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Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Thursday, May 9, warned against unnecessary protest in the Federal Capital Territory.Wike isued the warning when traders from the Apo Mechanic village, besieged the entrance of the FCTA secretariat, demanding that the FCT minister sign the lease agreement to enable them to move to their permanent site at Wassa District He said there should be due process before any protest is embarked upon. He maintained that any other action would be considered an attempt to intimidate the government. The traders who carried different placards commending the developmental strides of the Minister, however, appealed to him to sign the lease agreement which was entered into in 2015. The chairman of the association, Chimezie Ife, sa...

The United Nations Women Representative to Nigeria and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Ms. Beatrice Eyong, Thursday said the current security situation in the country has worsen the prevalence of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Nigeria. Eyong, disclosed this in her welcome address in Abuja at the Convening of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on assessing Ending Violence Against women, EVAW and Gender Equality and Women Empowerment , GEWE Landscape in Nigeria. She said “we are confronted with the harsh reality that gender-based violence continues to be a pervasive and deeply rooted problem in our society. It affects women and girls of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life, depriving them of their fundamental rights and freedoms. It is a violation of human righ...

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, (AHF) and some Civil Society Organisations( CSOs) have called for a readjustment of an agreement on detection and response to pandemics. They specifically called for the readjustment of the draft of the World Health Organisation (WHO) pandemic agreement to strengthen the international communities ability to detect and respond to future pandemics threat, especially in developing nations. They made the call at a press briefing on Thursday in Abuja ahead of the finalisation of WHO agreement Draft in May 2024. Dr Echey Ijezie, Country Programme Director, AHF, said that the proposed text had been significantly watered down through the negotiation process and is filled with platitudes, anemic in obligations, and devoid of any accountability. "We expre...

By Sylvester Thompson The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure(NASENI) has unveiled more of its branded products which includes NASENI branded laptop , lithium battery, battery, android phone and 309 watts LED solar street lamp The Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of the new NASENI, Khalil Halilu unveiled the branded NASENI laptop, car battery and phone at its quarterly media briefing in Abuja on Thursday. The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), reports that in February, the agency launched three sets of its branded products; a solar powered irrigation system, electric motorcycles and tricycles, and off-grid solar home systems. Halilu said that the new NASENI 2023-2027 strategic launchpad pad was devised to fit into president Bola Tinubu's renewed hope agenda for...

Residents of Obelle, Ibaa and Aminigboko communities in Rivers have urged the federal government to compel Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to clean up oil spills in their communities. The oil spills occurred in 2016. Speaking on behalf of the communities, January Igoma said at a news conference in Port Harcourt on Wednesday that the spills had displaced residents from their homes and livelihoods. He said oil pollution in the Ibaa and Obelle communities in the Emohua council and the Aminigboko community in the Abua/Odual council had contaminated surface and groundwater. Mr Igoma said that tests conducted in the affected areas revealed Benzene levels more than 24,000 times above the World Health Organisation-recommended safety limit in both surface and groundwater. ...

The Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrates’ Court, on Wednesday, ordered the remand of a 25-year-old woman, Yakubu Ifedayo, in a correctional centre in Ado-Ekiti over alleged N4.5 million fraud. The defendant of Covenant Avenue, Ajebamidele Street in Ado-Ekiti, is facing a fraud charge. The police prosecutor, Akinwale Oriyomi, told the court that the defendant committed the offence between July 2023 and April in Ado-Ekiti. Akinwale alleged that the defendant obtained N4.5 million from Ogungbemi Ayodeji. He said the defendant collected the money from the complainant, who lives in Dubai and happens to be her fiancé, to prepare for their wedding. In the process, the defendant cut off the complainant’s line, and since then, she has not been reachable. Mr Oriyomi said the offence contra...

Some point-of-sale operators in Abuja have condemned the Corporate Affairs Commission’s directive that PoS agents register their businesses. The CAC issued a two-month registration deadline on Monday for PoS operators to register their agents, merchants, and individuals with the commission in accordance with legal requirements and the directives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The agents, who spoke on Wednesday, said the registration, which would require money, would impact the transaction cost paid by customers. Kofi Kolawole, a PoS agent, said the registration would deplete the business’s profits. Mr Kolawole said the registration would also discourage people from entering the business. “I know that this registration, when actualised by our operators, will increase ...

Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana (Centre) Executive Director Finance ,NSITF, Adegoke Adedeji to his left, flanked by National Secretaries and Management staff of the NSITF during the advocacy visit to the National Assembly, Wednesday. By Joan Nwagwu The National Assembly (NASS) has called for the amendment to the Employees Compensation of Act 2010 in order to strengthen the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF). Mr Sani Tambawal, Clerk of the National Assembly, said this when the a delegation from the NSITF paid him an advocacy visit in his office on Wednesday in Abuja. Tambawal, represented by Mr Kamoru Ogunlana, Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, said that the amendment of the Act was imperative as it would align its process with the current r...