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Hardship: Bauchi Senator Flags Off Skill Acquisition Training For 100 Youth

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Senator Shehu Buba, Member representing Bauchi South at the Senate, has flagged off a 4-day skills acquisition training on solar photovoltaic installation and maintenance for 100 youth in Bauchi state.

Speaking during the commencement of the training in Bauchi on Friday, Engr Musa Idi, one of the programme Coordinators, said the training which was conceived two months ago has the beneficiaries selected across the seven Local Government Areas the Senator represents.

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He said the gesture was to relieve some of the burdens occasioned by the present economic hardship on the selected trainees and make them self-reliant as well as employers of labour.

According to him, the trainees were people that have little knowledge of electrical installation and they would be trained on solar photovoltaic system installation and maintenance.

READ ALSO: Fire Guts Kaduna Government Secretariat

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He added that they would also be trained on how to install inverters at home, offices, streetlights and others.

“Because of the high rate of unemployment, the senator wants to make them self-reliants so as for them to be able to sustain themselves.

“There are impressive starter packs as tool kits that have been bought by the Senator and they can be used for not only solar installations, but for electrical and any other installations.

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“This will enable them to put what they have learned into practice and become self-reliant and employers of labour,” he said.

READ ALSO:;Bauchi Commissioner Gifts 3 Students Cash For Prompt Resumption, Ability To Read

Also, Mr Mohammed Gwaza, another programme Coordinator, said that the mandate was to empower the next generation with the knowledge and skills needed to harness the abundant energy of the sun.

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He explained that solar power is not just about photovoltaic panels and inverters, it represents a pathway to sustainable development, economic growth and environmental stewardship.

Gwaza urged the beneficiaries to listen attentively and make good use of the training as well as the kits so as to be financially emancipated.

One of the beneficiaries, Tijani Tilde from Toro Local Government Area, expressed his gratitude to God for being selected as one of the beneficiaries of the training.

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READ ALSO: Police To Launch Special Intervention Squad In Bauchi State – I-G

“If we can get people or our representatives that can perform the way this man is performing, I believe before the end of this tenure, there would be more progress and tranquility in the country.

“When you talk of poverty, people say that Northeast is the region where poverty is more pronounced but I think with this kind of programmes, this perception would be discarded,” he said.

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Also, Abdulahi Garba, another beneficiary from Bauchi Local Government, said that the training was a life changing one that provided an opportunity for the youth to become self-sustaining and financially stable.

He urged other fellow participants to be focused, make good use of whatever they learned and make effective use of the kits that would be given by not selling them off.

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FG Security Agency, Nigerian Army Move To Tackle Illicit Small Arms, Light Weapons

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The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Northeast Zonal Centre, under the Office of the National Security Adviser to the President has partnered with the Nigerian Army to fight the menace of the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons in the country.

Speaking during a courtesy visit to Brig.-Gen. U.V Unachukwu, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division, Nigerian Army Headquarters in Maiduguri on Wednesday, Maj-:Gen Abubakar Adamu (Rtd), the Northeast Zonal Coordinator, NCCSALW Northeast Zonal Centre, said the collaboration was necessary in mopping up Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in the Zone.

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While stating the negative impact the proliferation of illicit SALW has on peaceful coexistence in the nation and its socio-economic activities, Adamu pledged the Centre’s continuous cooperation with the Division especially in intelligence sharing which he said, was paramount in preventing the proliferation of this SALW in the country.

READ ALSO: FG Predicts Heavy Rainfall, Flood In Seven States

“One of our responsibilities is to prevent the proliferation of small Arms and Light Weapons and to also enlighten the people. We are a multi agency department and we have the police, the DSS, and also retired military officers as well as serving military officers.

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“We have been empowered to receive all illicit small arms and light weapons that have been retrieved from all the agencies and we are the people responsible to destroy them

“We are also the only organization empowered to prosecute gun runners and all the people that have been arrested in terms of dealing with small arms and light weapons.

“What we are doing is to visit major stakeholders and to also share intelligence, information and to collaborate because we know without the armed forces, there is no way we can eradicate the proliferation of small Arms and Light Weapons,” he said.

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READ ALSO: FG Predicts Heavy Rainfall, Flood In Seven States

He further commended the Nigerian Army for always being at the forefront in ensuring that country is safe for all to live in, promising to strengthen the partnership in order to further make the country a better place for all to live.

Responding, Brig.-Gen. U.V Unachukwu promised the Division’s support to the Zonal Centre so as to achieve its mandate while recalling the pass records of the Zonal Director as a result-oriented senior officer.

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He also commended the Centre for working hand in hand with all the security agencies, traditional rulers and key stakeholders, adding that this would go a long way in mopping up and tackling the proliferation of illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons in the country.

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Arrears: AAU Management Replies ASUU Over

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The management of Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma has responded to a recent publication by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), AAU Chapter, alleging that the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sunday Olowo Samuel, claimed to have cleared all staff arrears.

A statement issued by Otunba Mike Aladenika, Principal Assistant Registrar and Head of Information, Protocol, and Public Relations, described the claim by ASUU as far from the truth.

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Aladenika said the Acting Vice-Chancellor’s 31-paragraph address to journalists did not state that all outstanding salary arrears had been paid.

He noted that instead, the VC emphasized the administration’s commitment to gradual liquidation of these arrears.

READ ALSO: AAU Acting VC Meets With Journalists, Rolls Out Achievements

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According to the imagemaker of the university, the Vice-Chancellor, in his speech, rather highlighted prompt payment of salaries and pensions as a hallmark of his administration, and noted that the university had implemented the new minimum wage of N70,000 as soon as it was approved.

Aladenika questioned where ASUU got their information from, given the Acting Vice-Chancellor’s clear statements.

“It’s worth noting that when the current administration took over, ASUU members were owed over 35 months in arrears.

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“However, the debt has since been reduced as those owed 35 months and above were paid 10 months emblock in the 1st tranch, while in the 2nd tranch, those owe 20-months and above were also paid 10 months salary arrears, emblock. Apart from individuals among them who got paid on personal requests, the payment of the backlogs is still ongoing as various applications on salary arrears are been attended to, demonstrating the management’s commitment to gradual payment.

READ ALSO: Okpebholo Approves Construction Of 500-room Hostel For AAU

“On the issue of the 13th month salary, it’s essential to clarify that this has never been a right, but rather a subject of tripartite negotiations between workers, management, and the state government. There has been no prior agreement or understanding on this matter, and it has always been a point of negotiation for our unions.

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“It’s worth noting that the university has never paid 13 months’ salary in a 12-month financial year. However, this doesn’t mean that the management is opposed to negotiations on the matter. Rather, we believe that it’s essential to approach such discussions in a constructive manner, rather than using it as a bargaining chip for blackmail.

“The management is open to negotiations, but we urge all parties to engage in good faith and avoid misrepresentations.”

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US Court Sentences Osun Monarch To Prison Over $4.2m Fraud

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A United States District Court has sentenced the Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun State, Oba Joseph Oloyede, to four years and eight months imprisonment over a $4.2million COVID-19 relief fraud scandal.

Justice Christopher Boyko while delivering the sentence on Tuesday, also ordered the monarch to pay $4.2 million in restitution.

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According Osun Defender, the monarch was also ordered to pay the sum of $195,000 to the IRS for filing a false tax return.

Justice Boyko also ordered Oloyede to forfeit $96,000 in money seized from his bank account and his home on Foote Road that he bought in 2021 for $130,000.

READ ALSO: US court Jails Five Nigerians 159 Years For $17m Fraud

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Boyko said Oloyede was a “very smart guy who did a lot of stupid things.”

Oba Oloyede, a US-based accountant and information system expert, was appointed the new Apetu in July 2019.

The monarch was arrested alongside alongside Nigerian pastor, Edward Oluwasanmi in early 2024 for their roles in a scheme to fraudulently obtain $4.2m in COVID-19 relief funds.

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The two men were charged with 13 counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property.

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