NEWS
NYSC, INEC Review MoU on Corps Members Election Participation
By Evelyn Terseer, Abuja
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has reviewed the Memorandum of Understanding with the Independent National Electoral Commission for a more robust welfare package and enhanced security for Corps members and NYSC officials during elections.
NYSC Director-General, Major General Shuaibu Ibrahim during the signing of the reviewed MoU at the INEC Headquarters in Abuja, on Tuesday, said the involvement of Corps members in the country’s electoral process has brought more credibility to the electoral process.
In the statement by the Deputy Director of Press and Public relations, Emeka Mgbemena, he promised that the Corps would continue to sustain the relationship with INEC, adding that Corps members are always willing to contribute their quota to the overall development of the country, especially in the enthronement of credible elections.
“I want to urge INEC that we will continue to sustain the relationship. I can assure you that Corps members are willing, patriotic and ready to put in their best in the service of the country”, he said.
The INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu in his remarks said Nigeria was fortunate to have the NYSC scheme, adding that the Corps participation in previous elections in different states across the country was commendable.
“I cannot imagine the conduct of credible elections happening in Nigeria without the NYSC. Youth Corps members are among the most educated, most committed, most patriotic and the most readily available election- duty staff in Nigeria”, INEC Chairman said.
Mahmood said the reviewed Memorandum of Understanding has identified 11 obligations on the part of INEC and 10 obligations on the part of NYSC.
The INEC boss promised to make security and welfare of Corps members on election duty top priority.
He added that the MoU also provides insurance for all adhoc staff under the INEC Personnel Electoral Hazard Policy during election.
“This covers injury, permanent disability, loss of life or property; or any person declared missing in the course of carrying out the commission’s assigned duties.
I want to assure you that we will continue to take our obligations with our youths very seriously. I want to thank you for standing by Nigeria and the electoral process, for standing by credible elections and standing by our democracy”, Mahmood said.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit Zone C, says it intercepted contrabands with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N510.92 million between July 15th and September 15th, 2024.The zone covers the six states in the South-South geopolitical zone and the five states in the Southeast geopolitical zone.
This is contained in a statement signed by Jerry Attah, Public Relations Officer, NCS, Zone C, and made available to journalists on Wednesday. According to the statement, Comptroller Michael Ugbagu, NCS, Zone C, gave the statistics while showcasing the seized contraband to relevant regulatory agencies at the Government Warehouse in Edo.Ugbagu said that the zone also recovered the sum of N25.57 million from demand notices raised based on some infractions noticed, making a cumulative sum of N536.49 million recorded within the months under review.“The DPV was derived from our seized goods, which include 49,699 sachets of various brands of tramadol and 3,350 bottles of various cough syrups with codeine without an NAFDAC number.“1,015 sacks of dry donkey meat and skin, 75 jumbo bales of second-hand clothing, 463 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 269 pieces of used pneumatic tires, and 56 cartons of smuggled foreign tomato paste.“More worrisome is the interception of 49,699 sachets of various brands of tramadol and 3,350 bottles of various cough syrups with codeine without NAFDAC registration numbers.”He noted that the cough syrup with codeine and tramadol without NAFDAC registration numbers, if not intercepted, could have had adverse effects on youths.He added that the items were mostly intercepted along the Ewu-Okada/Benin expressways based on credible intelligence. (NAN)
The Forum of Stakeholders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has decried the deplorable condition of some federal roads in Nigeria. Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the North-Central Chairman of the forum, said this in an interaction with newsmen on Wednesday in Jos. Zazzaga described some of the federal roads as ”death traps”, particularly those within the north-central region.
He said that some of the deplorable roads in the region include Jos-Akwanga, Makurdi-Oturkpo-Otukpa, Makurdi-Ankpa, and Jos-Saminaka. Other roads that needed urgent attention, he said, included Suleja-Minna, Ejule-Otukpa, Ganawuri-Manchok, Lokoja-Abuja, Lapai-Agaie-Bida, Birnin-Gwari-Bokani-Mokwa, Minna-Zungeru-Tegina-Kontagora. ”Currently, the north-central region has the most deplorable roads and highways in the country. ”These deplorable roads have brought severe hardship on the people and lost lives and property through preventable road traffic crashes. ”We call on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure the rehabilitation of these roads because good roads are vital enablers of development,” he said. The chairman also called on governors of states within the region to reconstruct the dilapidated roads and seek refunds from the federal government. ”Though these are largely federal roads, they are located within states, and the beneficiaries are the people of these states. ”So we call on state governments to reconstruct these roads and seek refunds from the federal government,” he added. (NAN
The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, strengthened 160 pips to 7.087 against the dollar on Wednesday.This is according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.In China’s spot foreigners exchange market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by two per cent from the central parity rate each trading day.
The central parity rate of the yuan against the dollar is based on a weighted average of prices offered by market makers before the opening of the interbank market each business day. (Xinhua/NAN)
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