Paul Okah

The Ebonyi Government has offered amnesty to ghost workers discovered during series of verification in the state, negotiation opportunities to refund money they illegally collected as salaries. The offer which was contained in a statement signed on Saturday by Mr Emmanuel Uzor, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, further said that the amnesty period would last from Aug.30 to Sept.10. “We are giving the amnesty to all ghost workers within the stipulated period to surrender and negotiate the repayment of all illegally collected funds to the state and Local Government Areas (LGA),” the statement said. It said that those who embraced the offer would not face prosecution but those who declined the amnesty opportunities would face the law and all monies they took from government would be recovered from them. “The state government is happy to announce that it has made significant progress as the verification has saved it and the LGA about N60 million for one month. “This exercis...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged government officials travelling abroad to inform the ministry and Nigerian missions in destination countries of their travel schedules to ensure of their security and safety. Mr Ferdinard Nwonye, Spokesperson for the Ministry, made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the advice followed the attack on former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Aug. 17 in Nuremberg, Germany. Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB leader, has also threatened attack on government officials especially those from the Southeast visiting any country abroad, placing a N1 million Naira reward on credible information on their travel itinerary. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned in the strongest terms the attack on former Deputy Senate President, Dr Ike Ekweremadu, who was attending the 2nd Annual Igbo Cultural Festival organised by the Ndi-Igbo Community in Nuremb...

The Federal Government has said that Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), who was taken to India for medical treatment, was frustrating the Indian hospital instead of subject himself to medical treatment. The cleric, who was arrested in 2015 following a clash between his members and military personnel in Zaria, was granted bail on medical grounds, following a Kaduna High Court order on Aug. 5, 2019. El-Zakzaky, along with wife, subsequently traveled to India, via Dubai, for medical treatment on Sunday, Aug. 12, after government and relevant agencies took steps to comply with the order. But the Federal Government, in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, said that the religious leader was frustrating the authorities of the Indian hospital where he was to be treated. In a statement titled “The true story on El-Zakzaky in India”, the government said that the cleric, who particularly chose Medanta Hospital, India for the treatment, had begu...