Author: Maimuna Bashir Isa

THE Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has evoked the “No Work, No Pay” policy against the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) over its recent warning strike. NARD had embarked on a nationwide seven-day warning strike on Monday over the continued detention of its abducted member , Dr. Ganiyat Popoola-Olawale. In a statement Thursday signed by its spokesman, Ado Bako, the ministry expressed deep disappointment over NARD’s decision to embark on the warning strike. The ministry said the association did so disregarding all negotiations and plea attempts by the federal government to resolve its concerns and ensure continued…

THE Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced September 14 as the ‘final deadline’ for the linkage of the National Identification Number (NIN) with the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM). NCC spokesman, Reuben Muoka, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, directing all mobile network operators (MNOs) to complete the verification and linkage of SIMs to NINs by September 14, 2024. Mouka said over 153 million SIMs have been successfully linked to their NINs, “reflecting an impressive compliance rate of 96 per cent, a substantial increase from 69.7 per cent in January 2024.” “To ensure full compliance with the NIN-SIM linkage policy,…

REPRESENTATIVES of the Federal Government and members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) met on Wednesday to avert an impending industrial action by university lecturers and will reconvene again on September 6. The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, disclosed this in Abuja, saying the government is working with ASUU to fashion out modalities to address the contentious issues. He announced that a new executive of the leadership of pro-chancellors has been formed to address the concerns raised by the lecturers. Similarly, a joint committee comprising ASUU, the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the…

A FOUR-MAN Nigerian gang member has been jailed for a total of 13 years after forging more than 2,000 marriage certificates that allowed people to live in the UK illegally. According to a UK news platform, Evening Standard, Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade, 41, Abayomi Aderinsoye Shodipo, 38, Nosimot Mojisola Gbadamosi, 31, and Adekunle Kabir, 54, made fraudulent EU Settlement Scheme applications for Nigerian nationals between March 2019 and May last year, the Home Office said. The organised crime group provided false Nigerian Customary Marriage Certificates and other fraudulent documentation to support the applications of the nationals to help them remain…

CANADA’s Immigration and Refugee Board granted asylum to at least 1,467 Nigerians, who applied for refugee protection from January 2023 to March 2024. This brings the total number of accepted asylum claims filed by Nigerians to 11,370 from 2012 to Q1 2024, as shown by data from the Refugee Protection Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. The Board grants refugee protection in Canada if the Division satisfactorily confirms that an applicant or claimant meets the United Nations definition of a Convention refugee, “which has been incorporated into Canadian law, or that the applicant is a person in…

THE family of a former Vice President and the Waziri of Adamawa, Atiku Abubakar, celebrated a significant milestone on Friday, August 23, 2024, as their daughter, Laila, tied the knot with her groom, Saleh Maitala, in a simple yet colourful Fatiha held at the National Mosque in Abuja. Laila looked radiant in a sparkling white wedding dress, while her groom complemented her in traditional white attire. Despite the modest scale of the event, it attracted a host of notable dignitaries from northern Nigeria, including a former Vice President, Namadi Sambo; a former Governor of Kano State; Rabiu Kwankwaso, the National…

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities has informed the Federal Government of its plans to embark on a nationwide strike by placing the government on a 21-day notice. Sources within the National Executive Council of ASUU confirmed the development to our correspondent in Abuja on Monday. The notice was issued at the end of the NEC meeting, which was held at the University of Ibadan, and a copy is expected to be transmitted to the Federal Ministries of Labour and Education. “It is not an ultimatum but a strike notice. We are giving them 21 days’ notice, after which we…

A LIBYAN driver was arrested on Tuesday in the Bishr area of Libya for attempting to smuggle six undocumented female migrants from Nigeria. The arrest was made during a routine police patrol, which intercepted the vehicle and detained the driver. According to Migrant Rescue Watch, an organisation that monitors migrant activities, the driver claimed that the women were his family members in an effort to evade arrest. However, authorities saw through the ruse and took the driver and the women into custody. The individuals involved have been transferred to the Bishr Police Department, Libya for further legal action as authorities…

HEALTH Minister Ali Pate says doctors and nurses trained in Nigeria are sought-after globally, and that 67% of them work in the United Kingdom (UK). The minister, on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday monitored by News Point Nigeria, said if health workers of Nigerian origin pull out of the National Health Service (NHS), the service will struggle. He spoke on the new National Policy on Health Workforce Migration approved by President Bola Tinubu to tackle the exodus of health workers from Nigeria in a phenomenon colloquially known as ‘Japa’. He said Nigerian doctors and nurses are attractive and…

THE West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the 2024 results for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). This is according to a post on the examination body’s X account on Monday. “The West African Examinations Council is pleased to inform Candidates who sat WASSCE for School Candidates, 2024 that the result has officially been released today, Monday, August 12, 2024,” it wrote. “To access the result, log on to https://waecdirect.org.” The West African Examinations Council is pleased to inform Candidates who sat WASSCE for School Candidates, 2024 that the result has officially been released today, Monday, August…

THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Tuesday announced the approval for a pivotal financial accommodation to support the proposed merger between Unity Bank Plc and the Providus Bank Limited. The apex bank, in a statement by its acting Director of Corporate Communications, Hakama Sidi-Ali, said the move is designed to bolster the stability of the nation’s financial system and avert potential systemic risks. “The merger is contingent upon the financial support from the CBN. The fund will be instrumental in addressing Unity Bank’s total obligations to the Central Bank and other stakeholders,” the statement read. “It is unequivocal to…

THE Ministry of Finance has failed to release the sum of N4.9bn meal subsidy of 112 Federal Unity Colleges across the country. Our correspondent discovered this through sources within the Federal Civil Service alongside multiple letters written by the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, to his finance counterpart, Wale Edun. Findings by our correspondent revealed that the finance ministry failed to release the interventions for November and December 2023 but went ahead to pay the interventions for January 2024 to date. Our correspondent found out that the sum of N2,478,056,400 is being paid monthly to all the 112 FUCs. The…

JUSTICE Sylvanus Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has restricted protesters in the August 1 demonstration to the MKO Abiola Stadium in the nation’s capital. Justice Oriji issued the order on Wednesday while delivering a ruling in an ex-parte application brought before him by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike. In the exparte application argued by his counsel, Ogwu Onoja, the FCT Minister had applied for an order of interim injunction restraining the five leaders of the protesting groups from gathering or parading themselves along any roadway, streets, offices, and public premises…

AS the plan to protest nationwide against hunger, USIR Project Converner, Umma-Salma Isyaka Rabiu has appealed to youths to shun the protest and engage in dialogue with critical stakeholders. Speaking at press briefing in Kano over the weekend, Rabiu noted that engaging in any form of protest at this time will be an ill wind that will do no good to anyone especially people of the north. Acknowledging that hunger was biting hard on Nigerians, Rabiu said: “Our beloved Nigeria is navigating a complex landscape of challenges that test our resilience and unity. Many of you are understandably frustrated, and…

THE management of Bayero University, Kano State, has says that normal academic and administrative activities will continue following the planned nationwide protest. This is contained in a statement signed by the Deputy Registrar, Public Affairs, Lamara Garba, and issued to newsmen in Kano, Monday night. According to the statement, Following the planned nationwide protest set to commence on Thursday August 1, 2024, the Management of Bayero University, Kano wishes to inform members of the University community that normal academic and administrative activities will continue. Consequently, staff and students are advised to remain peaceful, calm and law abiding. “The Management has…

THE National Youth Service Corps has suspended the biometric clearance and the weekly Community Development Services for corps members nationwide. The corps noted that this was necessary in view of the planned protest billed to hold between August 1-10, 2024. This was disclosed in a memo sent to State Coordinators, Local Government Inspectors and Zonal Inspectors across the country. It read, “In furtherance to our earlier memo reminding corps members of the scheme’s policy prohibiting participation in any form of protest, all corps members are informed that biometric clearance and CDS activities are suspended with immediate effect. The date for…

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited said it is set to hire more workers. A statement published on the company’s website on Friday, said the recruitment would be for various positions across various departments within the energy company. “NNPC Ltd is pleased to announce that we are currently hiring for multiple positions across various departments. We are seeking talented and dedicated individuals to join our team. Visit our careers page for application instructions,” Soneye stated. NNPCL urged interested applicants to submit their applications through its official website, https://careers.nnpcgroup.com. This is the first recruitment exercise since it fully transformed into a…

NIGERIA’s Charge’d’ Affaires to Libya, Amb. Mohammed Mohammed on Wednesday announced the repatriation, by the Federal Government of 158 irregular migrants from Libya to Nigeria. Mohammed explained, in a statement on Wednesday, that the evacuees comprised 77 males, 45 females, 26 children as well as 10 infants. He added that of the total number, 26 males arrested from the ongoing raid of undocumented foreigners in Libya were released from Abu-Salim Detention Centre in Tripoli. The Nigerian envoy to Libya also disclosed that so far, 1,776 stranded Nigerians have returned home. Mohammed further explained that the repatriation was a collaborative effort…

META Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has removed 63,000 accounts associated with the notorious “Yahoo Boys” scam group, the company announced in its Q1 2024 Adversarial Threat Report on Wednesday. The accounts, deleted over the past few weeks, were used for financial sextortion scams and distributing blackmail scripts. Meta reported that a smaller network of 2,500 accounts, linked to around 20 individuals, primarily targeted adult men in the United States using fake identities. Meta said it identified and disabled these accounts through a combination of advanced technical signals and comprehensive investigations, enhancing its automated detection…

SENATE President, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday, tendered an apology to Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over his “nightclub” comment on her during plenary. Akpabio had told Natasha during plenary last week that the Senate chamber was not a “nightclub” therefore, the female senator must be recognised before she speaks. But the statement was greeted with heavy bashing from Nigerians. During plenary on Tuesday, Akpabio, who presided over the session apologised, saying he would never deliberately denigrate a woman and that he never intended to insult Senator Natasha. The senate president disclosed that his phone had been overwhelmed with insults…