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Edo NAWOJ Election: ‘SSCE Holder Not Qualify To Contest’, Members Insist

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…Say Attendance Sheet Being Manipulated To Disqualify Some Contestants

National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Edo State council, Wednesday, said members who do not have the minmum qualification of Ordinary National Diploma (OND) as enshrined in the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) constitution are not qualify to contest in the forthcoming election.

They also raised an alarm that some well connected persons are planning to use attendance register of the Association’s past congresses to disqualify some qualified contestants, saying, “the attendance they are presenting in this NUWOJ election is even photocopy and this photocopy rigister is even not complete.

The aggrieved members who protested around the premises of Nigeria Union Journalists, with placards containing inscriptions as: ‘Edo NAWOJIANS say no to compromised caretaker committee’, ‘Edo NAWOJIANS say no to manipulated attendance register’, ‘Edo NAWOJIANS call on Edo NUJ and NUJ national to help save Edo NAWOJ from redicule and shame through professional and effective sanitisation’, etc, vowed that illegality and injustice would not be allowed in the forthcoming NAWOJ election.

Speaking through Joy Musa, they said the attendance rigister being emphasised as cretaria for contesting the election was not complete, saying photocopy was presented rather than the original copy which according to them is more reliable and authentic.

She said most of the congresses held in the past dispensation was on ground of emergency, and that members were informed less than 24 hours, stressing that the immediate past secretary then failed to perform her duty.

“We know the importance of attendance in NAWOJ and NUJ. But we’ve come to understand that the attendance they are presenting in this NUWOJ election is photocopy and not original, and this photocopy attendance they are presenting to us is not complete -they are presenting photocopy because the original is missing.

“Even the apologies members rendered on Inability to attend such emergency congresses was not there because most of the congresses we had in the last three years were emergency. And the notices of these emergency congresses came less than 24 hours. Such notices were not pasted on the state Council’s board.

“You are aware it is the notice board we use in dissemination of information including announcement of congress, but unfortunately we’ve never used it in the past three years in NAWOJ because the secretary then failed to perform her duty and and they want to use this attendance to disqualify some qualified members, this is what we will not accept”, she added.

She disclosed that when the aspirants met with the Caretaker Committee, it was discovered that the attendance register being emphasised on does not have date, stressing that NECO certificate has no place in the practice of journalism.

“We say no to injustice! Apart from that, one of the contestants in the forthcoming election does not have result, she only presented NECO certificate. When she wanted to contest three years ago, she went to bring IIJ admission letter, she contested, now after three years, she want to contest so she went to Open University to bring admission letter from there, another admission letter, and you want to tell me she is qualified?

“She never wrote a single exam at IIJ. Now, we have heard that she has written petition to Abuja that she has written all her exams and that she is waiting for her result and convocation, is that allowed in anywhere? Illegality will not be allowed in Edo NAWOJ. If that is allowed, I can go to Emaguero college to bring primary 5 pupil to contest the secretary position of Edo NAWOJ.

“We don’t want someone who does not have first degree, ND, HND but ‘certificate less’ to come and lead us in Edo NAWOJ. We will not allow it; it is an abberation. Manipulation of attendance to suit certain persons will not be allowed in this election. Somebody who do not have result, coming from the back door to contest election will not be allowed. What is right should be done by the NUJ, we are seeking for justice”, she requested

Members of the Edo NAWOJ on protest today in Benin City

Also buttressing Musa’s point, Amina Ebor, called on Edo NUJ and NUJ national body to salvage Edo NAWOJ from quackery, stressing that the NUJ constitution is there as guide and should not be slaughtered on the alter of illegality and favouritism.

Responding on behalf of Edo State NUJ, Secretary of the Council, Mr. Titus Akhigbe, assured the members that all their complaints would be attended to by leadership of the Union.

He noted that to this effect, the election slated for Friday has been shifted untill all lingering issues have been resolved.

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Foundation Trains 50 Women Farmers In Bauchi

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A Bauchi based Non Governmental Organisation known as Al-Muhibah Foundation, has conducted a three-day training for 50 women farmers on fonio farming in the state.

The founder of the foundation, Hajiya Aisha Mohammed who is also the wife of Gov. Bala Mohammed, stated this at the end of the training for the women on Sunday.

According to her, the project was funded by the Islamic Development Bank (ISDB) and aimed at empowering women in the area of farming fonio locally called acher.

She explained that 25 women were selected from Alkaleri and 25 from Tafawa Balewa local government areas of the state respectively.

READ ALSO: UNFPA, Al-Muhibah Foundation Train 60 Persons With Disabilities On Skills Acquisition In Bauchi

She said the decision to settle for fonio acher farming training was as a result of its nutritional value, adding that Bauchi state was among the states facing malnutrition problems due to the lack of adequate nutrition diet for children.

“It is on this basis that looking at the nutritional value of Acha fonio, are the opportunities in helping to reduce the cases of or curb severe malnutrition.

“We also key into the Islamic Development Bank policy to learn how to empower women through interventions that improve health, food security, economic opportunities, education, access to technology which would enhance women’s financial literacy and business skills.

“Today, the 50 women farmers have received farming tools, insecticide, fertilisers, farmland, seedlings, capacity building training as well as 20 water pumping machines to each of the two LGAs,” she said.

The governor’s wife further explained that the project was to also ensure that the productivity, sustainability and profitability of the Fonio-Acha value chains were sustained, developed and expanded in the two benefiting LGAs by empowering women groups in the local production of the crop.

READ ALSO: Bauchi School With 45 Classes, 45 Toilets Lauds UNICEF’s Sanitation Programme

Earlier, the Finance and Administration Officer of the Foundation, Mr Stephen Goyit, explained that ISDB sponsored 70 per cent and Al-Muhibah Foundation sponsored 30 per cent of the project.

He said based on the project design, the 40 water pumping machines and accessories were distributed to the women farmers in a cluster for easy monitoring.

Goyit added that a total sum of N30,000 was given to each of the beneficiaries for feeding and transportation allowances.

One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Grace Yohana who expressed happiness to have received the training, appreciated Al-Muhibah Foundation for the ‘kind gesture’.

I’m very happy about this intervention. They gave us N30,000, we learned many things about fonio farming and the state Ministry of Agriculture has also promised to give each of us one bag of fertilizer,” she said.

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Pastor Adeboye Reveals How God Will Call Him To Glory

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The General overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor E. A Adeboye has said if rapture fails to take place soon, he would die on a Sunday after eating pounded yam.

The Man of God, who made the assertion at the ongoing Holy Ghost Congress of the church in Ogun State, said he would die the way one of his uncles died after church service.

Recounting how the uncle died, Adeboye said he was in the house after dancing during a church service and gave up the ghost without being sick.

He said the uncle died inside a toilet while the wife was preparing his meal.

READ ALSO: How Pastor Adeboye Anointed Me, Prophesied I’ll be Osun Governor – Adeleke

“After she finished pounding the yam, she knocked at the door of the toilet, when they opened the door, my uncle was gone; no sickness, no ache, no pain.

“I know somebody will say if we are never sick, how are we going to die and go to heaven? You don’t need to be sick to go to heaven”.

“If the Lord tarries His coming, I will go on a Sunday after a good meal of pounded yam,” he said.

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Company To Pay Nigeria £20m In Compensation Over Judgement Debt Suit

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A Court in the United Kingdom has ordered Process & Industrial Developments (P&ID) Limited to pay Nigeria £20 million in damages and compensation following its victory in a $11 billion judgment debt heard in October, 2023.

The court ordered that the money be given to Nigeria within the next 28 days.

The award of £20 million in damages was revealed during a subsequent ruling on the subject in London to determine what happened after the October ruling.

READ ALSO: Edo Lunches Security Control Centre, Holds 2023 Summit

Reports said the hearing was also held to determine whether P&ID would be granted permission to appeal the decision, however, the court denied P&ID’s request to remand the case to arbitration.

It contended that the company’s conduct during the process was heinous, thus the judgment.

Nigeria had sued P&ID for at least £20 million in damages and legal fees but obtained significant relief in October when the UK court released it from entanglement in the $11 billion judgment debt previously issued in favour of P&ID Limited.

READ ALSO: Lawyer Faults Ondo Commissioner’s Claim Of Forgery Of Akeredolu’s Signature

In the lawsuit between the Federal Government of Nigeria and P&ID, Justice Robin Knowles of the Commercial Courts of England and Wales affirmed Nigeria’s claim that the gas processing contract was obtained by fraud.

In the judgment delivered after five years of legal battle, Judge Knowles said: “In the circumstances and the reasons I have sought to describe and explain, Nigeria succeeds on its challenge under section 68. I have not accepted all of Nigeria’s allegations. But the awards were obtained by fraud and the way they were procured was contrary to public policy.”

Recall that P&ID was contracted by Nigeria in 2010 to build a gas processing plant in Calabar, Cross River State, in the country’s south but the deal fell through because the Nigerian government did not keep its half of the bargain.

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