Abuja
2023: PRP not joining Mega party – chairman
The National Chairman of Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) says it has no plans to merge with any group or political party to form the proposed Mega Party ahead of 2023 poll. Mr Falalu Bello, National Chairman, PRP said this when he spoke at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday. According to Bello, the party is not merging with any group. “We are not. That is not to say that we have not been invited. About 10 days ago, their secretary got across to me and advised me of the fact that we are invited to belong to the committee. “And I said let me have a formal invitation and what they stand for. I will go to my National Executive Committee, brief them, get their mandate for me or any other person to represent the party. “The party do not belong to me. PRP has its own leadership. “I have seen ...
Minister: Suspension of international flights at Kano airport affecting our revenue
The Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, has said the continued closure of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport is affecting the revenue of government. International flights into the airport were suspended in the wake of COVID-19 lockdown. When he received a high-powered delegation from Kano State, led by Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, in his office in Abuja on Tuesday, Sirika lamented the effect of the suspension. He said it does not make economic sense for government to spend so much money, as it has done on the airport, and abandon it in the end. He highlighted the attendant degeneration of infrastructure, redundancy amongst operational staff, revenue loss, hardship on travellers, amongst others. The Minister promised that necessary steps were being taken for the resumption ...
Controversy surrounds whereabouts of OPC men who arrested Iskilu Wakili
Controversy has surrounded the whereabouts of Oodua Peoples Congress operatives who arrested suspected Fulani warlord, Iskilu Wakili. While there are media reports that the men have been transferred to Abuja, some sources in the OPC said they do not know the whereabouts of the detained operatives. The OPC members were detained on Sunday after arresting suspected Fulani warlord, Iskilu Wakili, who was later handed over to the police. It was gathered that representatives of OPC and the Investigating Police Officer in charge of the case would meet at 1 pm on Tuesday (today). According to a media report, the OPC members involved in the arrest were first transferred from Oyo Police Command to Force CID in Alagbon, Lagos, from where they were taken to Abuja. However, sources in the Lagos State P...
Committee of Vice Chancellors appoints new chairman
The Committee of Vice Chancellors in Nigeria has appointed the vice chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Sulyman A. Abdulkareem as its chairman. Also, the vice chancellor of the University of Benin, Prof. Mrs. Lilian Salami has been appointed by the committee to serve as alternate chairperson. In a statement signed by the secretary- general of the committee, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, the decision was taken during a virtual and physical meeting which took place at its secretariat in Abuja. While wishing the executive officers success in their mandate and in the discharge of their responsibilities, the secretary- general said a lot was expected from them as the nation looks up to universities in solving its socioeconomic and political challenges. The statement reads: ” The Committee of V...
UNESCO scores President Buhari high in women inclusion in governance
Mr Steven Onyekwelu, Spotlight Project Manager, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), on Monday, said President Muhammadu Buhari demonstrated great inclusion of women in governance. Onyekwelu said this at the occasion of the International Women’s Day (IWD) in Abuja, with the theme of this year’s celebration “Choose to Challenge.” The project manager said UNESCO was satisfied with President Buhari’s commitment to women empowerment and equality. “We are satisfied, as a matter of fact, His Excellency the President is doing a lot to ensure that inclusion in every area, in terms of governance, education, in terms of health, women are included,” he said. The UN official, who congratulated women on the IWD, noted that UNESCO had through the spotlight project, ...
APC states reiterate commitment to six months maternity leave
State governments controlled by the All Progressives Congress, have reiterated commitment to implementing a recommendation to grant nursing mothers 180 days (6 months) leave. This was contained in a communique issued after a virtual meeting with the theme: ‘Developing Common Policy Initiatives on Maternal & Child Nutrition Promotion in APC States,’ held by Secretaries to Governments of APC controlled states on Thursday. The communique, which was signed by Alhaji Adamu Fanini and Prof Danladi Atu, the SSGs of Jigawa and Plateau States, respectively, was made available to newsmen in Abuja, on Monday. It read in part, “Because of the significant role parental support plays in the lives of children and the need to enhance the health of nursing mothers, APC States are committed to implement...
Minister: PIB will address production sharing contracts issues on gas
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, says the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) currently before the National Assembly will resolve the issues under the Production Sharing Contracts (PSC) on gas. Sylva made this known at a National Assembly Public Hearing organised by the Joint Committee on Gas Resources, Petroleum Resources, Upstream and Downstream, on Monday, in Abuja. The hearing was on the topic: “Inclusion of Gas Terms in Production Sharing Contracts by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).” He said that issues on gas terms was not captured under the PSC especially with the commercial aspect. “Issues on gas terms was not captured in the PSC because at the time, the offshore was just a frontier territory, today, it is no longer frontier, it is a...
Nigeria threatens to ban flights from UAE, Netherlands
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 has threatened to ban flights from the UAE and The Netherlands as a reciprocal action. The task force said the Ministry of Aviation and its relevant agencies have been mandated to take the necessary reciprocal measures as may be permissible under the laws and other international obligations expected to be discharged against Emirates airlines operating from the UAE and other airlines from The Netherlands. Mr Boss Mustapha, the Chairman of PTF and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, disclosed this at the routine briefing of the committee in Abuja on Monday. Mustapha said: “For over a month, Nigeria has been engaged with the authorities of the UAE and The Netherlands over pre-departure testing requirements passengers should meet before ...
Kola Ologbondiyan: Our congresses showcase PDP’s readiness to end misrule in Nigeria
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said the peace, harmony and unity of purpose that characterized the conduct of its zonal congresses in the North-East and South-East geo-political zones last recently Friday and Saturday, is an indication of its readiness to take over the leadership of the country. The national publicity secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, stated this yesterday in a chat with newsmen in Abuja. According to him, “the peaceful conduct of its zonal congresses shows the sharp contrast between the PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC whose activities are always enmeshed in selfish contestations, lust for power, bloody clashes and overheating of our national polity.” The statement continued: “The harmony in the PDP as one indivisible family is a direct product ...
Uzee Usman: Piracy is endangering Kannywood industry
Nigerian filmmaker, actor, and CEO of Uzee Concept, Uzee Usman, has called on the government to help kick piracy away in the movie Industry, particularly in Kannywood. He made this known during an interview with newsmen at the movie shoot of White Blood (Farina Mini) in Abuja recently. He said though no doubt that the Nigerian film industry is growing fast, what requires greater attention is the problem of piracy, which has become a menace that has eaten deep into the industry and may grind it to a halt. He pointed out that although Nigeria has laws against piracy, it remains a thriving business partly due to poor implementation of copyright laws, a near-lack of prosecution of offenders, and corruption in governance agencies. He added that it’s still becoming a huge problem in the northern...
ECOWAS suggests compensation for coronavirus vaccine adverse reactions
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Vaccine Taskforce has recommended compensation for citizens who suffer side effects or injury from the COVID-19 vaccination. Professor Stanley Okolo, the Director-General of the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), disclosed this at the 5th Regional Steering Committee meeting of the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement (REDISSE) project on Saturday in Abuja. Okolo said that the recommendation was one of the resolutions adopted by the taskforce and presented to the ECOWAS Ministerial Coordinating Committee to encourage citizens to receive the vaccine. He explained during the REDISSE virtual meeting that the issue of indemnity was being taken up by the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, the global initiative aimed at equit...
NPHCDA boss: Nigerian government ‘took more measures’ to secure right coronavirus vaccine
The executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, says the federal government took more measures than many countries to ensure the selection of the right COVID-19 vaccine for Nigerians. Shuaib said this on Friday at the launch of COVID-19 vaccination programme, held at the National Hospital in Abuja. He said even though there were concerns about the delay in getting the vaccine, it was more important to get the doses suitable for the country. “We’ve said it before now, that it is not how fast, but how well. It is not how fast we get the vaccines here, but making sure that we get the right vaccines for our environment; getting the right vaccines that are suitable for our cold-chain infrastructure,” he said. “We took all of the measures th...
