUU

The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has appealed to members of the Academic Staff of Universities to suspend their ongoing strike.

He urged the lecturers to consider the “children of ordinary Nigerians” attending the “local universities”.

A statement from the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Yinka Oyebode, quoted Fayemi as making the appeal in Ado-Ekiti on Monday when he received members of the Board of Trustees of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, led by its Chairman and former Governor of Niger State, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, in his office.

The statement was titled, ‘Insecurity: Fayemi urges FG to sharpen intelligence collection, address poverty, unemployment’.

The governor said education should be refocused at the national level due to its importance to national development.

On the lingering strike action by ASUU, Fayemi urged the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders in the education sector to have an urgent engagement with the leadership of ASUU in order to bring an end to the current impasse.

Panel rejects LCC’s request to ‘take back’ Lekki tollgate

The Judicial Panel of Inquiry probing the alleged shootings of #EndSARS protesters by soldiers on October 20, 2020 at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos has declined the request by the operators of the tollgate, Lekki Concession Company, to “take back possession” of the tollgate.

The Chairman of the panel, retired Justice Doris Okuwobi, in a short ruling on Tuesday, said the tollgate plaza would remain closed.

The judge said the panel might have a need to pay another visit to the tollgate plaza after watching the video footage from a surveillance camera submitted by the LCC on Tuesday.

Counsel for LCC, Rotimi Seriki, had urged the panel to allow the firm “take possession” of the tollgate plaza to evaluate the level of damage for the purpose insurance claims.

Seriki was reinforcing an earlier request at the proceeding by the LCC Managing Director, Abayomi Omomuwa, who said save for last Friday when he led the panel on a visit to the toll plaza, the place had been inaccessible to LCC management.

Two IPOB kingpins arrested for killings in Oyigbo, says Wike

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike on Tuesday said two kingpins of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) involved in the killings of six soldiers and four policemen in Oyigbo, were arrested by security operatives.

The governor insisted that the steps he took including imposition of curfew in Oyigbo Local Government Area helped to prevent an outbreak of war between Igbo and Hausa communities in the area.

A statement signed by the governor’s Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri, said Wike spoke when Rotary District 9141 Governor, Mrs. Virginia Major led a delegation of Rotarians to visit him at the Government House, Port Harcourt.

He said the suspects were arrested Monday evening

explaining that Rivers State was peaceful during the EndSARS protest, until criminals, under the guise of IPOB attempted to paint the State black by killing 10 security agents in Oyigbo.

He said while Rivers had been home to every ethnic and religious groups, some misguided IPOB members, had taken this for granted by unleashing mayhem in Oyigbo and even attempted to cause inter-ethnic war.

He said: “If we did not take the steps we took by imposing curfew in Oyigbo, today, it would have been the Hausa and Igbo that will have been fighting and nobody knows what level it would have taken today.”

Oyo Assembly suspends 13 council chairmen indefinitely

Oyo Assembly has suspended 13 Caretaker chairmen of the Local Governments Areas (LGA) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) in the state.

The affected caretaker chairmen are from five LGAs and eight LCDAs.

The indefinite suspension, which takes immediate effect, was announced during Tuesday plenary over “non-compliance to the resolution of the House on submission of the status of earthmoving equipment in their respective domains to the House as requested.”

The Assembly directed the affected caretaker chairmen to hand over to their Secretaries forthwith so as not to create any vacuum.

The lawmakers hinged the indefinite suspension on the failure of the suspended council bosses to submit a report of the status of earth-moving equipment in their respective councils as requested and directed.

The Assembly had directed all council chairmen to submit the report and issued an October 23, 2020 deadline for submission.

The affected council areas are: Ido; Oluyole; Ibadan North East LG; Itesiwaju and Oyo East.

The affected LCDA caretaker chairmen are those of Akinyele East; Lagelu West; Soro; Ogbomoso Central; Ogbomoso South; Ajorosun; Ibarapa North West and Oyo South East.

Speaking while ruling on the recommendation of the suspension, Speaker Adebo Ogundoyin said the affected caretaker chairmen demonstrated gross incompetence over their failure to bring a simple report on the state of earthmoving equipment in their different domains