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…
Author: Maimuna Bashir Isa
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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…
A TOTAL number of 58 Nigerian women and children have been rescued from human traffickers in Ghana. This brings the total number of rescued Nigerians in Accra in the last three months to 105. Chief Callistus Elozieuwa, Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Board of Trustees in Ghana disclosed this to the Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, when she visited the trafficked victims at their location in Accra. A statement by the Commission’s Head of Media and Public Relations, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, on Saturday, gave the breakdown of those rescued as Kano (47), Katsina (5), Jigawa…
THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Thursday unveiled the list of 2024 top scorers of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. The list was unveiled by the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede during the ongoing policy meeting of the Board in Abuja on Thursday. They are; 1. Olowu David – 367- Ondo state 2. Alayande David- 367- Oyo state 3. Orukpe Joel-367- Edo 4. Emmanuel Jeremiah-366- Akwa-Ibom 5. Essiet Etini-365-Akwa-Ibom 6. Ezenwoko Zara-365-Abia 7. Umoh Joshua-365-Akwa-Ibom 8. Mamudu Abdulraham-364-Edo 9. Adeleke Abdulbasit-363-Kwara 10. Echem Victor-363-Rivers 11. Etute Emmanuel-363- Edo 12. Jedidiah Chidiebube-363-Imo 13. Adesanya Oluwatimilehin-363-Ogun
THE Federal Government has repatriated a total of 190 Nigerians from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to a statement by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), signed by its Director General, Director, North Central Zone, Bashir Garga, on Tuesday, the returnees were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at 5:57 am, by a combined team of government officials led by NEMA. NEMA said the returnees have been profiled and documented by the relevant agencies, and sensitized to “behave with decorum and responsibility” on their return to Nigeria. “The federal government urges all Nigerians, wherever they may be,…
A FORMER student of Bridge House College, Ikoyi Lagos, Cherish Daniel-Markson has been honored by the Warwick University for her outstanding performance in her studies. University of Warwick, United Kingdom awarded the Nigerian, who hails from Bayelsa state, a first prize for her exceptional performance in three-year BA (Hons) Law with Social Sciences degree program. Cherish who graduated on top of her class as the best law graduate of the University and is the daughter of a former Commissioner for Information and Orientation in Bayelsa State, Daniel Iworiso-Markson. The institution management acknowledged her outstanding result in a congratulatory letter signed…
NO fewer than N721bn was received as bribe by Nigerian public officials in 2023, a new report by the National Bureau of Statistics has stated. The report released on Thursday titled, “Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends”, said the N721bn paid in bribes amounts to about 0.35 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product. The result was based on a survey conducted with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. According to the survey, the average cash bribe was N8,284, an increase from an average of N5,754 in 2019. The report read in part, “According to the 2023 survey,…
THE Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC)has threatened sanctions against electricity distribution companies or DisCos if they failed to take up at least 95 per cent of the total monthly energy allocated for distribution. In the commission’s Order on Performance Monitoring Framework for all the DisCos, the market operator rolled out touch sanctions against utility firms that commit infractions capable of inflicting pain on electricity consumers. Among other things, NERC said it would reduce five per cent of the administrative, and operational expenditure of any DisCo that failed to offtake at least 95 per cent of the total energy allocated to…
THE House of Representatives has launched a probe into the N1.5 billion meant for the payment of contractors, but allegedly diverted by principal officers of the Federal ministry of women affairs. The House Committee on Women Affairs commenced the probe in Abuja against the backdrop of petitions by contractors over non-payment of contracts executed. Rep. Kafilat Ogbara, Chairman of the committee, said that the ministry initiated new contracts not captured in the 2023 budget and diverted N1.5 billion being funds for old contractors. She added that the ministry, while owing contractors, awarded fresh contract in 15 states of the federation,…
NIGERIA has recorded over 2,100 suspected cases of Cholera outbreak across 33 states of the federation, the health authorities have said. This marks a significant increase from the 1,579 cases reported just a week ago, highlighting the rapid spread of the disease. This was disclosed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) which put the case fatality rate at 3%. Briefing journalists on the measures deployed against the outbreak on Tuesday, NCDC Director General, Jide Idris put the case fatality rate at 3.0 per cent. He said the cases were recorded as of June 30th, 2024. “As…
THE Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, (SSAP-SDGs) Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, has called on State Governments and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to double their efforts in the quest to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the global community seeks to accelerate the implementation of the Global Agenda in the Decade of Action for the Goals. The Presidential Aide made this call at the ongoing Advocacy and Sensitisation campaign in Kano and Ondo States. A statement issued by Desmond Utomwen, the Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the SSAP-SDGs, noted that with the…
THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued fresh guidelines to Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) on the deposit of foreign currency notes with the apex bank. This directive was contained in a circular issued by the Director of Currency Operators, Mohammed Solaja and posted on the bank’s website on Friday. CBN disclosed that each bank would be allowed a maximum deposit of $10 million threshold for USD 100 notes and USD 50 notes daily, saying such foreign currency deposits can only be made at the CBN branches in Abuja and Lagos. “In order to deepen the foreign exchange market, boost…
THE Federal Government may get emergency vaccine doses from the Vaccine Alliance, Gavi, to contain the cholera outbreak in the country. The Chief Executive Officer of Gavi, Dr Sania Nishtar, in a post on her X handle @SaniaNishtar, on Thursday, said the body was concerned about the cholera outbreak in Nigeria and was ready to support the country in its response. She tweeted, “Deeply concerned about the ongoing #cholera outbreak in Nigeria. @Gavi and partners are closely monitoring the cholera outbreak, and stand ready to support the government to quickly respond, including to request emergency vaccine doses where needed. “The…
THE Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON, has conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the Vice President of Nigeria, Sen. Kashim Shettima, on the demise of his mother-in-law, Hajiya Maryam Abubakar Albishir who passed away yesterday at the age of 69 after a protracted illness. Governor Inuwa Yahaya described the late Hajiya Maryam as an exemplary mother and a cornerstone of her family. He remarked, “We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Hajiya Maryam Abubakar Albishir. Her loss is felt not only by her family but Gombe State…
THE mother-in-law of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje CON, Hajiya Asiya Muhammad Gauyama has passed away. According to a press statement by Ganduje’s Chief Press Secretary, Edwin Olofu, Hajiya Gauyama, the beloved mother of Professor Hafsatu Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the wife of the National Chairman, died in the early hours of Monday. “The funeral prayer for Hajiya Asiya Muhammad Gauyama will hold today, at 2PM, at the residence of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje CON, located on Miyangu Road, Kano state. The statement read in full: Press Statement It is with deep sorrow…
AS the death toll from the latest cholera outbreak hits 40, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control says the country does not have enough vaccines. According to the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Jide Idris, Nigeria has placed an order for more cholera vaccines from donor agencies, even though the date of delivery is still unknown. The NCDC boss stressed the need for the country to embrace the use of vaccines and other preventive measures to curb the spread of the acute diarrhoeal infection. Cholera is a food and water-borne disease caused by…
NIGERIA took part in a round table meeting with organizers of the Grammy Awards, Recording Academy, and four other countries to investigate modalities for a Global African Music upscale. According to a statement by the Special Adviser, Media to the Minister of Culture and Creative Economy, Nneka Ikem Anibeze, the meeting which took place on Tuesday at the Convention Centre in Kigali, Rwanda is aimed at elevating the vibrant music and culture of Africa unto the global stage. The steering committee consisting of Ministers of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy of Kenya, Rwanda, a delegation from South Africa representing…