Author: Amina Ibrahim

THE Backward Integration Policy of the Federal Government on Sugar will soon have a significant impact on Sugar production in Nigeria, as the Management of Dangote Sugar Plc is targeting an annual production of 1.5 million metric tons of sugar from locally grown sugarcane. Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Sugar, Ravindra Singhvi, made this disclosure when presenting details of the company’s 2023 full-year result to the Nigerian Exchange over the weekend. He said: “In line with the core objective of the National Sugar Master Plan which is for Nigeria to attain self-sufficiency in sugar production, Dangote Sugar is working on…

PRESIDENT, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote has said that the Dangote Industries Limited, DIL, is a trail blazer of local content values. DIL, under the visionary leadership of the foremost Business man, Aliko Dangote, has been championing the cause of local content and contributing significantly to the economic growth of Nigeria and the African continent as a whole. He was represented at the ongoing Kaduna International Trade Fair by his Special Adviser, Fatima Wali-Abdulrahman. She said local content, at its core, is about harnessing the potential within a country’s borders for the benefit of its people. “By investing in local industries,…

THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revoked the licenses of 4,173 Bureau De Change Operators, accusing the affected institutions of failing to observe regulatory provisions. This was disclosed in a statement on Friday by the bank’s Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Sidi Ali Hakama. According to the apex bank, the move is part of efforts to restore confidence in the nation’s foreign exchange market. Noting that the list of affected BDC operators is available on its website, the CBN said it is revising the regulatory and supervisory guidelines for Bureau de Change operations in Nigeria, adding that compliance with the…

IN recognition of an outstanding contribution to the tertiary education sector at home and abroad, the Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Mr Chris Maiyaki, has been appointed by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) of the United Kingdom, to its International Advisory Committee (IAC), Empowered Newswire reports. Lauding him for his professional excellence, the QAA in a statement by its Director of International and Professional Services for Higher Education in the UK, Eduardo Ramos, stated that the appointment was based on Maiyaki’s wealth of experience at the NUC as well as achievements recorded since his assumption of…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu will depart Lagos State and embark on a two-day official visit to the State of Qatar on Thursday. The media aide to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, in a statement on Wednesday, said the visit which is on invitation of His Highness, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, is to further strengthen cooperation between the two nations in several areas, including security, cultural exchange, and economic development. He said that during the visit, President Tinubu will witness the signing of several agreements focused on boosting Nigeria’s real sector and creating value-additive investments…

THE First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON says the economic transformation and development of the nation calls for collaborative efforts on the part of both the government and the governed. She was speaking at the flag off of the Renewed Hope Initiative, RHI women Agricultural Support Programme (RHI-WASP) held in the South East Zone. Senator Oluremi Tinubu reiterated the commitment of the RHI to supporting women farmers across the nation. “The Renewed Hope initiative’s commitment to supporting women farmers aligns with the broader national agenda to strengthen the agricultural sector. His Excellency, President Bola…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu explained on Tuesday that the decision taken to remove subsidy on petrol was a challenging one but necessary to ensure a transparent and accountable energy sector. The President, who spoke at the opening of the 2024 Nigeria International Energy Summit, NIES, in Abuja, acknowledged that the decision has led to hardship, especially amongst low-income earners, assuring that eventually the economy will improve and the benefits will manifest. Represented by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, Tinubu said energy security was a priority for his administration. He said: The petroleum subsidy has, over the years,…

THE National Bureau of Statistics has listed the top ten states with the most internet users in the country. A check on the NBS database on Sunday revealed that the number of internet subscribers stood at 163.8 million as of December 2023. It added that as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2023, data on internet usage across the country reveals fascinating insights into which states are leading in digital connectivity. This figure means that internet users in the country have witnessed significant growth as more citizens have gained access to the internet despite the hardship orchestrated by…

A PROFESSOR of French language and literature at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Doris L. Obieje, has said that Francophone African women writers have challenged the patriarchal and colonial representation of women in Africa by creating complex and nuanced female characters who assert their identity and creativity. Obieje made the statement in the 24th Inaugural Lecture of the university titled “Herstory in the Words of Francophone Africa Novelists”, held on Thursday in Abuja. Obieje, a senior lecturer in the university’s Department of Linguistics, Foreign and Nigerian Languages, argued that Francophone African literature, which emerged in the first decades…

JUSTICE Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the National Population Commission (NPC) to release details of spending on the aborted 2023 Population Census to an Abuja-based lawyer, Opatola Victor within seven days. Justice Ekwo issued the order while delivering judgment in a suit instituted against the population commission. The judge declared that the refusal by the NPC to release the information or records of spending on the aborted census as requested by the lawyer on March 30, 2023 was wrongful, illegal and unconstitutional. While invoking Section 4 of the Freedom of Information Act, Justice Ekwo…

AS Bayero University Kano prepares  to install the  Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji  Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari as its 5th Chancellor  on Saturday 2nd March 2024, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Abuja, Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, has congratulated him, describing the appointment as well deserved. Na’Allah, in a press release issued by the acting director, Information and University Relations of the University, Dr Habib Yakoob, stated that  he was confident that the Emir’s appointment by the University was  a testament to his  exceptional leadership quality. He said, “On behalf of  the entire University of Abuja Community, I  wish  to congratulate you on your appointment as…

THE Federal Government through the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation has commenced moves to ensure that official government documents classified as sensitive are not leaked to the public. The Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan, in a memo uploaded on the website of the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation which was dated February 19, 2024, said the leakages of such documents have become embarrassing to the government and as such become unacceptable. The memo tagged HCSF/3065/VI/189 reads, “It has been observed with dismay, the increase in…

THE management of Dangote Cement Plc has stated that two of its trucks that were wrongly intercepted in Adamawa State have been released. The company stated the two trucks loaded with 900 bags of cement each from the Obajana Cement Plant were on their way to Jamtari, Maiha Local Government, Adamawa State, based on a customer’s request. However, they were intercepted by security agents who accused them of trying to export banned products to the Republic of Cameroun through the Adamawa routes. The interception, on Friday, February 9, 2024, followed an executive order banning the transportation of food and building…

THE President, MAAUN  Group of Universities, Prof. Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo has congratulated a Nigerian human rights activist and writer, Omoyele Sowore on his 53rd birthday. The congratulatory message is contained in a statement personally signed by Prof. Gwarzo, a copy of which was made available to newsmen in Kano on Sunday. He said the popular pro-democracy campaigner cum writer, deserves to be celebrated at this auspicious occasion for his contribution to the development of journalism profession in Nigeria. “On behalf of myself and the MAAUN Group of Universities, I wish to felicitate with Omoyele Sowore, a pro-democracy campaigner on this…

SUSPECTED bandits have seized two loaded trucks with smuggled goods inside a deep forest as they were being brought into Nigeria. It was gathered that the bandits confiscated the goods as the smugglers decided to use the forest to bring in the smuggled items few days ago around the Batsari area of Katsina State. The Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone B, Kaduna, Comptroller Dalha Wada Chedi, who disclosed this yesterday at a news briefing, said the smugglers used dangerous routes that are under bandits’ control to smuggle items into the country. “We just received the news less than 24 hours…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has been appointed as the African Union (AU) Champion for Human Resources for Health and Community Health Delivery Partnership against the backdrop of his ambitious, innovative, and people-focused efforts in the sector. In recognition of President Tinubu’s commitment to train 120,000 frontline health workers nationwide within 16 months and to double the number of primary health facilities in communities across all local government areas of the federation from 8,800 to over 17,000 over the next three years; his doubling of health personnel enrollment capacity from accredited nursing and midwifery institutions to accommodate the new demand created by…

ON Tuesday, Boss Mustapha appeared at the FCT High Court, Abuja for the ongoing trial of former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele. Emefiele is standing trial before Justice Muazu on 20-count amended charges bordering on corrupt advantages, conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, forgery and obtaining by false pretences to the tune of $6,230,000. He was accused of impersonating the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to illegally obtain a sum of $6.2m. Appearing as Prosecution Witness 2, Mustapha testified on his involvement in the $6.2 million alleged fraud case against Emefiele. Boss Mustapha said he knew nothing about the transaction…

ACCESS Holdings Plc has announced the appointment of Ms. Bolaji Agbede as the Acting Group Chief Executive Officer. This follows the death of its former Group Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Herbert Wigwe in a helicopter crash alongside his wife, son, and a former chairman of the Nigeria Exchange Group, Abimboloa Ogunbanjo on Friday in California, United States. A statement made by the company’s Board of Directors and dated February 12, 2024, stated that the appointment was subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria. “Further to its announcement dated February 11, 2024, the Board of Directors of Access…

THREE weeks before the crash that claimed his life, the late Group Chief Executive Officer, Access Holdings Plc, Herbert Wigwe, had posted in January about appreciating life as a gift and valuing each day. In a tweet posted on his official X handle on January 19, Wigwe wrote, “Today and always, let us remember that life is a precious gift – a chance to breathe, feel, love, experience and connect. “Let’s honour this gift by living with purpose, kindness, and gratitude, making every moment count. Let us number our days.” This newspaper reports that Wigwe reportedly died following a helicopter…

THE Bank of Industry has said that it will be disbursing three categories of funding totaling N200bn to support manufacturers and businesses across the country. The development bank, in a statement, noted that funds included the Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme, the FGN MSME Intervention Fund and the FGN Manufacturing Sector Fund. The Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme is a N50bn grant scheme to support eligible nano business owners. The grant will be disbursed to a minimum of 1,000 beneficiaries (especially women and youths) across the 774 local government areas and the six council areas in the Federal Capital Territory. The statement…