THE Federal Government through the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has directed MultiChoice Nigeria, the operator of DStv and GOtv, to maintain its current subscription prices pending the conclusion of an ongoing investigation into the company’s proposed tariff adjustment. FCCPC disclosed this in a statement on Thursday by its Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu. The directive follows MultiChoice’s request for an extension regarding its scheduled appearance before the commission over concerns surrounding its recurring price increases. Although FCCPC granted the company’s request to postpone the session, it has now rescheduled the hearing for March 6, 2025, mandating…
Author: Khadija Abubakar
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CHAIRMAN and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Prof. Abdullahi Saleh, has announced that Vice President Kashim Shettima will lead the country’s contingent to this year’s hajj. He announced this during a live programme yesterday. Saleh said the Vice President would be performing the yearly religious rite – the fifth pillar of Islam – as a Muslim, adding that he would also personally supervise the spiritual exercise, and assess how it would be handled by those saddled with the responsibility, instead of relying on third party information. The hajj commission boss said the move would…
THE Federal Government has stated that its successfully repatriated 180 Nigerian migrants stranded in Niamey, Niger Republic. The returnees were received at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, on Wednesday, 26th February 2025, at approximately 11:20 a.m. The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), in collaboration with other stakeholders, coordinated the reception exercise for the returnees. It was gathered that this latest effort marks the continuation of voluntary returns initiated in 2024 and represents the fourth batch of returnees from Niger Republic. The 180 returnees comprised 86 adult males, 40 adult females, 25 male…
THE Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has recommended the retention of the 7.5% rate of Value added Tax (VAT) in the Tax Reforms Bills. ACF’s submission was contained in a comprehensive set of observations and recommendations to the National Assembly on the Executive Tax Reforms Bills, meant to achieve a sweeping overhaul of Nigeria’s tax laws. The group’s actions were the outcome of a special purpose committee of experts set up by its board of trustees which studied the bills for appropriate recommendations In the report signed by its National Publicity Secretary Tukur Muhammad-Baba, ACF said the retention of the 7.5%…
HAJIYA Hauwa Yakub Usman, the mother-in-law of the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, has passed away at the age of 70. According to a statement by the minister’s media aide, Rabin Ibrahim, she died on Sunday night in Abuja after a brief illness and was laid to rest at Gudu Cemetery following funeral prayers at the National Mosque. The burial was attended by top government officials, including National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, and senior directors from various government agencies such as FRCN, VON, NTA, and ARCON. She…
LESS than 24 hours after its launching, the pirated copies of the autobiography of former Military President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), titled, ‘A Journey in Service’, on Friday surfaced on WhatsApp and other social media platforms. X, formerly known as Twitter, is awash with links for free downloads, with netizens vowing to embrace its pirated copies rather than waste their hard-earned money on the original copies of IBB’s biography. Another X account urged its followers to download the book for free, while others provided page-by-page copies. Some even dropped PDF copies of the pirated version in their WhatsApp groups. Popular…
THE chairman of the board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Abdullahi Ganduje, has lamented a high rate of abandoned projects at the nation’s Airports. Speaking in Lagos after the tour of the Lagos Airports on Tuesday, Ganduje, who stated that some equipment at the airports is now obsolete due to improved technology, further lamented the high cost of completing the projects due to inflation. According to him, all the abandoned projects were awarded by the past administration, but the current administration will find a way out of the debacle. “Some of the challenges, according to them and…
ELECTRICITY customers in Nigeria will now pay over N200,000 for tempering with their meters and over N300,000 in subsequent offences as the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) amends the order on Unauthorised Access, Meter Tampering and By-Pass. The order with No: NERC/REG/41/2017, which took effect from 22 January 2025 punished consumers with single phase non maximum demand meters N100,000 for first time offence and N150,000 for subsequent offences. For residential customers with non maximum demand meter of three phase, tempering with meter or by-pass stand at N200,000 and N300,000 for subsequent offences as administrative charge. Maximum demand meter are worst…
THE West African Examination Council (WAEC) has released results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), private candidates, 2024-second series, with 34,878 obtaining credit and above in a minimum of five subjects including English and Mathematics. This was made known on Sunday, February 16 through the council’s official X handle, @waecnigeria, “The West African Examination Council (WAEC), Nigeria wishes to announce to candidates, stakeholders and the general public that the results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates, 2024-second series, has been released.” The council explained that 43,923 candidates (68 percent) obtained credit…
NIGERIA’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has called for sustainable health financing mechanisms that ensure efficient resource mobilisation and utilisation to strengthen Africa’s healthcare systems. Speaking in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on the sidelines of the 38th African Union Summit, the First Lady stressed that Africa’s economic growth and social stability hinge on a robust healthcare system that guarantees access to essential medical services for millions across the continent. This was contained in a press statement signed by her Senior Special Assistant on Media, Busola Kukoyi, on Friday. According to the release, she made the call at a High-Level Meeting on…
THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, says no fewer than 14 million Nigerians are estimated to have involved and addicted to the consumption of harmful drugs. The Deputy Commander, Ondo State Command, NDLEA, Yetunde Joyifous, made the disclosure at a drug abuse awareness programme, organised by Oijefon Youth for secondary schools in Ile Oluji/Oke-Igbo Local Government Area of the state on Wednesday. Mrs Joyifous said that drugs consume were mostly chemical substances that have the ability to change the mind of users negatively. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, says no fewer than 14 million Nigerians are estimated…
NO fewer than 148 vulnerable Nigerians returned to the country from Libya on Tuesday, among the returnees were 124 female adults, 13 male adults, five children, and three infants. The returnees were received by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Lagos Territorial Office officials, along with other stakeholders, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. “NEMA Lagos Territorial Office officials, along with other stakeholders, received another batch of 148 Nigerian returnees from Libya today, Tuesday, 11th February 2025. “The returnees arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport Cargo at 17:35 hours aboard a Boeing chartered flight with registration number 5A-BAA,”…
NIGERIA on Tuesday recorded an improved ranking in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), moving from 145th to 140th among 180 countries assessed. Nigeria gained one point in Transparency International‘s latest rankings. The CPI, which ranks 180 countries based on perceived levels of public sector corruption, uses a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). A score of 100 indicates a corruption-free country, while 0 signifies a highly corrupt system. Nigeria’s historical performance on the index shows an average score of 21.48 points since 1996, with the highest score of 28 recorded in 2016 The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy…
THE Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has won an important court case that confirms its power to oversee fair competition and protect consumers in all industries, including mobile phone companies. This news came from Ondaje Ijagwu, FCCPC’s communications director, on Sunday. Judge F.N. Ogazi made this ruling on Friday, February 7, 2025, in Lagos. The case started when Emeka Nnubia, who owns shares in MTN and works as a lawyer, tried to stop FCCPC from investigating MTN Nigeria. Nnubia claimed only the telecommunications regulator (NCC) should oversee phone companies, and worried that FCCPC’s investigation might break data protection…
THE Federal Government has announced the scrapping of all Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary Schools in the country and introduced a compulsory 12-year uninterrupted basic education model after which a Nigerian child can aspire to higher education. With this development, the Nigerian Government is seeking the abolition of 6-3-3-4 education system and replacing it with 12-4. This is even as it has sought the approval of the National Council on Education to officially adopt 16 years as the minimum entry age requirement into the country’s tertiary institutions. Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, revealed this on Thursday in…
A 200-LEVEL male student of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Kwara State, has reportedly committed suicide over economic hardship. The deceased, whose identity was yet-to-be confirmed, was from the Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences (CIS). It was also gathered that the student was on the cumulative aggregate of 4.5 academic standing at the Department of Mass Communication before his unfortunate death. The incident, it was further learnt, happened at his private residence located at Oke-Odo axis of Tanke community, Ilorin, the state capital. Sources in the university community said that the deceased committed suicide due to financial challenges facing…
MARYAM Abacha American University of Nigeria (MAAUN), Kano, on Wednesday, matriculated not fewer than 1,241 newly admitted students for the 2024/2025 Academic Session. Our correspondent reports that out of the 1,241 new entrants, 100 were foreigners. The matriculation ceremony, the fourth since the university was established in 2021, took place at the Professor Abubakar Adamu Rasheed Twin Lecture Theatre with guests, including parents, government functionaries, traditional title-holders and other well-wishers, who witnessed the event. In his address at the occasion, the President of MAAUN, Prof. (Dr.) Mohammed Israr, said the event marked the official enrollment of the new students into…
THE Federal Government says it deported 828 illegal immigrants in 2024 as part of its intensified efforts to combat irregular migration and enhance national security. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this at a media parley in Abuja on Tuesday. Highlighting the government’s achievements, the minister stated, “In the last one year, 137 victims of trafficking were intercepted, and in 2024 alone, 828 foreigners were repatriated by the Nigerian Immigration Service.” As part of broader reforms, the government implemented measures to modernise border operations and immigration systems. These include integrating Nigerian passports into the International Civil Aviation Organisation Public…
THE National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in Birnin Kebbi says it has rescued 19 children trafficked from Zuru area of Kebbi State to Calabar, Cross River State. While presenting 9 out of the 19 children that had been screened and linked with their parents to Governor Nasir Idris at the Government House in Birnin Kebbi, the State Commander of NAPTIP, Musbau Iya Kaura, said the children were rescued by the anti persons trafficking agency from syndicates that specialized in child trafficking in Calabar. He said six persons, including a female lecturer in Calabar, had been…
RETAIL outlets owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited have raised the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, from N965 to N990 per litre in the Federal Capital Territory. They also increased their price in Lagos from N925 to N960 per litre. This is even as the price of crude oil showed a marginal decline on Tuesday. Checks by our correspondents at some of the filling stations indicated that the prices have been adjusted. The amount is N20, or 2.1 per cent more than the N970 retail price announced by the Dangote refinery in partnership…