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The Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) says it will conduct the upcoming local government elections without interference from any quarters.KANSIEC chair Sani Malumfashi said this while presenting the election timetable and guidelines to leaders of the 19 political parties on Thursday in Kano. He said KANSIEC was determined to conduct free and fair local government elections. KANSIEC had scheduled November 30 for the chairmanship and councillorship elections into the 44 local governments. “The commission will operate independently in conducting the forthcoming local government elections in the state. Nobody is going to interfere with our activities. “Similarly, nobody should approach us with bribe. If people approach us with bribe we are going to expose them....

President Bola Tinubu and President Teodoro Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea have signed an agreement on Gulf of Guinea Pipeline Project to further affirm the partnership between the two countries for mutual development.The Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said in a statement on Thursday that the agreement was signed on Wednesday evening in Malabo. The agreement covered legislative and regulatory measures for the gas pipeline, establishment and operation, transit of natural gas, ownership of the gas pipeline and general principles. In his remarks at the event, Mr Tinubu, who is on a three-day official visit to Equatorial Guinea, said the signing of the agreement would open up new opportunities for gas exploration and employment. The President...

The Transmission Company of Nigeria said on Thursday that vandals destroyed 13 towers on the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV Double Circuit transmission line. The TCN towers T97 to T99 were destroyed by vandals on July 29. The TCN’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, in a statement in Abuja, said the incident was first reported by the Youth President of the Ukpeli Community in Rivers State on August 12. The company said the destroyed towers are located in several communities, including Okobe in Ahoada East, Emezhi 1 in Ahoada West. Others are in Mbiama in the Ahoada West Local Government Areas of Rivers State, as well as the Igbogene community in Bayelsa. TCN said the Port-Harcourt region of TCN, led by the General Manager of Transmission, Emmanuel Akpa, promptly visited the...

Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea are thickering with the idea of setting up joint patrols to combat oil theft in the Guof of Guinea. Nigeria's Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru Mohammed, revealed the the agreement. Badaru confirmed that a joint committee is being constituted to oversee joint patrols, policing, and security on their shared borders and the Gulf of Guinea. The proposed joint effort aims to curb the scourge of oil theft, a major challenge facing both nations, and other forms of illegal activities in the maritime environment. He said: “There are discussions on defense agreement, not signed yet, but there is a joint committee for joint patrol, policing and security on our borders and the Gulf of Guinea, and that discussion is on “When constituted, I’m sure we wil...

The macabre dance over the actual amount legislators collect as monthly payment still goes on. Senate on Thursday, August 15, denied alleged payment of N21million monthly as salary and allowances to senators. The Chairman Senate Committees on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Adeyemi Adaramodu (APC – Ekiti South made this clarification in a statement in Abuja. Adaramodu in a statement issued to clarify the claim by Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila (NNPP – Kano South) that he receives N21million monthly as running cost aside his N1million statutory salary. Sumaila in an interview with BBC Hausa Service on Wednesday morning claimed that he earns a cumulative N21million monthly in salary and allowances. He had added that: “Given the increase effected, in the Senate, each Senat...

The Presidency Thursday tackled a Chinese firm, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited over attempts to take over offshore assets of the federal government of Nigeria. In a statement released on Thursday, August 15, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, confirmed that the federal government was aware of the attempts by the Chinese company and firmly denied any contractual obligations with them. According to Onanuga, the dispute involving Zhongshan Fucheng is primarily between the company and the Ogun state government, not the federal government. He said: “The ongoing issue centres around a 2007 contract between Zhongshan and Ogun State, which involved the management of a free-trade zone. However, the contract was revoked in 2015,...

The Federal Road Safety Corps has confirmed the death of 16 persons in an accident involving multiple vehicles at the Ojoo-Iwo Road axis of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Tuesday. The spokesperson, FRSC, Oyo State Sector Command, Mayowa Odewo, said in Ibadan that 17 other people sustained varying degrees of injuries in the accident. He said two people were injury-free among the 35 passengers comprising 14 male adults, 10 female adults, six female children and five male children involved in the accident. Mr Odewo attributed the cause of the accident, involving four vehicles, to the brake failure of a Mack truck, marked AKM 548 ZY. According to him, the other vehicles include a Nissan commercial bus, MUB 20 LG; a Nissan Micra taxi, BDJ 520 YC; and a private Honda Accord SUV, KRD...

The University of Ibadan, Oyo State, said it received the sum of N201,114,650 from Nigerian Education Loan Fund for 1,370 students of the institution for the 2023/2024 academic session. The university’s Director of Public Relations, Joke Akinpelu, stated this on Tuesday in Ibadan. An internal memo, dated August 9 indicated that the money was paid into the institution’s account to cover the fees of the 1,370 students who applied for the loan. The memo, signed by the institution’s Registrar, Ganiyu Saliu, and addressed to Dean of Students, said that the bursary department was currently processing the fund to enable the concerned students obtain ‘smart receipt.’ Mr Saliu stated, “Any student who is a beneficiary of the NELFUND loan and has already paid levies for the session fee ...

The Police Command in Oyo State said it has commenced investigation into the killing of a 14-year-old, Malik Kareem, for alleged money ritual in Ibadan. The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Adewale Osifeso, stated this during an interview on Monday in Ibadan. Mr Osifeso said that the command was aware of the incident and had immediately commenced investigation with a view to bringing the perpetrators to justice. He assured members of the public that an update on the investigation on the matter would be made available once it was concluded. It was gathered that the teenager was killed and beheaded allegedly for ritual purposes by his friends at Olorisaoko community in the Akinyele Local Government Area of the state on Saturday. A source, who spoke on condition of anony...

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has launched an investigation into a viral video showing a female traveller destroying a Nigerian passport at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. The NIS spokesperson, Kenneth Udo, who confirmed this in a statement on Monday, said the individual had been identified and invited for further investigation. According to NIS, if the allegations are substantiated, the individual’s action breached the provisions of Section 10(b) of the Immigration Act 2015 (as amended), with corresponding penalties outlined under Section 10(h) of the same Act. NIS reiterated the commitment of the Service to upholding the provisions of the Immigration Act in the interest of national security and preserving the dignity and integrity of the nation...

Oyo State Acting Governor, Barr. Bayo Lawal, has stated that the administration of Governor 'Seyi Makinde will continue to prioritise efforts that will enhance the status of the royal system in the state and make it a worthy reference point for other South-West states. Barr. Lawal said this on Monday, during the elevation Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, High Chief Senator Rashidi Ladoja, to a beaded-crown-wearing Oba in line with the amended Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration.At the event held at the Olubadan-in-Council Chamber of the new Olubadan Palace, Oke Aremo, Ibadan, the Acting Governor maintained that the occasion put an end to all the controversies surrounding the issue of beaded crown in Ibadanland and has shown that the traditional system is capable of reinventing itself without ...

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has applauded the intelligence gathering capacity of the Federal Road Safety Corps, saying the corps was critical to the security architecture of Nigeria. Mr Tunji-Ojo made this statement when he visited the FRSC headquarters in Abuja. He tasked officers and men of the corps to be extraordinary in road safety management and continue exhibiting professionalism as they discharged their duties. According to him, the intelligence they gathered from the enhanced visibility of the corps will help boost the security of the nation. He said, “I believe FRSC has a role to play even within the internal security architecture of Nigeria.’’ The minister, who emphasised on the role played by the corps to ensure safety on the highways, added tha...

The National Youth Service Corps said it has not directed corps members to upgrade their accounts for payment of N70,000 minimum wage. The NYSC said this in a statement issued by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Eddy Megwa, on Sunday in Abuja. According to Mr Megwa, the misleading information making the rounds on social media is absolute falsehood. “Corps members, parents and members of the public should note that no directive has been received from any relevant sector of government responsible for wage matters. It is therefore impossible for the NYSC to issue any directive on such. Corps members already know the approved channel and mode of communication in the scheme and should therefore ignore the directive accordingly. “The NYSC by this release, therefore, u...

The Lagos Rail Mass Transit Blue Line will from Monday upscale the number of trips from 54 to 72 per day. The Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, Abimbola Akinajo, said this in a statement in Lagos. Mrs Akinajo said the current schedule for Sunday operations remained unchanged. “The Blue Line train riders will now travel between Marina and Mile 2 in just about 18 minutes from the previous travel time of 25 minutes. The implication is that there will be a train every 18 minutes both ways, thus allowing commuters to plan their trips,” she said. She also announced a 25 per cent discount fare for commuters travelling within the off-peak period set at 10.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. daily. “The new train schedule is potentially expected to reduce journ...

It took former Governor Samuel Ortom and his cohorts 13 months of failed attempts to stop the probe of his eight years as Governor of Benue State by Governor Hyacinth Alia. Ortom's attempts to use the judiciary to stop the administration of Alia to get him to account to the people of the state has run from June 2023 to July 2024, and all his efforts before the courts failed woefully as he could not secure the relief he and other members of the opposition had sought. A total of eight cases were filed in various courts against the governor and his government within 13 months, and all ended up in defeat. Governor Alia had on assuming office sought to get the previous administration and some of its principal actors, including the ex-governor to come clean and explain what they did with ...

An association of movies, TV and Radio Producers under the auspice of Abuja movie, TV &  Radio producers forum (AMTRPF), have condemned the false allegation of Nyesom Wike,  the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister against the senator of the FCT Ireti kingibe as the  sponsor of the recent protest in Abuja, Against President Tinubu. The protest, which began on Thursday, August 2024 according to the FCT minister’s accusation against senator Ireti Kingibe , alleging that the senator had provided food for the protesters and that she enlisted  security agencies to assist in the distribution of supplies, which constituted sponsorship, according to the group was an indictment on the security agencies in FCT.  The movie, TV & Radio producers ...