Ministry of Labour Not Recruiting - Ngige

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige on Monday in Abuja denounced a publication on the internet directing applicants to submit their credentials to the ministry.

In a statement signed by Samuel Olowookere, Deputy Director of Press in the Ministry, Ngige urged the public to disregard the publication as it did not emanate from the ministry. 

“The general public is hereby advised to disregard this false directive as it did not emanate from the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

“In view of the apprehension the above false information has generated, it is pertinent to point out that the present administration is committed to the creation of decent employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed Nigerians.“It has perfected plans for massive job creation through well thought out programmes such as Graduate Teachers Conversion Programme and Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS), among others.”

The statement assured that the public will be duly informed when the programs are ready for roll out.

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Photos From Yola Market Fire Outbreak

An early morning inferno engulfed the Yola Main Market this Monday.

The cause of the fire outbreak and the extent of damage done are not yet known but reports have it that the fire service of the American University of Nigeria has brought it under control.

Photo credits: Naij.com

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Lassa Fever Kills One In Taraba; Outbreak Feared

The sudden appearance of lassa fever in Taraba State is causing panic among the population.

Already, the state government has confirmed one person dead from the disease and two others in quarantine.

According to Innocent Vakkai, Taraba State Commissioner for Health, the government has already taken steps to contain the situation.

“One person died and two others quarantined and their blood samples have already been taken to Irrua Specialist Hospital in Edo State for further confirmation,” he said.

Vakkai also gave some hints on how to avoid the disease.

“People usually get infected with the Lassa Virus after exposure to infected rodents, while person to person transmission occurs through direct contact with the sick person.

”Other precautionary measures include putting food in rodent proof containers and wearing protections such as masks, gloves, gowns among others,” he said.

He listed some of the symptoms of lassa fever as bleeding from the nose, mouth and anus.

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Photos From Emma Ohakim's Daughter's Call To Bar

December 15, 2015 will for a long time be a day to remember for the Ohakims.

It was the that Chiamaka, the daughter of the former Chief of Staff of the Government of Imo State, Emma Ohakim was called to the Nigerian bar.

See photos of the Ohakims' moments of pride as they savoured the occasion with a sense of achievement and fulfillment.

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APC Will Deliver On Its Promises - Oyegun

Read excerpts from APC National Chairman, John Oyegun's New Year Message to Nigerians.

On 2015
“While 2015 was difficult for many Nigerians, we must also look back, with relief and a collective sense of jubilation, to the momentous opportunity it offered to the electorate to make the long-desired change of political leadership at the federal level and in many states."

On Terrorism
“It is also reassuring that Nigeria is winning the war against insurgency. With their welfare now taken care more seriously, the morale of our gallant troops in combat areas has been heightened. The international community is cooperating with Nigeria’s military offensives, including sharing of intelligence information, to end insurgency in Nigeria, as part of the efforts to combat global terrorism."

On Corruption.
“In spite of desperate and shameless attempts to discredit President Buhari’s anti-cor­ruption efforts, the war against graft is being won . It is reassur­ing that the Federal Government has recovered huge sums from looters of our common wealth, which will be injected into the 2016 national budget."

On Infrastructure
“The state of government infrastructure has improved. Electricity supply has improved in most parts of the country. Eleven years after the dismantling of toll gates on federal roads, the present administration has signalled its intention to reintroduce toll gates in a bid to generate revenue for road maintenance and in line with global best practice.

“The present administration is also reviewing concessions arrangements and exploring ways of leveraging on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) ar­rangements in road construction and other infrastructural projects.“

On Job Creation 
"Job creation and social inclusion are critical to the ad­ministration’s development
programmes, as a response to unemployment, poverty and inequality. To this end, Presi­dent Buhari has promised that 500,000 new teachers would be recruited among other job creation initiatives."

On Commitment to Promises
“I want to give a firm assurance that all the promises made by the party in respect of the 2015 elections to Nigerians will be kept. The New Year holds great dividends for Nigerians when the policies of the Buhari’s administration are enforced full blast in the 2016 financial year,” he said.“The unprecedented N6.08 trillion ‘Budget of Change’ presented by the President to a joint session of the National Assembly provides ample framework to deliver on these promises.“These include the proposed social welfare programmes,which will pay unemployed Nigerian graduates (post-NYSC grant); feed school children and cater for a larger population of the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians.“As a result of the full imple­mentation of the Treasury Sin­gle Account (TSA), the Federal Government is now able to in real-time electronically track and monitor all government revenue inflows and disbursements, a development that has greatly plugged revenue leakages."

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Shekarau Denies Asking Buhari For Severance Package

A former Minister of Education in the Jonathan administration, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau has said that he and some of his colleagues did not at any time demand severance packages from President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said that knowing that they joined the Jonathan cabinet at a later date, they did not expect to be paid any severance allowance.

A statement issued through
his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Sule Yau Sule reads;

“Malam, like his other counterparts in Jonathan’s cabinet did not request for severance package from this administration. Therefore , the question of their being refused does not arise.

“For the avoidance of doubt and to set the records straight, the ministers who joined the Jonathan administration at a later date were aware they were not entitled to severance package since they did not meet the two-year benchmark.

“They were aware of the extant laws on compensation as they affect public office holders and did not request to be paid what they were not entitled to, either while in office or after they left.

“Therefore, the claim that the former ministers may forfeit their severance pay is both inaccurate and presumptuous.

“It must be reiterated here that the primary motivation for Malam in accepting appointment into the Federal Executive Council was to serve this country for which he remains grateful and harbours no regrets.”

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$2.1b Arms Probe: EFCC Arrests Top Military Officer

A serving top military officer who was a technical aide to a former National Security Adviser(NSA), the late Gen. Owoye Azazi and his successor, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), has been detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC in connection with the $2.1billion arms contracts.

THE NATION reports that the arrest of the officer who has been detained since the last two weeks in causing ripples in top military circles where some chiefs were said to have been involved in the arms deals.

The detained officer is said to have been in charge of the weapons procured during the tenures of the two former NSAs.
As a source told THE NATION;
“The military officer was picked up in connection with the purchase of the arms because he was in charge of inventory and how each unit of the Armed Forces got its equipment.

“The EFCC has invited the officer to verify the arms purchase and the delivery status.

“This same officer related with many former and serving chiefs. There is no way he can be questioned without involving some of these officers in the military hierarchy.

“The arms scandal is messy and many ranking officers were involved. This is causing anxiety in the military because if the detained officer opens up, the probe will lead to more revelations.”

THE NATION learnt that some former Service Chiefs and military officers have been making efforts to find out what transpired between their detained colleague and the anti graft agency.

“These anxious military officers and associates have had limited contact with the top chief in detention facility.

“The latest dimension of the investigation shows that heads may roll in the military over these arms deals,” said the source.

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