Waiting for response to a PUNCHy question
In a report by The PUNCH, it had, in December 2018, written a letter to the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tunji Bello, requesting to know how much of taxpayers’ money had been spent on former governors and former deputy governors based on the Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension) Law No 11 official Gazette of Lagos State, 2007. The Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension) Law No 11 official Gazette of Lagos State, 2007 states that former governors of the state are entitled to a house each in any location of their choice in Lagos and Abuja.
A former governor is entitled to six new cars every three years, 100 per cent of the basic salary of the serving governor (N7.7m per annum), as well as free health care for himself and members of his family. The law also says former governors will be entitled to furniture allowance, which is 300 per cent of their annual basic salary (N23.3m); house maintenance allowance, which is 10 per cent of basic salary (N778,296); utility allowance, which is 20 per cent of the salary (N1.5m) and car maintenance allowance, which is 30 per cent of the annual basic salary (N2.3m).
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and his deputy, Oluranti Adebule, are expected to be added to the list of beneficiaries once their tenure expires next month.
LOL. This story is very punchy! We dey follow PUNCH dey wait for response. Eko o ni baje o.
Go hide your face, BMO tells PDP
The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has lashed out at the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over its support for the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, asking them and their leaders to go hide their faces in shame after Justice Onnoghen tendered his resignation letter over corruption allegations.
“Nigerians all saw the manner PDP and its leaders, including its Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, ran from pillar to post before the election in a bid to defend Justice Onnoghen,” said Akinsiju. “They were quick to shout political witch-hunt to the high heavens and that was in spite of the overwhelming evidence which they insisted on not interrogating because the CJN’s suspension tallied with the wrong impression of a dictatorial government that PDP was keen on selling to the electorate in the run up to the election.”
Okay. Point made. I want to mention somebody’s name but he’s busy governing Kano State, so I’ll hold my peace.
Beware! Going abroad could get you harvested
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has warned Nigerians of the booming organ harvest in parts of the Middle East, urging them to beware of fake foreign travel agencies. According to a press statement signed by Mr Ikechukwu Attah, National Protocol Officer, IOM-Nigeria, these fake agencies promise their victims work abroad and help with their travel documents, only to put them in harm’s way.
“Beware of fake foreign agencies that promise work abroad. They process your papers, pay your ticket and then take you abroad in pretense that they want to get you a job there. Instead, they end up killing their victims and harvesting all the valuable body parts,” Attah said. “A lot of people were offered jobs in the Middle East but up to now their family members cannot trace their whereabouts.”
Hopefully, those concerned will heed this warning. But trust Nigerians, money must be made anyhow-anyhow is a mantra to live by, or die for.
JAMB: Fewer numbers and reductions palava
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) recorded a 4.01 per cent drop in the applications received in 2018. The NBS, in its JAMB Applications and Admitted Candidates by State and Gender within Faculty Data (2017-2018) posted on its website, stated that applications received in 2018 were 1.65 million as against the 1.72 million received in 2017. This, it said, represented about 4.01 per cent drop in comparison to the total applications received in 2017.
Similarly, candidates admitted in 2018 were 549,763 as against the 566,719 admitted candidates in 2017.The report said the fall in total admitted candidates in 2018 was about 2.99 per cent, compared to the total admitted candidates in 2017.
Chai. Reading all this statistical talk and my phobia for mathematics has proven to me why some potential candidates stayed away from JAMB.
12 years a prisoner
Wayne Bell, 29, who was jailed for punching someone and stealing their bike aged 17 is still yet to be released more than 12 years later. He was handed a Public Protection Sentence (IPP) in March 2007, meaning he has to convince a Parole Board to release him. The controversial type of sentence was introduced in 2005 and has since been discredited and abolished as ‘unjust’.
Wayne’s family are now calling for his release and say all he wants is a ‘girlfriend, a job and a car’. Wayne’s father Carl Bell said: “He’s never had a girlfriend. He’s never had a life at all really. There are probably kids who have done the same as him but they’re now married and have their own kids.” Wayne’s family say other inmates know he is vulnerable as an IPP prisoner and have ‘targeted’ him because they know it will impact his release.
This is really sad. And this is how people get pushed down the hole of desperation and depression and other intense emotions. Hope he gets out pretty soon.