THE Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, has implored school leaders to apply the highest levels of emotional intelligence in discharging their leadership responsibilities. Dr Bobboyi made the challenge while declaring open a three-day leadership training workshop for Vice Princplas of UBE Model Smart Schools organised by the UBEC Digital Resource Center atKado-Kuchi, Abuja. The Executive Secretary who spoke through the National Coordinator of the UBEC Digital Resource Center (DRC), Prof. Bashir Galadanci, also used the platform and charged the school managers to mentor and coach young school leaders in the manner that would…
Author: Khadija Abubakar
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WEST African leaders from the regional group ECOWAS are meeting on Sunday for a summit with security and the departure from the bloc of three military-led governments high on the agenda. Before the Economic Community of West Africa States meeting, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger reaffirmed as “irreversible” their decision to quit the bloc, which they condemned as subservient to ex-colonial ruler France. The departure of the three could have a major impact on free trade and movement as well as on security cooperation in a region where jihadist groups are gaining ground across the Sahel. Among those attending the…
NIGERIA continues to face cash scarcity despite a significant year-on-year increase of N1.59 trillion in the amount of currency held outside banks. Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s money and credit statistics shows that a substantial proportion of currency in circulation remains outside the banking system, with more than 90 per cent consistently held outside formal financial institutions in 2024. The data revealed that currency outside banks surged to N4.29tn in October 2024, accounting for 94.3 per cent of the total currency in circulation of N4.55tn. This represents a significant year-on-year growth of 59 per cent or N1.59tn from…
POLYTECHNIC lecturers under the aegis of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) have suspended their two-week strike after reaching a new agreement with the Federal Government. The union directed its members to resume work across the country on Monday. In a statement signed by ASUP President, Shammah Kpanja yesterday in Abuja, ASUP explained that the decision to suspend the strike followed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reached at a conciliation meeting with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment on December 9. The statement said: “Members of the Union and indeed the general public may recall that our Union…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday proposed a review of the Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) as the sole means of accreditation of eligible voters ahead of the 2027 general elections. INEC also seeks reforms to improve the country’s electoral system, following lessons learnt from the 2023 general election and subsequent off-cycle polls. Speaking during a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners in Abuja, INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, computer-generated slips issued to the voter or even downloaded from the Commission’s website as sufficient means of accreditation. “The Commission also believes that with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation…
A CIVIL servant employed by the Kano State government, Malam Aminu Umar Kofar Mazugal from Dala Local Government Area, returned bundles of U.S. dollars’ worth over N40 million that had been mistakenly left behind by a visitor at the Abubakar Imam Urology Centre in Kano. The money belonged to Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed, who accidentally left it in a bag at the hospital’s parking lot near a mosque. He had briefly sat there before rushing off to catch a flight. Minutes after the owner departed, a hospital staff member, Aminu Umar, who was working with colleagues to clear the pavements, discovered…
MOBILE money operators have become a familiar sight across Nigeria, using handy point-of-sale machines to provide essential services to millions of people without access to banking, particularly in hard-to-reach rural areas. Even on the streets of major cities, they have become a go-to, due to an ongoing shortage of cash at ATMs since a much-vilified redesign of the national currency, the naira, last year. “There are three of them (agents) on my street alone,” Chi Etche, a 29-year-old media executive, told this newspaper. “This means I don’t need to take a bike or cab to reach the nearest bank ATM.”…
GOOGLE, Meta, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Microsoft and social media platforms operating in Nigeria have paid N2.55trn ($1.5billion) in taxes to FG in the first six month of 2024, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has said. NITDA in a statement on Wednesday said data from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that foreign digital companies, including interactive computer service platforms and internet intermediaries operating in Nigeria were now paying their taxes and this had led to significant increase in revenue for the government. “Furthermore, data from the Federal Inland Revenue…
KANO State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has applauded the exceptional academic performance of students sponsored by his administration to pursue higher education in India. During a visit to the students at Sharjah University in India, Governor Yusuf expressed pride in their dedication and accomplishments, describing their success as clear proof of the benefits of investing in education. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, the governor affirmed that the resources allocated to the scholarship program were wisely spent, as the students had surpassed expectations with their remarkable academic results. Governor Yusuf emphasized his administration’s unwavering…
THE Federal Government has said the malaria vaccine will now be part of the national routine immunisation schedule. The development was after it vowed to eliminate Malaria following a loss of $1.1bn annually to the health crisis. Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister for Health & Social Welfare at the inaugural meeting of the Advisory on Malaria Elimination in Nigeria (AMEN) held in Abuja last week, described malaria as not just a health crisis, but also an economic and developmental emergency that must be eliminated. In his remarks, the Coordinating Minister stated that the federal government is resolute in…
THE Nigeria Police on Friday said its operatives have arrested five suspects allegedly involved in transborder gun-running. Disclosing this in a statement, Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, identified the suspects as Adamu Noma, Matthew Audu, Andrew Poyi, Aminu Sani, and Aminu Talha, all male. He said they were apprehended by the operatives of the Force Investigative Department Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) on November 18, 2024. “The NPF in its unyielding resolution and unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all citizens, continues to work tirelessly to prevent and combat all forms of crime and criminality,” the statement…
MEMBERS of the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) and the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), on Wednesday morning, shut down activities at the headquarters of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) over unresolved labour grievances. The two in-house union members, who stormed the premises in the early hours of the day, carried several placards and barricaded the entrance, preventing workers from entering the premises. The unions were protesting against alleged injustices, including unpaid pension arrears, poor staff welfare, casualisation of workers, non-compliance with the new national minimum wage, among others grievances they considered to have contravened…
THE presidency on Tuesday said that 200 trucks are set to load petroleum products daily from the Port Harcourt Refinery. Speaking on his X handle, the Special Adviser on Public Communications and Orientation to the President, Sunday Dare, said that the refinery’s Old Wing has resumed operations with a production capacity of 60,000 barrels of crude oil per day. “The Port Harcourt Refinery has two Wings. The Old Refinery comes on stream today with an installed production capacity of 60, 000 barrels per day of crude oil. “About 200 trucks are expected to load products daily from the refinery Renewing…
A TOTAL sum of N1.411 trillion, being October 2024 Federation Accounts Revenue, has been shared among the Federal Government, States and Local Government Councils. A statement by the Office of the Accountant General of thee Federation on Wednesday, said the revenue was shared at the November 2024 meeting of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) held in Bauchi State, and chaired by the Accountant General of the Federation. Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein. The November 2024 FAAC meeting was held after the 2024 National Council on Finance and Economic Development (NACOFED) hosted by the Bauchi State Government. The N1.411 trillion total distributable…
PROMINENT politicians are in Kano for the wedding of the son and daughter of Dahiru Mangal and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the national leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and former governor of the state. Vice President Kashim Shettima, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President Bukola Saraki were among top politicians present in Kano. This newspaper reports that Dr Aisha Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is tying the knot with her heartthrob, Engr Fahad Dahiru Mangal. Others are former governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi, Senator Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari, former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator…
NIGERIA’s headline inflation rate increased to 33.88% in October 2024, up from 32.7% in September 2024, reflecting a 1.18 percentage point month-on-month increase. This was contained in the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on Friday. The Bureau attributed the rise in inflation to increased transportation costs and higher food prices. On a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 6.55% points higher than the rate recorded in October 2023 (27.33%). This indicates that the headline inflation rate increased in October 2024 when compared to the same month in the preceding year. On a month-on-month…
A MAJOR shake-up has taken place in the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), resulting in the removal of some management members and the redeployment of others. This was announced by the Board of Directors of the Company Limited (NNPC) on Wednesday. while Umar Ajiya was Chief Financial Officer (CFO) before now, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan was in charge of the upstream operations, these two have been dropped. Adedapo Segun, who manned the downstream activities of the NNPC before now has been redeployed as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO)of the company Udobong Ntia has been appointed to replace…
THE National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Wednesday advised the Borno State government to evaluate the activities and programmes of Medecins Sans Frontieres in the state. News Point Nigeria reports that the commission made the recommendation in a report presented to the state, which absolved the Nigerian military of complicity in the reported termination of about 10,000 pregnancies in the North East. On December 7, 2022, Reuters had published a report alleging that since 2013, the Nigerian military conducted a secret, systematic and illegal abortion programme in the North East, terminating at least 10,000 pregnancies among women and girls, many…
THE Federal Government has restricted licensed flight crew members from operating multiple airlines. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) issued the restriction, saying its findings shows that pilots and other crew members render services to different airlines. In a circular NCAA/DGCA/AOL dated November 6th 2024 and signed by the Ag. Director-General, Civil Aviation, Capt. Chris Najomo, declared the act as illegal. According to the circular, instances where pilots operate for more than one airline concurrently pose risk to safety. It said the licence issued to pilot or any member of the flight crew is operator specific based on the approved…
THE total debt of Nigerian states has risen to N11.47tn as of June 30, 2024 despite higher allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee. This is according to an analysis of data from the public debt reports released by the Debt Management Office. The figure for the second quarter of 2024 represents a 14.57 per cent increase from the N10.01tn recorded in December 2023. This newspaper, however, observed that the increase was driven primarily by a sharp rise in external debt, worsened by the devaluation of the naira. External debt for the states and the Federal Capital Territory climbed from…