Author: Binta Kabir

THE National Youth Service Corps has debunked social media reports suggesting that Prospective Corps Members who have not received their Call-Up Numbers should visit State Secretariats to obtain them. NYSC Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, in a statement on Tuesday asked the general public to ignore such claims, saying that they did not emanate from the Scheme. She said all communication between the Prospective Corps Members and the Scheme are done through their individual dashboards and via its officially approved social media platforms. “The attention of the Management of the National Youth Service Corps has been…

CASES of the infection human metapneumovirus (HMPV) have surged across northern Chinese provinces in recent days, mainly among children. The virus – responsible for packed hospital waiting rooms in China and eerily similar to the early days of Covid – has seen a ‘marked increase’ in recent weeks – slightly higher than at the same time last year. HMPV typically causes symptoms similar to the common cold, including a cough, runny nose or nasal congestion, a sore throat and a fever that clears after around five days. But more severe symptoms such as bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia can occur, with…

FORMER President Muhammadu Buhari has mourned the passing of the former Vice Chancellor, University of Abuja, Prof. Nuhu Yaqub. Prof. Yaqub, who was also the Vice Chancellor of Sokoto University died at the age of 74 last week Saturday Buhari in a statement issued on Saturday by Garba Shehu, his spokesperson, described the deceased as a “towering intellectual giant”. The statement reads: “Former President Muhammadu Buhari joins family, friends, and the nation in mourning the death of a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Professor Nuhu Omeiza Yaqub, OFR, describing him as a towering intellectual giant. “In a…

THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued an urgent alert to healthcare providers and the general public about a suspected counterfeit cancer drug, Phesgo 600mg/600mg/10ml injection, bearing the batch number C5290S20. This warning follows a report from a doctor at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) who raised concerns about the drug after it was brought in by a patient. Upon investigation, it was found that this batch closely resembled another previously flagged counterfeit batch, C3809C51. According to NAFDAC, the drug’s manufacturer, Roche, reviewed images of the suspected product and confirmed it as fake.…

OFFICIALS of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission in Jordan which oversees Iraq have intervened to return a 28-year-old trafficked Nigerian lady, Eniola Isaac. This was after a report on Wednesday revealed that Isaac was allegedly lured to Iraq under false promises of a better life. However, after being subjected to various degrees of abuse, physical assaults and mistreatment from her employer in Iraq, she pleaded with the Nigerian authorities to help her return to Nigeria. The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission in an update released through its official X.com on Thursday, said Isaac’s situation underscored the rising alarm over the trafficking…

THE Organised Labour says it is pushing for an annual increase to the ₦70,000 minimum wage paid to workers in Nigeria. Labour said it is important that the minimum wage paid to workers reflect a rise in inflation every year. “What we are pushing on for Labour is that instead of you (the government) waiting for five years to increase the minimum wage, you will now look at the inflation of the last five years and try to make some adjustments, why can’t we reflect the inflation on an annual basis?” TUC boss Festus Osifo said on Channels Television’s Politics…

THE Governing Council of the University of Abuja (UniAbuja), under the chairmanship of Air Vice-Marshal Saddiq Ismaila Kaita, has approved the appointment of Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi as the seventh substantive vice-chancellor of the University. The appointment was announced during the 77th Extraordinary Meeting of Council on Tuesday, December 31, 2024. The appointment takes effect from January 1, 2025, and it is for a non-renewable tenure of five years. A statement signed by the Acting Director of information and University Relations of the University, Habib Yakoob, says Professor Maikudi emerged as the preferred among the ten shortlisted candidates interviewed by…

THE African Development Bank (AfDB) is set to start releasing a $2.2bn fund for the development of Special Agro-Industrial Process Zones in Nigeria (SAPZ). Director General of AfDB Nigeria Office, Abdul Kamara, made this known during Channels Television’s 2024 End-Of-Year Review with the theme, ‘Focus on the Agriculture Sector, Food Security, Research and AfDB Investments’. “Specifically from next year (2025), we will see contracts signed and mobilization and construction on site will start in some states. Of course, not all the states will start together,” he said. He said the money would be used for the development of agro-industrial hubs…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission is contemplating a policy to withdraw and destroy Permanent Voter Cards that remain uncollected for a decade, this newspaper reporrts. This recommendation was among 208 proposals arising from the commission’s review of the 2023 general elections. The move stemmed from the persistent issue of unclaimed PVCs, with over six million cards still uncollected as of the 2023 elections, including many issued as far back as 2015. Stakeholders in the post-election review recommended that INEC address the backlog of uncollected PVCs by implementing a policy to withdraw PVCs that remain uncollected for extended periods, starting with…

CIVIL servants under the employment of the Federal Government are facing a low-key Christmas celebrations following the delay in payment of their December 2024 salaries. This newspaper also learnt that federal workers suffered delayed salaries in November 2024. Findings by our correspondents revealed that most federal workers received their November 2024 salaries during the second week of December. Multiple sources within the civil service told this newspaper that the fault came from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation while other sources others noted that the delay was as a result of migration to a new payment platform.…

THE Federal Government has denied claims by the Nigerien authorities that Nigeria played a key role in the December 13 attack on the Niger-Benin oil pipeline in Gaya, Dosso Region, Niger Republic. A statement issued by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, on Saturday, said that the Nigerian government denied any involvement with the Lakurawa terrorist group or allegations that its security forces collaborated in the incident. It expressed condolences to Niger over the attack but emphasised its unwavering commitment to combating terrorism and disassociating itself from any such groups. “The Federal Government of Nigeria refutes…

FORBES has unveiled its 2024 ForbesBLK 50 list, celebrating the achievements of the wealthiest and most influential Black Americans. Forbes said: “Adebayo Ogunlesi, with a net worth of $1.7 billion, stands out as a pioneering force in global infrastructure investment. “As chairman and co-founder of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), Ogunlesi led the private equity firm through a transformative acquisition by BlackRock in 2024 for $12.5 billion. “Tope Awotona, the founder and CEO of Calendly, has redefined efficiency in scheduling and holds a net worth of $1.4 billion. “Wemimo Abbey, at just 32, is the youngest Nigerian on the list and…

NIGERIA will today receive its first dose of Mpox vaccines, 11, 200 donated by the United States of America and facilitated by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. A statement by Gavi’s CEO Dr Sania Nishtar on Friday said the vaccines have been shipped to Abuja, after an agreement signed in November by Gavi to facilitate the donation of 305,000 doses of mpox vaccine to support the global and continental response. On 24 September, the US announced its intention to donate up to 1 million doses to support the mpox emergency and began discussions to donate the first 305,000 of those through…

THE National Emergency Management Agency, in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration and the National Refugee Commission, received 310 Nigerian returnees from the Niger Republic on Monday. This was made known in a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday. The statement said, “The National Emergency Management Agency, Kano Territorial Office, participated in the reception of Three hundred and ten returnees (310) alongside the International Organisation for Migration and the National Refugee Commission. “The returnees arrived at the Immigration Training School in Kano at 2210 hours, where they were received by NEMA and other key stakeholders. “The 310…

THE Federal Government has approved an upward review of allowances for officers in public service. Some of the allowances under review include Duty Tour Allowance, transport allowances, uniform allowances, and overtime allowances. The decision was reached at the 46th meeting of the National Council on Establishment, chaired by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack. The NCE, which serves as the highest policy-making body for public service matters, is chaired by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and includes the Heads of Service from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. According…

THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reiterated that all versions of the naira, including the old and new designs of ₦1000, ₦500, and ₦200 denominations, as well as the commemorative and previous designs of the ₦100 denomination, remain valid and continue to be legal tender without any deadline. The CBN in a statement signed by its Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Mrs Sidi Ali Hakama, noted that the reiteration is to address misinformation regarding the validity of the old ₦1000, ₦500, and ₦200 banknotes currently in circulation. The apex bank advised the public to disregard any claims that the old…

IN a major political decision, Kano state Governor Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf has announced a reshuffle of the state executive council to effect pragmatic political realignment of his administration. In a statement issued by the Governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, on Thursday, Governor Yusuf disclosed that the first major rejig of his cabinet takes immediate effect. According to the statement, Governor Yusuf maintained the much awaited decision finally came to enable uptimum performance that will drive more dividend of democracy to the good people of Kano state. Those affected by the major shake up are the Chief of Staff, Alhaji…

THE Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, says Nigeria is on track to add 150mw to the national grid before the end of 2024. Adelabu said this on Thursday while briefing State House Correspondents after a closed-door meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. According to him, the upgrade will be made due to the successful completion of the pilot phase of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI). “We have completed the pilot phase of this project, up to 80%. This involves the importation, installation, and commissioning of 10 power transformers and 10…

THE Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance, and Financial Institutions has attributed the worsening cash shortage across the country to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s inability to meet the cash demands of commercial banks. Speaking with this newspaper, ASSBIFI President, Olusoji Oluwole, highlighted the dire impact of the scarcity, particularly as the festive season approaches, with increased demand for cash for shopping and business transactions. “In terms of (the cash) scarcity, this is something that has not ended since the redesign of the naira,” Oluwole said. Oluwole explained that banks have only two primary sources of cash – the…

USERS of Meta-controlled social media applications have been shut out globally as the company grapples with a “technical issue” Frustrated Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp users trooped out to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday evening to report the global outage of the three apps owned by tech giant Mark Zuckerberg. Downdetector also showed big spikes for Instagram with 70,000 outage reports above average and Facebook, which had over 100,000 outage reports. “We’re aware that a technical issue is impacting some users’ ability to access our apps,” Meta said in an X post. “We’re working to get things back to normal as…