government
Repairs: Federal government announces partial closure of Falomo bridge
The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Olukayode Popoola, has announced a six weeks partial closure of the Falomo Bridge in Victoria Island from Sunday for repairs. Popoola in a statement on Friday night appealed for understanding of road users promising that traffic regulatory and law enforcement agencies have been deployed to minimise gridlock “The Federal Government will be embarking on rehabilitation of Falomo Bridge for a period of six weeks starting from Sunday 14th March 2021. “This will require partial closure of one lane at a time. “The motoring public are advised to please cooperate with the traffic law enforcement agents, while the federal government will try its best to minimise the inconveniences this may cause,” he said. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to...
Benue governor says no more amnesty, negotiation with criminals
Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, says his administration will no longer negotiate with or grant amnesty to criminals under any guise in the state. Ortom stated this on Saturday in Anyiin, Logo Local Government Area of the state at the burial of Mr Terkura Suswam, the slain elder brother of former governor, Sen. Gabriel Suswam. Newsmen reports that Suswam was killed along with his aide, Mr Solomon Utanor on March 2, close to his residence in Anyiin. The governor condemned the crime rate in Logo, Ukum and Katsina-Ala, reiterating his determination to end all forms of criminalities in the state. “There is no more amnesty, no more negotiation with them, (criminals) except they come back like the prodigal son and plead for forgiveness,’’ he said. According to the governor, the State Security ...
Lagos governor restructures works and infrastructure ministry
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has approved the restructuring of the State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure by re-establishing the Office of Works and Office of Infrastructure. In a statement released late Friday night, Lagos State Head of Service, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola, explained that the restructuring of the ministry was necessitated by the volume of work ahead of the present administration in the state led by Sanwo-Olu and the need to implement relevant structural reviews that would facilitate faster attainment of government’s policy objectives. The governor also approved the appointment of two new Permanent Secretaries in the Lagos State Public Service. They are; Arc. Adebayo Ayodeji Odusanya, who would serve as Permanent Secretary Office of Works, and Engr. Rotimi Idowu ...
Nigerian government’s special cash grant for rural women launched in Yobe
Federal government has on Friday Flag-off Special Cash Grant for Rural Women in Damaturu, Yobe State capital. Launching the programme, the Minister of Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq said that “we gather to provide support to citizens of our beloved country. I am delighted to have you all converge on this venue for purpose of flagging off the Federal Government’s cash grant for rural women, which is a significant social protection programme of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, aimed at uplifting the most vulnerable groups out of poverty”. According to her, since the inception of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration in 2015, Government has paid more attention to protecting and promoting the plight of the poor and vulnerable in the country. This s...
PDP advises federal government against increasing pump price of petrol
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday advised the Federal Government against increasing pump price of petrol. The party in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja said any contemplation to increase pump price of petrol to N212 would worsen the economic and social situations of Nigerians. This was in reaction to a debunk report that the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulation Agency (PPPRA) on Thursday night released a template that a litre of fuel would now be sold for prices ranging from N209 to N212 per litre for March. Ologbondiyan said that the N212 per liter reportedly contemplated in the March pricing template was not in the best interest of Nigerians. “It is a barefaced fact that there is no way that Nigerians can survive such hike in fue...
Activist asks court to compel Kano, others to refund VAT generated from alcohol
An Abuja-based activist, Sesugh Akume, has filed a suit before a Federal High Court in the nation’s capital, asking it to compel states that outlawed the sale of alcohol to refund the sums received through Value Added Tax imposed on alcoholic beverages. About 12 states practise Sharia law in Nigeria. They are Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Borno, Yobe, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Zamfara and Niger. Based on Sharia law, some of the states prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages and usually hold public events where bottles of alcoholic drinks are destroyed while gambling is also illegal. However, all the states receive VAT collected from alcoholic beverages sold in other states that permit the sale of the product. In an originating motion brought pursuant to Section 1(3), 4(5), 162(3), (4...
FIDA: Women can now serve as surety in Gombe
International Federation of Women Lawyers, Gombe Branch on Friday, hailed the state government over the Administration of Criminal Justice Law which allows women to stand as surety in bail applications. According to the chairperson of FIDA, Elizabeth Okotie, this law enhances the rights and provides justice for Women and Children, adding that, prior to now, women can’t stand as surety in a criminal case in the state. Okotie stated that this will help boost the sphere of influence, likewise the morale of an average Gombe woman. “International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Gombe Branch wishes to congratulate the government of Gombe State on the successful passing of Administration of Criminal Justice Law in the state which now forms part of the Canon of the state laws. This law enhances...
Rivers governor: Labour can’t reverse APC’s anti-people policies
The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has said that the labour movement in Nigeria is dead, adding that it cannot reverse the anti-people policies of the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government. Wike who wrote on Twitter lamented the silence of labour in the face of insecurity and hike in fuel price and electricity tariff in the country. According to him, labour which used to be alive under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan died since the inception of the present government. He said, “Labour movement in the country is dead because it has lost its force of engagement with government and hardly can achieve anything good for the generality of the workforce and Nigerians. “The leadership of labour has left substance to pursue shadows and hardly can speak in...
Expert: Ten cancer facilities inadequate for 200 million Nigerians
A Radiation and Clinical Oncologist, Dr. Tessy Ahmadu, has decried inadequate facilities for cancer treatment in the country. Ahmadu, who is also the Head of the Oncology Department, Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abuja, said this in an interview with newsmen on Friday in Abuja. She said rather than blaming the spate of cancer on inadequate expertise in the country, inadequate facilities should be held responsible. According to her, the country has trained oncologists and specialists handling cancer cases. “We have a population of over 200 million but we have less than 10 functional radiotherapy machines in the country,” the medical doctor said. Although Ahmadu said that there were enough experts in the country, she noted that they could still be more than the present number. She said that ...
PDP governors inaugurate finance, legal affairs, legislative liaison committees
File Photo Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party have inaugurated three committees of the forum, namely Finance, Legal Affairs and Legislative Liaison. This was one of the outcomes of the meeting of the forum held Thursday at the Conference Hall, Sokoto State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja. A communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by the Chairman of the Forum, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State says the Finance Committee is chaired by Abia Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and has as members Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo and Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom. The Legislative Liaison Committee has Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi as chairman, while Gov. Okowa, Gov Ifean...
DMO: Nigerian roads financed with Sukuk not repaying debt as planned
File Photo The Debt Management Office (DMO) has decried the country’s debt service to revenue ratio, describing it as a major issue of concern. Patience Oniha, the Director-General of DMO, said this in Abuja on Thursday at the fifth Budget Seminar (webinar) organised by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The theme of the budget seminar was, “Financing Nigeria’s Budget and Infrastructure Deficit through the Capital Market.” Oniha stressed the need for infrastructure built with borrowed funds to generate revenue to service the debts. According to her, “We have done the Sukuk, for instance, but the government is the one servicing the debt of those Sukuk. “They (the debts) are not being serviced with revenue from those sources (infrastructure). “I think that when we are talking abou...
Tanzanian envoy denies President Magufuli in bad health
Tanzania’s President John Magufuli is in good health and working normally, one of his diplomats has told a broadcaster in Namibia, countering reports he had been flown to hospital in Kenya and then India in a critical condition with COVID-19. Magufuli, 61, who is Africa’s most prominent coronavirus sceptic, has not been seen in public since Feb. 27. Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu has cited medical and security sources for information that the president was flown to the private Nairobi Hospital in neighbouring Kenya and then on to India in a coma. But the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation quoted Tanzania’s ambassador in Windhoek, Modestus Kipilimba, as saying Magufuli was in good health and remained in Tanzania. “High Commissioner Kipilimba dismissed the reports, saying Magufuli is...