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By Emmanuella Anokam The NNPC Foundation has commenced business pitching assessment for no fewer than 2,659 corps members trained by the foundation to support their businesses through distribution of grants and start-up packs. The Managing Director, NNPC Foundation, Mrs Emmanuella Arukwe, said on Thursday in Abuja that the empowerment was part of the foundation’s efforts to tackle post graduation youths unemployment and help them become economically self-sufficient. “We are very passionate about the young people and we think that this is the demography and the financial literacy programme is NNPC Foundation’s initiative to equip young graduates with necessary skills for personal and professional development,” she said. Arukwe said during the business pitching assessment for el...

By Vivian Emoni The Ministry of Budget and Economic Planing on Friday commended its 28 outgoing members of staff for their exceptional contributions to service. The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Nebeolisa Anako, made the commendation in Abuja, during a valedictory session in honour of the workers. Anako expressed gratitude to the retiring staff members for their dedication and commitment, as well as support in the successful implementation of some projects and programmes in the ministry. “I extend appreciation to the outgoing members of staff for their outstanding contributions. Their support enhanced the mandates of the ministry and bring about effective service delivery. “I am particularly grateful for their dedication in the services rendered. They help in ensu...

China recorded 14.64 million inbound trips made by foreigners in the first half of this year, up 152.7 per cent year on year, following measures introduced since January, the country’s immigration authority announced on Friday. The measures aim to facilitate the entry of foreign nationals into China for business, education and tourism. It included expanded visa-free policies, relaxed visa application requirements, simplified procedures, exemption of border checks for certain transit passengers, and more convenient mobile payment for foreigners in China. The National Immigration Administration (NIA) said at a news conference that the number of visa-free entries made by foreigners exceeded 8.54 million from January to June. It accounted for 52 per cent of the inbound trips, repr...

The Enugu State government has vowed to arrest butchers selling dead animals and uninspected meats at Afor Awkunanaw Gariki Market, Enugu South Council Area of the state. Philip Ozoagu, director of the veterinary department at the Enugu State Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation, made the vow when he led his team to the market on Friday. Mr Ozoagu told the market’s chairman, Kojak Egbonnaji, and his executives that the department discovered that some people were selling uninspected and dead animals as meat to the public. He said meeting the market leaders was important to prevent transferring diseases from animals to men through proper inspections. Mr Ozoagu said the butchers had continued the sale of dead animals’ meat to the public despite the government’s atte...

The Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) says it has rescued five victims of human trafficking in Côte d’Ivoire.Abdullahi Adamu, the comptroller of the area command, disclosed this at a press conference on Friday. He said the Nigerian Immigration Attachés in Côte d’Ivoire, in collaboration with the Nigerian community in that country and some other partners, worked tirelessly to identify and rescue the victims. Mr Adamu added that the immigration service provided critical support and assistance to ensure their safe return to Nigeria. “These girls, aged between 17 and 21, were trafficked on June 15, 2024, to Côte d’Ivoire using irregular routes by notorious traffickers. “The traffickers lured them with promises of better jobs in Cote d’Ivoire.They were late...

The DG said posting happenings on camp on social media violated the scheme’s standing rules and policies. Mr Ahmed, who spoke during a visit to the NYSC orientation camp in Ede, Osun, on Friday, advised corps members on camps nationwide to maintain good character and discipline during the three weeks orientation exercise He also tasked the corps members to be focused and take advantage of the skills acquisition programme on camp. He said the knowledge and skills acquired would make them better individuals after their service year. ”The skill acquisition is targeted towards making you independent in order not to depend on white collar jobs. ”We are in collaboration with stakeholders that will give you grants. Please take this measure seriously,” the DG said. Mr Ahmed assu...

By NAN In a landmark judgement delivered by Justice K.N. Ogbonnaya of the High Court 16, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, the court ruled decisively in favor of the Claimant, Mr. Aigbefoh E. David, Esq., trading under the name and style of David Aigbefoh & Co (Lex Dominus Chambers), in the suit numbered FCT/HC/GWD/CV/141/23. The case pitted Mr. David against Engr. Prabhakar Routhu Anjaneyulu and three corporate entities: Aravind Metalic Nig. Ltd, Aravind Architectural Aluminium Nig. Ltd, and Pan Africa Facade Solutions Int'l Ltd. The origins of the dispute trace back to the professional relationship between Mr. David and the Defendants. Mr. David was instrumental in incorporating Aravind Metalic Nig. Ltd and Aravind Architectural Aluminium Nig. Ltd, facilitating expatriat...

The Rural Electrification Agency, REA, has signed Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with Mercy Corps to strengthen electricity cooperatives towards improved electricity access in Nigeria. The MoU signed at the Corporate in Abuja on Thursday, was amongst other things aimed to provide capacity building and strengthen the Rural Electricity Users Cooperative Society, REUCS. To provide technical assistance for the Africa Mini-grid Programme – AMP as well as Support in the development of Sustainable Business Model for the Operations and Maintenance of the Korean Energy Project. The Managing Director/CEO, Abba Aliyu said the signing ceremony that “Today’s MoU signing strengthen REA’s drive for sustainability of projects.” He said “There is a need to always plan for the end of project...

The newly elected members of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of NUPENG. By Joan Nwagwu The Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has urged its members not to work against the policies of President Bola Tinubu administration. Mr Lucky Osesua, National Chairman of the union said this while addressing newsmen at the end of its delegates conference on Thursday in Abuja. “This is a time for the PTD members to come together to improve their welfare and also focus on the primary objectives of the union, which are the delivery of petroleum products to all the states and locations within the Federation. “We appeal to you not to fail for the unrealistic promises of the opposition. It is important to say that...

Controversy has arisen in Delta State over the questionable character of Mr Amino Imasua, the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) representative for Delta North who has been accused of abusing his position to impose councillorship candidates in his Ika South Ward 3. According to sources, Amino who is a known philanderer in the community also used his position as Secretary of the Local Education Authority in Ika South to extort teachers and take bribes to post teachers to unfavorable locations in the area. This has caused concern among residents who believe that such a character is not worthy to hold the position of an unbiased umpire in the forthcoming local government council elections. Residents who spoke to our correspondent expressed their disappointment and...

The federal government has warned states and local government areas to brace up for increased river flooding as the country enters the peak of the rainy season. Joseph Utsev, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, handed down the warning at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja. He said precautionary measures should be taken to avert possible disasters from such occurrences. Mr Utsev said states had been alerted following recent reports highlighted in the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook as unveiled by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA). NIHSA’s 2024 Annual Flood Outlook reveals that 148 local government areas (LGAs) across 31 states are at high risk of flooding. The affected states include Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross Rive...

Niger State governor, Umaru Bago, has donated 600 bags of rice and 20 cows to the corps members posted to the state. The donation was in fulfilment of the pledge the governor made to the corps members on Tuesday during the swearing-in of the 2024 Batch ”B” Stream one orientation course. The Coordinator of NYSC in Niger State, Olayinka Abdulwahab, said that the items were delivered on Thursday. The governor also promised N200,000 to each of the 1,600 corps members under the batch, amounting to N320 million. According to Mr Bago, the gesture is to bolster their comfort and encourage the corps members to stay back in the state after their service year. Mr Bago equally promised to sink five boreholes and provide additional toilet facilities at both the male and female hostels. ...

The Police Command in the Federal Capital Territory said its operatives from Utako Divisional Headquarters arrested five suspects over an alleged kidnapping in Abuja. This is contained in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, by SP Josephine Adeh, the command’s Police Public Relations Officer. Ms Adeh said that the suspects were arrested following an effort by the command to rid the nation’s capital of criminality. She explained that the suspects were trailed and arrested at Gwagwa and Dei-Dei areas of Abuja between June 30 and July 3 during a two-day streak operation following credible intelligence. Mr Adeh added that the arrest of the suspects were in connection with the kidnap incident in Gwagwa on June 12, where a victim was kidnapped, and N12 million paid as ransom, yet two v...

The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has said the agency has no evidence that genetically modified foods are safe for human consumption. Genetically modified foods are foods produced from organisms (Genetically Modified Organisms) that have had changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering as opposed to traditional cross breeding. Adeyeye in a recent interview on Arise News Television said that though NAFDAC had not conducted extensive research on the safety of GMO products, the agency did not have evidence to show that GMO products like maize and tomatoes were safe for human consumption. Adeyeye said this while speaking on the controversy that it has been difficult ...

A chief magistrates’ court in Markurdi on Tuesday remanded five cattle rearers at the Correctional Centre, Makurdi, for alleged criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, rape, and armed robbery.Saleh Hassan, Yakubu Kanje, Inusa Idris, Yusuf Ibrahim, and Yahuza Idris, who reside in the Keana and Awe local government areas of Nasarawa State, were also docked for alleged acts of terrorism and culpable homicide. The chief magistrate, Kelvin Mbanongun, who did not take their plea for want of jurisdiction, adjourned the matter until September 3, 2024, for the Director of Public Prosecutions’ advice. Earlier, the prosecutor, Godwin Ato, told the court that the case was transferred to the State CID, Makurdi, from the Divisional Police Headquarters, Otukpo, on June 17. Mr Ato said the matter was r...

New right-wing Dutch government inaugurated by King Willem-AlexanderThe VVD and NSC had only reluctantly agreed to a coalition with Wilders. In a ceremony on Tuesday at the Huis ten Bosch presidential palace near The Hague, the ministers and state secretaries took the oath “So help me, God Almighty,’’ or a corresponding secular version, in front of King Willem-Alexander. The four-party coalition is largely controlled by Mr Wilders, although he is not a member of the cabinet himself. The new alliance partners of the Wilders-led Party for Freedom had made his renunciation of formal office a condition for their participation in government. The prime minister is now the former head of the secret service and anti-terrorism agency, Dick Schoof, who is not affiliated with any party. ...

The House of Representatives has resolved to probe the exploitative and predatory pricing practices against Nigerian businesses by their foreign counterparts operating in the country. The lawmaker said some Nigerian businesses suffered harsh and unfair competition and business relations with their foreign business counterparts.The resolution followed the adoption of a motion by Babajimi Benson (APC-Lagos) during plenary in Abuja on Tuesday Presenting the motion, Mr Benson said that international business ethics and standards required businesses to operate in a fair, healthy, and efficient manner while ensuring competitive trade practices at home and abroad. He added that some Nigerian businesses had suffered harsh and unfair competition and business relations with their foreign b...

The deputy governor of Niger, Yakubu Garba, has lost his wife, Zainab Garba. Governor Umaru Bago, in a statement by his chief press secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, in Minna on Tuesday, expressed sadness over the death of Mrs Garba. He described her death as a great loss to the state. Mr Bago said, “It is indeed devastating news and a trying moment, not only for my deputy but for the government and the entire people of the state.” The governor urged the deputy governor to see the demise of his wife as an act of Allah and be consoled by the fact that she lived a good life. “The State Executive Council shares in your loss and will provide every needed support at this moment of grief,” he said. Mr Bago prayed to Allah to forgive all the shortcomings of the deceased and grant her ...

By NAN The Federal Government of Nigeria, has commended the management of University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH) Gwagwalada, for expanding health infrastructures, mobilising resources and global partnerships to build cardiovascular centre to expand the availability of health care services in the country. The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammed Ali Pate, made the commendation during the commissioning of Mental Health building, Cardiovascular Research Centre and Senator Joshua Dariye medical Out Patient Clinic Block. According to him, the structures will provide intergrated care services and acute care for both inpatient and outpatient, inline with international best practices in the health sector. "The health infrastructures in our teaching...