Intervention
INEC seeks measures to secure assets due to incessant attacks on facilities
The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has called for urgent measures to stave off further attacks on its facilities across the country, lamenting that in less than two weeks, three of its offices in the Southeastern part of Nigeria have come under attacks by arsonists. “The spate of fire incidents involving the facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in some States of the Federation has unfortunately persisted”, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Barr. Festus Okoye disclosed this in a statement on Friday. According to him, the attack this time around, is in Enugu State, where the Resident Electoral Commissioner for the State, Emeka Ononamadu, reported that the INEC office in Udenu Local Governmen...
Imo government condoles with family of student killed by stray bullet
Imo Government on Wednesday condoled with the family of Miss Divine Nwaneri, a first-year student of the Imo State University, who was killed by a stray bullet on April 24. The state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Declan Emelumba who received the family in his office in Owerri, described her death as a ‘huge loss’. Newsmen report that the 22-year old student of Soil Science in ABSU was hit by a stray bullet from an accidental discharge by a security personnel in front of the state Government House, Owerri. Emelumba assured the family that the state government would take all appropriate measures to provide them the needed succour. He added that cogent measures had been taken by the state government in synergy with security agencies to restore calm to the state and ensure se...
Federal pensioners pull out of pensions union
The crisis among pensioners on Sunday got messier as Federal Civil Service Pensioners (FCSP) finally opted out of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) over alleged denial of the branch’s rights and privileges. Members of FCSP also premised their decision on “illegal and unconstitutional” appointment of a caretaker committee by the NUP at its April National Delegates Conference held in Abuja. FCSP announced it was pulling out from NUP in a communique issued at the end of the emergency NEC meeting of the union which was held at Labour House by its national chairman, Omezi Sunday. Sunday explained that opting out became necessary over the lingering trade dispute between the FCSP and the NUP. According to him, the protracted impasse is occasioned by the blatant refusal of the NUP to give a co...
Afenifere: We’ll not support military takeover
Pan-Yoruba sociocultural group, Afenifere, has said it is against military takeover of any kind. In a statement, National Publicity Secretary of the group, Comrade Jare Ajayi, described military intervention in government as a curse. He said the recent clamour for change in the country was borne out of frustration over the state of the nation. Ajayi said, “Going by what the nation went through under the military, we will certainly not support another military rule in Nigeria under any guise. “It is on record for example that apart from the general abridgement of the rights of Nigerians under the military, members of the the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) masterminded by Afenifere suffered greatly. “It is on record that we lost a lot of patriotic Nigerians all because they were prot...
CBN governor vows to block maize importation
Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele on Thursday vowed to resist importation of maize as Nigerians have the capacity and capability to grow the crop locally to meet consumption demand. On that note, he has urged youths across the country to embrace agriculture, declaring the bank’s readiness to support those ready to venture into it. Emefiele made the declaration in Katsina at the unveiling of the first maize pyramid and flag-off of the 2021 maize wet season farming under the CBN-Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN) Anchor Borrowers’ Programme. He averred that Nigerian youths could leverage their talents, along with technological tools to improve farm productivity and delivery of agricultural produce to markets. While noting that agriculture offered significant benefi...
Kebbi governor: Nigerians should seek divine intervention on insecurity
Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, has urged Nigerians to seek divine intervention in quelling the insecurity challenge confronting the country. Bagudu said repentance played a major role to human beings “both here and hereafter,” hence Nigerians should return to God. The governor spoke during a Ramadan breakfast meeting hosting government functionaries, members of the judiciary, the legislature at the state’s government house in Birnin Kebbi. In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Abubakar Dakingari, the governor said: “I want to emphasise the need for collective and individual supplication towards eliminating problems that engulfed our dear nation. “I also want to affirm the commitment of the incumbent administration to uplift the condition of living of both urban and rural dwel...
Nigerian government tasks universities on best practices for impact as panel visits FUPRE
Nigerian universities have been charged to always comply with global best practices in terms of corporate governance, operations, benchmark, quality assurance and judicious application of resources for impact. The Chairman of the federal government Visitation panel to the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Effurun, Prof. Ikenna Onyido, stated this yesterday at the institution. Onyido argued that it was important for the federal government to at interval check the books of the various universities owned by it to ascertain compliance to the various regulations and assess their development in line with available regulations overtime. The Emeritus Professor and former Vice-Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, who led a seven-member team to FUPRE, stre...
Senator Saraki urges Nigerian government to seek help over escalating insecurity
Former President of the Senate, Sen. Bukola Saraki, has advised the Federal Government to seek help wherever it could to address the escalating insecurity in the country. Saraki, in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, said that calling for help in the present situation of the country was not a sign of weakness. He said he was worried over cases of violence, kidnapping and terrorism recorded on Monday in Anambra, Kaduna, Yobe, Niger, Lagos states and many parts of the country. The ex-senate president reiterated the need for President Muhammadu Buhari to convene meeting of all those who could help in finding solutions to the problem at hand. ”The people include former presidents and heads of state, serving and former chief justices, serving and former presiding officers of the National Assembly...
Kebbi: NSCDC sets up committee to investigate ‘extortion’
File Photo The Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) says it has set up a five-man committee to investigate alleged N1 million extortion by its staff in Kebbi State. The State Commandant of the corps, Alhaji Suleman Ibrahim, made this known at a news conference in Birnin Kebbi on Monday. Ibrahim said, “I have read a report online that my officers have been alleged to have extorted money from a client. ”This has never been the tradition of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps in the state as one of our core values is serving with integrity, honesty and diligence. “I am not a party to such an incident and I am not aware of it, and I doubt if any of my officers will do such an illegal and unlawful act. ”But still, we will take any allegation serious to its logical conclusi...
Minister: Nigeria needs N1.89 trillion to eradicate malaria
The federal government has said that it will require N1.89 trillion to successfully implement the new five-year strategic plan aimed at eradicating malaria in Nigeria. It said that about N352 billion out of the amount is required for the year 2021 programme implementation. In his address to mark this year’s World Malaria Day, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said the target set out in the National Malaria Strategic Plan of 2021 to 2025 is to achieve less than 10 per cent parasite prevalence and reduction in mortality attributable to malaria to less than 50 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2025. He said: “The implementation of the New Strategic Plan will cost N1.89 trillion. About 63.1% of the total amount will be used to support Chemoprevention, diagnosis and treatment, while 35....
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...
NAF chief: Terrorists’ll be brought to their knees
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, has said the Nigerian military will win the war on insecurity in the North-East and other parts of the country. Amao said this when he received the Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa, at the Nigerian Airforce Headquarters in Abuja. This was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by Gabriel Odu for NIDCOM Media, Public Relations and Protocol Unit. According to the statement, “Air Marshal Oladayo Amao believes that with the professional competence of the air servicemen and women, and well-boosted morale, the terrorists and their kind will be brought to their knees. “CAS said the NAF is willing to collaborate with Nigerian Professionals in diaspora in relevant fields as it is imperative to tap into the enormo...
