President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, appointed new Service Chiefs.
This was disclosed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, through his twitter handle @FemiAdesina.
Major-General Leo Irabor is now the Chief of Defence Staff, while Major-General I. Attahiru is the new Chief of Army Staff.
The other Service Chiefs are: Rear Admiral AZ Gambo appointed as the new Chief of Naval Staff, and Air Vice-Marshall I.O. Alao appointed as the new Chief of Air Staff.
According to Adesina, the President congratulates the outgoing Service Chiefs on efforts to bring enduring peace to the country.
The outgoing service chiefs include General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin (Chief of Defence Staff); Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (Chief of Army Staff); Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas (Chief of Naval Staff); and Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (Chief of Air Staff).
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How Osun maintains its peace profile amid COVID-19, ethnic agitations – Egbemode
‘Criminals’ll not feel at home in Osun, but govt won’t stereotype ethnic groups’
As the country continues to battle health emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and security risks in different states occasioned by ethnic clashes, the government of the State of Osun has announced that it has adopted proactive measures to address situations that could jeopardise the peace of the State.
Speaking during an interview on “Matters Arising” on Gold 95.5 F.M., the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mrs Funke Egbemode, lauded the approach of the Governor Adegboyega Oyetola-led government, describing it as instrumental to the avoidance of tragic outcomes both in the area of health and physical security of citizens.
She said: “The government recently released some non-pharmaceutical protocols and increased its testing capacity because it wants people to test whether they are showing symptoms or not.
“We have found that during this second wave, the nation is recording more fatalities, and that early discovery is key to keeping our people alive. So, that’s why it was important for the government to proactively increase testing capacity for the safety of our people.
“The government has refrained from shutting down the economy or businesses, but wants the people to do what is right by taking personal responsibility. It has adjusted its protocols to suit the economy of the State to ensure that its citizens do not suffer while trying to stay alive.
“We have noticed that people are becoming more aware about the deadly nature of the second wave of the pandemic, although our people are still not as compliant as we would want them to be”, she stated.
With respect to the recent herders and farmers’ clashes in some southwestern states of the country, Egbemode said that the proactiveness of the Governor and the government of Osun has been a notable evolving move to ensure lasting peace in the State.
She continued: “The Governor and the government of this State got ahead of this problem.by ensuring that there is a peaceful coexistence Committee in place to interface with other communities and people groups who live in the State.
“We have a lit of ethnic groups here, and so, it became necessary for the State to have in place an engagement platform with them. The Governor has charged us all to keep an eye on things in our constituencies, and he is coordinating to ensure that we do what is right. I, personally, had a meeting with the Igede farming community in my own constituency recently.
“We must admit that crime is crime, and this government is not going to fold its arms when it comes to crime. But as for clashes between different groups and businesses, that has been reduced to the barest minimum here. The government has gotten ahead in this regard, and we are doing everything to ensure that we keep the peace profile of the State intact.
“We will continue to ensure that whatever rifts exist between groups are amicably settled, because we already have platforms for meetings, for engagements and resolutions.
“Also, we are careful here not to attach the tag of criminality to any ethnic group, because there are indeed criminals everywhere. But we will never encourage criminals to feel at home in Osun, yet we will not stereotype any ethnic group as criminals”, Egbemode added.
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NECO 2020 external exams begin Feb 8
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has announced a new date for the commencement of its 2020 external examinations.
The exams, which was initially scheduled to commence February 1, will now begin on February 8.
The spokesperson of the Council, Azeez Sani, in a statement on Tuesday, said: “Following requests by candidates to be given more time to complete their registration process for the 2020 SSCE (External), the National Examinations Council (NECO) has fixed new dates for the examination.
“Thus, the examination which was earlier scheduled to commence on Monday 1st February, 2021 and end on Wednesday 3rd March, 2021 will now start on Monday 8th February, 2021 and end on Wednesday 10th March, 2021.
“The Council hereby informs those candidates, who missed some papers during the 2020 SSCE (Internal) due to the ENDSARS protests in some states, to take note of these new dates and report for the examination accordingly at their various examination centers to be designated.
“All candidates are advised to access the revised Examination Time Table on the Council’s website: www.neco.gov.ng
“All candidates, stakeholders and the general public are to take note of the above information”, Sani stated.
