Confidence
Charles Udeogaranya: Ndigbo Republic may emerge if South-East fails to produce president in 2023
A Presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2019, Chief Charles Udeogaranya, has said that the way things are going in Nigeria, Ndigbo Republic may emerge instead of Biafra. According to him, “if after 50 years of Nigeria/Biafra civil war and political power brokers do not find it expediently urgent to close this monumental gap of inequality by giving a sense of belonging to the South-East region of Nigeria, then Ndigbo Republic (NR) is inevitable and I will lead the struggle of its actualisation.” Udeogaranya said that Ndigbo remains more Nigerian than any other Nigerian ethnic group and will always play their big brother role of pan-Africanism. Ndigbo, he said wants the best for the Yoruba nation, Hausa nation, Fulani nation, Ijaw nation and every other nationality ...
Ebonyi: Gunmen attack police station in Izzi
Some gunmen in the early hours of Monday attacked the Iboko Divisional Police Station in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria’s South-east. A police station was similarly attacked by gunmen in Akwa Ibom State on Monday. It is unclear, for now, if the attacks on police facilities, which are on the increase lately in the South-east and South-south regions, are coordinated. Details of the Ebonyi attack were unavailable at the time of filing the report. The attackers were said to have set the building ablaze, using fire bombs. Police Commissioner in Ebonyi State, Aliyu Garba, confirmed the incident. “Yes they attacked the station around 1a.m. but there was no casualties. “They threw improvised fire bomb at the station and it ignited but it only affected a small part of the build...
Minister: Nigerians who received coronavirus vaccines abroad must get tested upon arrival
The minister of state for health, Olorunnimbe Mamora, says Nigerians who have received COVID-19 vaccines abroad will still be required to take polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests upon arrival in the country. Speaking on a Channels TV programme on Monday, Mamora said receiving the vaccine is not a license to disregard the already established COVID-19 travel protocol. “The protocol is there already. They need to produce evidence of taking a PCR test within the estimated time limit before boarding and the test certificate and when they come into the country, they would need to go into isolation and on the seventh day, they take the PCR test. “Having been vaccinated does not absolutely say that you can’t get the infection. What the vaccine guarantees is that if you get the infection, you are...
NHRC urges Zamfara government to reconsider stand on ‘repentant bandits’
The National Human Rights Commission, on Saturday, expressed concerns over the rising cases of kidnapping of boarding schools’ students in northern parts of the country. The commission also called on the Zamfara State Government to reconsider its stand on repentant bandits to avoid elevation of criminality to a level where they would be dictating conditions for negotiations with government. The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu, stated this in a statement by the Commission’s Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Fatimah Mohammed, in Abuja. He was reacting to the recent reports of the abduction of over 300 students at Government Girls Science Secondary School Janjebe, Zamfara State. According to him, young boys and girls have unfortunately been abused and violated by some unsc...
Australia premier vaccinated as rollout begins
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has received the coronavirus vaccine as the country prepares to start inoculations this week. His jab was televised on Sunday in order to help boost confidence in the vaccine rollout across Australia. Vaccinations officially begin on Monday and at least 60,000 doses are expected to be administered next week. On Saturday, small crowds of anti-vaccination demonstrators gathered to protest against the launch. Mr Morrison was part of a small group of people vaccinated on Sunday along with some frontline health workers and care home residents. Australia’s chief nurse Professor Alison McMillan and Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly were also immunised. Speaking at ahead of his vaccination, Mr Morrison said: “Tomorrow our vaccination programme star...
Foundation donates N2 million to fix potholes in UNICAL
Tecno An educational foundation, Teacher Essien Ita Ita Educational Foundation (TEIIEF), has presented a cheque of N2 million to the University of Calabar (UNICAL) for the fixing of potholes in the institution. The presentation, which was done at the weekend in the office of the Vice Chancellor of the University, was part of the activities to mark the second year remembrance of the demise of Mrs. Temitope Ekpenyong Ita, wife of Mr. Ekpenyong Ita, a former Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and son of the late Teacher Esien Ita, who died March 13, 2019. Speaking shortly after presenting the cheque to the Vice Chancellor of UNICAL, Prof. Florence Obi, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation, Chief Gersh Henshaw said, the organisation was delighted to i...
UNODC: General Marwa’s NDLEA appointment a positive sign
Oliver Stolpe, country representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), says he is confident Mohammed Marwa, chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), will excel in his new position. According to a release signed by Jonah Achema of the public affairs unit of NDLEA, Stolpes said the appointment of Marwa is a positive sign and has renewed global confidence in Nigeria’s drug control capability. “We have every confidence in your ability to deliver,” Stolpe said during a courtesy visit to the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja on Monday. He said the UNODC is in support of the National Drug Control Master Plan and other drug control documents being developed by NDLEA in its bid to wipe out illicit drugs in the country. “As a technical assistance provider, whic...
Manchester United boss seeks team’s cutting edge after Arsenal stalemate
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Manchester United’s forwards need to be more clinical after a 0-0 draw at an under-strength Arsenal dealt a second setback to their Premier League title challenge in four days. United threw away top spot with a shock 2-1 defeat by bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United in midweek and are now three points adrift of league leaders Manchester City having played a game more than their local rivals. The quartet of Marcus Rashford, Edinson Cavani, Anthony Martial and Bruno Fernandes have now scored just once in United’s last five league games. Cavani was the biggest threat for the visitors with two second-half efforts that flew just wide, but Arsenal were worthy of at least a point despite missing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Bukayo Saka and Kieran Tierney. “We come awa...
Abia governor condemns sudden rise in violent crime
File Photo Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has strongly condemned the sudden rise in violent crime around a bad spot before Akara Junction in Isuikwuato LGA of the State. The Governor in a statement released via his Twitter account on Saturday also lamented the recent spike in attacks on POS vendors in Aba. Ikpeazu, who condemned seriously the turn of events in the state, charged the law enforcement agencies to dominate all affected spaces around Isuikwuato axis and decisively combat the rising surge of crime there. He, however, expressed confidence that the law enforcement agencies will apprehend the culprits and ensure the concerned localities are rid of crime. “I acknowledge with sadness the sudden rise in violent crime around a bad spot before Akara Junction in Isuikwuato LGA of ...
APC welcomes appointment of new service chiefs
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed confidence that the new service chiefs will consolidate on the remarkable achievements of their predecessors in keeping the country safe and peaceful. President Muhammadu Buhari had Tuesday sacked the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar. He replaced them with Major-General Leo Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General I. Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral A.Z Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff; and Air-Vice Marshal I.O Amao, Chief of Air Staff. The National Secretary of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the party, Sen. John Akpanudoedehe, in a sta...
Lagos chamber projects positive economic recovery by Q2
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has projected a return to positive growth path for the Nigerian economy in the second quarter of 2021. Mrs Toki Mabogunje, President, LCCI, addressing journalists at the first edition of the chamber’s quarterly news conference, said the projection was subject to the absence of major economic shocks. Mabogunje, however, said that the projected recovery was expected to be subdued within the region of one per cent. “Projections by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund put Nigeria’s annual average growth for year 2021 at 1.1 per cent and 1.5 per cent, respectively. “Expectation of slow growth momentum reflects the lingering effects of the pandemic on the Nigerian economy and prospects of stricter containment measures considering th...
PGF chief: Femi Fani-Kayode’s botched defection an attempt to manipulate APC leadership
Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum PGF, Salihu Moh. Lukman has said the recent attempt to accept Chief Femi Fani-Kayode into the fold of the All Progressives Congress APC was a clear attempt by some partisans to manipulate the leadership of the ruling party into doing the wrong thing. There were reports earlier in the week that Fani-Kayode, a chieftain of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party PDP was set to join the APC following a meeting with the Chairman of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee CECPC, Gov. Mai Mala Buni, and Kogi state Governor, Yahaya Bello who chairs the Mobilization Committee of the party. In a statement titled, “APC and the Question of Values”, Lukman praised the insistence by many APC members and leaders that Mr. Fani-Kayode ...