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Jega, Soludo, Bakare, Yesufu, Aboyeji to Grace #FixPolitics’ Public Launch

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President Muhammadu Buhari

The immediate past chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Atahiru Jega, will lead Nigerians from diverse political parties and organisations to speak at the public launch of #FixPolitics on Wednesday, November 11, 2020.

Notable young Nigerians that will join the former INEC chairman to canvass on fixing Nigeria’s politics include Aisha Yesufu, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Jude Abaga(also known as M.I Abaga), Cynthia Mbamalu, Yemi Adamolekun, Samson Itodo, among others. Dike Chukwumerije will render the Spoken Word on #FixPolitics.

Mr. Felipe Calderon and Dr. Joyce Banda, former presidents of Mexico and Malawi, respectively, have confirmed their participation. Calderon will deliver the keynote speech, while Prof. Remi Sonaiya, a former presidential candidate, will give the welcome address.

The programme itinerary showed that Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Fakhrriyah Hashim and Adamolekun are expected to do justice to the first panel session of the day, which is titled, “Is there an Emerging Consensus to Fix Politics?” Dr. Jibo Ibrahim will moderate the discussion.

Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed will be joined by Aboyeji and Mbamalu to discuss “Emerging a New Value-based Political Class.” Dr. Amina Salihu will serve as the moderator.

Jega, Itodo and Ayo Sogunro will take the podium as discussants on “Mobilising a Citizens-led Constitutional, Political and Electoral Reforms,” while Idayat Hassan will moderate.

According to the concept note endorsed by 120 Work Study Group members of #FixPolitics, the event will be live-streamed via Facebook at Fix Politics NG and on other social media channels of the group.

Details on the concept note also showed that the event will feature a documentary on “The Journey to #FixPolitics” as well as another panel session on “Emerging an Empowered and Engaged Electorate,” which would be rationalised by Ndi Kato, Adewunmi Emoruwa, and Dr. Usman Bugaje. Chioma Agwuegbo will moderate the session.

#FixPolitics is the brainchild of Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, a presidential candidate in Nigeria’s 2019 general elections and former Vice President of the World Bank.

In a statement issued to the media, on Thursday, through her Publicist and Spokesperson, Mr. Ozioma Ubabukoh, she said the mission of the group was to elevate the office of the citizen to its rightful place in Nigeria and develop a political class of servant leaders.

“The Work Study Group aims at using the public launch of #FixPolitics to inform Nigerians about the research outcomes and stimulate public conversations and unleash ideas that will help emerge an empowered and engaged electorate, produce a new value- based political class and mobilise a compelling public campaign for constitutional, political, and electoral reforms,” Ezekwesili said.

She added, “The overarching objective of the public launch event is to provide opportunity for a ‘Call-to-Action’ to a wider audience of citizens to join the Work Study Group members of #FixPolitics in crystallising the most effective collection action programme that can transform Nigeria’s politics. 
“Such launch of activities that will over the years and decades consciously and systematically mobilise citizens across multiple divides of the Nigerian society to take responsibility and collectively course-correct their struggling democracy is the ultimate mission of #FixPolitics.”

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Education

FG Abolishes 18-Year Age Benchmark For Admission Into Tertiary Institutions

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University - Investors King

The new Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has abolished the controversial 18-year admission benchmark for tertiary institutions in the country.

This is coming as the minister indicated interest in reviewing the nation’s education policy.

However, Alausa stated that there would be no reversal of the Federal Government’s decision to void over 22,700-degree certificates obtained by Nigerians from some “fake” universities in neighbouring Togo and the Benin Republic.

Alausa spoke on Tuesday at his inaugural ministerial press conference in Abuja.

He stated that practical education will help to address the unemployment situation in Nigeria, as tertiary institutions will not continue to churn out graduates every year without providing jobs for them.

He disclosed that the Federal Government will collaborate with private sector operators to train students in order to discover and unleash their potential.

Alausa added that universities of agriculture will be empowered to adopt commercial farming practices to combat food insecurity.

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Outrage in Equatorial Guinea: Government Restricts WhatsApp Multimedia Sharing Amid Scandal

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There is outrage in Equatorial Guinea as the government restricted its citizens from downloading and sharing multimedia files using mobile data on WhatsApp.

This decision followed the guidelines that the country’s government gave to telecommunications operators when it urged them to implement measures to restrict access to inappropriate content.

The country’s Director General, National Financial Investigation Agency, Baltasar Engonga, has been involved in a sex scandal involving the wives of notable people in the nation.

The scandal emerged in the course of a fraud investigation against the 54-year-old economist which resulted in the search of his house and office on impromptu notice by ANIF officials who came across several CDs that later revealed his sexcapades with different married women.

It was reported that the over 400 videos include encounters with high-profile individuals, such as his brother’s wife, his cousin, the sister of the President of Equatorial Guinea, the Director General of Police’s wife, and about 20 of the country’s ministers’ wives, among others.

The footage, discovered in his office, was said to have been recorded with consent and has since been leaked online, causing a media uproar.

But, in a new development on Tuesday, it was reported that the citizens have been lamenting their inability to share photos, videos, and audio when using a mobile data connection, leading users to rely exclusively on WiFi networks to share such content.

Sources revealed that the restrictions have been affecting business and academic activities in the country.

Citizens wonder why the actions of a few individuals would result into holding thousands of other innocent ones hostage.

Earlier, the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea, Teddy Nguema, announced plans to install surveillance cameras in all state body offices.

This sweeping measure is part of an ongoing effort to ensure strict adherence to public service laws and combat misconduct among officials.

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Education

NCC Confiscates ₦23 Million Worth of Pirated Books During Bookstores Raid In Uyo

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The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) on Saturday, November 2, confiscated ₦23.1 million in pirated books from local shops, including Academic Needs and Zion Bookshop during a raid in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

The raid was by the Deputy Director of Operations, Mr Macfoy Akachukwu, representing the NCC Director General, Dr. John Asein.

Akachukwu, who stated that the raid was a significant operation to combat the rampant sale of pirated books, listed the books seized during the raid to include: Basic Civic Education by Dr Merry Ukaegbu, Spectrum New Further Mathematics by T.R. Moses and Essential Christian Religious Study for Senior Secondary Schools by Orovwuje B.O and Okolie E.U.

Other books included Macmillan Brilliant English for Junior Secondary Schools by Wale Ossianwo, New General Basic Science for Junior Secondary Schools by S. Ajayi, New Oxford Secondary English Course for Secondary Schools by Ayo Banjo and New Concept Mathematics for Senior Secondary Schools by H.N. Odogwu among others.

Major publishers affected by the raid included Evans, UPL, Lantern, Longman, TONAD, and Pearson among others.

According to Asein, the operation is important as it was part of a nationwide initiative to protect authors’ rights.

“What we have done is part of the commissions mandate to protect and promote the rights of authors and other genuine investors in the copyright book industry,” he stated.

He reaffirmed that the NCC is committed to “eliminating the sale of pirated works and to establish a robust copyright framework in Nigeria”.

Asein emphasized that authors deserve to benefit from their creative work and not run into financial losses because of piracy.

“It is our duty to ensure that authors get rewards for their creative work. I have under my watch, zero tolerance for piracy and infringement of Copyright Laws,” Asein said.

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