Wednesday
Anglican Primate wants programmes to cushion hike in petrol, electricity tariff
The Primate, Church of Nigeria, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, on Wednesday called on the Federal Government to urgently come up with programmes to cushion the effects of the hike in petrol prices and electricity tariff on citizens. Ndukuba, who made the call at the 13th General Synod of the Church in Abuja, stressed that the hike would worsen the economic hardship on Nigerians and increase the poverty level in the country. While lamenting the negative effects of COVID-19 on the citizenry, Ndukuba expressed regret that most of the small and medium scale enterprises had collapsed and many more Nigerians had lost their jobs. On national security, the Anglican Primate stressed the need for government to accord priority to community policing and support regional security organisations to strengthen ...
Plateau teachers decry non-implementation of new minimum wage
Nigeria Union of Teachers The Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Jos East Chapter, on Wednesday decried the non-implementations of the new minimum wage in the state. Its Chairman, Mr Samuel Agwom, voiced the teachers’ concerns when he led other NUT officials on a courtesy visit to the Speaker, Plateau House of Assembly, Mr Abok Ayuba. Agwom appealed to the Plateau government to quickly initiate the process of implementing the new minimum wage for civil servants, especially the primary school teachers. “As teachers, we are crying over the non-implementation of the new minimum wage and we want to believe that you have the ability to channel this concern to the state government. “Another challenge is the late payment of salaries of teachers. As primary school teachers, we lay the foundation of...
Oyo governor flags off construction of 360 housing units, Ajoda new town estate
Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, on Wednesday, flagged off the construction of 360 Housing Units at the Ajoda New Town Estate, located on the New Ibadan-Ife Expressway. The estate, which is estimated to cost about Two Billion, Five Hundred Million Naira (N2.5 billion), according to the governor, will enhance affordable housing to all and sundry in the state. A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted the governor as saying that the strategic location of the new estate will ensure that the investors make quick returns on their investments. In another development, Governor Makinde, also, on Wednesday, handed over the Agbowo Shopping Complex, Ibadan, to investors who have committed to turning around the fortunes of the abandoned complex in ...
Google, UNWTO partner to boost tourism in Nigeria, others
The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and Google on Wednesday hosted the first UNWTO & Google Tourism Acceleration Program which focused on insights from Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. The programme was put together ahead of World Tourism Day, Google said in a statement. The organisations said they partnered to create and host an online Acceleration Program for UNWTO member states’ tourism ministers, top travel associations and tourism boards. The initiative is put together to further develop innovation and digital transformation skills across the Africa and beyond. The COVID-19 crisis has disproportionately affected tourism, a sector that accounts for millions of jobs around the globe, a statement by Google said Wednesday. “While no one can say with certainty when th...
ECOWAS likely to decide on lifting Mali sanctions Friday
The West African bloc ECOWAS will likely decide on Friday whether to lift potentially crippling sanctions imposed on Mali after last month’s coup, its mediator said. The mediator, Nigerian former president Goodluck Jonathan, called the 15-nation bloc’s sanctions “unfortunate” during a visit to Mali’s capital Bamako on Wednesday. West African leaders have heaped pressure on the ruling military junta to return power to civilians since the coup toppled president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on August 18. ECOWAS has used the sanctions, which include closing borders and restricting trade, as leverage in negotiations with the junta. Sticking points in those negotiations have included whether civilians or soldiers will run a transition government until fresh elections. The junta asked for the sanctions...
Police arrest Rivers council chair over ‘link’ with slain gang leader
The Rivers State Police Command has arrested the Chairman of Gokana Local Government Chairman, Honourable Paul Vidag Kobani, over the alleged link with the late notorious leader of a criminal gang which operated in the Ogoni communities of the State, Honest Diigbara, aka Boboski. Boboski, who had N30 million ransom on his head was arrested by the Police over weekend. Acting on a tip-off, a team of policemen with the support of the local vigilance group had traced Boboski to a wake keep ceremony where he was arrested alongside his deputy, who was identified to be his immediate younger brother after a gunfire exchange with the police. But Boboski died from gunshot wounds a few hours after he was paraded before journalists by the police. It was learnt that the Gokana Local Government Chairman...
Ugandan military searching for over 200 escaped prisoners
The Uganda military is using aircraft and foot patrols to search for more than 200 inmates who escaped from a prison in north-east Uganda. The Area Army spokesman, Peter Mugisha, said this in Kampala on Thursday. He said that 219 inmates escaped from the prison near the remote town of Moroto, about 500 kilometres from the capital Kampala, on Wednesday, breaking into an armoury and seizing guns. A soldier and three escapees died in an exchange of fire, and another seven had been rearrested, Mugisha said. “We lost one of our soldiers when these guys fired back during the operation. We are pursuing them and we are using a helicopter to guide the foot troops,” Mugisha said. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagi...
Edo election: NSCDC deploys 13,3111 personnel, 60 sniffer dogs
Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says it has deployed no fewer than 13,3111 personnel alongside 60 sniffer dogs to ensure security during the Sept. 19 Edo governorship election. Mr Abdullahi Gana, Commandant General NSCDC, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen by the Corps Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mr Emmanuel Okeh on Wednesday in Abuja. Gana revealed that the deployed personnel were drawn from the Corps Headquarters and its commands in Kogi, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta and Ondo state. He said that the deployed staff would complement personnel of its command in Edo and the zonal command in Benin. He said that the deployment was to ensure that every act of electoral malpractice, violence and other social vices that could affect the smooth conduct of the el...
Edo election: Court fixes October 14 to hear PDP’s suit seeking Pastor Ize-Iyamu disqualification
Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, adjourned to October 14, to commence hearing in the suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seeking the disqualification of Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu from the September 19 governorship election in Edo State. Justice Mohammed fixed the date following an agreement by parties to hear the suit after the court’s vacation period. The court had last week adjourned to September 16 for hearing in the application against the suit filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenging the court’s jurisdiction being a vacation court to entertain the suit. When the matter came up, on Wednesday, counsel to the plaintiff, Chief Ken Mozia (SAN), informed the court that the matter for the day was the hearing of the APC’s objec...
NBS solicits Nigerians’ support on survey on children, women
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has appealed to the general public to support its survey on the situation of women and children it is conducting, is brought to “ a successful end”. Mr Sunday Ichedi, the Head, Public Affairs and International Relations Unit, NBS made the appeal on Wednesday in a statement. Ichedi said that Nigeria had formally started the process of conducting the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS6)/National Immunisation Coverage Survey (NICS) with a virtual inaugural meeting of the National Steering Committee. The global MICS programme was developed by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the 1990s as an international household survey programme. The programme was developed to support countries in the collection of internationally comparable data on a wi...
President Buhari felicitates with Bamanga Tukur at 85
The Trent President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday felicitated with elder statesman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, on the occasion of his 85th birthday. This is contained in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja. Buhari joined members of Tukur’s family, friends and well-wishers in celebrating the elder statesman. He noted Tukur, former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party and one-time governor of old Gongola State, had devoted a greater part of his extensive political life to supporting democracy in the country and continent. According to the president, Tukur is an accomplished businessman, pan-Africanist and philanthropist. Tukur understands very clearly that one of the best human legacies is to invest in people and many Nigerians who cam...
DISCO: New tariff only affects major electricity consumers
The Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), says the new tariff regime approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) will not affect lower electricity consumers in its franchise. KEDCO’s franchise include Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States. Mr Ibrahim Shawai, Head of Corporate Communications of the company, gave the clarification in a statement issued on Wednesday in Kano. Shawai said that the increase in tariff would be applied only on major electricity consumers who had been categorised into Band A, B and C. He explained that the Band A, B and C consumers enjoyed minimum of power supply between 20, 16 and 12 hours respectively. The spokesman added that lower consumers were also categorised into Band D and E with less than 12 hours of supply per day, adding that th...
