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Governor of Borno state, Babagana Zulum has underscored the pivotal role of biotechnology in driving economic recovery and sustainable development in the region. This is contained in a press statement issued by Abraham Isah, Public Relations Officer(PRO) of the Biotechnology Society of Nigeria(BSN) in Abuja on Thursday. The Governor said this at the ongoing 36th International Conference of the Biotechnology Society of Nigeria(BSN), held in collaboration with the University of Maiduguri in Maiduguri. Represented by Malam Bukar Tijani, Secretary to the State Government, Zulum emphasised the urgent need to harness the transformative power of biotechnology in addressing the multifaceted challenges facing Borno and Nigeria at large. The Governor, who highlighted pressing socio-econ...

President Bola Tinubu says bilateral partnerships must be mutually beneficial, transformative and translate into real gains for ordinary citizens. Tinubu was speaking at the Nigeria-Netherlands Business and Investment Forum in The Hague, Netherlands. He said that Nigeria and Netherlands must explore more creative channels of collaboration, through partnerships, joint ventures and strategic alliances. The President said that this would enable the building of bridges to connect markets and facilitate the flow of goods, services, ideas and peoples. He said his administration was enhancing the business environment in Nigeria to make it very friendly through various reforms. Such reforms, he said, include the cleaning up of the foreign exchange market to make it more transparent...

President Bola Tinubu has met with Prime Minister Mark Rutte of Netherlands where he detailed out a roadmap for enhanced trade opportunities for both countries. At the meeting, Tinubu said that Nigeria was well-positioned to power the clean energy future of Europe and the world with its high-grade lithium deposits. Tinubu met with the Prime Minister at his official residence, known as The Catshuis, in The Hague. The President said Nigeria offers immense opportunities across a pool of sectors and that his administration would deepen reforms to enhance the investment climate. He said Nigeria seeks robust, balanced and mutually beneficial partnerships that would bring about value-addition in areas like solid minerals. “Taking a holistic view of the world order, there is tremen...

A former spokesperson of the Senate, Ayogu Eze, is dead. Eze, aged 65 reportedly died in an Abuja hospital after a protracted illness. He represented Enugu North during the 6th Senate and 7th Senate on the platform of the Peoples Democracy Party (PDP). He was a founding member of the PDP before he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), where he ran for the Enugu state governorship election. During his time in the Senate, he was appointed chairman of the Senate Committee on Information and Media, making him the official spokesperson of the Senate in 2007. After his reelection to the Senate in 2011, he was appointed chairman of the Committee on Works. Eze also served as a member of the Senate Committees on Police Affairs, National Planning, Marine Transport, and ...

The Federal Government on Thursday said demolition of structures within the first three kilometres of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will begin on Saturday, April 27. The Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, Mrs Korede Keisha, said that structures to be demolished would be those within the designated right of way for the project. Keisha urged property owners who received demolition notices and have concerns to visit the secretariat of the Federal Ministry of Works between Thursday, April 25, and Friday, April 26, to discuss their concerns. She said, “So this press briefing is just to create awareness for all those that may be involved or have one or two things to do along that project corridor. “We’ve sent out demolition notices to as many as are within the right of way, and...

Protesters on Thursday stormed the National Secretariat of All Progressives Congress (APC) demanding for the cancellation of the last Saturday primary election in Ondo State. The protesters carried placards and banners with different inscriptions such as: “We reject this fraud called APC primary’; ”we want cancellation of this sham called election” and “We want a fresh primary poll in Ondo State” among others. One Kolawole Johnson, who led the protest appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other party leaders to prevail on the National Working Committee (NWC) to cancel the primary and inaugurate a new chairman of the primary election committee He said: “What happened was assigning of figures. "We want the party to cancel the primary and bring a new person to conduct the p...

The Trade Union Congress(TUC) of Nigeria om Thursday demanded the payment of N35, 000 March and April wage award to civil servants. President Bola Tinubu approved the payment of N35, 000 wage award to federal workers following the removal of petrol subsidy. The payment was to last for six months. But President of TUC, Comrade Festus Osifo urged the government to continue to pay the wage to federal workers until a new national minimum wage was negotiated. Osifo said: “NEC in session discussed the issue of minimum wage, we insist that the only way to reflate your economy is when people have money to purchase items. When people lack purchasing power, the effect is that manufacturers will produce and keep on the shelf. So the minimum wage committee should hasten up to unveil a new...

Former President, Goodluck Jonathan has commissioned some life-touching projects in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital as part of activities to mark the 60th birthday of the governor, Pastor Umo Eno. Some of the projects include the 1.3 Kilometres underground concrete flood control tunnel, the reconstruction of a section of Atiku Abubakar Way, with walkway, drainage, solar street lights and reconstruction of adjourning 1Km Afaha Ube road. Speaking at the commissioning, the former President, lauded the State Governor for his leadership strides having prioritized the needs of his people which, according to him, has been demonstrated in his ingenuity of initiating and completing such major life-touching projects within his first year in office. Making reference to a recent flood alert by ...

The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), the Ministry of Niger Delta Development (MNDD) and other stakeholders in the region have validated the Niger Delta Regional Peacebuilding Strategy (NDRPS). PIND’s Executive Director, Tunji Idowu, said at the validation workshop held in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, that the document, co-designed by PIND and the MNDD, will provide the framework for the implementation of a regional peace building apparatus in the Niger Delta. Idowu was represented at the workshop by PIND's Peace building Manager David Udofia. According to him, “This apparatus will apply a multi stakeholder approach, where all stakeholders focused on peace building and conflict management and resolution in the Niger Delta will join resources to en...

Dr Oluwatoyin Madein, the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), has warned treasury managers against corruption, fraud and financial mismanagement. Madein gave the warning at a training programme organised by the Chartered Institute of Treasury Management (CITM) in Abuja. Represented by Alhaji Muhammed Aliyu, Director, Special Duty (OAGF), the AGF said there was a need to safeguard public funds and protect the interests of the government and the public. "We must remain watchful against the threats of corruption, fraud and financial mismanagement by implementing a strong internal control system and promoting a culture of compliance. "Training and professional development are essential in equipping the practitioners with the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct the ac...

China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), with support of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, has renovated and donated learning materials to China-Assisted Model Primary School Nyanya. At the commissioning of the upgraded primary school in Abuja, Mr Zhou Hao, Managing Director of CRBC Nigeria Ltd, handed over relevant learning materials to the school authority. The materials included stationery, desks, chairs and sports equipment. Zhou stressed the need for conducive learning environment and conditions for all teachers and students. He added that among the different peoples in different continents, the common ground that transcends ethnicity and nationality are children, who fill the world with hope and brightness. “Children represent the future's expectations and aspirations ...

The Federal Government has partnered with the Imperial College, London and Partnership for Child Development (PCD) to restructure the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) in Nigeria. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on NHGSFP, Yetunde Adeniji, who disclosed this at a stakeholders’ workshop in Abuja, said it was part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Adeniji said the workshop was to launch the Value for Money Study, which seeks to estimate and reflect on the cost and multi-sectoral benefits of NHGSFP. ``This study, fully sponsored by the Imperial College, is research that improves the level of school feeding within the states. ``It will help evaluate the programme to know issues, indices and whatever challenges the programme has or ha...

… abandoned Adiabo-Ikoneto bridge receives attention The Cross River Executive Council presided over by the Governor, Prince Bassey Otu, has granted approvals for development initiatives, including infrastructural interventions and construction of some key roads in the three senatorial districts of the state. In his opening remarks, the governor noted that the public opinion about the performance of his administration was clearly positive, but commissioners and other members of the state executive council should re-double their efforts to ensure sustainable benefits to the people. The state's Commissioner for Works, Pius Ankpo, who briefed journalists after the monthly state executive council meeting in Calabar, spoke on the approval given for intervention and construction of som...

The 36th ongoing Annual International Conference of the Biotechnology Society of Nigeria(BSN),held in collaboration with the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), has brought together biotechnologists, researchers, policy makers,and industry players with the focus of driving biotechnology advancement in Africa. Prof. Sylvia Uzochukwu, President of the Biotechnology Society of Nigeria(BSN), noted that biotechnology was a veritable tool that could be used to tackle global challenges and fastrack societal progress. Prof Uzochukwu highlighted the transformative potential of biotechnology across various sectors of the economy. In the wake of the ongoing global crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the threat of climate change, the BSN President underscored the urgency of deploying bio...

The Atlantic Federation of African Press Agencies (FAAPA) has urged journalists across the continent to combat information disorder and fake news in the society through fact-checking. Mr Fouad Arif, the President of FAAPA and Director-General of Agence Marocaine De Presse (MAP), gave the charge at the opening of a training seminar themed: ”Fact-checking: Detection of fake news in media content” in Rabat Morocco. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 23 journalists from different News Agencies across Africa were selected for the one week seminar. The training was organised by Fédération Atlantique des Agences de Presse Africaines (FAAPA) in collaboration with Bank of Africa and Royal Air Maroc. The president said the challenges of disinformation and misinformation by wh...

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, has said that the government may not be able to prepare future for the Nigerian youths, but the government at all levels can prepare the youth for the future. Gov. Makinde made this known at the Students' Legislative Summit organised by the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly and chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Rt. Honourable Adebo Ogundoyin. The event was held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, in conjunction with the Students' Representative Council, University of Ibadan, with the theme; “Roles of quality legislation in nation building." Makinde declared that Nigerian youths must become more actively involved in governance by increasing their participation and exposure in po...

ECOWAS and African Union ambassadors say African leaders are determined to rout out terrorism and unconstitutional changes in government, which they describe as the two major existential threats facing the continent. The envoys made this known in separate interviews with the Newsspecng at the end of a consultation meeting between ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSC) and AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) on Thursday in Abuja. Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner, Political Affairs, Peace and Security, for instance, disclosed that ECOWAS’ MSC and AU’s PSC were already intensifying numerous efforts towards resolving the asymmetric challenges facing Africa. He said that such efforts were being vigorously carried out under the auspices of the AU’s 1999 Convention again...

The FCT Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) electoral committee has promised its members a free and fair elections that will usher in a generally accepted executives to run the affairs of the Association for the next three years. According to the Chairman of the Committee Patrick Ngwaogu (Odogwu), who was full of appreciation to the leadership of SWAN at the national level, for restoring peace to FCT SWAN by unifying the members. He also appreciated the members of the FCT SWAN for the support given to his committee since their inauguration, and pleaded for their total support as the elections hold on Friday 26 April 2024. Ngwaogu used the opportunity to Inform the Sports Writers that 12 candidates that were eligible to contest in the various positions at the elections. A...

***Says She Inherited over N3.6 billion loans Embattled Managing Director and Chief Executive Of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Dr. Tinuade Sanda on Wednesday reacted to the reason given for her sack. Dr. Sandals was alleged to have been sacked as a result her poor performance in office. She however said that the allegation was a misrepresentation and not the accurate feedback on her performance. She also reeled out some of the achievement of the entreprise under her watch, which include addressing the company's debt portfolio in the region of over N3.6 billion owed vendors for goods and services already rendered. Sanda made the clarification in a statement obtained by journalists in Abuja. The statement reads, "When I assumed the role of MD/CEO at Eko Ele...

President Bola Tinubu has implored the nation's Judiciary to embark on reforms that would ensure a functional justice system and support economic growth. Represented by the Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Tinubu gave the charge on Wednesday when he declared open the National Summit on Justice, 2024, held at the National Judicial Institute, Abuja. The President also emphasised the need for a legal framework that would guarantee basic human and political rights of individuals and provide security for all Nigerians. According to him, much can be achieved when institutions of government, including the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary, unite to acknowledge their challenges and brainstorm. " This is with a view to proffering solutions to the problems bedeviling Nigeria." He, ...