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NLC calls for complete autonomy for judiciary, local governments

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The Nigeria Labour Congress on Friday said its stance for total autonomy to be granted to all tiers and arms of government remains unchanged.

The NLC want autonomy for the judiciary, local governments and State Houses of Assemblies.

NLC President, Ayuba Wabba said this during a protest at the venue of a meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.

Mr Wabba explained that the current status quo is hampering the development of the country.

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He said Governors should grant autonomy to other tiers of government in line with the recent amendments to the constitution.

“We are aware that the Governors forum will be meeting here,” Mr Wabba said.

“We are aware that they are meeting to look at other issues. But we have three demands. Those demands are one, autonomy for the local governments. Two, autonomy for the judiciary. Three, autonomy for our State House of Assemblies. That’s the reason we are here. If it is not on their agenda, they must put it on their agenda. And it must pass through.

“We are tired of going in cycles. The underdevelopment in Nigeria today can be traced to the fact that the local government system is not working. The funds of the local government are not being given to them. We are aware that the funds for the local government is now pocket money for the boys. We are aware that there is no credible elections in the local government system. And therefore the issue of joint accounts, we don’t want that to happen again.

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“The members of the National Assembly have done their bit. All those issues have been contained in the proposed constitutional amendment. We are also aware that those bills, as passed by the two chambers of the National Assembly, have been transmitted to the State Houses of Assembly. And therefore we want them to do the needful.”
Governors meeting

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All 36 State Governors were scheduled to meet with the 36 State House of Assembly Speakers in Abuja on Friday.

The purpose of the meeting was to rub minds and brainstorm towards finding urgent solutions to issues of national importance.

According to an invitation issued by the Director-General of the NGF, Mr Bayo Okauru, the emergency meeting was to be held at the Frazier Suites in the Central Business District in Abuja.

It was expected to commence at 4pm and be chaired by NGF Chairman, Governor Kayode Fayemi.

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Crime

Terrorists attack Yobe military base, kill soldier

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Suspected terrorists about midnight of Saturday, March 23, attacked a military base in Gujba town, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State, killing a soldier.

Yobe State Police Command’s spokesman, DSP Dungus Abdulkarim, who confirmed the attack to Theheute on Sunday, said a military patrol vehicle was also torched by the suspected terrorists.

“The only thing I can confirm to you now is the attack. A soldier was killed, and troops and CJTF engaged the suspected terrorists,” he said.

Reliable local sources told Theheute that the suspected insurgents, who stormed the town by 12 midnight, shooting indiscriminately and subsequently attacking the military base, were later repelled by troops who chased them out to the surrounding bush.

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A resident of Gujba, Modu Bahna, while narrating his ordeal, said, “They (suspected terrorists) stormed the town some minutes after midnight, shooting sporadically and majority of us took to our heels into the surrounding bushes for our dear lives.”

“The attackers did not kill any civilian or loot food or other essential commodities stores,” another source, Dala Bukar, said, adding, “They only attacked the two patrol vehicles in the military base where a soldier was killed.”

This recent killing of a millionaire personal is coming after 15 soldiers were killed during a communal clash in Delta State.

The personnel consist of two Majors, one Captain, and 12 soldiers.

They were said to have met their deaths while responding to a distress call during a clash between Okuama and Okoloba communities in the state.

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Education

UNIJOS students protest water scarcity, blackout

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Students at the University of Jos, Plateau State, on Thursday, locked the institution’s gates protesting water scarcity and lack of electricity supply to their hostels.

The protesting students held placards with different inscriptions such as: ‘No light to soak gari’ and ‘We no get SUG.’

Others held empty buckets to symbolise the lack of water in the institution.

Some of the students, who spoke to our correspondent, lamented their plight and said that the situation had caused untold suffering to them and impacted negatively on their academic activities.

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One of the students, who gave his name simply as Josiah, said, “We don’t know what the school management wants the students to do. There has been no water in the hostels for the past two or three days. Even the blackout, which has been ongoing as well, has left several students completely stranded.

“Apart from that, we are also not happy with the school management over the dissolution of the Students Union Government because right now, the students have no direction because they don’t have any leadership.

“The VC and the school management have refused to give us a listening ear. They (school management) came here this morning and said we should send representatives to negotiate, but how can we be told to negotiate for our rights? This is not proper.

“The school management has now directed the students to send in representatives for negotiations. However, no one has volunteered to go since the protest was not led by the officials of the student body as the last SUG executives were dissolved in February and a new government has not been formed.”

It was learnt that following the protest, the university authority quickly deployed security operatives to the institution to prevent the protest from being hijacked by hoodlums to cause havoc, but the students were said to have vowed to stay at the gate until the issues were resolved.

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Some staff members of the university who were caught up in the protest, however, condemned the action of the students, describing it as unnecessary.

One of the staffers who refused to give his name said, “We got here this morning and discovered that the gate had been locked. Everything is not about protest. There was no official notice. We just started seeing students at the gate. I believe that if they had brought their complaints to the school management, they would have got immediate solution because the VC does not joke with the welfare of the students.”

Contacted, the university’s Dean of Students Affairs, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, acknowledged the challenge of water scarcity and blackout in the students’ hostels.

The Dean, who blamed the situation on the Jos Electricity Distribution Company over an outstanding debt, however, said that the problem had been resolved following an intervention by the Vice Chancellor.

“It is true that there was no water before now, but water has been supplied to the hostels. The JED severed our supply because of outstanding bills. The VC has intervened, and they are going to reconnect the light. As I am talking to you, water has been supplied. The light will be reconnected any moment from now and with the light restored, we won’t have the problem of water again,” the Dean assured.

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Crime

Police foil gunmen attack on Anambra station

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The Anambra State Police Command has said that it foiled a planned attack on the Police Divisional Headquarters in Nneni, in the Anaocha Local Government Area of the state.

Some yet-to-be-identified assailants, in the early hours of Thursday, invaded the police station, throwing explosive devices which burnt part of the building.

A source and one of the residents in the area said the hoodlums were attempting to free some inmates at the facility, but they were unsuccessful as police officers on duty repelled the attack.

When contacted, the police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the attack but added that no life was lost and the assailants were repelled.

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“In Nneni, no life was lost, no policeman was whisked away, and no arm was taken away. Instead, the hoodlums threw IEDs into the police facility which torched part of the building.

“Our operatives gallantly resisted the attackers which made them flee. Operations are still ongoing and further development shall be communicated, please,” Ikenga said.

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