BIG STORY

Alumni Association Kicks As LAUTECH Amendment Bill Passes Second Reading

Published

3 years ago

March 16, 2022

A bill to change the current status of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso from a technical institution to a conventional university has passed second reading in the Oyo State House of Assembly.

The bill is also seeking to change the university’s name from LAUTECH to Ladoke Akintola University (LAU).

However, the LAUTECH Alumni Association (worldwide) kicked against changing the name of the university.

Governor Seyi Makinde had sought to change the university from a technology institution to a conventional one and the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin, said on Tuesday that the bill had passed the second reading.

The speaker said, ”The bill has scaled second reading. We are working on it to ensure that our students and others like them have the opportunity of studying any course they like. This time around, they will not be restricted to technical education or courses alone. This shows how futuristic and forward-looking our Governor is.”

But the LAUTECH Alumni Association opposed the renaming in a communique issued on Tuesday following an emergency meeting of the association called by the Global President, Solomon Onilede.

The communique which was signed by LAUTECH Alumni Global Secretary, Prof. A.O Ige, was made available to our correspondent on Tuesday.

The alumni association argued that the university and its students, as well as old students, would suffer greatly if the name was changed from LAUTECH.

The communique read, “That the enabling documents and technical papers that established the university had already captured all the programmes in different fields of study. These programmes are to be rolled out in phases as the university advances; such as agriculture, engineering, medicine, sciences, environmental sciences, pharmacy, law, education, arts, social sciences.

“That licence to establish the University of Technology was given after due diligence and evaluation were carried out ab initio to the technical report.
The word “Technology” does not reside in Engineering exclusively instead, it connotes advancement in different fields of study. Therefore, there is technology in law, technology in arts, technology in education, Technology in pharmacy, technology in agriculture etc.

“That the unique name is LAUTECH, that thousands of graduates of LAUTECH at undergraduate, postgraduate and professional levels, would suffer a huge setback in their places of work which might be irredeemable if the university is renamed.

“Renaming of LAUTECH would demoralize all stakeholders (Staff, Parents, Students, Immediate community, members of Alumni Association and would return the University to zero level. Global and national correspondences would be greatly affected.
Celebrating LAUTECH, the best state university should continue with proper funding for teaching and research so as to occupy a vintage position globally.

“There are several universities of Technology within the country and abroad that run numerous programmes such as laws, technology, education etc.
We sincerely appreciate Governor Seyi Makinde for his unalloyed support to the University.

“It is our prayer that the branded name of LAUTECH be retained even to accommodate the name LAUTECH is strong enough to accommodate all other programmes as envisaged in the technical paper that established the university.”

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BIG STORY

65% Of Nigerian Households Can’t Afford Healthy Meals — NBS

Published

23 mins ago

November 22, 2024

PorscheClassy News

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reports that food scarcity, insecurity, and high prices have led Nigerian households to reduce consumption, with 65 percent unable to afford healthy meals due to financial constraints.

These findings were released in the NBS’s latest General Household Survey Panel (Wave 5) report, conducted in partnership with the World Bank.

The report reveals that 71 percent of households were affected by rising prices of major food items, while food shortages impacted more than a third of households over the past year. These shortages were particularly severe in June, July, and August, worsening the food insecurity crisis.

As a result, 48.8 percent of households reported cutting back on food consumption, according to the NBS data.

“In the past 12 months, more than one-third of households faced food shortages, which occurred more frequently in the months of June, July, and August,” the report states.

“Price increases on major food items were the most prevalent shock reported by households, affecting 71.0 percent of surveyed households.”

“Households’ main reported mechanism for coping with shocks was reducing food consumption (48.8 percent).”

‘62.4% Nigerian Households Secured Less Food’

The report also notes a significant increase in the number of households concerned about not having enough food to eat, with the figure rising from 36.9 percent in Wave 4 (conducted in 2019) to 62.4 percent in Wave 5.

According to the NBS, this surge reflects a rise in food insecurity, with more than half of Nigerian families struggling to meet their dietary needs.

“Approximately two out of three households (65.8 percent) reported being unable to eat healthy, nutritious, or preferred foods because of lack of money in the last 30 days. 63.8 percent of households ate only a few kinds of food due to lack of money, 62.4 percent were worried about not having enough food to eat, and 60.5 percent ate less than they thought they should,” the report adds.

“Furthermore, 12.3 percent reported that at least one person in the household went without eating for a whole day, and 20.8 percent of households had to borrow food or rely on help from friends or relatives.”

“In general, households in the southern zones report more incidents related to food security than those in northern zones.”

“For example, in the southern zones, the proportion of households reporting that they had to skip a meal ranged from 50.1 percent in South West to 62.4 percent in South East, while in the northern zones this share varied from 34.0 percent in North Central to 48.3 percent in North East.”

The report further highlights that residents in the south-south zone experienced the highest rates of food insecurity across five out of eight indicators. In contrast, the north-central zone had the lowest rates in six of the eight indicators.

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BIG STORY

POLITICS: Rest 31-Year Presidential Ambition — Bode George Tells Atiku Abubakar

Published

2 hours ago

November 22, 2024

PorscheClassy News

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, has advised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to end his 31-year-long bid to be President.

Noting that Atiku’s bid to be President dated back to 1993, George said it was high time the former Vice President retired from such a contest, especially in the 2027 election.

Addressing a press conference at his Ikoyi, Lagos office, on Thursday, George urged Atiku to assume the position of an elder in the nation and leave his bid to posterity.

“To Atiku, my advice is this, you will be 81 years old in 2027, and you have been contesting for the presidency since 1993. This is the time for you to calm down and act like an elder. I appeal to you in the name of the Almighty Allah, that you serve, to take it easy and leave everything for posterity,” George said.

George decried that the PDP was on the verge of crumbling because people uplifted their personal interests and individual ambitions above national interest.

He criticised the “divisive, arrogant, haughty” members of the party romancing the ruling All Progressives Congress yet failing to defect from the PDP, describing them as cowards.

“We are where we are today because of a self-inflicted crisis; we should bury our individual ambitions now and not allow the PDP to crumble, please. Elders of the party should tell some of these funny characters to cool off and think of our national interest instead of their personal interest.

“Nigerians are angry and hungry. Instead of telling the APC the truth, some divisive, arrogant and haughty members are busy romancing the ruling party and they are quick to refer to themselves as elder statesmen. Instead of instigating a crisis in our party, why are they not bold enough to defect to the APC? Do they really fear God at all? No member is big enough to hold the party to ransom,” George added.

Particularly pointing to the crisis between Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, George urged Wike to immediately “cool off” from wanting to “bring down” Fubara.

George said it was worrisome that some party members, rather than bringing the two parties to mediation, further fuelled the Fubara/Wike crisis for their selfish interests.

“My advice to Wike is very simple. You are my political son. I am therefore appealing to him to cool off immediately. I know he was injured by friends during the last PDP presidential contest, but I am advising him as a father to please take it easy. Nobody is bigger than any party. Forget what happened in the past and let us work together in the interest of this party.

“I want to ask the elders at the helm of affairs of our party today, ‘What exactly is the offence of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State?’ What exactly is the offence of this gentleman that some elders of our party are trying to throw him under the bus because of political expediency? What exactly is going on that some party members don’t feel bothered about the happenings in Rivers State? Governor Fubara was helped by Governor Wike to become the number one citizen of the oil-bearing state. The governor himself acknowledged this on several occasions.

“Must the governor now behave like a slave to his predecessor and other characters because of this concept of godfatherism which is a misnomer in our politics? Why are some party members encouraging his predecessor to bring him down? He is in Abuja; he wants to control what goes on in Rivers State.

“Did the governors before him behave this way? Why are the party leaders not eager to mediate and bring both groups to normalcy? The PDP cannot continue like this. Why can’t we learn from our past mistakes? Is our party jinxed? Why can’t we tell all these troublemakers to go and sit down if they don’t want this party to move forward?”

The National Assembly has amended the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, prescribing life imprisonment for drug offenders and traffickers.

This decision followed the adoption of the harmonised report by the Senate and House of Representatives on the NDLEA Act amendment.

Presenting the report, the Chairman of the Senate Conference Committee, Senator Tahir Monguno, explained that the amendment sought to impose stricter penalties to deter illegal drug activities.

The amendment specifically stated: “Any person who unlawfully engages in the storage, custody, movement, carriage, or concealment of dangerous drugs or controlled substances and, while doing so, is armed with an offensive weapon or disguised in any manner, commits an offence under this Act and is liable, upon conviction, to life imprisonment.”

The Senate approved the recommendation through a voice vote during Thursday’s plenary, presided over by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin.

In addition to the NDLEA amendment, the Senate also passed a bill to empower the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission.

The proposed legislation, known as the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission Bill of 2024, sought to replace the existing RMAFC Act of 2004.

The updated law revises the commission’s composition and operational framework to ensure federal, state, and local governments receive constitutionally mandated resources to address governance and developmental challenges.

Presenting the bill, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Planning and Economic Affairs, Yahaya Abdullahi, highlighted the urgency of reforming the commission in light of Nigeria’s dwindling revenues and growing population.

Abdullahi explained that the bill aims to strengthen RMAFC’s mandate as the constitutionally recognised body responsible for monitoring revenue generation and ensuring its equitable distribution among the three tiers of government.

“The Act, last revised over 20 years ago, no longer reflects Nigeria’s evolving economic realities. This bill proposes additional funding and a restructured operational framework for the commission to improve its efficiency,” he said.

He further emphasised that adequate funding from the Federation Account was critical for RMAFC to perform its constitutional responsibilities effectively, noting that funding challenges had previously hindered its performance.

The Senate endorsed the bill following deliberations and a majority vote.

It now awaits President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to become law.

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BIG STORY

Man, Girlfriend Arrested For Kidnapping, Murder Of 70-Yr-Old Woman In Enugu

Published

3 hours ago

November 22, 2024

PorscheClassy News

A 33-year-old man, Ikechukwu Okoye, and his 39-year-old girlfriend, Juliet Ogbodo, have been arrested by the Enugu State Police Command for allegedly kidnapping and murdering a 70-year-old woman, Mrs. Mary Nwatu.

The suspects, both from Onuorie-Obuno in Akpugo Community, Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state, are accused of killing the victim and burying her in a shallow grave before demanding a ransom of N6 million from her children.

They were apprehended after receiving N20,000 from the family, ostensibly to facilitate a phone call with the victim.

In a statement issued Thursday night, the command’s spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, revealed that the arrest was made by the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad, based on credible intelligence.

According to Ndukwe, preliminary investigations showed that Mrs. Nwatu was reported missing on September 15, 2024.

“On October 5, 2024, the principal suspect, Ikechukwu Okoye, who is also a kinsman of the victim, contacted her children, demanding a ransom of N6 million,” Ndukwe stated.

Okoye was later arrested and reportedly confessed to the crime.

“He admitted abducting Mrs. Nwatu on September 14, 2024, at about 8 am when she came to their house to look for his mother.

“He further confessed to killing her and burying her in a shallow grave inside an uncompleted building in the compound,” the police officer said.

The suspect also admitted to demanding a ransom from the victim’s children, initially requesting N6 million before negotiating it down to N3 million.

However, he accepted an initial payment of N20,000 on the condition that the family would hear their mother’s voice over the phone before making further payments.

Juliet Ogbodo, Okoye’s girlfriend, also confessed during interrogation that she was aware of the crime but claimed she did not report it to authorities out of fear.

The victim’s remains have since been exhumed and taken to a mortuary for preservation and autopsy.

Ndukwe assured the public that the suspects, along with any others found complicit, would be arraigned in court once investigations are concluded.

“The Enugu State Police Command remains committed to ensuring justice for the victim and her family,” Ndukwe said.

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