government
Resident doctors decry Nigerian government scrapping of officers, interns salary
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has decried the scrapping of the salary of medical house officers and other health interns by the Federal Government. Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, the President of NARD, said this while speaking with newsmen on Saturday in Abuja Okhuaihesuyi said that the NARD was making its own investigation to confirm the veracity of the news, adding that it would be addressed appropriately. Newsmen report that the Federal Government through the National Council of Establishment (NCE) stopped the salaries of medical house officers. Others categories of officers affected include dental house officers, nurse interns, pharmacist interns, medical laboratory science interns, and NYSC doctors. Dr Folashade Yemi-Esaa, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federatio...
Cross River agency chief calls for legislation to back labour migration
The director-general, Cross River Migration Control Agency, Prince Michael Nku Abuo, has called for enactment of a legislation to back labour migration in order to engender national development. Abuo made the call at the Cross River State Migration Summit held in Calabar, the state capital on Saturday. The DG, who also represented the state governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, at the summit, pointed out that several solutions by both federal and state governments have been given to address the issue of unemployment in order to curb the challenge, but the way forward is to tackle the menace was through labour migration. According to him, Cross River Migration Control Agency was exploring and advancing for opportunities for citizens of the State who are at home and in the Diaspora under a work study p...
Southeast Asian leaders discuss Myanmar crisis with junta chief
Southeast Asian leaders began a crisis meeting on Myanmar on Saturday aiming to persuade Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who led the military takeover that sparked turmoil in his country, to forge a path to end the violence. The gathering of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta is the first coordinated international effort to ease the crisis in Myanmar, an impoverished country that neighbours China, India and Thailand. Myanmar is part of the 10-nation ASEAN. With participants attending in person despite the pandemic, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on Friday that the summit reflected the “deep concern about the situation in Myanmar and ASEAN’s determination to help Myanmar get out of this delicate situation”. It’s unusual for the leader o...
Benue governor: My strength lies with the people
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state Friday said his strength lies with God and the people of Benue state who have always been his pillar and supported his political endeavors. The Governor who spoke Friday while feting widows, orphans the disabled and children with special needs in Makurdi on his 60th birthday anniversary commended Benue people for standing with him at all times. He said he had to celebrate with the selected people to give them a sense of belonging, hope and reassurance that they were integral part of the society and also deserved to be accorded desired attention. “I am what I am because God is with me and my people are with me as well. That is were I draw my strength from and that is what makes me what I am. I am nothing without God and my people. That is why all I do is...
Nigerian government virtually inaugurates seven digital economy projects in five zones
The Federal Government on Friday in Abuja virtually inaugurated seven Information Technology (IT) projects located in five geo-political zones of the country. The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, said at the event that they were part of efforts to consolidate on implementing the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS). Pantami said that the projects were in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s key agenda, which included economic development, security and fight against corruption. Newsmen report that the projects were actualised by parastatal agencies under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. The projects commissioned included a Community ICT Centre in Dutse, Jigawa, for North West; an IT Hub at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University,...
PTAD: Implementation of pension adjustment in progress
Dr Chioma Ejikeme, Executive Secretary of Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), says implementation of the pension adjustment is in progress. Ejikeme in a statement on Thursday in Abuja through Mr Gbenga Ajayi, PTAD’s Head of Corporate Communications, noted that the implementation was most likely to commence at the end of April, going by the submissions that had been made by all stakeholders. “Ejikeme held a meeting with the National Executives of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) led by Dr Abel Afolayan on March 16, where the issue of the implementation of the pension adjustment was openly discussed. “The union gave their understanding at the meeting, the executive secretary told the union that the implementation is most likely to commence at the end of April, going by ...
Wheat farmers bemoan $6.1 billion annual import, laud CBN restriction on forex for importers
The Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN) says about $6.1 billion is spent yearly to import wheat into Nigeria. The President of the association, Alhaji Salim Muhammad, made this known at a news conference on Wheat Forex in Abuja on Thursday. Muhammad commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over the policy that placed wheat on Forex restriction. He described it as an impressive policy and a welcome development. According to him, Nigeria consumes 5 million metric tons of wheat per annum, while a meagre 420,000 tons is produced locally. He said that in view of numerous challenges that plagued local production, the policy would enable the government to unlock the unrealised potentials in the wheat sub-sector. “The forex restriction policy will give relevant stakeholders the confiden...
Ohanaeze warns Nigerian Army to stop mass arrest of Igbo youths
Ohanaeze Ndigbo has raised alarm over the alleged massive arrest of Igbo youths by the Nigerian army and taken to unknown destinations. Ohanaeze said the mass arrest is going on in Ohaji and Oguta Communities of Imo State by military personnel believed to be from 34 Artillery Brigade, Owerri. The arrested youths were alleged to be members of Eastern Security Network, ESN, according to the apex Igbo group. Ohanaeze wondered why the army were arresting Igbo youths who bear no arms and allow Fulani herdsmen to move around with AK 47 riffles. They called on the Chief of army staff to immediately stop the mass arrests. The Professor George Obiozor led Ohanaeze in a statement signed by its spokesman, Alex Ogbonnia said: “The attention of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has been drawn to ongoing massiv...
Lagos: Police arrest protesting Uber, Bolt drivers
The police in Lagos have arrested some members of the Professional E-hailing Drivers and Private Owners Association (PEDPA), the umbrella body of e-hailing ride companies including Uber and Bolt, who had embarked on an industrial action over the services rendered by the platforms. Five drivers, including the president of PEDPA, Idris Shonuga, were arrested on Tuesday. Speaking on the arrest, Kolawole Aina, the Regional Vice President PEDPA, South-west, said the drivers were picked up by the police at the National Stadium in Surulere while they were gathering for a peaceful march to Alausa. Newsmen reported that Bolt and Uber drivers commenced strike on Monday to express their displeasure over the “unfavourable pricing” of the companies and its impact on their business. Shonuga, who listed ...
Lagos inaugurates six-man governing board for alternative high school for girls
Lagos State Government has inaugurated a six-member Governing Board for Alternative High School for Girls In Aboju area of the state. The moves aimed at promoting the growth of both formal and informal education in the state. The state government, therefore, in demonstration of its commitment to full implementation of its mass literacy policy, charged the board to ensure that the school continues to excel in all its activities while sustaining its current impressive standard. The Special Adviser to Governor Sanwo-Olu on Education, Barrister Tokunbo Wahab, inaugurated the board. Wahab, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr Adeniran Kasali, stated that the government carefully selected technocrats with diverse experience and achievements in education and public service to let th...
Akwa Ibom wins CIRDDOC 2020 best budget transparency award
In a move that gives credence and endorsement of the commitment of the Udom Emmanuel led administration in ensuring openness, transparency and accountability in budgeting and governance, the Akwa Ibom State Government has been ranked one of the best performing states in the 2020 sub-National Budget Transparency Survey. The survey which was conducted by the Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre (CIRDDOC) to ascertain the level of budget performance by states of the federation revealed that Akwa Ibom and four other states topped the budget performance index for the year, 2020. The Nigerian States Budget Transparency Survey Report also revealed that Akwa Ibom and some other Nigerian States have significantly improved budget transparency and participation, and has improved the ro...
US: Chad rebels heading towards capital from north
The United States said rebel fighters in Chad appeared to be moving towards the capital N’Djamena and ordered non-essential staff to leave, warning of possible violence. A spokesman for the rebel Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) said its fighters had “liberated” the province of Kanem, some 220 km (136 miles) from the capital N’Djamena, but the government denied this. “The authors of these false statements are not even on the ground, but somewhere in Europe,” the government said in a message posted to Facebook. A day earlier the British government urged its citizens to leave Chad because of information that two rebel convoys on the move, one near the town of Faya, some 770 km (478 miles) northeast of N’Djamena, and another by the town of Mao, the provincial capital of Kanem. On S...
