Author: Amina Ibrahim

THE Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) says herders and traders can soon move their cows from northern Nigeria to the country’s southern region using rail services. NRC Managing Director, Fidet Okhiria, disclosed this on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief breakfast show on Wednesday, hours after President Bola Tinubu announced the creation of a new ministry for livestock development. He said the movement of cows and other goods would resume with the Warri-Itakpe route. The NRC, famous for passenger traffic, had in 2017 suspended the movement of cattle by train following technical hitches. However, Okhiria said in a matter of one or…

THE Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has announced the extension of the deadline for registration of all Point of Sale Operators (PoS) by additional sixty days. According to the Commission, the extension period which begins from 7th July, 2024 to 5th September, 2024, is to allow operators, especially those in remote areas who might have encountered network glitches to register. Channels Television reports that the Commission had earlier in May 2024, given a deadline of 7th July 2024. But in a statement posted on its X handle on Sunday, it noted that the registration will now end in September. “The Corporate…

THE National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, on Thursday, handed another set of 16 abducted victims to the officials of Zamfara Government. This is contained in a statement by Michael Abuh, Head, Strategic Communications, National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser, NCTC-ONSA, on Thursday in Abuja. Ribadu said the handing over was a demonstration of the Federal Government’s unwavering commitment towards the safety, and protection of Nigerians, as evident in various rescue operations of kidnap victims in the country. He said the victims who were rescued in two batches on June 27 in Shinkafi and Tsafe Local Government…

IN furtherance to its efforts at purging the Nigerian educational system, the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) has raised the alarm, saying it had uncovered 3,000 fake graduates in possession of illegal certificates across the country. The Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, who made this known in a report published in the board’s bulletin, said those involved were discovered to have never set foot within the four walls of a classroom. Oloyede during a meeting with the delegation of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State Universities in Nigeria (COPSUN) in his office, at the National Headquarters, Bwari, Abuja, also condemned the…

THE Senate, on Wednesday, raised an alarm over the influx of substandard Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly known as petrol, and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) or diesel into the Nigerian market. In a matter of urgent national importance, Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong observed that on June 16, 2024, a report revealed that 12 diesel cargoes conveying a total of 660 kilotons of diesel, were exported by refineries to offshore Lome, Togo for further distribution to West African markets, mainly Nigeria. According to him, the quality of the said diesel was below the Nigerian standard in terms of flash and Sulphur levels.…

THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued a warning to Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and authorised forex dealers, advising them against rejecting old and lower dollar denominations from customers in the country. According to the apex bank, the directive became necessary as it had been inundated with complaints from customers after it conducted consumer market intelligence. In a circular dated June 27, 2024 but made public by the apex bank on Monday, CBN’s Acting Director, Currency Operations Department, Solaja Olayemi, said the regulator frowned at “this selective acceptance of deposit” and that all relevant parties comply accordingly. The CBN…

A POPULAR tap-2-earn app, Tapswap, powered by TON Blockchain, has said the token allocation to users has been postponed to quarter three of the year. The app, which required users to repeatedly tap the icon in the centre of the Telegram Tapswap bot screen to mine coins, recently gained momentum among Nigerians tapping on their phone screens in pursuit of financial earnings and has amassed over 50 million users since it launched on February 15, 2024. The management said it decided to move the share-to-token exchange event scheduled for July 1st to the third quarter to better serve its players.…

IN a tragic incident early Monday morning, a fatal road traffic crash at Dangwaro Flyover along Kano-Zaria Road, claimed the lives of 25 persons, leaving 53 others injured. The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), RS1.2 Kano Sector Command, confirmed the tragic event which occurred around 3:30 AM. The accident involved a trailer (IVECO) with registration number KMC 311 ZB, which reportedly lost control due to overspeeding. The trailer was carrying 90 individuals, resulting in significant casualties and injuries. Fortunately, 12 people were rescued unhurt. Sector Commander, CC Ibrahim Abdullahi stated, “Preliminary investigations suggest that the probable cause of the crash…

A FORMER Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ibrahim Ogohi, has died after a brief illness. Family sources said he had been clinically ill due to old aged related sickness for weeks before he died in his Abuja home in the early hours of Sunday. “Admiral Ibrahim Ogohi passed on to glory a few minutes ago, early Sunday morning,” a family source said. The late Admiral was Chief of Defence Staff between 1999 and 2003. He was the first Naval officer to reach four star rank in the Nigerian military, including being the first chief of Defence Staff from Navy. The…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Friday approved the appointment of eight new permanent secretaries to fill existing and impending vacancies in some states and geo-political zones in the top administrative cadre of the federal civil service. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed this in a statement on Friday titled ‘President Tinubu appoints eight new permanent secretaries.’ “The new Federal Permanent Secretaries (were) appointed after a diligent selection process by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation,” said Ngelale. They are Dr. Emanso Okop (Akwa-Ibom), Obi Vitalis (Anambra), Mahmood Tabi’a…

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has released the results of candidates who participated in the supplementary Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination conducted between June 21 and 22, 2024. This board’s spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, stated this in a statement in Abuja on Friday. According to JAMB, 28,835 applicants who were not able to provide biometric verification during the main 2024 UTME took the supplementary exam. In a similar vein, the board stated that students who were given a second opportunity to take the exam but were suspected of engaging in examination misconduct during the main UTME comprised the other category…

THE United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has distributed 2,760 solar-powered radio sets to the Katsina State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) but rued the growing out-of-school children population in Nigeria. UNICEF handed over the radio sets to Katsina SUBEB for students in the security frontline communities to learn lessons. In his address during a Media Dialogue on Retention, Transition, and Completion (RTC) and Re-entry Guidelines for Adolescent Girls in the State, the Chief of Field, UNICEF Field Office Kano, Rahama Farah, revealed that Nigeria’s education system is faced with the twin crises of a large and growing out-of-school…

MINISTER of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy of Nigeria, Bosun Tijani, says investigation has commenced into the alleged breach of data of Nigerians domiciled at the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, the minister said the NIMC and National Data Protection Commission (NDPC) have commenced a probe into the matter. Paradigm Initiative, a pan-African social enterprise, had on Thursday raised an alarm over its discovery of the sale of National Identification Numbers (NINs), Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs), and other personal data of Nigerians on a website for as low as N100. The…

SHOPRITE Mall has announced its intention to cease operation in one of its Abuja branches from June 30, 2024. The branch is situated at Novare Central Mall in Wuse Zone 5. This was contained in a circular signed by the Chief Executive Officer, Dr Folakemi Fadahunsi, on behalf of the retail supermarket and obtained by our correspondent on Monday. A staff at the store who pleaded anonymity also confirmed the report, saying “Yes, it is true, we just heard it here too.” The popular mall attributed its decision to a thorough evaluation of the store’s financial situation and the current…

AT least 1.5 million Muslims from all over the world have gathered on the plains of Arafah in Saudi Arabia for one of the most important Hajj rites today. Among these are 65,000 Nigerians who, despite the grueling economic situation at home, flew to the Holy Land for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Muslims from all over the world will climb the rocky, 70-metre (230-feet) hill, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Mecca, where the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) gave his farewell sermon sermon. The Day of ‘Arafah is on the 9th day of Dhul Hijjah, the twelfth and final month of the…

POLICE authorities on Wednesday said it has dismantled a cartel dealing in jewellery worth billions of naira obtained from armed robbery operations in Abuja and its environs. Disclosing this in a statement, Force spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, said that on April 28th, an armed robbery incident occurred at the residence of a police officer, attached to the Force Headquarters, Abuja, in the Lugbe area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). He said during the incident, the officer was nearly smothered, while a secured safe containing jewellery, money, academic certificates, documents, phones, and other valuable properties belonging to various residents in the…

SOUTH Africa’s TV giant MultiChoice posted a pretax loss of 706 million rand ($38 million) for the year ending in March, the company said Wednesday citing weak local currencies and a drop in subscribers. The company is the subject of a takeover bid by France’s Canal+, which already holds more than 35 percent of MultiChoice’s shares. “Volatile and weaker local currencies, power challenges in markets like South Africa, and a weak consumer environment due to rising inflation and high interest rates have created an extremely challenging environment,” MultiChoice said. The loss followed a 921 million rand profit before taxes reported…

THE Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has called for immediate global action to de-escalate the spate of extreme violence against noncombatants in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Ambassador Tuggar also confirmed the support of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for proposals put forward by President Joe Biden for a cease-fire. In a statement signed by the Special Adviser, Media and Communications Strategy to the minister, Alkassim Abdulkadir, Sunday, Tuggar said, “the Biden Ceasefire proposal should be embraced by world leaders and the totality of the international community to intensify efforts towards a speedy resolution of the conflict, and the…

THE Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has said the federal government has banned lodging of underage girls in hotels in the country. She spoke in Abuja on Saturday, during the graduation and grant ceremony of participants of the ‘Unlock training programme’ organised by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, Madam Abiola Arogundade. The minister said the ban would take effect on June 20, 2024. Uju also warned hospitals against rejecting emergency cases they can handle, stressing that government was determined to address the issues. She said, “I just want…

THE Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, has announced the arrival of approximately 1.2 million pilgrims from around the globe. At a government press conference in Riyadh, he affirmed that the pilgrims’ journeys had gone smoothly, and that they were in excellent health. Al-Rabiah highlighted Saudi Arabia’s enduring commitment to serving the “guests of God.” He noted the significant efforts by the country’s leadership, to facilitate the arrival of pilgrims to the two holy mosques and other holy sites. “We ensure that pilgrims can perform their rituals with ease and reassurance while receiving the highest levels of care…