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President Bola Tinubu will continue to encourage the practice of responsible journalism and not gag the press in the country. Malam Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, said this on Wednesday in Abuja while briefing Presidential Villa Correspondents. According to him, a free and vibrant media practice and social media is significant to the success of the administration and the promotion of nationalism and patriotism. "Mr President and all of us in that sector are committed to ensuring that there's press freedom. "That freedom, like I said, comes with responsibility. "A lot of things that some of these people in the social media are doing are also not very patriotic. "Sometimes you see news that is not factual; but I don't want a situation whe...

The Palestinian Ambassador in Nigeria, Abu Shawesh, has called on the United Nations and African Union to set up an independent commission of inquiry on Tuesday’s attack on a hospital in Gaza. The Envoy made the call on Wednesday in Abuja while addressing newsmen on the attack. He said that women and children were mostly killed when Israeli Air Force jets allegedly struck the Baptist Hospital in Gaza. Shawesh said that the hospital, which was located side by side with the Baptist Church, had served as a safe haven for families displaced by the ongoing war. He also said that calls by the Israeli authorities for people to evacuate the hospital was rejected by medical personnel of the hospital, who said doing so would amount to slow killing of sick and injured patients receiving ...

The Federal Government has said that operations of the newly approved universities by the past administration would be delayed. Minister of Education Tahir Mamman disclosed this after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday in Abuja. He said this was in recognition of the funding need for an effective and efficient educational programmes for these universities. Former president Muhammadu Buhari administration had approved the licensing of 37 new universities in the country few days to handing over date. “A number of these new universities were approved by the past administration in its twilight. After much considerations, President Tinubu felt their take off should be staggered. “It’s not that the universities will be scrapped but that they would be looked at in t...

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has said that the National Assembly would guarantee the welfare of staff of the assembly. He made the remark at the 9th National and States Assembly Service Commissions Conference held in Abuja on Wednesday. The conference was organised by the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC). Declaring the conference open, Akpabio who was represented by Sen. Danjuma Goje (APC-Gombe) said that the national assembly management was not unmindful of the welfare of the staff. “I know the welfare issues you are battling with. But be rest assured that the 10th National Assembly has your back. “Staff welfare will be supported by the assembly,” Akpabio said. He said that in classical theory, the main role of parliament was to make new laws and ch...

Mr Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Wednesday pledged continued support for the maintenance and development of the Abuja National Mosque. Wike made the promise when the Abuja National Mosque Management Board, led by its Chairman, the Etsu Nupe (the chief of Nupe people), Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, visited him in Abuja. The minister assured the board members that the FCT Administration would not hesitate to support the maintenance of the Mosque, having been declared a National Monument. “No government will hesitate to support the maintenance of a National Monument, be it for Christians or Muslims. “I will always give support to anything that has to do with Islamic affairs. “Whatever assistance the previous administration has been helping, if ...

The Senate has confirmed Mr Ola Olukoyede as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The senate also confirmed Mr Muhammad Hammajoda as Secretary of the Commission. The confirmation was sequel to the screening of the duo during plenary on Wednesday. While answering questions from the lawmakers, Olukoyede said that “we will do our work with utmost respect to the provisions of the law. We are going to be guided strictly by our mandate. “There is no way you can fight corruption successfully without respect to the provisions of the law.” Speaking on the issue of investigating political opponents, Olukoyede said “this is neither here nor there. “There must be two salient questions that must be asked and answered; has the person committed crime, ha...

Prof. Ijeoma Vincent-Akpu, President, Association for Environmental Impact Assessment of Nigeria (AEIAN) has decried the low awareness of climate change and impending impacts in the country. She said this at the 7th annual conference and annual general meeting of the Association for Environmental Impact Assessment of Nigeria (AEIAN), in Abuja. Sharpedgenews reports that the theme of the conference is: "Impact Assessment: Climate Resilience, Financing and Environmental Sustainability". She said that Nigeria being one of the highly vulnerable countries to climate change had continued to battle challenges with its negative impact such as flooding, health complications among others. "We need to create awareness about it as it is a global issue and we need to talk about it. "Thi...

.. Says more civil service reforms underway… The Executive Governor of Benue State, Rev Fr Dr Hyacinth Alia has warned civil servants to desist from truancy, but uphold their duties for effective service delivery to the state. The Governor gave the warning during a meeting with Head of Ministries, Departments and Agencies and Units of the State, civil service , which held at the Secretariat Complex in Makurdi. According to Alia, the various Heads of Departments were to ensure staff adhered to diligence, hard work accountability, transparency, confidentiality discipline and team work. "Accountability has to be built in your heart, the confidentiality we used to have in the service needs to be returned, as we take charge of our life style, so should the job be" ,he added. He ...

Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah al-Sissi on Wednesday warned against the repercussions of forcibly displacing Palestinians from the neighbouring Gaza Strip, now the focus of a massive Israel bombardment. Worries have grown in Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, about a mass exodus into Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula after the Israeli military told people in the north of Gaza to head south as an Israeli ground offensive looms. Egypt’s Rafah, the only border crossing into the Gaza Strip that is not controlled by Israel, is currently closed, although pressure is building on Egypt and Israel to reopen it, at least for aid deliveries. Al-Sissi at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said “Egypt rejects attempts to liquidate the Pale...

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Wednesday said that the Federal Government (FG) paid a total of N135.23 billion to subsidise electricity consumption in the second quarter of 2023. This was made known in the commission’s Q2,  2023 report pasted on its website in Abuja. NERC said that the  N135.2 billion was spent by the Federal Government to plug revenue generation shortfall in the power sector in the period under review. It said that this indicated an increase of N99.21 billion, representing 275 per cent compared to the N36 billion it paid in the  quarter I of 2023, The report stated that the government incurred a subsidy obligation of N135.23 billion in 2023/Q2, which is substantially higher than the N36.02 billion it incurred in 2023/Q...

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, says a total of 30-kilometre roads will be constructed across the six Area Councils of the FCT. Wike, stated this when Sen. Philip Aduda and Mr Zakari Dobi visited him in his office in Abuja on Wednesday. Aduda was the immediate past Senator that represented FCT in the Senate in the 9th Assembly under the Peoples Democratic Party. He recontested the seat along with Dobi, who contested under the All Progressives Congress but lost to Sen. Ireti Kingibe of the Labour Party. The minister said that the 30-kilometre roads, five in each of the six area councils, would be concluded before May 29, 2024. This, according to him, is to decentralise development efforts from the city centre to rural communities acro...

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) says it will continue to support the Federal Government to end open defecation in the country. The international agency also said that it would continue to partner with state governments to minimise the menace of open defecation. Mr Monday Johnson, UNICEF Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) specialist, said this at a two-day media dialogue on open defecation free in Southwest states on Wednesday in Ibadan. The programme was organised by UNICEF in collaboration with Oyo State Ministry of Information and Orientation. The workshop has as its theme: ” Eliminating Open defecation in SW states in Nigeria”. Johnson, who noted that Nigeria overtook India in 2019 in open defecation practices, said Nigeria was now on number one position wor...

A Makurdi Chief Magistrates’ Court, on Wednesday, ordered the remand of one Terwase Angbianshio, a suspected killer of a community volunteer guard, Terhemba Gbegi, in a correction centre in Makurdi. The 45-year-old Angbianshio, who lives opposite RCM Primary School, Kwaghbula, in Ushongo Local Government Area of Benue, was charged with culpable homicide. The Chief Magistrate, Mr T.K. Atta did not, however, take his plea for want of jurisdiction. Atta adjourned the matter till Nov. 9 for further mention. Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Insp Godwin Ato, told the court that the case was transferred from the Divisional Police Headquarters, Ushongo to the State CID, Makurdi, on Sept. 29 for investigation via a letter dated same day. Ato said that the letter stated that on Sept...

A representative of Palestinian group Hamas has called for worldwide protests on Friday. “We call on our Palestinian people and the people of the Arab and Islamic nation to demonstrate in all cities next Friday,” the representative said during a press conference in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Wednesday. Protests against “massacres, war crimes and genocides in Gaza” were also to continue on Sunday, he added. Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip and is classified as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the European Union and the United States, called for the expulsion of all Israeli ambassadors to Arab and Islamic countries. It said Arab and Islamic countries should halt all diplomatic efforts that normalises relations with Israel. Coordinated attacks on Israel launched by Ham...

The Confederation of All Progressives Congress (APC) Support Groups has alleged that the distribution of Federal Government’s palliatives by states did not trickle down to the less privilege. Dr Kailani Muhammed, the Director-General of the groups made the allegation at a news briefing in Abuja on Wednesday. Mohammed said that, so far, there seems to be no sign or intention to utilise the money as intended by the federal government He appealed to the state governors to properly utilise the N5 billion palliatives for the less privileged to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal. “We appeal to the 36 state governors to properly utilise the N5 billion, President Bola Tinubu gave each state Governor as palliatives for the less privileged to cushion the effects of the fuel...

 Mr Mansir Hassan, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), on Wednesday, assumed office as the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Police Command in Kaduna State. The new PPRO made the announcement in a statement he issued in Kaduna. Sharpedgenews reports that Hassan took over from DSP Muhammad Jalige who had been transferred to the police command in Katsina State. NAN also reports that until his appointment, Hassan, who hails from Funtua Local Government Area of Katsina State, was the second-in-command to the Public Relations Officer of the command. The new PPRO was a member of the Regular Course One of the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, where he studied Political Science and Police Professional Duties. “The general public can reach ...

The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has reminded the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel of the huge responsibility placed on members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria by all Nigerians in ensuring their safety and wellbeing. Abubakar said this during a meeting with branch heads, directors, commandants, commanders as well as air component commanders, on Wednesday in Abuja. In a statement by the Director, Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet in Abuja, the CAS said Nigerians expected the service to ensure that all areas were clear of criminals and their tendencies. He also called on them to use the period of the meeting to evolve strategies to improve NAF’s operations. He also urged them enhance NAF’s logistics support systems and m...

Prof. Wahab Egbewole, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin (Unilorin), says 450 students bagged first class out of  25,000 graduating in the combined 37th and 38th convocation ceremony of the institution. Egbewole disclosed this on Wednesday in Ilorin at news conference to mark the beginning of the 37th and 38th combined convocation ceremony of the university. He said that the institution would be convoking a total number of 25,234 students during the combined ceremony. ““We have 14,477 students for the 37th convocation ceremony in the 2020/2021 Academic session that will be convoking. “”On the other hand, we shall be graduating 10,757 students for the 38th convocation ceremony who are for the 2021/2022 Academic session,” he said. The vice-chancellor explained that the...

The new Executive Vice-chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, says he will align its regulatory focus to achieve the Renewed Hope Agenda in the present administration. Maida said this while interacting with NCC’s members of staff in Abuja on Tuesday. He also said that he would align with the promises of President Bola Tinubu to advance the nation’s digital transformation agenda. Maida, who spoke to the senior management team of the commission, said there was the need to ensure that the NCC strategically focused on ensuring all Nigerians’ access to affordable and reliable broadband services. He said part of this was to ensure effective broadband infrastructure diffusion across the length and breadth of Nigeria. The new telecom regulat...

The Rotary Club of Abuja in partnership with the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH) Gwagwalada and other stakeholders have advocated for inclusive mental health policies in Nigeria during the World Mental Health Day celebration held on Oct. 10 in Abuja, with the theme titled "Making Mental Health A Universal Human Rights". Rotarian Ayodele Stephen, President Rotary Club of Gwagwalada, during the sensitisation at UATH, said the issue of poverty, spousal challenges, school fees, drunkenness and drug abuse were some of the factors which could affect mental health, adding that people must seek help when necessary. Muftau Mohammed, an Expert, Consultant Psychiatrist at UATH, said mental health was an important component of all policies of the government, while calling for more ...