Saraki Decorates David Mark as Leader of the Decade

Senate President, Bukola Saraki on Wednesday, decorated the former Senate President, David Mark with the leader of the Decade award.

This was announced on Wednesday, November 23 during a National Assembly Press Corps Award in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital.

Mark is a retired Nigerian Army Brigadier General and politician who was President of the Senate of Nigeria from 2007 to 2015 and is the Senator for the Benue State constituency. He is a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)

JAMB to Reduce 180 Cut-Off Mark

There are strong indications that the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) may approve the reduction of 180 cut-off mark for admission to tertiary institutions.

The Registrar and Chief Executive of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, who made the disclosure during the 2nd Technical Committee Meeting for 2016 Admissions to Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria, at the Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri, stated that the decision became imperative as a result of the inability of some of the institutions to implement the cut-off mark.

According to the Registrar, “it was in a meeting of the Board of higher institutions and other Stakeholders that a decision of 180 as the 2016 National cut-off mark was reached”.

He continued that, “however, many Institutions, though part of the decision, have expressed concern on their inability to effect this cut-off mark as they are finding it difficult to fill a reasonable percentage of their quota if the rule is strictly applied as we insist.

“A large number of institutions, particularly the budding ones, have applied for a waiver to enable them admit candidates who in some instances scored below 180 marks. For some, this may sound unreasonable with the largely false impression that a large percentage of those who score above 180 and are qualified for admission cannot find any placement in our institutions.

“I think this cry needs attention, otherwise, some of these institutions whether public or privately-owned may soon begin to wobble or even close shops. This will be counter-productive and even defeat the Government Policy of expansion of access to higher education and manpower development”.

Oloyede therefore added that, “as a Board, we have studied the trend of admissions and have come up with a finding that hardly do the institutions collectively fill their quota annually. Indeed, in some cases, up to 50% of approved quota is wasted particularly by upright institutions which do not circumspect the rule. Unfortunately, a large number of institutions flagrantly disregarded the cut-off and many other policies yet they found a way to eventually regularize the illegal admissions through corrupt process”.

He however noted that the new flexible cut-off will only be applicable to institutions that have exhausted the list of candidates that scored the 180 cut-off mark.

“As a Board, we have collated the requests from the various Senates and Academic Boards and have made your pleas known to appropriate authorities . Just this morning we received a green light on flexible cut-off mark only for institutions which have exhausted the list of candidates with 180 and above, subject , of course to a minimum acceptable to JAMB and meeting of other pre-requisite”, he added.

He however assured that the Board would cooperate with the various institutions in carrying out the mandates of their respective Senates and Academic Boards on admission matters, adding that, “the Board would not impose candidates on them but, as a referee, would ensure that no applicant is unjustifiably denied the opportunity of access to Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria.

“In this respect, together, we should be seen in a conspicuous and proven manner that we have the interest of the Nation in mind in carrying out our statutory functions”.

He warned that no institution, whether Federal or State, will be allowed to continue with admission of students after the November 30 deadline.

PDP Looks Up To Jonathan, Lamido, Mark To Lead Reconciliation

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has initiated moves to end leadership tussle between senators Ahmed Makarfi and Ali Modu Sheriff.
The move came on the wake of a meeting by various stakeholders of the party scheduled to hold today in Abuja.

Consequently, the PDP had established a 24-man joint reconciliation committee and started shopping for prominent party chieftains to steer affairs of the committee.

The Daily Trust, yesterday, gathered from reliable PDP stalwarts that the party had penciled down the names of former president Goodluck Jonathan, former Senate president, David Mark and former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido for chairmanship of the committee.

A reliable source close to Sheriff and Makarfi, told our correspondent in a telephone interview, yesterday, that the Board of Trustees (BoT), National Assembly Caucus, PDP Governors’ Forum and other organs and stakeholders of the party, were shopping for a neutral person, who possessed impeccable character, integrity and was generally accepted, to chair the committee.

He said that Jonathan, Mark and Lamido were accepted by Sheriff and Makarfi, explaining that the three eminent politicians were chosen because of their understanding and workings of the party and politics in Nigeria.

He said that the Sheriff’s camp and the Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee agreed to nominate 12 persons each to form the reconciliation committee.
“We have learnt our lessons since after the general elections,” he said.

When contacted on telephone, the national legal adviser and member of the Sheriff-led National Working Committee (NWC), Barrister Bashir Maidugu, said that the 12 persons were nominated by the Sheriff’s camp to serve in the committee.

Maidugu said that the names of the committee members would be made public when the Makarfi-led caretaker committee made names of its representatives known.

However, as at press time, Senator Makarfi and the spokesman of the PDP Caretaker Committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, were yet to respond to a text message sent to them on why lists of their nominees were not yet ready.

On the Abuja meeting, a chieftain of the party, ?Prof. Tunde Adeniran, told our correspondent yesterday that the BoT, PDP governors, National Assembly Caucus and the NEC would meet today at the Yar’adua Centre.

WAEC To Mark Scripts Electronically

The West African Examination Council (WAEC) will begin marking theory scripts electronically with the 2016 November/December West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

WAEC’s Head of National Office, Mr Olutise Adenipekun, who spoke when members of the Education Writers’ Association of Nigeria (EWAN) visited his office on Tuesday, said the e-marker was introduced to align the assessment of the examination with international best practices.

“We are providing service and the people we are providing service for are youths of the country and youth naturally are restless. So they also want to see new things,” he said.

Adenipekun explained that the same booklet would serve for question and answers for the theory section. As a result, candidates would no longer be allowed to take questions away from the examination hall.

He said some teachers have undergone training to deploy the e-marker, adding that many more would be trained.

He promised that the WAEC template of assessing candidates will remain the same adding that it will not be in the interest of Nigeria to lower the standard of the examination for whatever reason.

Adenipekun praised EWAN for its foresight and contributions to national growth and development through quality reports.

In his speech, the EWAN Chairman, Mr. Tunbosun Ogundare, thanked WAEC for recognising the association.

He also pledged the commitment of the body to improved education coverage towards achieving the required reform in the sector.

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WAEC to mark scripts electronically

Cultists Kill 11 In Ogun To Mark Anniversary

No fewer than 11 persons have been killed by suspected cult members in Igode and Fakale communities in the Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Four persons were also injured while houses and cars were vandalized in the attack that lasted for about 10 hours.

It was learnt that the hoodlums, said to be Aye Confraternity members, had gone on the rampage at about 11am on Wednesday to commemorate their anniversary tagged 7/7.

The grand finale of the anniversary was reportedly held on Thursday, July 7, 2016 at Emuren, a neighbouring community.

It was gathered that the hoodlums, numbering about 25 on motorcycles, came from Emuren, wielding guns and cutlasses.

Their targets were said to be members of the Eiye Confraternity, a rival cult. The bandits, who reportedly wore masks, shot dead three welders at a junction bordering Emuren and Igode.

The welders were said to be returning from a work site on a motorcycle.

The rampaging miscreants reportedly proceeded to the Fakale community, where they opened fire on a crowd watching a football match in a viewing centre, killing seven persons.

It was learnt that one of the deceased, identified simply as Dare, was a member of the Oodua People’s Congress.

Others were identified as Ibukun, Ismaila, Sunday, and a steel rod seller, Dare Olakanmi.

Three of them were said to have been buried.

However, the police had yet to remove the remains of the three welders as of 12pm on Thursday.

Four others, who were injured, were said to have been taken to a hospital in Sagamu.

Credit: Punch

How PDP Will Return To Power In 2019- Mark

Former Senate President David Mark said yesterday that imposition of candidates against the wish of the people was responsible for the electoral misfortunes recorded by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.
The PDP had jettisoned its zoning arrangement to favour former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who was defeated by the President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC.

Mark also lost his position as the Senate president, a position he occupied for eight years.
Addressing PDP members in his country home in Otukpo, Benue State, Mark canvassed for the repositioning of the party to win elections in 2019.
“We must come to terms with reality that PDP lost the last general election because of over bearing tendencies of some leaders, who imposed candidates on the people.
“It’s inevitable that we must change from the old ways and allow the will of the people to prevail. Unfolding events clearly show that the PDP is the party for the people. But, we must not take them for granted by forcing unpopular candidates on them.
“The coast is clear that the PDP has the road map for peace, unity and development of Nigeria. Nigerians now know the difference,” Mark said, in a statement issued by his media aide, Paul Mumeh.
He said popular candidates must be put forward to drive the ship of the PDP ahead of the next general elections, saying the party has brighter chance of returning to power if all party faithfuls agree to work together in one accord.

Credit: DailyTrust

Mark, Ekweremadu Leave NASS Premises Without Convoy, Aides

Follwing the valedictory session marking end of the 7th Senate, outgoing Senate President, David Mark and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday evening left the premises of the National Assembly without the usual convoy of vehicles.

Also, the two principal officers of the Red Chamber were seen leaving the premises without their usual retinue of aides. Instead, among the several vehicles in their convoys, only a handful of three cars, believed to be their personal cars, followed them outside.

The siren blaring vehicles and motorbikes, usually in their convoys, which were missing as they drove out separately, caught the attention of not just some legislative staff but some of the National Assembly workers who watched as they were moving out, after the formal closing of the legislature.

Read More: vanguardngr

David Mark Warns Ben Bruce Against Unguarded National Assembly Budget Statements

Senate President, David Mark, has warned Ben Bruce, the senator-elect for Bayelsa east senatorial district over his unguarded statements on issues relating to National Assembly.

The business mogul has been in the news lately after he took to his social media platform to accuse Nigerian lawmakers of enriching themselves at the expense of Nigerians.

“There is a freedom of information law in Nigeria. Nigerians have a right to know everything about the national assembly’s finances. I will push for openness,” he wrote on his Twitter account earlier in May…”

Read More: dailypost

Nigeria’s Supreme Court Stops Constitution Amendment

…orders NASS to maintain status quo till June 18

ABUJA – The Supreme Court has stopped the National Assembly from taking further steps towards amending the ?1999 constitution.

In a ruling this morning,? a seven-man panel of justices of the apex court, led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, ?Justice Mahmud Mohammed, ordered the National Assembly to maintain status quo on the matter until June 18.

The apex court further directed the issuance of hearing notice on the NASS for it to appear on that date to respond to the suit that was lodged against the proposed alterations to the constitution, by
President Goodluck Jonathan.

Details soon…

PDP Plots To Return Mark As Senate President

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is allegedly plotting a sensational return of David Mark as the Senate President in the Eight Assembly.

The party is seriously mobilizing its members in the Senate to ensure Mark is re-elected for the third consecutive time.

The party’s calculation is that senators from the All Progressives Congress (APC) may split along ethnic lines in their choice of who becomes the Senate President.

The party hopes to win to its side some APC senators to vote for Mark along with the PDP senators. The APC has 60 elected senators while the PDP has 49.

Read MoreDailyTrust

Maku, ‘Dangerous Boy’ Disowned by Jonathan, Mark…

The Director-General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Sen. Ahmadu Ali, on Tuesday described former Information Minister, Mr Labaran Maku, as a ‘’dangerous boy’’.

Ali, who stated this at the PDP presidential rally in Lafia, explained that the former minister had benefited from the PDP-led Federal Government only to defect to another party.

He said Maku’s action was capable of denying PDP candidates in Nasarawa State some votes in the Feb. 14 and 28 general elections. “We have a young man who from nowhere was a Deputy Governor of this state for four years, from nowhere he was made a Minister at the federal level for six years, decided to leave the party for another party and keep telling lies that by being in that party, he is helping us.

“He is only going there to reduce our votes. He is a dangerous boy.

“We must make sure that now that he has shown his colour, he will continue failing for the rest of his life unless he retraces his steps back to the elders like us and we will forgive him.”

Ali then urged the electorate in the state to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan and other candidates of the party at both federal and state levels.

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