THE Honourable Minister of State for Trade and Investment (Industry), Senator John Owan Enoh, has reiterated the Federal Government’s dedication to helping Nigerian businesses tap into vast opportunities within the African market. According to a statement by the Special Adviser, Media to the minister, Diana-Mary Nsan, Thursday, Senator Enoh emphasized the Ministry’s mission to create favorable conditions for Nigerian industries to flourish and compete on both regional and continental scales. The Minister pointed to ongoing government initiatives aimed at enabling local businesses to utilize frameworks like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), positioning Nigeria as a key force in…
Author: Binta Kabir
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GLOBACOM, one of Nigeria’s leading telecommunications providers, has appointed telecom veteran Ahmad Farroukh as its new chief executive officer. According to the telecom provider, the leadership change aims to strengthen the company’s corporate governance and operational performance, aligning with the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) recent drive for improved governance standards within the telecom industry. Globacom, one of Nigeria’s leading telecommunications providers, has appointed telecom veteran Ahmad Farroukh as its new chief executive officer. According to the telecom provider, the leadership change aims to strengthen the company’s corporate governance and operational performance, aligning with the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) recent drive…
MORE than 20 beggars recently picked from the streets of Abuja city centre were said to have escaped from the FCT Rehabilitation Centre, where they are being kept at Kuchiko-Bwari on the outskirt of Bwari town. They were said to have escaped through a fence at the back of the Centre on Sunday night. One of the residents of the host community confided in this newspaper that some of the fleeing beggars pleaded for foods and shoes from the locals in the host community. He said the fleeing beggars claimed they left the Centre because they were not being fed…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Abdulrazak Yusuf Tukur as National Commissioner for the Independent National Electoral Commission, representing the North West. Tinubu also nominated a lawyer, Saseyi Feyijimi Ibiyemi, to replace the late Resident Electoral Commissioner of Ogun State. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy in a statement said, Tukur, 59, has Bachelor of Arts from Bayero University, a postgraduate diploma in Economics from Bradford University, England and a Master of Arts from Leeds University, also in England. He began working for INEC in 1999 as assistant chief administrative officer and rose to become…
THE Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) have announced suspension of the ongoing nationwide indefinite strike over withheld salaries for a month. The unions in a joint statement on Sunday said the suspension of the indefinite strike will take effect on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. The statement was signed by Prince Peters Adeyemi, General Secretary of NASU and Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, National President of SSANU. The strike was commenced commenced on the Monday, 28th October, 2024 as a result of what the unions called “government’s insensitivity to the…
THE Federal Government has released funds for payment of withheld salaries of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Federal Universities (NASU). The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) made this known in a statement made available to News Point Nigeria in Abuja, Saturday. According to the OAGF, the FG has also released funds for the payment of benefits to retirees under the Nigerian Union of Pensioners Contributory Pension Scheme Sector (NUPCPS) The OAGF said payments to the Non-Academic Staff of Federal Universities had commenced and many have confirmed receipt. The office reiterated its commitment to efficiently cater for…
SOME suspects brought by the Nigerian police for arraignment fainted before Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja. The suspects, 75 in number between the ages of 12 and 15, are being charged with 10 counts of terrorism, an attempt to overthrow the government, and alleged mutiny over their participation in the nationwide protest. They were allegedly arrested on August 3rd and had since been in detention before today. The case before the court was for arraignment and plea when some of the suspects fainted, which made Justice Egwuatu rise abruptly.
THE meeting between the Federal Government and the Joint Action Committee of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, held on Thursday, ended in a deadlock. The meeting, which was held at the Federal Ministry of Education, was led by former Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, and aimed at discussing issues around the ongoing strike of the unions. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Nasir Gwarzo, was also in attendance at a meeting held at 11 am. On Monday, the JAC of SSANU and NASU…
NINE billion naira was raised to cause chaos in the country during the #EndBadGovernance protests, according to Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi. Adejobi disclosed this on Wednesday at the Civil Space Guard conference in Abuja, organized by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ).in collaboration with the Kingdom of Netherlands. The End Bad Governance protests, widely known by the hashtags #EndBadGovernance or #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria, were a series of decentralized mass protests in Nigeria that mainly occurred from 1 August to 10 August 2024, triggered by the rising cost of living in the country. In the south, the protest was…
THE National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu has said the telecommunication system of the country is currently witnessing a lot of attacks. This, and other attacks on the military networks, national database, and digital system, among others, he said have had a ripple effect on the nation’s economy. He spoke at the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre’s workshop for policymakers and sector regulators on critical national information infrastructure protection and resilience in Abuja on Monday. Ribadu said, “We are now confronted with heightened threats of attacks on our telecommunications systems. Banking platforms, power and energy grids, military networks, transportation systems, national databases,…
NIGERIA loses an estimated $26 billion yearly to power failures. This is according to the latest Africa Trade Barometer report which said the cost excludes spending on off-grid generators. “Economic losses arising from Nigeria’s electricity shortages are estimated to be USD 26 billion annually, without accounting for spending on fuel for off-grid generators, which is estimated to be a further USD 22 billion,” the report by Standard Bank said. It said businesses spend about $22 billion annually on off-grid fuel to offset the impact of power shortages. This further pushes operational costs. “In Nigeria, surveyed businesses must contend with a…
DANGOTE Cement Plc, Obajana Plant, has carried out a series of community service and public awareness programmes as part of its activities for this year’s Sustainability Week in Kogi State. Speaking, Dr. Eseosa Ighile, Head of the Sustainability Department at Dangote Cement Plc, Obajana, highlighted that the company was using Sustainability Week to engage with and support local communities through donations and outreach. She said: “Obajana Sustainability Champions visited the Ministry of Mercy orphanage in Lokoja, providing essential supplies, food items, and spending quality time with the children and residents. The day was filled with fun activities, including games, and…
THE Federal Executive Council has approved the establishment of the Creative Economy Fund to ensure the deepening of the sector following the conclusion of the FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu. Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, told State House correspondents that the council approved the establishment of the fund on Wednesday. “FEC gave approval for the creation of a Creative Economy Development Fund. “This is a special purpose vehicle that will allow members within the creative economy to have access to funding and use their IP as collateral in terms of monetisation. “We…
UJU Kennedy-Ohanenye, a Nigerian lawyer, entrepreneur, politician, and film producer on Wednesday topped the list of the major casualties of President Bola Tinubu’s first cabinet reshuffle. For keen watchers, it would be difficult if not impossible for her to survive the weeding exercise going by many and needless controversies the female politician stoke since her assumption of office. Perhaps, the most controversial Minister during her short stint in the nation’s Federal Executive Council. She contested for the first female candidate for the presidency under the All-Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 general elections but later stepped down for Tinubu. Her…
THE Federal Government through the Minister of Works, David Umahi, has issued a seven-day ultimatum to Julius Berger to accept the Federal Government’s offer of N740.79bn for the completion of the 82km section II of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road. The ultimatum was issued during a courtesy visit to the Minister by the new Managing Director of Julius Berger Plc, Dr Pier Lubasch, accompanied by the outgoing Managing Director, Dr Lars Richter, at the Ministry Headquarters in Abuja. A statement later signed by the Special Adviser (Media) to the Minister of Works, Orji Uchenna, on Wednesday, said the company risks termination of…
A KANO State Federal lawmaker, Farouk Lawan, and former member of the House of Representatives, who was sentenced to five years imprisonment for demanding and accepting a $500,000 bribe has regained his freedom. It’s worth noting that Lawan’s conviction was upheld by the Supreme Court on January 26, 2024. He was found guilty of soliciting a $3 million bribe from Femi Otedola, a Nigerian billionaire oil tycoon while serving as chairman of the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating fuel subsidy fraud in 2012. “Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life as I step out of…
IN a record-breaking deportation flight, 44 Nigerians and Ghanaians were forcibly removed from the UK on Saturday, marking a significant surge in immigration enforcement. According to The Guardian.com/uk The Home Office confirmed the action as part of a broader crackdown on immigration, which has seen the deportation of over 3,600 people since the Labour government came to power in July. This comes as news emerges that asylum seekers arriving at Diego Garcia, a UK-administered island, before the finalization of a treaty between the UK and Mauritius will be relocated to Saint Helena, a British territory in the Atlantic. The Chagos…
THE Federal Government will on November 1, arraign 76 #Endbadgovernance protesters before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja. The 76 protesters were arrested in Abuja, Kaduna, Gombe, Jos, Katsina, and Kano, during the protests which were held between August 1 and 10, 2024, across several parts of the country. The protests were sparked by widespread economic hardship, leading many Nigerians to take to the streets to express their grievances. During this period, security officials reportedly used tear gas, arrested, and in some cases, shot at protesters. In a charge marked FHC/ABJ/CS/503/2024, dated September 27, and sighted…
FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo has alluded to the dwindling state of the country to absence of quality leadership, saying that the country is not difficult to manage. The former president stated while fielding questions at the maiden memorial lecture in honour of late Akintola Williams, themed: ‘Leadership Dynamics: Current Realities And Way Forward,’ organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) in Lagos. He, however, admitted the complexities of the country, but stressed that the bedrock of the growth of a nation is behest on the leadership at the helm of affairs. “I always say Nigeria is a…
A TOTAL sum of 1.3 trillion naira has been Disbursed to the federal , state and local government areas for the month of July. The revenue distribution was announced at the August 2024 meeting of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC), in Abuja. A communiqué issued by FAAC stated that from the 1,358 trillion naira total distributable revenue, the Federal Government received a total sum of N431.079 billion and the State Governments received total sum of N473.477 billion. The figure comprises a distributable revenue of 161 billion naira Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N582.307 billion and Electronic Money Transfer…