Monday, November 25

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Presidency tackles Chinese Company over attempts to strip Nigeria’s assets abroad
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Presidency tackles Chinese Company over attempts to strip Nigeria’s assets abroad

The Presidency Thursday tackled a Chinese firm, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited over attempts to take over offshore assets of the federal government of Nigeria. In a statement released on Thursday, August 15, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, confirmed that the federal government was aware of the attempts by the Chinese company and firmly denied any contractual obligations with them. According to Onanuga, the dispute involving Zhongshan Fucheng is primarily between the company and the Ogun state government, not the federal government. He said: “The ongoing issue centres around a 2007 contract between Zhongshan and Ogun State, which involved the management of a free-trade zone. However, the contract was revoked in 2015,...
16 Killed, 17 Injured In Ibadan Road Crash
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16 Killed, 17 Injured In Ibadan Road Crash

The Federal Road Safety Corps has confirmed the death of 16 persons in an accident involving multiple vehicles at the Ojoo-Iwo Road axis of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Tuesday. The spokesperson, FRSC, Oyo State Sector Command, Mayowa Odewo, said in Ibadan that 17 other people sustained varying degrees of injuries in the accident. He said two people were injury-free among the 35 passengers comprising 14 male adults, 10 female adults, six female children and five male children involved in the accident. Mr Odewo attributed the cause of the accident, involving four vehicles, to the brake failure of a Mack truck, marked AKM 548 ZY. According to him, the other vehicles include a Nissan commercial bus, MUB 20 LG; a Nissan Micra taxi, BDJ 520 YC; and a private Honda Accord SUV, KRD...
NELFUND Disburses N201m Education Loan For 1, 370 UI Students
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NELFUND Disburses N201m Education Loan For 1, 370 UI Students

The University of Ibadan, Oyo State, said it received the sum of N201,114,650 from Nigerian Education Loan Fund for 1,370 students of the institution for the 2023/2024 academic session. The university’s Director of Public Relations, Joke Akinpelu, stated this on Tuesday in Ibadan. An internal memo, dated August 9 indicated that the money was paid into the institution’s account to cover the fees of the 1,370 students who applied for the loan. The memo, signed by the institution’s Registrar, Ganiyu Saliu, and addressed to Dean of Students, said that the bursary department was currently processing the fund to enable the concerned students obtain ‘smart receipt.’ Mr Saliu stated, “Any student who is a beneficiary of the NELFUND loan and has already paid levies for the session fee ...
Police Investigate Killing Of 14-Year-Old Boy For Ritual In Ibadan
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Police Investigate Killing Of 14-Year-Old Boy For Ritual In Ibadan

The Police Command in Oyo State said it has commenced investigation into the killing of a 14-year-old, Malik Kareem, for alleged money ritual in Ibadan. The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Adewale Osifeso, stated this during an interview on Monday in Ibadan. Mr Osifeso said that the command was aware of the incident and had immediately commenced investigation with a view to bringing the perpetrators to justice. He assured members of the public that an update on the investigation on the matter would be made available once it was concluded. It was gathered that the teenager was killed and beheaded allegedly for ritual purposes by his friends at Olorisaoko community in the Akinyele Local Government Area of the state on Saturday. A source, who spoke on condition of anony...
Lagos: NIS Investigates Traveller Who Tore Nigerian Passport At Airport
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Lagos: NIS Investigates Traveller Who Tore Nigerian Passport At Airport

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has launched an investigation into a viral video showing a female traveller destroying a Nigerian passport at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. The NIS spokesperson, Kenneth Udo, who confirmed this in a statement on Monday, said the individual had been identified and invited for further investigation. According to NIS, if the allegations are substantiated, the individual’s action breached the provisions of Section 10(b) of the Immigration Act 2015 (as amended), with corresponding penalties outlined under Section 10(h) of the same Act. NIS reiterated the commitment of the Service to upholding the provisions of the Immigration Act in the interest of national security and preserving the dignity and integrity of the nation...
Makinde Elevates Otun Olubadan to Oba
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Makinde Elevates Otun Olubadan to Oba

Oyo State Acting Governor, Barr. Bayo Lawal, has stated that the administration of Governor 'Seyi Makinde will continue to prioritise efforts that will enhance the status of the royal system in the state and make it a worthy reference point for other South-West states. Barr. Lawal said this on Monday, during the elevation Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, High Chief Senator Rashidi Ladoja, to a beaded-crown-wearing Oba in line with the amended Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration.At the event held at the Olubadan-in-Council Chamber of the new Olubadan Palace, Oke Aremo, Ibadan, the Acting Governor maintained that the occasion put an end to all the controversies surrounding the issue of beaded crown in Ibadanland and has shown that the traditional system is capable of reinventing itself without ...
FRSC Critical To Nigeria’s Internal Security-Tunji-Ojo
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FRSC Critical To Nigeria’s Internal Security-Tunji-Ojo

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has applauded the intelligence gathering capacity of the Federal Road Safety Corps, saying the corps was critical to the security architecture of Nigeria. Mr Tunji-Ojo made this statement when he visited the FRSC headquarters in Abuja. He tasked officers and men of the corps to be extraordinary in road safety management and continue exhibiting professionalism as they discharged their duties. According to him, the intelligence they gathered from the enhanced visibility of the corps will help boost the security of the nation. He said, “I believe FRSC has a role to play even within the internal security architecture of Nigeria.’’ The minister, who emphasised on the role played by the corps to ensure safety on the highways, added tha...
NYSC Denies Directing Corps Members To Upgrade Accounts For New Minimum Wage Payment
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NYSC Denies Directing Corps Members To Upgrade Accounts For New Minimum Wage Payment

The National Youth Service Corps said it has not directed corps members to upgrade their accounts for payment of N70,000 minimum wage. The NYSC said this in a statement issued by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Eddy Megwa, on Sunday in Abuja. According to Mr Megwa, the misleading information making the rounds on social media is absolute falsehood. “Corps members, parents and members of the public should note that no directive has been received from any relevant sector of government responsible for wage matters. It is therefore impossible for the NYSC to issue any directive on such. Corps members already know the approved channel and mode of communication in the scheme and should therefore ignore the directive accordingly. “The NYSC by this release, therefore, u...
Lagos Blue Line Raises Daily Trips From 54 To 72 Monday
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Lagos Blue Line Raises Daily Trips From 54 To 72 Monday

The Lagos Rail Mass Transit Blue Line will from Monday upscale the number of trips from 54 to 72 per day. The Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, Abimbola Akinajo, said this in a statement in Lagos. Mrs Akinajo said the current schedule for Sunday operations remained unchanged. “The Blue Line train riders will now travel between Marina and Mile 2 in just about 18 minutes from the previous travel time of 25 minutes. The implication is that there will be a train every 18 minutes both ways, thus allowing commuters to plan their trips,” she said. She also announced a 25 per cent discount fare for commuters travelling within the off-peak period set at 10.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. daily. “The new train schedule is potentially expected to reduce journ...
Gov. Alia’s Triumph Against Ortom’s Judicial Manoeuvres To Thwart Accountability
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Gov. Alia’s Triumph Against Ortom’s Judicial Manoeuvres To Thwart Accountability

It took former Governor Samuel Ortom and his cohorts 13 months of failed attempts to stop the probe of his eight years as Governor of Benue State by Governor Hyacinth Alia. Ortom's attempts to use the judiciary to stop the administration of Alia to get him to account to the people of the state has run from June 2023 to July 2024, and all his efforts before the courts failed woefully as he could not secure the relief he and other members of the opposition had sought. A total of eight cases were filed in various courts against the governor and his government within 13 months, and all ended up in defeat. Governor Alia had on assuming office sought to get the previous administration and some of its principal actors, including the ex-governor to come clean and explain what they did with ...
MOVIES, TV AND RADIO PRODUCERS FORUM CONDEMN WIKE AGAINST FAKE VIRAL VIDEO ON IRETI KINGIBE 
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MOVIES, TV AND RADIO PRODUCERS FORUM CONDEMN WIKE AGAINST FAKE VIRAL VIDEO ON IRETI KINGIBE 

An association of movies, TV and Radio Producers under the auspice of Abuja movie, TV &  Radio producers forum (AMTRPF), have condemned the false allegation of Nyesom Wike,  the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister against the senator of the FCT Ireti kingibe as the  sponsor of the recent protest in Abuja, Against President Tinubu. The protest, which began on Thursday, August 2024 according to the FCT minister’s accusation against senator Ireti Kingibe , alleging that the senator had provided food for the protesters and that she enlisted  security agencies to assist in the distribution of supplies, which constituted sponsorship, according to the group was an indictment on the security agencies in FCT.  The movie, TV & Radio producers ...
Alleged N57.4 Billion Fraud: Kano Govt Files Fresh Charge Against Ganduje
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Alleged N57.4 Billion Fraud: Kano Govt Files Fresh Charge Against Ganduje

The Kano government has filed a fresh fraud charge against former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, his commissioner for local government, Murtala Garo and two others. According to the charge sheet, Mr Garo, Lamin Sani and Muhammad Takai were charged with criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, making false statements or return and criminal misappropriation. The state accused them of mismanaging of the 44 Local government’s statutory allocations remitted to the state joint local governments account from the Federation account. They were also accused of criminally diverted N57.4 billion through several personal accounts of local government’s cashiers and other personal and corporate accounts, the charge sheet said. The Kano government also accused them of transfering the funds...
Bode George To Tinubu: Nigeria Is In Intensive Care Unit, You Must Act Decisively; Youths Are Hungry
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Bode George To Tinubu: Nigeria Is In Intensive Care Unit, You Must Act Decisively; Youths Are Hungry

Olabode George, a former deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party on has urged President Bola Tinubu to revisit some of his policies to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians.Mr George, who gave the advice while addressing a new conference on state of the nation in Lagos, called on the president to unravel issues around oil and gas and the power sector to get the country out of the woods. “Having been trained by this nation and worked for this country, if I see things not going the right direction and keep quiet, I will be failing. So, it is not a matter of fighting. Our country Nigeria is in a political and economic intensive care unit. So, we need proper surgeons, political surgeons and economic surgeons. We are talking about people who have gone through this before, wh...
EndHunger Protests: NHRC Seeks Thorough Investigation Into Army’s Killing Of Teenager
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EndHunger Protests: NHRC Seeks Thorough Investigation Into Army’s Killing Of Teenager

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called for a thorough investigation into the killing of 16-year-old boy Isma’il Muhammad in Zaria during the #EndBadGovernance protest.The commission expressed deep concerns over the killing during the 24-hour curfew imposed to curtail the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest. In Zaria, Kaduna. The executive secretary of the NHRC, Tony Ojukwu, made the call while reacting to the incident that led to the killing. He said it was particularly troubling given NHRC’s previous advisory on the excesses of law enforcement agencies during the protests, reiterating that the right to life is sacrosanct and should not be violated under any circumstances. “The use of lethal force against unarmed civilians, especially minors, is unacceptable and...
Stop blaming NNPCL for difficulties facing your refinery Bussiness: Arewa Civil Society tackles Dangote
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Stop blaming NNPCL for difficulties facing your refinery Bussiness: Arewa Civil Society tackles Dangote

The Coalition of Arewa Civil Society Group, an NGO has called on Alhaji Aliko Dangote, to stop the Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation Limited (NNPCL) for the difficulties faced in his refinery business in the country. The National Coordinator of the Coalition of Arewa Civil Society Group, Yahaya Salisu, who made the call in a press conference in Abuja on Thursday,. According to him, they are shocked and equally dispute the allegations by Dangote that some Cabals in the oil industry are frustrating the supply of crude oil to his refinery as well as some NNPCL staff and marketers have blending plant somewhere off Malta, hence, his refinery travails. He said that Nigerians should know and understand that Dangote's recent outbursts on the Government and NNPCL is only driven by h...
Ondo/Edo elections: AA cautions public against impostors
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Ondo/Edo elections: AA cautions public against impostors

By Diana Omueze Action Alliance (AA) Party, has cautioned members of the public against impostors parading themselves as its officials, trying to destabilise the party. Mr James Vernimbe, AA National Secretary, gave the advice on Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. Vernimbe said that the advice became necessary ahead of the forthcoming Ondo and Edo States Governorship elections. The also advised the party members in both states to pay no attention to impostors trying to distract and disrupt the peace and unity of the party at the states and national level. “The attention of Action Alliance (AA) National Headquarters, Abuja has been drawn that one unknown person to the party is impersonating the office of the National Youth Leader. “T...
NLC Headquarters’ Raid: Tackle Insecurity, Stop Intimidating Nigerians, CNPP Tells Tinubu
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NLC Headquarters’ Raid: Tackle Insecurity, Stop Intimidating Nigerians, CNPP Tells Tinubu

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties has slammed President Bola Tinubu over the raid of the headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress by security operatives. In a statement on Thursday, the CNPP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, James Ezema, advised Mr Tinubu to solve Nigeria’s economic and security challenges, rather than gagging or intimidating Nigerians. The NLC had on Wednesday raised the alarm on how armed security operatives both on uniform and mufti, around 9pm, invaded its national secretariat in Abuja, ransacking “books at the bookshop, carrying all materials into their van, claiming that the materials were used to incite and organise the recent protest.” The CNPP condemned the operatives’ unwarranted raid on the Labour House, describing their “gestapo-style ...
Two Injured As Gas Truck Explodes In Lagos Petrol Station
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Two Injured As Gas Truck Explodes In Lagos Petrol Station

A 12-tonne gas truck on Thursday exploded at a Mobil filling station, opposite Airport Hotel, Allen junction, Lagos State, causing severe injuries on two persons. The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Authority, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said this in a statement. Mr Oke-Osanyintolu said the agency responded to a distress call through the 767 and 112 Toll-Free Emergency lines at 11.08 a.m. about the incident. He said the agency activated its Tiger Response Team from the command and control centre, Alausa, Ikeja. “Upon arrival at the incident scene, investigations conducted revealed that the fire was attributed to the explosion of a 12-tonne gas truck, which impacted several cars within the filling station and portions of a nearby building. Two adult males ...
Police To Investigate Death Of Crossdresser ‘Abuja Area Mama’
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Police To Investigate Death Of Crossdresser ‘Abuja Area Mama’

The FCT Commissioner of Police has ordered immediate investigation into the murder of a crossdresser, popularly known as ‘ Abuja Area Mama.’ Spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, Josephine Adeh, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday. The crossdresser was reportedly found dead in the Mabushi area of the Federal Capital Territory on Thursday. The news of his death sparked sad reactions, especially from his fans and followers. According to the statement, the police were investigating the incident. It stated, “In response to a distress call received by the Command Control Room that an unidentified lady was seen lying motionless along Katampe – Mabushi express way, a team of detectives were immediately dispatched to the scene. She said, “Preliminary investigations reve...
Mensural Health: Tabitha Cumi  Foundation empowers 1,350 schoolgirls in Abuja, Kwara, Lagos
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Mensural Health: Tabitha Cumi  Foundation empowers 1,350 schoolgirls in Abuja, Kwara, Lagos

The Tabitha Cumi Foundation, a faith-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), says it has empowered no fewer than 1, 350 schoolgirls on mensural health in Abuja, Kwara and Lagos in its Always Keep Girls in School (AKGIS) project. The Executive Director of the Foundation, Mrs Adetayo Erinle, made this known at the AKGIS Endline Dissemination Meeting on Wednesday in Abuja. According to her, the aim of AKGIS is to ensure that girls remain in school in spite of menstruation experience. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that menstruation, also known as period, is the regular discharge of blood and mucosal tissue from the inner lining of the uterus through the vagina, characterised by the rise and fall of hormones. Menstruation is triggered by falling progesterone l...