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By Joan Nwagwu The Federal Government said it was making strident efforts to curtail irregular migration by Nigerians through policies and programmes that would boost the economy and create employment of the country. Sen.Abubakar Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning said this at an Anti-Migration Summit organised by a non governmental organisation, the Blacks Ancestral Native Communities (BANC) on Thursday in Abuja. Bagudu said that irregular migration had a lot of unintended negative outcomes such as human trafficking and drug peddling were some of the ills that irregular migration had put the youths into. According to Bagudu, the federal government realises the urgent need to advance Nigerian economy to an enviable level where it can support her leadership status...

By Joan Nwagwu The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund(NSITF) has called for the Employees Compensation Scheme(ECS) for all casual workers in the country. Mr Oluwaseun Faleye, the Managing Director of the NSITF made the call while delivering a keynote address the 68 Annual General Meeting of the Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI) on Thursday in Abuja. Faleye said that the ECS coverage was imperative as thousands of casual workers in the construction industry were left outside the coverage with the attendant consequence of abandonment in the event of workplace accidents or death. According to him, I want to bring your attention to an issue that requires our immediate and collective action, and that is the coverage of casual workers under the ECS. “Currently, our prac...

President Bola Tinubu will not attend the 79th United Nations General Assembly session in New York this year. The President has thus directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation, Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser, Information and Strategy, said in a statement on Thursday. “President Tinubu, who returned to the country last Sunday after his trip to China and the UK, wants to focus on domestic issues and address some of the country’s challenges, especially after the recent devastating flooding. At UNGA 79, Vice President Shettima will deliver Nigeria’s national statement to the General Assembly, attend important sideline events, and hold bilateral meetings,” the statement indicated. The high-level general debate, with the theme, “Leaving no one behind: Acting...

An Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court on Thursday remanded a 53-year-old man, Bitrus Daniyan, in a correctional centre for alleged indecent sexual assault of his seven-year-old daughter. The Magistrate, E. Kubeinje, who did not take the plea of Mr Daniyan ordered that the case file be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice. Mrs Kubeinje adjourned the case until October 15 for the DPP’s advice. The defendant was facing a charge of indecent sexual assault. Earlier, the Prosecutor, Inspector John Iberedem, told the court that the defendant committed the offence in June at Military Zone C, Nominee Estate, Ajah, Lagos. Mr Iberedem, who said that the defendant sexually assaulted his daughter by inserting his finger into her private parts, explained that Mr Daniy...

Some fishermen and children are recording good fish harvests in the flood-ridden Maiduguri areas in Borno as desperate residents use mosquito nets for fishing in the floodwaters. While fishermen used proper fishing nets, the children used mosquito nets and bare hands to fish in the receding waters and artificial ponds created by the floods. One of the children, Danladi, said the experience was worth it, as they were making a good catch. “Sometimes what we catch is enough for soup when we mobilise in groups,” stated the youngster. “Most of the fish are tiny. We fry or roast them to eat. Meanwhile, other residents are doing brisk business with canoe transport in the flood-ravaged Maiduguri. The flood submerged Maiduguri in the past 10 days following the breakdown of spillways...

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris and the U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, have declared their commitment to press freedom in Nigeria and Africa. They said this when Mr Mills and his team visited Idris on Wednesday in Abuja. “I am here today to have a very good conversation about many things we are doing together. We have trade relations, and our cooperation is very strong. We want to make sure we fulfill them. “We also know that the minister is doing a good job to ensure press freedom in this country. It’s about journalists’ rights. We talked about how we can work together and strengthen freedom of the press in Nigeria, Africa and the world,” Mr Mills said. According to him, many democratic countries face disinformation, misinforma...

The Independent National Electoral Commission is expected to commence the deployment of sensitive materials today ahead of this weekend governorship election in Edo state. NewsSpecng gathered that no fewer than 5,000 Bimodal Voter Accreditation Systems would be deployed for the poll. Other Sensitive materials, including ballot papers and result sheets, arrived in Edo State on Wednesday via Benin Airport and were transported to secure storage facilities under tight security, NewsSpecng also gathered. No fewer than 2.2million residents of the state are expected to troop out to vote in a new governor as the tenure of Godwin Obaseki comes to an end. The campiagn trainof all the 17 contenders for the gover or's seat is expected to come to.a halt today, 24 hours before the election....

The UN General Assembly has adopted a Palestinian-drafted, non-binding resolution demanding Israel end "its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory" within 12 months. There were 124 votes in favour and 14 against, including Israel, along with 43 abstentions. As a non-member observer state, Palestine could not vote. The resolution is based on a July advisory opinion from the UN's highest court that said Israel was occupying the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip against international law. The Palestinian ambassador called the vote a turning point “in our struggle for freedom and justice”. But his Israeli counterpart denounced it as “diplomatic terrorism”. Although the General Assembly’s resolutions are not binding, they carry symbolic and political wei...

There was a minor shakeup in the police on Thursday, NewsSpecng learnt. The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun in what was described as strategically emplace a Police Force well efficient for effective policing ordered the immediate redeployment of the Commissioners of Police in Rivers, Delta and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Egbetokun order covers the redeployment of the CP Rivers Command, CP Olatunji Disu as the new CP FCT; CP Delta Command, CP Abaniwonda Olufemi as the new CP Rivers Command and CP FCT, CP Peter Opara as the new CP Delta State. A statement on Thursday by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi explained: “Following the approval of the Police Service Commission, the Inspector-General of Police has also deployed four (4) C...

SERVICOM National Coordinator, Nnenna Akajemeli, in a warm handshake with the MD/CE NSITF, Oluwaseun Faleye during the advocacy visit by SERVICOM to the NSITF, today. By Joan Nwagwu The new management of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund(NSITF) has reiterated that it would ensure quality services delivery on the Employees Compensation Scheme(ECS). Mr Oluwaseun Faleye, Managing Director of the NSITF said this when the National Coordinator of the Service Compact With All Nigerians ( SERVICOM) Mrs Nnenna Akajemeli led a delegation on an advocacy visit to the Fund on Wednesday in Abuja. Faleye said that the current leadership has already initiated reforms aimed at enhancing service delivery while increasing transparency in the operations of the Fund. According to him, the...

A former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has honoured an invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, his media office confirmed on Wednesday. A statement signed by the Director of the Yahaya Bello Media Office, Ohiare Michael, Bello’s decision to appear before the anti-graft agency comes after consultations with his family, legal team, and political associates. The statement was titled “Former Governor Yahaya Bello honours EFCC’s invitation” Bello was said to have been accompanied to the EFCC headquarters by several high-profile Nigerians. The former governor has been in a running battle with the anti-graft agency over alleged financial impropriety while he was the number one citizen of Kogi. He and three others are facing 19 counts related to money la...

The federation account allocation committee (FAAC) says the three tiers of government shared a total of N1.203 trillion in August 2024 from a gross total of N2.278 trillion. According to a statement on Tuesday by Mohammed Manga, director of information and public relations at ministry of finance, FAAC announced the allocation at its September meeting chaired by Wale Edun, minister of finance. The amount shared dropped by N155 billion compared to the N1.35 trillion allocated in July. “From the stated amount inclusive of gross statutory revenue, value added tax (VAT), electronic money transfer levy (EMTL) and exchange difference (ED), the federal government received N374.925 billion, the states received N422.861 billion, the local government councils got N306.533 billion, while the...

After allegedly coordinated explosions of hundreds of telecommunications devices in Lebanon, the United Nations has warned of the risk of an escalation between Israel and Hezbollah. “These developments are extremely concerning, especially given that this is taking place within a context that is extremely volatile,” spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in New York. He said the UN is monitoring the situation. “I think we cannot underscore enough the risks of escalation in Lebanon and the region,” Mr Dujarric added. In the explosions of pagers across several regions but mostly in Hezbollah-controlled areas, some 2,800 people were injured and nine people were killed. Among the injured were numerous members of the pro-Iranian Shiite organization Hezbollah. Hezbollah blamed Israel...

Ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in Edo, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says 2,249,780 registered voters have collected their permanent voter cards (PVCs). This represents 85.57 per cent of the 2,629,025 total registered voters in the state. Sam Olumekun, INEC national commissioner and chairman of the information and voter education committee disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday. Mr Olumekun said 379,245 PVCs, representing 14.43 per cent, were uncollected as of Monday, September 16, at the end of the extended period for PVC collection in the state. He said that, consequently, INEC was making available data on PVC collection on a polling unit basis in Edo ahead of the governorship election on Saturday. “There are 4,519 polling units in the ...

The NNPC Ltd has released estimated prices of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as Petrol (obtained from the Dangote Refinery) in its retail stations across the country. The NNPC Ltd also wishes to state that, in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), PMS prices are not set by Government, but negotiated directly between parties on an arms length. The NNPC Ltd can confirm that it is paying Dangote Refinery in USD for September 2024 PMS offtake, as Naira transactions will only commence on October 1st, 2024. The NNPC Ltd assures that if the quoted pricing is disputed, it will be grateful for any discount from the Dangote Refinery, which will be passed on 100% to the general public. Attached to this statement are the estimated pump prices of PMS (obtain...

The NEWS Engineering Ltd. has congratulated its Board Chairman and Etsu of Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, as he clocks 72 years and mark 21 years as Etsu Nupe. The company's Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Josephine Nwaeze, in a statement said this when the Board of Directors and Management of the company visited Abubakar in Niger. "Congratulations to His Royal Highness, Alh. Yahaya Abubakar, on your 72nd birthday and 21st anniversary on the throne as the 13th Etsu Nupe! "We are honored to celebrate this significant milestone with you, a true leader and champion of progress. Your dedication to the Etsu kingdom and the people of Niger State is truly inspiring. "As the Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers and the Board Chairman of NEWS Eng...

The publisher of SaharaReporters, Omoyele Sowore who arrived Nigeria from United States of America few few hours ago has been detained and Passport confiscated by Immigration officials. Sowore who made this known via his verified social media accounts said that upon his arrival to Nigeria, he was detained and had his passport confiscated at the airport. "DETAINED BY THE @NigerianImmigration, my International passport confiscated." "I had just arrived in Nigeria from the USA to the MMIA in Lagos; upon reaching Nigerian Immigration, my passport was seized, and they told me They had orders to detain me." "It is part of the broader clampdown by the fascist @officialAbat regime on dissent and their fear of the upcoming #FearlessINOctober. In case this becomes a prolonged and protra...

The Abuja School of Social and Political Thought has said establishing an ECOWAS Standby Force will have a pragmatic impact on the sub-region’s development.Director of the School, Dr Sam Amadi, stated this at a policy dialogue with the theme, “Peace and Democracy in West Africa: The Need for an Effective Standby Force’’ on Friday in Abuja. The proposed standby force being formed by ECOWAS is to consist of military, police and civilian components to address security threats within the sub-region. Mr Amadi said that the proposal by the ECOWAS Heads of State for the force was aimed at reinforcing a stable environment for democracy to continue to thrive in West Africa. He said. “For us, the standby force or dealing with the state of the coup in West Africa has a pragmatic impact for ...

The Kano zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU-Kano Zone) has decried the alleged victimisation of its members in some universities in the zone.The zonal coordinator, Prof. Abdulkadir Muhammad, in a statement in Kaduna on Friday, described the development as a “gross violation” of university rules and regulations. Mr Muhammad said: “ASUU-Kano Zone is deeply disillusioned and saddened by the incessant victimisation, intimidation, harassment and dehumanisation of its members in a number of public universities. “This was largely because of their insistence on due process and adherence to the rules and regulations governing the operation of the Nigerian university system. “The victimisation is mainly perpetrated silently by the university administrations and, at time...

The Federal Government has urged Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSTCOM) for effective synergy with government and relevant stakeholders to curb incessant vandalism of crude oil-bearing pipelines. Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), said this when a delegation of the HOSTCOM paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja on Friday. He said that such efforts to curb pipeline sabotage would save lives, secure communities and protect the environment. According to him, without your effort, by working together in oneness oil and gas sector will not grow. "I am urging the communities, other relevant stakeholders to join hands and support the government in ensuring that we fight against pipeline vandalisation. "The land and water are being...