Immigration Must Refund Job Seekers- House Of Reps

The House of Representatives yesterday, directed the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to refund job seekers their N1,000 each charged as recruitment fee into the services.

The Reps made this query during a Joint Committee public hearing mandated by the House to investigate racketeering of job placement in the public service. At the commencement of the 2-day investigative public hearing, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal expressed concern over what he described as "one of the worst crises Nigerians face today".
"One of the worst crises we face today is the high rate of unemployment and the damage this has caused to our economic, moral and social development as a nation."

At the hearing, the Office of the Head of Civil Service (OHCS) denied granting recruitment waivers, a prerequisite for employment to the Customs to recruit 5,556 in 2011.
The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) Customs Service were asked to return today having failed to provide the Committee with complete documents on the procedure of the recruitment.

 The agency was also unable to provide documentary evidence to prove that due diligence was adhered to in its recruitment exercises it carried out between 2007 and 2010.The agency was discovered to have no policy on job recruitment since 1991 when it was created.Also, in contravention of the Public Service rules, CAC advertised for employment only in 2010 with appointments based on selection.

In what seemed like buck passing, Director, Human Resources, Labaran Shuaibu, who represented the Commission said she was only two days old on the job and could not give satisfactory responses to many of the questions put to her by the Committee.
The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) also provided conflicting documents to the Committee, while failing to follow due process in its recruitment exercises .While document showed that 2,005 people were employed in 2011, another showed 2,550.
The Committee was enraged when the Secretary to the Immigrations board, Sylvanus Tapgun admitted that he does not know the bank account number where the revenue generated from the employment application forms sold for N1,000 and could not disclose the name and contact of the alleged consulting firm the Service hired to conduct its latest recruitment exercise.
The Secretary also claims to be unaware of House of Representatives' resolution urging the NIS to stop collecting fees for the employment forms, "I did not place the advertisement, it was done by my predecessor, I resume office in September".
The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) was also discovered to have flouted Public Service rules by recruiting 5,595 in 2011 without approval from the Head of Service, according to the Permanent Secretary. Career Management Service, Ezekiel Oyemomi.
Similarly, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was granted weaver to recruits 801 workers by the Federal Character Commission (FCC) but has recruited 1,146 so far.
At the point, Chairman of the Joint Committee, Andrew Uchendu said the Committee would no longer accept excuse of being new in the office as reason enough to claim ignorance of official matters.

He also noted that para military agencies were more guilty of flouting Public Service rules on recruitment.

"This Investigative Hearing is therefore long overdue and I am glad that we are finally getting to the root of this very serious anomaly.

"It is tragic that in a nation with such a high degree of unemployment, people can be so heartless as to make job-seekers pay for the opportunity of contributing their quota to the development of their father-land.

"This means that however qualified they are, unless they can cough out the bribe, they won't get the job. This situation cannot be allowed to continue. We are denying our youth the opportunity to provide our country with the right manpower.

 

21 People Set Themselves On Fire To Set Guinness World Record

Twenty-one people lit themselves on fire in Cleveland, setting a new Guinness World Record. Everything burns in Cleveland.

In the city of the flaming river, a group of people lit themselves on fire to set a new world record. The 21 burners gathered on Saturday in the parking lot of a local restaurant as a roaring crowd counted down. "Three! Two! One! Ignite!

"The burners wore fireproof gel suit under their flaming layers of cotton and wool.

Torches flared, and the crew burst into flame, marching back and forth across the lot with their arms extended like blazing airplanes.

The 32-second stunt ended with a stop, drop and roll into the Guinness World Records for "most people performing full body burns.

"Cleveland printing company Hotcards staged the spectacle as a fiery fundraiser on the banks of the Cuyahoga River, a waterway once so polluted it famously caught fire in 1969.

The burners marched back and forth for 32 seconds in front of a roaring crowd at Shooters nightclub in Cleveland.

"We take a lot of heat in Cleveland as the Burning River City. Yet, it became the catalyst for a lot Cleveland pride, including environmental movements, breweries, and a whole lot of 'Hot in Cleveland' fame," Hotcards' CEO John Gadd said in a statement. "It's a unique part of our legacy that we can embrace and give new meaning with such a magical spectacle.

"Stuntman Ted Batchelor coordinated a 55-person team of "burners" and "igniters" over two months of training. The burners wore fireproof gel suits under layers of cotton and wool that served as the fuel for the blaze.

Local CEOs, politicians, a funeral director, minister and radio DJ filled out the crew of flaming participants.

The new 21-person record eclipses the previous record of 17, also set in Ohio.

Batchelor lit two of them himself and scanned the lot as his blazing pupils glowed in the night.

"I could see it all," Batchelor told the Daily News. "And in my mind, it looked great. I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this looks beautiful.'"Batchelor, 55, had coordinated the previous record of 17 full-body burns in 2009 in South Russell, Ohio, and has set five Guinness records in his life.

He's well aware of the national embarrassment Cleveland suffered after the burning river and said the record was a way for the city to spark interest in its resurgence while raising money for the Cleveland Food bank and Brick by Brick, an Ohio-based charity that aids women and children in South Africa.

"We're going to take that fire and use it to our best interests," Batchelor said.

 

Source: Daily Mail UK

BUSINESS START UP TIPS

Establishing a business can be a daunting task, but experts say it can be achieved with careful planning:

The thought of owning a business is amusing to many people. However, as much as people will ‘love’ to own their own businesses, many admit that they have little or no idea about what it takes to establish them; they don’t know where to start from.

But because the thought of starting out on their own has been so hard to ignore, many people braved the odds and set up businesses only for them to collapse because they failed to consider many vital aspects.

 According to experts, starting a business is quite tasking because it requires serious planning. They, however, say the process can be fun and easy for people who take the time out to either consult professionals or carry out some form of research.

Before saying goodbye to life as an employee, you have to be prepared to take certain steps; failure to do so, they explain, may only reduce your chances of achieving your goals. Some of these steps are explained below.

ARE YOU QUALIFIED?

As appealing as the idea of being your own boss is, experts are of the view that many people are incapable of running a business or becoming successful entrepreneurs. Unlike paid employment, which may only require expertise in an area and a few traits such as discipline and hard work, being entrepreneur requires much more. In addition to discipline, such qualities as self-confidence and credibility are important. You have to also have excellent communications and human and time management skills, among others. Of course, some of the skills required to run a business can be improved along the way, but experts warn that starting without the requisite skills would be a costly mistake. So, be sure you are qualified.

BE SURE ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO

Though experts admit that starting a business can be a very challenging thing for people, especially those who have been in paid employment for a long time, they say remaining in paid employment because of this fear can lead to regret later, if things don’t work out. This is why experts advise people against starting a business because that is the only option open to them. They say once you are sure about why you want to start your business, you will be able to approach it with a great attitude and find it easier to handle challenges and go through the process without relenting.

COME UP WITH A GREAT CONCEPT

Before you quit your job to become an entrepreneur, you must first think of a concept, product or service that will generate a steady stream of income. This may sound easy, but for most people, this is actually the hardest part. You should conceive a plan that puts your knowledge, experience and expertise to use in the most profitable way possible. Once you settle on an idea, research the marketplace to see how similar businesses have fared.
It is recommended that you start out with a business that you are passionate and knowledgeable about.

 CONSIDER SUPPORT

Whatever you want to do, you will require help and goodwill. So, when you are thinking about starting a business, it is important that you also consider what those whose help you would require think about your plan. Consult your family and friends and take their views into consideration, knowing that you are not going to do it all by yourself.

CREATE A BUSINESS PLAN

No matter the amount of support, expertise and funds at your disposal, experts warn that without a great business plan, you are unlikely to succeed in setting up a good business.
Your business plan is supposed to be the blueprint or guide to everything you do regarding the business. It contains everything from your goal (mission/vision) to the nature of product or service you want to provide, among other things.

SORT OUT YOUR CAPITAL

According to experts, many entrepreneurs make the mistake of thinking that a successful business is down to the amount of money available for the business. But businesses floated with millions of naira have gone on to fail, while those established with thousands of naira have grown to command billions of naira in assets and profit. Nonetheless, you will require capital to start your business; to produce your product and pay employees, etc.
In sourcing the funds, it is important that you go to the right sources. Financial experts say small businesses and startups are better off depending on friends, and relatives as well as the entrepreneur’s savings for capital. But many people turn to the banks and borrow huge sums at high interest rates, hoping that they would break even in a short while and pay off the loans. But the reality is that because of the interest rates, they find themselves using all their profits to service the loans, with little left to grow the business.

DRAW UP A BUDGET FOR THE BUSINESS

When it comes to raising funds or spending money to keep a business running, many people rely on assumptions. According to experts, for a business to utilize ‘scarce’ funds effectively, they are better off operating based on a budget. As such, it is important that you draw up budgets for your business. Do not become one of those who say things like, “With N5m, I will be able to cover all expenses.” Experts say you can come up with a proper budget for your business through research or market surveys and the likes.

GET A STRATEGIC OFFICE

The nature of the business you want to do and the location of your targeted customer base are some of the things you have to take into consideration in citing your office or workspace. Many people just opt for the available space, but this may not be good enough. Whether you are working from home or renting an office, be sure that your workspace is designed to enable you work efficiently. If you are running an ecommerce business, then you must ensure that your website is designed properly or professionally.

GET AS MUCH HELP AS POSSIBLE

Do not try to do it all by yourself. There are many professionals out there and also resources on the internet that can help you handle the technical aspects of establishing a business. Such things as getting your business incorporated and drawing up legal (proper) employment letters and terms for your workers are very important. So also is paying your tax and operating in line with the best practice in the industry you are setting up a business in. These are some of the areas where you need help.

BE CREATIVE, PLAN FOR THE FUTURE

It is important that your business is ahead of the competition and the times. To achieve this, it is important that you predict and react to possible trends in the future. You have to reinvent your business constantly. You have to plan for the growth of the business and the challenges that come with it. Also, you have to ensure that your business can adapt to changing times and economic challenges.

MIKE IKHARIALE: POLICE’S MISCONCEPTION ABOUT TINTED GLASS ON VEHICLES

For some time now, owners of vehicles with tinted glass in Nigeria have been going through a rough time with policemen who see the situation as one from where they can make up for the personal and institutional revenue losses that have been plaguing them ever since the removal of roadblocks from the nation’s highways.

Without going into the legal and policy arguments on the issue, it is obvious that some vehicles (outside the statutorily designated exceptions) are actually so opaquely tinted that any rational person seeing them would naturally think that the occupants are into something sinister. They are so darkly tinted that someone outside, no matter how close, cannot see whoever is inside. Any scrupulous law enforcement-minded person would naturally suspect that there is something fishy about such unusual vehicles.

On the other hand, most vehicles, especially vans and SUVs that are manufactured in North America, Europe and Japan come with tinted glass with the thickness graduated from the front to the rear. In all these vehicles, it is never a problem for anyone standing close to see or identify the occupants. In fact, the front passengers’ windows are generally and rightly of a lighter tint.

The reason why these cars are tinted range from the need to enhance the performance of the air-conditioning system, protection from harmful glare and the general room-type comfort of modern automobiles. They don’t have criminals and other deviants in mind and as a matter of fact, none of these factory tints will meet the demands of anyone trying to avoid visibility as they are reasonably transparent.

Unfortunately, in Nigeria we have developed a national worldview that seeks to avoid rational responses to emerging challenges by resorting to extreme and bizarre solutions that are, in most cases, counterproductive or are indicative of palpable intellectual laziness. Nowhere is this mentality more prevalent than in the areas of crime prevention and law enforcement. That is why it is often possible for the police to block road traffic with lines of vehicles stretching into kilometres just because they are “searching for criminals”. Common sense should have made it clear that only a foolish and suicidal criminal will wait patiently in a roadblock queue to be apprehended.

Little wonder therefore that no wanted person has ever been caught at such foolish and annoying checkpoints. The only possible thing happening at such places is the opportunity of the officers manning them to collect illicit tolls and unlawfully enrich themselves at the expense of security.

Specifically about tinted glass ban in Nigeria, the only reason that the authorities thought it necessary is their belief that criminals also use them to shade themselves from detection. It ought to be the rational expectation that any vehicle that is tinted has unwittingly invited the scrupulous law enforcement officer upon itself as that would be easily profiled to be something questionable. Unfortunately, that will be the car they would approach obsequiously and be asking “Oga, anything for your boys?” Their only alternative is to lump all those with tinted glass together as criminals who must then cough up something if they are to continue on their journeys.

Recently, the Senate sensing the abuses and unfair harassment that have followed the recent IG’s directive on tinted glass has initiated a legislative process intended on repealing or nullifying the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Act, Cap M21 Laws of the Federation (Formerly Decree 6 of 1991). A proper reading of section 1(1) of the act shows that the Police have been wilfully misinterpreting it to harass innocent road users who have the misfortune of driving vehicles with any form of tint. What the law actually prescribes is that “no person shall cause any glass fitted to a vehicle to be tinted, shaded, coloured lightly or thickly or treated in any way as to render obscure or invisible persons or objects inside the car.”

The critical issue here is not whether the tint was factory-fitted or not, it is whether it obscures or makes occupants invisible. Simple! The police know they cannot sustain their nebulous argument based on this Act before a court of law. So it is just a source of illegitimate revenue and power show.

As long as the tint on a vehicle does not render “obscure” or “invisible” whatever is inside it, there can never be a sustainable charge on it. It is not the expectation of the law that any subjective interpretation by a police officer who probably needs an eye test for his poor vision to be the conclusion as to what is obscured or ordinarily invisible. Of course, there are some wilfully tinted vehicles that do not allow for either vision or identification of occupants. These are the targets of that law and certainly not those factory-fitted ones that were tested for transparency in the general interests of traffic safety for the occupants and every other person concerned where they were made. It is inconceivable that a vehicle would pass the rigorous inspection of safety personnel in the manufacturing countries if the glass, as tinted, would lead to the inability to see those inside or for those inside not to see what is happening outside.

If the Police could just do what is right instead of the present situation of wholesale embarrassment and harassment of innocent road users, there should be no need to nullify the present statute. Perhaps the dictatorial origins of the Decree that metamorphosed into the present law are beclouding the logical and inevitable juristic perception that the demands of the rule of law under a supreme constitution have brought into being: the days of subjective interpretation of military decrees are far gone. All Nigerian laws, to be valid, must now meet the standards of objectivity, reasonableness and constitutionality. The present abusive, indiscriminate and oppressive application of the tinted cars laws by the police cannot stand the muster of judicial review and that of common sense.

It is the subsisting injustice that the current initiative before the senate on tinted glass seeks to stop. Otherwise, it is a law that was necessitated by the reality in the country but which the enforcers have discredited irretrievably. It is not a crime for a vehicle to have a tinted glass that does not obscure visibility either from outside or from inside it.

PRIVATE JET OWNERS IN NIGERIA TO PAY LUXURY TAX

The Federal Government is planning to impose a form of luxury tax on owners and operators of private jets in the country, top officials of the Ministry of Aviation have confirmed.

The plan, currently being fine-tuned by the Aviation Reform Committee, which is also looking into certain areas of the aviation sector, will be perfected very soon.

According to the top government officials close to the move, the plan to impose the luxury tax will be preceded by the new general aviation policy, which is currently being drafted by the government.

Ahead of the release of the general aviation policy, the Aviation ministry has reviewed the 2006 Civil Aviation Act, which will lead to the promulgation of a new Act.

It was learnt that the ministry was planning to send the draft Civil Aviation Bill to the National Assembly.

However, the ministry is currently taking the draft bill to some stakeholders for their input and comments.

In the proposed general aviation policy, the government is also planning to stop private jet owners from making use of the Air Operators Certificate. An AOC is a permit that allows aircraft owners and operators to do commercial flights.

Government, it was gathered, reasoned that since private jets owners did not operate commercial flights, it was needless to continue to require them to possess the AOC.

However, sources close to the situation said the proposal to exempt the private jet owners from possessing the AOC before they could be permitted to fly under the policy would be followed up with the introduction of the luxury tax.

A source privy to the plan explained that the luxury tax on all private jet owners. “is patterned after what is in operation in Brazil and most European countries.”

The source said, “You know the government is exempting private jet owners from possessing AOC in the proposed general aviation policy that will be unveiled very soon. As soon as this is implemented, the government will start asking all private jets to pay the luxury tax.”

The official added, “The idea is that since chartered aircraft operators and regular commercial airlines are already paying ticket sales tax and passenger service tax to the government, private jet owners should also pay a form of tax, which most countries of the world called luxury tax. The plan to exempt private jet owners from possessing an AOC before they can fly is just part of the whole policy proposal.

“All these foreign private jets coming into the country must either come under an AOC and be mandated to pay ticket sales charge and passenger service charge, or you stay under private category and pay luxury tax. Once you are flying within the country for some time, you must fall in one of the categories.”

When contacted, the Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Aviation, Mr. Joe Obi, said there was the need to wait for the government to unveil the new general aviation policy.

In a text message response sent to our correspondent, Obi said, “Let’s wait for the new policy to be released first.”

If the government implements the luxury tax policy, popular business moguls, bank executives and religious leaders who own private jets will be mandated to pay the tax.

They are the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Chairman, Globacom, Dr. Mike Adenuga; Chairman, Zenon Oil, Mr. Femi Otedola; General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye; and General Overseer, Living Faith World Outreach, Bishop David Oyedepo.

The government had suspended the importation of private jets for some months now, owing to the new general aviation policy being put together by the Aviation ministry.

Top ministry officials said the new policy had been completed, except for some legal details relating to the Civil Aviation Act, 2006.

Private jet ownership in Nigeria grew by 650 per cent from 20 in 2007 to over 150 jets in 2012.

Some wealthy Nigerians had acquired at least 130 private jets with a sum of N1.02tn ($6.5bn) in the last five years, it was gathered.

Some stakeholders, however, reasoned that the new general aviation policy was part of government’s plans to grow Nigeria’s private jet sector, apart from building more private jet terminals at various airports across the country.

KIDS AND THE RESPECT CULLTURE

An old woman is on the floor with a bag next to her. She asks the passing school girls for any amount of cash, but the girl refuses with a middle finger. Her friends clearly don’t notice the situation, let alone care about it. The helpless woman just looks at her in desperate pain and shock as the little girl just smirks at her.

This picture breaks my heart. The senile woman is on the floor in beautiful, cultural garments, but asks for a mere donation. The girl in modern school clothing gives her a thoughtless and ignorant “f### you.”

I don’t know where this picture was taken, but it depicts what our future has become: children disrespecting elders like they were vermin killed flat on the road. I’ve seen this in many places. Little kids on their cell phones undermining what their parents have to say, little kids cussing like there’s no tomorrow, little kids worrying about their looks rather than their family. It’s everywhere; culture and respect are both dying. It’s because of the influences that these kids can easily access: media, drugs, adultery. Our world is losing grasp of the future, and we can only watch as the next generation become total monsters.

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LINDSAY LOHAN SENTENCED TO 90 DAYS IN REHAB, 30 DAYS COMMUNITY LABOR

The embattled actress was today sentenced to 90 days in rehab, 30 days community service and 18 months of psychological counseling.

What did she do? Reckless driving and providing false information to a police officer, all while on probation for shoplifting in 2012.

The misdemeanor charges stem from a 2012 car accident in which Lindsay's car rear-ended a truck. When police officers arrived at the scene, Lindsay lied that her assistant was the one driving, plus they found alcohol in her car. She managed to avoid jail today. Looking good and all put together by the way…..