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17May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Commission restates commitment to ensure effective use of energy on cooling systems

By NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA The Director-General of Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), Mr Mustapha Abdullahi has restated the commitment of the commission to ensure effective use of energy on air conditioners and other cooling systems in the country. Abdullahi stated this at a meeting of stakeholders on scaling up of the energy efficient cooling systems in Abuja. “The aim is far-fetch, and not very much something that is hidden, but definitely to improve the energy efficient cooling system like the refrigerator that we have at home. “Studies have been conducted and we have seen that up to 60 per cent of the energy that is being consumed at home happens to be the refrigerator and the cooling system. “And because we want to save energy, we want Nigerians to spend lesser in ene...

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16May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Paying tax not burden, but investment in collective future- Expert

By Vivian Emoni Paying taxes should not be a burden but an investment to collective future, Mr Abdul-Kabir Opeyemi, an expert on Taxation and Revenue, said on Wednesday. Opeyemi, Special Adviser on Taxation and Revenue to Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made the assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. He emphasised the need to make the country’s tax system more transparent and accountable to Nigerians to boost confidence and voluntary compliance. He said that Nigeria needed a tax system that incentivised investment, job creation, and economic diversification. According to him, we should not see paying of taxes as a burden and stress, rather we should see it as an investment or contribution to our collective future. “I want ...

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16May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

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Police Parade Auxiliary For Murder, Armed Robbery

The police in Oyo have on Thursday, paraded former Chairman of Oyo State Park Management System (PMS), Lamidi Mukaila known as Auxiliary. Auxiliary is accused of involvement in several cases of alleged armed robbery, murder and kidnappings. He was said to have fled to avoid being arrested but the police declared him wanted. He was, however, arrested by the Department of State Services around 4:00 pm on Tuesday at his residence in Olodo area of Ibadan. The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Adebola Hamzat, while addressing the journalists on Thursday at the state command headquarters of the police in Ibadan, Auxiliary would answer for his alleged crimes in court. He said: “Exhibits recovered in his possession at his Diamond Hotel residence around Alakia-Isebo Egbeda under Egb...

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15May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Gbarain power plant to be operational soon-MD

Mr Chiedu Ugbo, Managing Director, Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC),has given assurance that the Gbarain Power Plant in Bayelsa State will soon become operational. He gave the assurance on Tuesday while addressing members of the House of Representatives Committee on Power who were on an oversight visit to the plant. He noted that cash flow constraint was the major issue that delayed the resuscitation of the Power Control Module that got burnt. According to him, when he came on board in 2016, Gbarain Power Plant was still a construction site. He said: “We had to put a unit to the grid and unfortunately the temporary power control module put in place got burnt. '' But at the time it happened, we had a more pressing threat to the community which was the line pipe laid...

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14May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

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EFCC To Arraign Sirika, Brother On Fresh Eight-Count Corruption Charge

EFCC will on May 23 arriagn former aviation minister, Hadi Sirika and his brother, Ahmad before the Garki Division of the FCT High Court on fresh eight-count charge. They were slated to be arraigned before Justice Suleman Belgore, but the arraignment was stalled because Mr Sirika and his brother were absent from court. The EFCC had filed an eight-count charge bordering on abuse of office, criminal breach of trust, and use of position for gratification against the former minister under former President Muhammadu Buhari, his brother, and a company, Enginos Nigeria Limited. The anti-corruption commission had alleged that Sirika conferred an unfair advantage upon Enginos Nigeria Limited, whose alter ego is his biological brother, Ahmad, by using his position to influence the award of...

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14May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

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Focusing Only On Tinubu Will Allow Governors, LG Chairmen To Loot More- Catholic Church

The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Alfred Adewale Martins, has charged civil society and other Nigerians with demanding that lower tiers of government (state and local) account for the allocations they receive. Mr Martins gave the charge in an interview in Lagos. He said searchlights should be beamed on the local and state governments as they collected the larger budgetary allocations. He said the subsisting approach of always focusing on the federal government for virtually everything was misleading and mostly ended in open-ended probes. According to the cleric, the local and state governments receive votes from the centre for varying projects and services, which, if accomplished, will benefit the people. Mr Martins said, “But sadly, these projects and services are mostly not ...

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14May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

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Ex-Bank Worker Remanded For Allegedly Defrauding Uncle Of N14 Million

A Magistrates’ Court in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, has ordered the remand of a 46-year-old former Sterling Bank worker , Jacob Bonet, at a correctional facility for allegedly defrauding his 86-year-old uncle of N14 million. Mr Bonet was charged by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps with theft, cheating, impersonation and criminal misappropriation. The offence violates the provisions of sections 270, 307, 142 and 294 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law. The prosecutor, Marcus Audu, told the court that Aboshio Bonet, the complainant, reported the matter at the corp’s office in Kafanchan on March 17. Mr Audu said that in 2015, the complainant, a resident of Tuyit Kagoro in the Kaura Local Government Area of the state, was advised by the defendant to open an account with St...

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14May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

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Court Remands Four Suspected Kidnappers Of UNIABUJA Lecturers, Children

Four suspects allegedly involved in the kidnapping of University of Abuja lecturers and their children in 2021were on Monday arraigned at a Federal High Court Abuja. They were arraigned by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation before Justice Donatus Okorowo on a two-count terrorism charge. Those arraigned are Adamu Abubakar; Nura Muhammed Ahmadu; Ismailia Abubakar and Abdulrahman Ado, also known as Yellow, as 1st to 4th defendants respectively. They, however, pleaded not guilty to the counts. Prior to their arraignment, the four defendants signalled to the judge with intention to speak in the open court. Justice Okorowo, though initially held that since their lawyer was in court, they could speak through their counsel, the judge however gave them the leave to...

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14May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Dr Dickson Akoh Felicitates with Governor Alia on the Auspicious Occasion of His 58th Birthday

The Oyachaba K'Idoma, Dr Dickson Akoh has extended his heart-warm congratulations to the Executive Governor of Benue State, His Excellency, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia on the glorious occasion of his 58th birthday anniversary. Dr Akoh describes the Governor as an empathetic leader with good intentions for the development of Benue State, which according to him is evidence in his distinct leadership approaches since inception into office barely one year ago. The developmental strides of His Excellency which is anchored on his 7-points Agenda is cristal clear across all sectors and spheres of human endeavour in the state. The efforts being made to bridge the infrastructural gap in Benue through massive construction of township and rural roads is very commendable. In recent time, Makurdi metro...

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14May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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FG plans performance-based salary scheme for workers

A new wage system based on employee productivity in the civil service is underway, the federal government said on Monday, May 13. The government said with the system, workers on the same level could earn different salaries. The government said the formulation of an innovative wage system was being considered because it realised that productivity was a key factor in the growth of the country’s economy. The Director-General of the National Productivity Centre, Nasir Raji-Mustapha, disclosed this on Monday during a meeting with Labour correspondents. He said, “We are in the process of developing a productivity-led wage system that will ensure that those who are productive are rewarded for their efforts irrespective of their grade level. Under the proposed system, employees on the...

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13May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Productibity :FG to introduce wage system for workers

By Joan Nwagwu The Federal Government has said that it was formulating an innovative wage system that will now be based on employee’s productivity. Dr Nasir Raji-Mustapha, Director General of the National Productivity Centre (NPC) said this during an interactive meeting with Labour Correspondents Association of Nigeria (LACAN) on Monday in Abuja. According to him, we are in the process of developing a Productivity-led Wage System that will ensure that those who are productive are rewarded for their effort irrespective of their grade level. “Under the proposed system, employees on the same salary scale can earn different wages,” he said. He however said that the Centre was collaborating organised labour to ensure that they support and contribute their input to the new propos...

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13May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Local Hunters Rescue Baby Buried Alive In Benue

in what could be termed as bizarre, a baby reportedly buried alive was found by hunters in Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State. The incident, happened in the Ashav Kusuv community, NewsSpecng learnt. The hunters , it was gathered found the baby girl and brought her alive from the forest where she was buried alive. No offical confirmation from the Benue State Police authorities on the as at the time of filing this report. But, the Chairman of the local government, Iorkyaan Agber confirmed the incident . He said, “Some hunters indeed found a baby in the forest but we are investigating to know who went and dropped a baby in the forest and the reason for doing that."

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13May By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Labour pickets Kaduna Disco, demands reversal of electricity tariff

The Organised Labour under the leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), Monday picketed the headquarters of the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company in Kaduna over the recent hike electricity tariff for customers on Band ‘A’ categorization. The labour unions are also gathering to commence the same action in Abuja. The Labour members led by Kaduna NLC and TUC chairmen, Comrade Ayuba Magaji Suleiman and Comrade Alhassan Danfulani, called for immediate reversal of the tariff. They kicked against alleged segregation by the electricity sector through class differentiation in supply. The Labour leaders also asked the Federal Government to reverse the privatisation of the distribution sub-sector of the electricity industry. They argued that th...

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12May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

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Some Kidnapped Kogi Varsity Students Rescued, Says Commissioner

Some of the kidnapped students of the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara, Kogi, have regained their freedom, the state government said. statement by the state commissioner for information, Kingsley Fanwo, said the rescue operation was carried out hours after Governor Usman Ododo visited the institution to assure parents of his commitment to ensuring the release of the students who were kidnapped on Thursday. According to Mr Fanwo, the students regained their freedom after hunters and other security agencies engaged the kidnappers in battle, making the students flee in different directions. “This is to inform the general public that some of the students abducted by gunmen at the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, have been rescued...

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12May By Alaba AbdulrazakNo Comments

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Rivers: Pro-Wike Group Visits Assembly Quarters, Says No Need For Rehabilitation

A group of Rivers elders and leaders suspected to be loyal to the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, on Sunday visited the state House of Assembly residential quarters. The group’s visit is coming a few days after Governor Siminalaye Fubara embarked on an inspection visit to the facility. During that visit, Mr Fubara had said the essence was to find out the facility’s state for possible rehabilitation. Speaking during the visit, Desmond Akawor, a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers, said it was to ascertain the structural viability of the buildings. ”We got information about some leakages on some roofs and other structural defects on your residential buildings. ”We are also informed that the governor is set to intervene by breaking down s...

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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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