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12May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Ndarani urges FG to allow customary owners of natural resource have control

By Ebere Agozie, NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA A Senior A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Mohammed Ndarani says the Nigerian constitution should allow all the customary owners of natural resources to have over-riding control with regard to those assets. Ndarani said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja. He said that one of the hindrances to the realisation of the full taxing potentials of the country is the restrictive and usurping provisions of Section 44 (3) of the Constitution. ``This section alienates the customary owners of the land and bestows on the Federal Government all rights to exploit, produce and dispose of all mineral deposits under the soil, land, waters and air in Nigeria. ``This has led to numerous growing and unrestrained...

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11May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

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N80 Billion Fraud: Court Rejects Yahaya Bello’s Request To Set Aside Arrest Warrant

The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on Friday granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) ‘s application for the former governor of Kogi, Yahaya Bello, to appear in court for his trial. Justice Emeka Nwite ruled that the former governor should have appeared before the court before making any application. He insisted that even if the arrest warrant had been illegally obtained, the defendant (Mr Bello) should have still appeared in court. On April 23, the judge fixed May 10 for the ruling on the former governor’s application to set aside the arrest warrant against him. The EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, moved the ex-parte application for the arrest warrant on April 17. But Mr Bello’s counsel, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, prayed the court to set aside the...

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11May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

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Osogbo Residents Laud Senate’s Proposal Of Death Penalty For Drug Traffickers

A cross-section of residents in Osogbo, Osun, have hailed the Senate’s passage of an amendment to the NDLEA Act, which prescribes a death penalty for dealing in hard drugs. The respondents, in separate interviews with journalists on Friday in Osogbo, said such punishment would deter reasonable people from getting involved in drug trafficking. However, they advised that investigations into such offences should be thorough and unbiased so that only those guilty face punishment. A resident, Michael Olusesi, said that if the law is given assent, security agencies would be expected to be more thorough in their investigation of drug-related cases. “Security agencies involved in handling such crimes must be properly trained and checked to ensure they do the needful to avoid implicati...

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11May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

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Factional Speaker Accuses Fubara Of Planning To Demolish Rivers Assembly Quarters

Martin Amaewhule (Obio/Akpor 1), the factional speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly, has accused Governor Siminialayi Fubara of planning to demolish the quarters of the state House of Assembly. Mr Amaewhule remarked in Port Harcourt about the governor’s recent inspection visit to the assembly quarters. During the visit, Mr Fubara told journalists he wanted to assess the facility’s state for possible rehabilitation. Meanwhile, Mr Amaewhule described the visit as ‘unannounced and an invasion’ on the residential premises of Rivers Assemblymen. He said, ”His plan is to demolish the quarters the way he did to some parts of the state assembly complex in 2023.” The factional speaker said the governor’s move was purely political because the Rivers assembly residential quarter wa...

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11May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

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JTF Destroys Over 40 Illegal Refining Sites In Abia Forest

The Joint Task Force, codenamed “Operation Delta Safe (OPDS),” on Friday destroyed over 40 illegal refining sites in the Ukwa forest of the Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia. The JTF commander, Rear Adm. John Okeke, who led the operation, said illegal refining of stolen crude oil was taking place at each site. He recalled that he had warned oil thieves to desist from the illegal business or relocate to another area. Like I told you guys on the assumption of office on February 15, 2024, the joint operation area of Operation Delta Safe will never be a haven for illegality, especially those criminals that have chosen to steal our oil. “But here we are today in Ukwa West of Abia State, bordering Oyigbo LGA of Rivers State; the criminals felt that we would never get to this p...

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10May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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NSIB partners NAF, promises aviation safety 

By Gami Tadanyigbe  The management team of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), has paid a courtesy visit to Air Marshal H.B. Abubakar, the Chief of Air Staff, at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) headquarters in Abuja. The Director General of NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jr, during the courtesy visit said the engagement is aimed at promoting closer ties and collaboration between NSIB and NAF while prioritising aviation safety and promoting a strong, collaborative environment. According to him, with aviation safety being a paramount concern, both institutions recognise the importance of working in unison to uphold the highest standards and proactively address any potential risks or challenges that may arise. He said discussions centered around enhancing information-sha...

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9May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Delta ready to partner with AfDB and others to establish special Agro-processing zone in the state………. Oborevwori

Delta State Governor Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori on Thursday May 10 expressed the state's readiness to partner with the AfDB and other stakeholders for the establishment of the Special Agro-processing zone in the state. He stated this when he received on courtesy call ,officials of the African Development Bank, AfDB and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture led by the Chief Agro-Industrial Economist Dr Chuma Ezedinma at Government House Asaba. Governor, Oborevwori, said the state was among states in the country with most arable lands for sustainable agriculture and food security in the country. He said the state was blessed with arable lands for the cultivation of crops ranging from cassava, maize, yam, rice, assorted vegetables and even rubber; which could be grown in commercial qua...

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9May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Wike warns against unnecessary protests in Abuja

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...

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9May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Security Challenge has worsen GBV in Nigeria, says UN women rep

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...

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9May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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AHF, CSOs express concern over WHO pandemic agreement proposal

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...

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9May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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NASENI unveils branded laptop,lithium battery, android phone

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...

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9May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

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Communities Alarmed Over Shell’s Refusal To Clean Oil Spills

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. ...

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9May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

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Police Arrest 25-Year-Old Lady For Allegedly Defrauding Dubai-Based Fiance

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...

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9May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

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PoS Operators Decry CAC Mandatory Registration, Threaten To Hike Transaction Charges

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 ...

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8May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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NSITF: NASS calls for amendment of Employees Compensation 2010 Act

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...

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7May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

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Court Awards ₦1 Million Damages Against EFCC For Violating Businessman’s Rights

A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to pay N1 million in damages to a businessman, Emmanuel Yashim, for violating his property rights. Justice Peter Kekemeke granted the order in a suit filed by Mr Yashim seeking enforcement of his fundamental rights. In a suit marked CV/590/2022, the applicant prayed the court to compel the EFCC to pay him N10 million as damages for the breach of his rights for impounding his car in 2022. The applicant, through his counsel, Nwachukwu Ibegbu, further prayed the court to order the EFCC to release his Mercedes Benz GLC 300, which had been in its custody since November 22, 2022. The applicant prayed the court to declare that the continuous holding of the car without stating ...

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7May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

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Presidency Admits To Seyi Tinubu’s Involvement With Chagoury, Silent On Waving Bidding Process For Lagos-Calabar Highway

Former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Candidate in the 2023 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is fast developing a reputation for distorting and manipulating facts for his self-serving objective of discrediting the current administration. In his latest press statement, the defeated PDP presidential candidate made wild claims on a number of issues that need to be corrected so that the public will not be misled into accepting fallacies as the truth. The President Bola Tinubu-led administration believes that every true and patriotic Nigerian, regardless of political differences, should work to promote the unity and economic well-being of the country and not delegitimise genuine efforts of the Federal Government to encourage local and foreign investments into th...

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7May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Cross River partners REA on energy, food security

Piqued by the enormous losses incurred in terms of value of perishable goods, as well as, the dwindling economic activities, Cross River government says, it would build a symbiotic relationship with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) at the federal level. The governor, Prince Bassey Otu, made the disclosure when he received the Managing Director/CEO of the Agency, Mallam Abba Abubakar Aliyu and his team, at the Dan Archibong lodge temporary office of the governor, in Calabar. "Our prime motivation, inspiration, focus and direction in this government has been on two things, energy and food security. "You have touched the two areas very seriously when you said you can provide some mini grids for our agricultural cluster, it is very important because what our people are losing i...

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6May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Kofi Annan institute urges capacity building for women, youth to tackle terrorism

Maj.-Gen. Richard Gyane, Commandant, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Accra, Ghana, has called for capacity building for women and youth to build their resilience to tackle terrorism. Gyane made this known at the opening ceremony of a Mobile Training course on Women, Youth, and Violent Extremism and Terrorism, organized by KAIPTC in collaboration with the Norwegian Government, on Monday in Abuja. Newsspecng reports that the training aims at building the capacities of women and youth in Nigeria to be more resilient against the threat of Violent Extremism and Terrorism (VET). He noted that heavy-handed tactics by security forces have sown distrust among and within local communities in some countries, making women and youth more vulnerable to exploitat...

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6May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Breaking: ‘You Do Not Exist’, Fubara calls the bluff off Rivers Assembly Members

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Monday May 6 call the bluff off the Rivers State House of Assembly members saying ' you do not exist' He said the lawmakers are existing based on his recognition predicated on the Peace Accord initiated by President Bola Tinubu. "It has gotten to a time when I have to make a statement that they are not existing. Their existence is me allowing them to exist. If I de-recognise them, they are nowhere," the governor said Governor Fubara stated this while addressing a delegation of political and traditional leaders from Bayelsa State who visited him at the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital, to seek and end to the political crisis in Rivers State and an improved relationship between both states. Others on the delegation...

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