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26Jul By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Resident Doctors Declares Total and Indefinite Strike

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has declared an indefinite strike action. This was announced by the association on Tuesday evening. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, on Monday, had held deliberations with the leadership of NARD behind closed doors in a bid to averting the planned strike action but it appears the meeting didn't yield fruits. NARD are demanding the immediate payment of the 2023 MRTF, the immediate release of the circular on one-for-one replacement, and the payment of skipping arrears. Also, they demand the upward review of CONMESS in line with full salary restoration to the 2014 value of CONMESS, the payment of the arrears of consequential adjustment of minimum to the omitted doctors, and the reversal of the downgra...

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25Jul By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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PAP: We never call for sack of Interim Administrator – Bayelsa APC

By Collins Yakubu-Hammer Leaders and elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa have distanced themselves from calls to the sack of the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), retired Maj.-Gen. Barry Ndiomu. This is contained in a statement issued on behalf of the leaders by Sen. John Brambaifa, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja. According to him, a non-existing group was sponsored to carry out the hatchet job because of the self-inflicting pain they are going through and decided to make Ndiomu their target while playing the victim. “It has come to the knowledge of the members of APC in Bayelsa West Senatorial District that a purported amorphous APC Elders Forum in Bayelsa called for the immediat...

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25Jul By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Coalition demands 20% increase in SSB tax, to fund health sector

By Perpetua Onuegbu A Coalition of health organisations have demanded for a 20 per cent increase in tax for Sugar Sweetened Beverages (SSB) and to direct all revenue generated to curb Non Communicale Diseases (NCDs). This position is made known by Edozie Chukwuma, Senior Associate, Planning Advocacy and Engagements in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja. According to him, the health groups made the demand through a technical position paper presented to the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform committee during the Gatefield Health Summit on Wednesday. The theme for f the summit is “Taxing Sugary Drinks and other Fiscal Policies for Healthcare taxing sugary drinks.” The Gatefield Health Summit was organised by leading advocacy group Gatefield Impact in collaboration with the ...

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25Jul By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Bolstering Nigeria’s health security to tackle infectious diseases amid global threats

By Angela Atabo, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) The International Health Regulations (IHR) ,2005, are an international legal instrument that covers measures for preventing the transnational spread of infectious diseases among others and Nigeria has not relented I’m striving to achieve its objectives . In order for Nigeria to uphold its commitment to robustly monitor its capacity under the IHR, the second Joint External Evaluation(JEE) was initiated. This pivotal evaluation framework, operating on a voluntary and cooperative basis, endeavours to assess countries within the IHR framework in their collective endeavors to prevent, detect, and respond to diverse public health threats, encompassing natural, accidental, or deliberate incidents. The JEE, strategically designed to uneart...

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25Jul By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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AMAC seeks collaboration with NUPRC on youth empowerment, CSR

Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has sought collaboration with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) on youth empowerment and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects. Mr Christopher Maikalangu, Chairman, AMAC, said this when he led a delegation of councils' officials to the Commission Chief Executive, NUPRC, on Tuesday in Abuja. He said the visit was aimed at discussing issues of partnership and to forge alliance for the good of both organisations and the country at large, being it's host community. "We are therefore here to seek areas of collaboration with NUPRC especially in sensitizing our youths against restiveness and vandalism of public property such as those belonging to the NNPC and NUPRC. "We are therefore constrained to ask your mana...

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25Jul By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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NDPHC executes 374 distribution projects to boost power supply-official

The Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC) has disclosed that it has executed over 374 projects in the distribution subsector of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) to improve power supply across the country. NDPHC Executive Director, Networks, Mr Ifeoluwa Oyedele who disclosed this at the 8th Nigeria Energy Forum in Lagos, said over $1.2 billion was spent on the project which is expected to be refunded by the benefiting electricity distribution companies (DisCos). Speaking on the theme 'Maximising National Integrated Power Projects', Oyedele stated that the projects have been handed over to the utilities, legal assets transfer and is ongoing and awaiting NERC (Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission) valuation. He listed the executed projects to include...

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25Jul By Alaba AbdulrazakNo Comments

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Tinubu Holds Meeting With Abdullahi Adamu, Omisore At Aso Villa

President Bola Tinubu has held a meeting with Abdullahi Adamu, former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Iyiola Omisore, the party’s former national secretary, at the presidential villa in Abuja. Both men who arrived together for the meeting, were seen exiting after the session at about 1.30pm on Tuesday. Adamu and Omisore were said to have quit their roles a week ago, following a meeting of the APC national working committee (NWC).While Umar Ganduje, former governor of Kano, has been mentioned as President Tinubu’s preferred candidate for the national chairmanship position, Gboyega Oyetola, former governor of Osun, and Ajibola Basiru, former spokesperson of the senate, have been reported to be in the running for the national secretary office. Adamu had...

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25Jul By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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UniAbuja martriculates 5,873 students

By Gami Tadanyigbe  The University of Abuja, FCT, on Tuesday, matriculated no fewer than 5,873  students into various faculties in the institution for the 2022/2023 academic session. Addressing the matriculating students, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, congratulated them for the successful admission into the institution, while he coutioned them against involvement in acts capable of derailing their future career prospects. Na’Allah said the university is running several programmes that are intended to mentor the new students to understand their roles in the university and to ensure that they succeed by the time they finish from this university. According to him, the university counts strongly on the ethics of its students with intolerant...

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25Jul By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Emefiele: DSS storm Court , Refuses to Release Emefiele

..in altercation with the officers of the correctional service A dramatic altercation occurred at the Federal High Court in Lagos between operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and officials of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS) over the custody of the suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele. Emefiele had been arraigned by the Federal Ministry of Justice on charges of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. He pleaded "not guilty" and was subsequently granted bail in the sum of N20m, with one surety. As Emefiele's legal team worked towards satisfying the bail conditions, a heated dispute ensued between the hooded DSS operatives and the NCS within the court premises regarding who should take custody of the embattled CBN governor. ...

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25Jul By Alaba AbdulrazakNo Comments

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Residents Protest IPOB’s Sit-At-Home Order In Enugu

Residents of Enugu and civil society organisations have protested the weekly sit-at-home“ order by the Simon Ekpa faction of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The protesters, who converged on the popular Michael Okpara Square as early as 8:00 a.m., moved through the Presidential Road, Ogui Road, Ogbete Main Market, Okpara Avenue, Garden Avenue, New Haven, Bisala Road and back to Okpara Square. They carried banners and placards with inscriptions saying, ”Enough Is Enough,” “Say No To Sit-At-Home in Enugu,” “Allow The Poor to Breathe,” “Our Mumu Don Do,” “Enugu People Must Be Freed from The Shackles of Those Who Want to Hold Them Down,” among others. Onyinye Mammah, the executive director of the Heroine Women Foundation, said they decided to take the bold initiativ...

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25Jul By Alaba AbdulrazakNo Comments

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JUST IN: Court Grants Emefiele Bail

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State has granted bail to Godwin Emefiele, the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in the sum of N20 million. In a ruling on Tuesday, Nicholas Oweibo, the presiding judge, said the charges against Emefiele were bailable.The bail was granted with one surety. The court rejected the government’s claim that it had not received a copy of the bail application filed by Emefiele in his alleged gun possession trial. Justice Oweibo had held that there was evidence that the government was served. The bail application was filed by Emefiele’s lawyers led by Joseph Dauda, SAN. Dauda had prayed the court to hear the banker’s application seeking bail on self-recognition, noting that his client had fulfilled all the conditions neces...

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25Jul By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Court Grants Emefiele 20m Bail

The suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has been granted bail by the Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday morning. The bail was set at N20m, with one surety in the same amount. This decision comes after the court rejected the Federal Government's claim that Emefiele was a flight risk, ruling that there was no evidence to support this assertion. The former CBN Governor was suspended by President Bola Tinubu on June 9, 2023, and was subsequently held in custody by the Department of State Services (DSS). After legal challenges by Emefiele's counsel, the DSS announced on July 13, 2023, that he had been charged to court. Emefiele pleaded "not guilty" to charges of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. His lawyer requested bail on...

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25Jul By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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GOVERNOR UBA SANI MAKES FRESH APPOINTMENTS IN KADUNA

In a bid to quicken the pace of governance in Kaduna State and deliver on his campaign promises, His Excellency,Senator Uba Sani, Governor of Kaduna State has approved the following appointments: Mohammad Sada Jalal - Director General, Kaduna Geographic Information Service (KADGIS) Jerry Adams - Acting Executive Chairman, Kaduna Internal Revenue Service (KADIRS). Adams will act as the Executive Chairman pending the appointment of a substantive Executive Chairman. Adamu Magaji - Director General, Kaduna State Facility Management Agency(KADFAMA) Adamu Samaila - Special Adviser, Labour Matters Amina Sani Bello - SeniorSpecial Assistant, Student Matters Salisu Ibrahim Garba - Senior Special Assistant, Political Matters Larai Sylvia Ishaku - Senior Special Assistant, Soci...

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25Jul By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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Comrade Austin tasks President Tinubu on Free Trade Zone in African

By Gami Tadanyigbe The CEO Emovworho logistics limited, Comrade Austin Obule Emovworho, has called on President Bola Tinubu, to implement a Free Trade Zone within the African sub-regions for the socio-economic development of the region. Emovworho, who made the call in a press statement issued in Abuja, said by such doing it would allow access to regional and global markets for the development of African Countries. He said he was optimistic that President Tinubu’s new role as ECOWAS Chairman would foster improved regional integration, cooperation, border security, and coordinated monetary affairs. The CEO emphasized the importance of collaboration among all African Nation States to achieve shared objectives of enhancing border security and promoting regional integration. He ...

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25Jul By Alaba AbdulrazakNo Comments

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Police Arrest Beninese father, Others Over Attempt To Use Son For Ritual

The Zone 2 Police Command has arrested a 50-year-old Beninoir father, Pome Banda, and three others who allegedly lured a nine-year-old boy from the Benin Republic for money ritual. The Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Ari Mohammed, disclosed this to journalists in Lagos. Mohammed said in the process of their plans, Zone 2 Criminal Investigation Department got information about them, and the police acted as the herbalist who wanted to help them to use the boy for a money ritual. He said the operatives started discussing with the boy’s father, his brother living in Nigeria, one Benjamin Balobi, and two Nigerians – Segun Shile and Ige Koshelu. The AIG said Mr Banda left Ajah Jakatome, his hometown in the Benin Republic and came to Nigeria on May 30, 2023, with his son...

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25Jul By Alaba AbdulrazakNo Comments

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Swedish Foreign Minister Regrets Quran Burning

The Swedish foreign minister, Tobias Billstrom, expressed regret over the recent attack on the Quran in Stockholm, local media reported. During a phone call with his Lebanese counterpart, Abdallah Bou Habib, Mr Billstrom expressed Sweden’s regret over the desecration of the Quran and its insult to Islamic beliefs and symbols. Mr Bou Habib welcomed the position and encouraged Sweden to take additional “practical” steps to reduce feelings of growing hatred and Islamophobia. On Thursday, an Iraqi refugee who burned a copy of the Quran in June stomped on the holy book during a demonstration in the Swedish capital.

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24Jul By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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200 players for chess, scrabble fiesta in Abuja

By Victor Okoye No fewer than 200 players, including over 400 enthusiasts and spectators are expected to participate in a Chess and Scrabble fiesta in Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the week-long tournament organised by BeeCass Chess Club, is expected to run from Aug. 21 to Aug. 26 at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja. Cassandra Otobong, Co-founder of BeeCass Chess Club/Foundation, Abuja told NAN on Monday that the Nigeria Chess Federation and the Chess Players’ Association of Nigeria were in support of the tournament. “This is why we are using the National Stadium as our venue because of the large number of participants expected to attend the event. “Chess is not just for the players but for everyone to come and participate and enjoy the game...

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24Jul By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

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PSG Accepts Mouth watering £259m Deal for Mbappe

The French champions have given the Saudi club permission to speak to Mbappe after putting him up for sale and leaving him out of their squad for the pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea, having made it clear they only want to include players who are committed to the club. Al Hilal's record-breaking offer is not the only one PSG have received. They have been approached with a mix of offers for Mbappe, including cash plus players, but Al Hilal have shown their intention by tabling the world-record bid. Paris Saint-Germain believe at least five clubs are interested in signing Mbappe, with Tottenham among them. There is said to already be a "hot market" for the France captain with the interested clubs including Chelsea, Manchester United, Inter Milan and Barcelona. PSG wi...

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24Jul By Alaba AbdulrazakNo Comments

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Subsidy Removal: Abdulrazaq Approves N10,000 Palliative For Kwara Civil Servants

Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara has approved a slew of multi-billion naira palliatives to different sectors and demographics of the state to cushion the effects of the recent removal of fuel subsidy. Rafiu Ajakaye, the chief press secretary to Mr Abdulrazaq, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists on the development in Ilorin. Mr Ajakaye said that on top of the palliatives is cash support of N10,000 for every public sector worker in the state, which begins in July ending and lasts until a new minimum wage is introduced. “This will enable workers to cope with the economic shocks created by the subsidy removal,” he said. He said the governor directed the civil service to maintain three-day work weekly, following the advisory by the National Economic Council ...

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24Jul By Alaba AbdulrazakNo Comments

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Ukraine: UN Condemns Russian Deadly Strikes, Damaged Transfiguration Cathedral

Senior UN officials on Sunday condemned the deadly Russian missile strikes in the Ukraine city of Odesa, which damaged several historic buildings. Over the past week, Russia has carried out aerial attacks on Odesa and two other port cities, Chornomorsk and Mykolaiv, since terminating the landmark Black Sea Initiative on grain and fertiliser exports. International media reported that at least one person was killed and more than 20 wounded in Sunday’s attack. The attack also damaged significant cultural sites in Odesa, including the Transfiguration Cathedral, the first and foremost Orthodox church in the city. The cathedral was founded in 1794 and is located in the Historic Centre of Odesa. It was inscribed on the World Heritage List in January and maintained by the UN Educat...

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