#EndSARS Protest: Court orders police to probe Pastor Sam Adeyemi, Davido, Burna Boy, Falz, Don Jazzy, Peter Okoye and others

 

The Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory has been ordered by a Chief Magistrate Court in Abuja,  to launch an investigation into 50 notable persons accused of promoting the #EndSARS protest. 

 

Magistrate Omolola Akindele who ruled on the criminal complaint filed by an activist Kenechukwu Okeke, gave the police two weeks to investigate the matter and send a report for proper adjudication.

 

The letter written by the court registrar which was addressed to the CP read in part; 

 

“I am directed by the Presiding Chief Magistrate II, his worship, Hon. Omolola Tolulope Akindele, sitting at Chief Magistrate Court 2, Wuse Zone 6, FCT Abuja, to write to your office to investigate the above-mentioned case and report back within two weeks for proper adjudication of the case.”

 

Defendants in the case include the Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, Sam Adeyemi; Musician Damini Ogulu aka Burna Boy, David Adeleke otherwise known as Davido, Folarin Falana popularly known as Falz; and social media comedians, Debo Adebayo aka Mr Macaroni and Maryam Apaokagi aka Taoma. 

 

Other musicians sued include Peter and Paul Okoye, Innocent Idibia aka Tuface, Bankole Wellington popularly known as Banky W, Tiwa Savage, Michael Ajereh aka Don Jazzy; Ayo Balogun aka Wizkid; and Yemi Alade.

 

Activist Aisha Yesufu; ex-Super Eagles star, Kanu Nwankwo; a former Director-General, Bureau for Public Sector Reform, Dr. Joe Abah; journalist, Kiki Mordi, and actors, Yul Edochie and Uche Jombo were also listed as defendants in the case. 

 

Others are Feyikemi Abudu, Olorunrinu Oduala, Pamilerin Adegoke, Japhet Omojuwa, Ayo Sogunro, Deji Adeyanju and Tope Akinyode.

 

Recall that Okeke who insisted that the defendants played active roles in the #EndSARS protest which later became violent in the lawsuit he filed, had affirmed that they need to be brought to justice over the protest in which lives and properties were destroyed.

FG to engage 1st class and 2nd Class upper Graduates as teachers

Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Education, Sonny Echono has announced that the federal government will be engaging First Class and Second Class graduates as teachers. 

 

Echono who spoke on Saturday November 14 as he monitored the conduct of the 2020 October Diet Batch B Teachers’ Professional Qualifying Examinations (PQE), noted that teachers without requisite qualifications, competencies and practicing license are presently migrated out of the Nigerian Teaching Service. 

 

The permanent secretary maintained that the entry level will be higher and teachers absorbed into the programme will get better remuneration with peculiar allowances.

 

He disclosed that concerned Education agencies are finalising figures with National Income Salaries and Wages, and further added that the federal government  is more interested in learning outcomes and that a National Implementation Committee on teachers’ revitalization/resuscitation plan will be inaugurated before the end of November 2020.

 

He said; 

 

“By 2021, we will not engage teachers if they don’t meet particular threshold, we are now limiting entry point of teaching only to the best who are qualified, we will engage individuals with second class upper and first class divisions.

“We will make arrangements for conversion programmes for people who have these categories of results from other fields, they need to learn pedagogy, methodology, through the NTI and the TRCN, and they will undergo specific programmes that will empower them to teach.

“We must enforce Mr. President’s directive that only qualified teachers will be allowed into our classrooms. The Professional Qualifying Examinations is going on smoothly across 34 states and the feedback has been good."

FG to feed and deworm children with N142.3 billion in 2021

 

The federal government has budgeted N142.3 billion to feed 9.86 million children, deworm seven million children and recount the pupils in 2021 under the Home-Grown School Feeding programme (NHGSFP). 

 

Premium Times reported that the N142.3 billion is meant to cater to the feeding of about 10 million, deworming of seven million primary 1-3 pupils in 35 states and FCT and 60,000 out-of-school children, enumeration of pupils and training of cooks and farmers.

 

It was further gathered that the proposed allocation for the NHGSFP accounts for 40.5 per cent of the total recurrent expenditure of the nation’s social investment programmes, NSIP, domiciled under the ministry of humanitarian affairs which was established in 2019. 

 

The humanitarian ministry which has also disclosed that it is planning to expand the NHGSFP programme to target additional five million children in conventional and non-conventional schools under the Alternate School Programme in 2021, also budgeted N2.7 billion for the “purchase of feeding utensils, devices for capturing and aprons for cooks” for the feeding programme.

 

In all, the NHGSFP could gulp N145 billion in 2021. The amount billed for the NHGSFP is a slice from the N400 billion – N350 billion recurrent and N50 billion capital expenditure – proposed to the National Assembly for the implementation of the nation’s social investment programmes (NSIP) in 2021.

Nigerians react after Nigerian Army said they are not happy Gov Sanwo-Olu denied inviting them to the Lekki tollgate

 

Nigerians on social media are reacting to the Nigerian Army expressing disappointment at the Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for ''denying'' he invited them to the Lekki tollgate on October 20.

 

Peaceful EndSARS protesters who had gathered at the tollgate to protest were shot at on October 20. There have been conflicting reports about the number of casualties. While the state government says two persons were killed, popular Disk Jockey, DJ Switch who shared on Instagram live feed from the scene as she and others helped save the injured, said she counted about 15 bodies and they handed them all to the soldiers who were present.

 

Shortly after the incident, Governor Sanwo-Olu in a press conference stated that no sitting governor controls the rules of engagement of the military. Read here

 

On the day of the incident, the Nigerian Army took to its Twitter handle to deny claims its personnel was at the scene of the incident.

 

 

On October 27, the Army broke its silence and alleged that the Lagos state governor invited them to help quell the violence that erupted after the protest was hijacked by hoodlums. Read here.

 

At the continued hearing of the Lagos state judicial panel of injury on the incident on Saturday 15, Commander of the 81 Military Intelligence Brigade, Brigadier Ahmed Taiwo, said the Nigerian Army is unhappy that governor Sanwo-Olu denied inviting them to come and restore calm at the Lekki Tollgate area of the state in the heat of the #EndSARS protests.

 

Nigerians have since taken to social media to react to comments made by the Nigerian Army.

See reactions below..