THE Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) will hold a two-day nationwide protest over the hardship being experienced by Nigerians as well as the deteriorating security situation in the country. NLC President, Joe Ajaero, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday after an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the union. He said the protest will begin a week after the expiration of the 14 day ultimatum it issued to the Federal Government which will expire on February 23. The planned days for the nationwide protest is February 27 and 28. On February 8, the NLC…
Author: Abdullahi Maitama Sani
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THE Federal Government alongside the governments of the 36 states are considering the creation of state police. This followed an emergency meeting between President Bola Tinubu and state governors at the Aso Rock Villa on Thursday. Thursday’s meeting follows the recent hike in food prices, economic hardship, and pockets of insecurity recorded nationwide. Addressing State House correspondents after the meeting, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, explained that the process is still in its infancy and would only take shape after more deliberations between stakeholders. He said, “There is also a discussion around the issue of state…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment and reappointment of eight Board Chairpersons and Chief Executive Officers under the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, Thursday. The appointees are as follows: (1) National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC): Board Chairperson: Dr. Mansur Kabir Chief Executive Officer: Prof. Moji Adeyeye (2) National Blood Service Commission (NBSC): Board Chairperson: Prof. Abba Zubairu Chief Executive Officer: Dr. Saleh Yuguda (3) Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN): Board Chairperson: Prof. Afolabi Lesi Chief Executive…
THE Federal Government has discontinued the trial of the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare, (also known as Mandate). The decision to discontinue the trial was communicated to the Federal High Court in Abuja via a notice of discontinuance, dated February 14 but filed the next day by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi. The notice reads: “By virtue of the power conferred on me under Section 174 (1) (c} of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, Section 107 (1)…
OPERATIVES of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command have arrested seven notorious kidnappers in Abuja, recovering N9 million ransom. The police commissioner in FCT, CP Benneth Igweh, while parading the suspects at the command on Wednesday, said the wanted kidnappers were arrested by operatives of the Utako police division led by CSP Victor Godfrey in a coordinated operation at Tudun – Wada Lugbe and Pyakasa area of Trademore. He gave the names of the wanted kidnappers as Usman Muazu from Kwali, FCT, Aliyu Mohammed, from Pumpomare area of Borno state, Awwal Dahiru, who hails from Gwagwalada area council of…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to confirm the appointment of five persons as board of directors of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Tinubu’s request was contained in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary on Tuesday. He said the request was in compliance with the provision of section 6(1a) of the section 10(1)(2) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Establishment Act 2007. The nominees are: Robert O. Agbide, Ado Yakubu Wanga, Murtala Sagaley, Urom Eke, and Olayinka Aliyu. Tinubu urged the Red Chamber to approve his request expeditiously. The Senate president thereafter referred…
THE Presidency has requested the Interpol National Central Bureau to place a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) staff and two others on its Red Notice. The request was in connection with their alleged conspiracy and forging of documents in the name of ex-president Muhammadu Buhari to steal the sum of 6.23 million U.S. dollars in cash from the CBN. A document obtained by News Point Nigeria on Tuesday put the names of Odoh Eric Ocheme, who is a staff of the CBN, Adamu Abubakar and Imam Abubakar on the list sent to the Interpol. The request was made by the…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has awarded the Super Eagles team the Member of the Order of the Niger(MON) national honour for their impressive display at the just concluded AFCON 2023 tournament held in Ivory Coast. They were also given one flat each and a plot of land in the FCT Nigeria came in second place, losing the trophy to the hosts who were the eventual winners The Nigerian team were received at the State House on Tuesday where they were conferred with the titles. All the team members and officials were in attendance including Alex Iwobi, who had faced cyber-attacks over…
EMIR of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, has urged Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to convey the message of the teeming populace about the hunger and starvation in the country to the President, saying the hardship is more alarming. The Emir made the call when the first lady paid him a courtesy visit at his palace on Monday. Mrs Tinubu visited Kano to attend the opening of a Faculty of Law building at Maryam Abacha American University named after her. The emir said, “Although we have several means of communicating to the government on our needs and request, your…
THE Federal Road Safety Corps has arrested a total of 614,051 traffic offenders across the country in 2023, this newspaper gathered. The figures were in a document made available to our correspondent on Friday. According to the document, Lagos State topped the list with 61,882 arrested traffic offenders. The Federal Capital Territory and Kano follow this with 43,682 and 38,154 arrested traffic offenders respectively. A further breakdown in the document showed that Ogun recorded 37,948 arrested traffic offenders; Kaduna 31,472; Oyo, 31,447; Kwara, 28,277; Osun, 22, 565; Kogi, 22,377; Ondo, 17,798; Niger, 17,726; Delta, 16,741; Edo, 15,727; Rivers, 14,925; Benue,…
THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared Margaret Emefiele, wife of a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, and three others, wanted for money laundering. News Point Nigeria reports that Mrs Emefiele, Mr Eric Odoh, Anita Omoile and her husband, Jonathan Omoile, were declared wanted Friday night for allegedly conspiring with the former CBN Governor “to convert huge sums of money belonging to the Federal Government of Nigeria and committed felony to by obtaining money by false pretences, and stealing, contrary to and punishable under Sections 411, 287, and 314 of the Criminal Law of…
THE Governor of the Central Bank, Yemi Cardoso says the measures taken so far by the apex bank to stabilize foreign exchange rates have started yielding positive results. He noted that these measures would help to stabilise the foreign exchange rates and minimize the distortion that high exchange has on inflation, as they are closely related. Cardoso, who disclosed this during a briefing of the Joint Senate Committee on Finance, Banking, Insurance and Financial Institutions on Friday, said that $1bn has come into the Nigerian market in the past few days through the CBN interventions. “We have already begun to…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has directed the mandatory recitation of the National Pledge after the National Anthem at every official and public engagement. Tinubu who spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony of the 3,112 housing-unit Renewed Hope City at Karsana, Abuja, on Thursday said the imperativeness of respecting national values, promoting the nation’s ideals, and abiding by its established norms. “Before I left home this morning, I asked for a printout of the National Pledge, and we have to relaunch it again at this event. The relaunch is about being committed to the values, greatness, and hope of our country. It is…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate release of food items from the strategic reserve to cushion the effect of hardship in the land. Nigerians have been lamenting the rising cost of living, mounting pressure on the Federal Government to reverse the trend. On Thursday, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, announced that the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is to release about 42,000 metric tons of maize, millet, garri and other commodities in their strategic reserve. Idris, told State House correspondents after a series of meetings of the Special Presidential Committee on Emergency Food Intervention…
THE House of Representatives has resolved to investigate some officials of Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies involved in alleged certificate racketeering with Nigerian students. The resolution followed the adoption of a motion on the floor of the House, on Wednesday, moved by the member representing Birniwa/Guri/Kiri-Kasamma Federal Constituency of Jigawa State, Abubakar Fulata. Recall that a Daily Nigerian newspaper reporter, Umar Audu had, in December 2022, bagged a degree from a university in Cotonou, Benin Republic, in six weeks and subsequently participated in the mandatory National Youth Service Corps scheme. Audu subsequently accused unnamed officials of the Ministry of…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has directed that a food intervention should be provided by the Federal Government to check the shortage of food in the country. The Minister of Information and National Orientation Muhammed Idris said this at the State House after a meeting of the Presidential Committee on Emergency Food Intervention convened by the Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila. Mr. Idris said the government is concerned about what Nigerians are going through and is taking some steps to ensure they get some relief. The meeting had in attendance the Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari; Minister of State…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has landed in Abuja after his private trip to France. The president arrived at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe airport at 8:50 pm and was received by a delegation led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen George Akume. Also present to receive him were the Chief of staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, the minister of the F.C.T., Nyesom Wike and other government officials. President Tinubu had travelled to France on Wednesday, January 24. The trip was President Tinubu’s second to France since he assumed office in May 2023.
THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said the $40 billion foreign exchange demand to pay for education and medical treatment abroad is more than the total reserve of the apex bank. Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the bank, said this in his presentation at the Sectoral Debates/Dialogue at the House of Representatives, on Tuesday. The session was introduced by the House to interact with heads of Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on government policies. The CBN governor said the fluctuating exchange rate is due to the simultaneous occurrence of many factors, especially the high demand by Nigerians to pay for…
ABUBAKAR Ahmad Sirika, the immediate younger brother of the former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Abubakar Sirika, has been arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). News Point Nigeria reports that he was apprehended by the anti-graft agency on Sunday, February 4 over investigation of the Aviation Ministry. While in office as minister, Sirika is accused of conspiracy, abuse of office, diversion of public funds, contract inflation, criminal breach of trust and money laundering amounting to N8,069,176,864. According to the Commission, the sum is for four aviation contracts from the former minister to a company known as…
THE Federal Government said members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) are no longer posted to states deemed unsafe in the wake of worsening security conditions in the country. Several corps members have been abducted in some parts of the country during their one-year mandatory national service, raising fears about the sustainability of the scheme. But the Minister of Youth, Jamila Ibrahim says the scheme has taken steps to secure NYSC members including posting them only to safe states. “As an immediate intervention of the government and the NYSC as an agency, we have actually stopped posting corps members…