Author: Maryam Garba

THE Federal Government has announced a temporary suspension of the controversial $300 helicopter landing fee levied on helicopter operators. This newspaper reports that helicopter operators have protested against the levy outsourced to a consultant, Messers NAEBI Dynamic Concept Limited. Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, had earlier defended the levy inherited from his predecessor, Senator Hadi Sirika. But he bowed to pressure on Friday while announcing the suspension in a statement signed by Odutayo Oluseyi, the Ministry’s Spokesman. He said further actions on the matter would be taken after a review committee submits its report for scrutiny.…

THE First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has promised to reintroduce young farmers club in schools across the country. She made the announcement at an event she organised to commemorate the 2024 Children’s Day celebration held at the banquet hall of the State House, Abuja on Monday. She said young farmers club will soon be launched in state-owned primary and secondary schools across the country. According to her, the initiative is part of efforts to encourage farming among the young population in the country. She said each child will have a garden in their school which they will nurture, adding that awards…

Seven days after a violent clash between traders and military personnel, soldiers have continued to lay siege to Banex Plaza in the Wuse 2 area of Abuja. This newspaper correspondent who visited the market on Saturday morning found soldiers across the plaza. Trouble started when thugs beat up some soldiers who had a disagreement with a trader in the plaza. The trader had reportedly sold a bad phone to someone who invited soldiers. Rather than resolve the issue amicably, the trader reportedly invited thugs who assaulted the uniform men. They descended on at least two soldiers and another man in…

THE Minister of foreign Affairs Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (OON) has described the ongoing bilateral engagement to bolster trade between Nigeria and Benin Republic as a historical milestone and the making of a major hub for trade. He made the statement at a bilateral meeting at the Segbana customs border post in Benin Republic where he led a strong Nigerian delegation comprising of the Governor of Kebbi State, Dr Nasir Idris Kaura, the Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, Dr. Dakorinama Alabo George the Director-General of the Border Communities Development Agency, Alh. Aliyu Mohammed the Director Home Finance who represented…

THE fees and proposed upscale facilities of the newly established Wigwe University, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, add to ongoing debates about expensive universities that are out of the reach of Nigerians in the middle and lower strata of society, see below list of most expensive universities in Nigeria: Wigwe University, Isiokpo, Rivers State, tops the list with a annual tuition fee of a course for N12m, including accommodation fees. Nile University, Abuja’s most expensive programme, Medicine and Surgery, costs N5.95m, according to the school’s website. Fees only cover tuition; accommodation is not included. Tuition for returning students is the same…

THE Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and sought a court injunction to stop the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, from marrying off 100 orphaned girls. The Speaker recently announced plans to marry off the orphaned girls, who lost their parents due to banditry attacks in the Mariga Local Government Area as part of his constituency projects on May 24. He announced that the gesture was “aimed at alleviating the suffering of the impoverished”, pledging to pay the dowries for the bridegrooms and procuring materials…

THE value of Nigeria’s currency in circulation has risen to N3.87tn at the end of March. According to the latest money and credit statistics on the website of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the currency in circulation was N3.87tn, higher than N3.69tn in February and N3.65tn in January. However, currency outside banks have also increased progressively during the first quarter, growing from N3.28tn in January to N3.41tn and N3.63tn in February and March, respectively. The data revealed that over 90 per cent of currency in circulation is held outside of the banking system, indicating Nigerians are holding more cash. In…

THE Plant Director of the Dangote Cement Plc Obajana, Mr. Azad Nawabuddin, has hosted members and students of the National Institute of Security Studies (NISS), Abuja. The Executive Intelligence Management Course (EMIC) 17 was on study tour of the Cement Plant as part of overall study tour of Kogi State. Welcoming the team, the Plant Director expressed appreciation to NISS and the study Anchor for deeming it fit to consider visiting the Plant in the spirit and letters of the theme of the study tour “Artificial Intelligence, Security and Emerging Economies in Africa: Challenges and Prospects.” The Plant Director congratulated…

JUSTICE Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has ordered the arrest of a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin, and two other officers over N1.5 billion money laundering charge. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) dragged the trio before the court over fraud N1.5bn allegations. The court issued the arrest warrant after hearing a motion exparte marked FHC/ABJ/CR/158/2023 and filed by ICPC counsel, Osuobeni Ekoi Akponimisingha. In the motion, the lawyer submitted that Usman Jibrin Oyibe, Adam Imam Yusuf, Brigadier General Ishaya Gangum Bauka (first to third defendants), were investigated for…

MEMBERS of the organised labour, on Friday, protested and shut down the headquarters of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) over alleged cut of workers’ salaries in the agency by the management of the fund. The aggrieved protesters, led by the President of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo and executive members of the Association of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFE), started their demonstrations at about 11:00am. Armed with placards with various inscriptions, the protesters alleged that the management led by Mrs Maureen Allagoa, the Managing Director of the Fund, had made deductions of consequential taxes from their salaries…

THE Federal Government has announced the recovery of N57 billion from the N5.2 trillion liaibilities owed the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and other bodies by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government The Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Federal Ministry of Finance Okokon Ekanem Udo made the disclosure on Tuesday in Enugu State during a Sensitisation Workshop on Federal Government Debt Recovery Drive through Project Lighthouse Programme for South-East geo-political zone. While declaring the event open, Ekanem stated that the debts came to the spotlight from data aggregated from over 5,000+ debtors across more than 93 MDAs. This was according…

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has directed all Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre owners to arrest any parent, who is found near any of their facilities during the 2024 UTME exercise. The directive was issued at the final briefing of the Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre owners, which was held virtually on Wednesday, 17th April, 2024. JAMB spokesman, Fabian Benjamin, said this directive became necessary following the intrusive disposition of some parents during the Board’s previous exercises. Benjamin, who quoted JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said any parent, who disobeys this order, would not only be arrested but his ward…

SENATOR Oluremi Tinubu has called for an early diagnosis and intervention as the world marks Autism Awareness Day. In a statement on Tuesday, the First Lady explained that an early diagnosis and intervention were crucial to ensure individuals with Autism, reach their full potential. Acknowledging the challenges when caring for patients and families with autism, she advised parents and caregivers to pay more attention to autistic patients, and seek help when necessary. She said, “As we mark World Autism Awareness Day, I celebrate the unique strengths and creativity of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). “The journey for families with…

TELECOMMUNICATION company MTN Nigeria has explained that the network outage experienced by its subscribers for the major part of Wednesday was caused by “multiple fibre cuts”. MTN boasts of 87,038,768 subscribers as of December 2023, according to data by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), representing 38.79% of the total market share, the highest in the country by any licensed Mobile Network Operator (MNO). The 87 million subscribers of the MNO experienced difficulty making and receiving calls for hours on Wednesday, fuelling rumours that the NCC had made do its threat that all telcos bar subscribers not linked to the National…

COMIC and actor, Charles Inojie has revealed that the Nigerian TV series, The Johnsons will be rested after airing for 13 seasons on Africa Magic The series focused on an average Nigerian family in Lagos and the challenges they face. Inojie who plays the role of the patriarch, Mr Lucky Johnson revealed this on his Instagram handle on Monday. ”After 13 years of absolute magic,13 years of awesomeness,,13 years of being Africa’s most-watched show on television,,13 years of being every family’s favourite’, he announced. His character, a scientist known as a spendthrift usually confuses his family with his choice of…

NIGERIA’s unemployment rate increased significantly in the third quarter of 2023, rising by 0.8% from Q2 2023, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said. In its ‘Nigeria Labour Force Survey Q3 2023’ report published on Monday, the NBS said the country’s unemployment rate rose sharply from the 4.2% recorded in Q2 2023 to 5.0% in Q3 2023. The NBS said the labour force participation rate among the working-age population declined to 79.5% in Q3 2023 compared to 80.4% in Q2 2023. Giving a breakdown of the statistics, the Bureau said, “The employment-to-population ratio was 75.6% in Q3 2023 with…

AFRICA’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, on Friday, paid a visit to Kano State, amid rising cost of essential commodities. The industrialist and President, Dangote Group, who landed at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) at 11am, was received by Chief of Staff to the Governor, Shehu Sagagi, and other top government functionaries. Dangote, who hails from Kano had closed-door meetings with Governor Abba Yusuf, top government officials and other stakeholders in the state. This came barely four days after the state government lamented worsening hunger and poverty in Kano owing to the prevailing harsh economic realities. According to a statement…

THE Federal Government on Sunday said the relocation of the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and some departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will increase operational efficiency and reduce operating costs. In a statement, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, dismissed claims that the relocation of some departments in the two agencies are political moves to marginalise a section of the country. Senator Ali Ndume from Borno South as well as chieftains of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Elders Forum ( NEF) and other northern groups had kicked against the…

THE Federal Capital Territory High Court, on Thursday, vacated an earlier order directing the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, to arrest the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, for disobeying a ruling of the court directing EFCC operatives to vacate a property at Number 6, Aso Drive, Abuja. The EFCC had approached the court, urging the judge to vacate the contempt order, while noting that Olukoyede was not aware of an order mandating the commission’s operatives to vacate the property. In a statement on Thursday, the spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, confirmed that the judge…

THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) issued a warning to the public on Wednesday about the sale of counterfeit Arla Dano 14g full cream Milk Powder across states in Nigeria. According to a statement released by NAFDAC on the incident, investigations by the TG Arla Dairy Product Enterprise company (Holder of Certificate of Registration) discovered that the counterfeited products were displayed openly in the market. The statement partly reads, “NAFDAC zonal directors and state coordinators have been directed to conduct surveillance and mop up the counterfeited Arla Dano 14g full cream Milk Powder across the…