Thursday, November 21

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Job Creation: Minister Expresses FG’s Support for 1,221 Tech-startups
11May By Dwelleth MorountodunNo Comments
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Job Creation: Minister Expresses FG’s Support for 1,221 Tech-startups

The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu said federal government has supported the growth and sustainable development of 1,221 technology start-ups, physically domiciled in the Ministry’s Technology Incubation Centres. Dr. Onu, revealed the laudable feat, when he received the report of the Technical Committee on Job Creation in Nigeria; “FMST CONTRIBUTION.” The Technology start-ups he said include firms involved in food processing, auto-spare part production, agricultural machinery, software development, pharmaceuticals and various feats of engineering. According to the Minister the research and innovation efforts of the Ministry have been beneficial to the establishment of many Micro, Small, Medium and Large Scale enterprises (MSMLE’s) in the country. He...
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Telcos Growth: NCC, US Firm Move to Balance Competition with Disruptive Technologies 
8May By Seun AdamsNo Comments
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Telcos Growth: NCC, US Firm Move to Balance Competition with Disruptive Technologies 

For sustained growth in Nigeria’s telecommunications space, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that in cognizance of the global trajectory in disruptive technology, it is keen on balancing healthy competition among players to ensure sustainable telecoms industry growth and development in Nigeria. The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, made the disclosure during a presentation to the Commission by a delegation from SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer and space transportations services company, in Abuja on Thursday, May 6, 2021. SpaceX is in the process of launching a low-earth orbiting (LOE) constellation of satellites to provide low latency, high bandwidths Internet to all corners of the globe and has identified Nigeria as a critical...
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FG Orders NPA MD, Ms. Usman to Step Aside for Investigation
7May By Mohammed MohammedNo Comments
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FG Orders NPA MD, Ms. Usman to Step Aside for Investigation

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday has ordered the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman to step aside in the meantime. Federal government is not unconnected with alleged shoddy and lack of corporate governance in the agency. The decision and approval followed the recommendation of the Ministry of Transportation superintended by Mr. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi for the setting up of an Administrative Panel of Inquiry to investigate the management of NPA. The Special Assistant to the President, (Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, in a statement made available to the Media late yesterday night (Thursday), said the President has also approved that Mr. Mohammed Koko will act in that position. The panel is to be headed by the Director, Maritime ...
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FG Shifts NIN-SIM Verification Deadline to June 30 as Enrollment Hits 54million
4May By Dwelleth MorountodunNo Comments
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FG Shifts NIN-SIM Verification Deadline to June 30 as Enrollment Hits 54million

The Federal Government has approved the extension of the deadline for National Identity Number (NIN)-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) data verification to the 30th of June.   The extension was as a result of the virtual meeting chaired by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Ibrahim Pantami, and attended by the Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Adeolu Akande, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Dambatta and the Director-General/CEO of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Aliyu Azeez.  The postponement of the deadline was also based on the request by stakeholders for an extension till 30th of June in order to make it easier for all citizens and legal residents to register.  ...
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FCT Not Under Attack by Boko Haram, Says Police Commissioner
3May By Mohammed MohammedNo Comments
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FCT Not Under Attack by Boko Haram, Says Police Commissioner

The attention of the FCT Joint Security Team has been drawn to a viral publication in the social media purporting that the ‘Federal Capital Territory is under the attack of Boko Haram Terrorists. ASP Yusuf Mariam, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), in a statement, quoted the FCT Police Commissioner, Mr. Bala Ciroma, as saying that the Joint Security Team of the FCT wishes to refute the mischievous publication targeted at creating palpable tension amongst the well-spirited residents of the territory. Contrary to the speculation, the Heads of Security Agencies (HOSA) in FCT in the bid to address security concerns within the FCT, held a strategic meeting on Thursday 29th April where the team resolved to deploy alternative proactive crime-fighting measures within the FCT particular...
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Buhari Charges Nigerian Media to Report Responsibly
3May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments
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Buhari Charges Nigerian Media to Report Responsibly

To mark the 2021 World Press Day (WPD), usually observed globally every May 3rd, President Muhammadu Buhari, recommits to freedom of the press, and urges media professionals to wield freedom responsibly, and without licentiousness.  The Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, in a statement made available to the media, quoted his boss as saying that freedom of the press is an irreducible minimum in a democracy that would flourish. Buhari added that freedom must, however, be used responsibly.  “That everything is permitted does not mean that there are no rules of correctness, particularly in a polity seriously challenged as ours now,” President Buhari says. “The media must be sensitive to what we are going through as a country, and anythin...
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Fourth Industrial Revolution: NCC Tasks Stakeholders on Nigeria’s Role as Driver/Innovator
3May By Dwelleth MorountodunNo Comments
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Fourth Industrial Revolution: NCC Tasks Stakeholders on Nigeria’s Role as Driver/Innovator

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has tasked critical stakeholders across to ensure that Nigeria fully participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4thIR) as drivers and innovators. At a stakeholders meeting organized by the Advocaat Law Firm, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Commission, Prof. Garba Danbatta, said drastic and deliberate measures must be taken by government and stakeholders to position the country at the forefront of the emerging revolution. He said it has become expedient that we (Nigerians) must re-awaken our consciousness to the power of technology in this 4th industrial revolution, where technologically advanced nations are the ones dictating the pace of the global economy. Danbatta, who was represented by Barr. Adeleke Adewolu...
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PTAD Moves to Start Payment of 20 Months Arrears for Pensioners
2May By Dwelleth MorountodunNo Comments
Interviews, Top Stories

PTAD Moves to Start Payment of 20 Months Arrears for Pensioners

The Executive Secretary (ES) of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Dr. Chioma Ejikeme, in this interview with journalists on Friday 30, April, 2021 raised the hope of government’s retirees whose pensions have raised concern in recent times. She expressed hope that the payment will commence immediately.Excerpts: QTN: Kindly explain in clear terms those that should expect the new payment? ANS: All the pensioners under the defined pension scheme. There is no exception. I repeat all our pensioners under the defined pension scheme. QTN: Is there specific date that the payment will commence? ANS: Like as I told you, this particular consequential adjustment is supposed to take effect from April of 2019 and we are going to start paying from the month of May which...
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FG Debunks Stoppage of Remuneration for Interns in Civil Service
26Apr By Seun AdamsNo Comments
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FG Debunks Stoppage of Remuneration for Interns in Civil Service

The Federal Government through the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (OHCSF) has debunked the insinuation making the rounds that it has stopped the reimbursement of students or graduates undergoing internship programmes in the service.The Director of Public Affairs at OHCSF, Mr. AbdulGaniyu Aminu, in a statement made available to the media over the weekend, said: "The attention of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation has been drawn to publications making the rounds on social media platforms with regard to the establishment circular on an internship programme in civil service."He said it has therefore become imperative to make the corrective clarifications and put the record straight for every stakeholder. According to him, the circular does not in...
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Push for Digital Nigeria: Buhari Commissions More Projects Nationwide
24Apr By Dwelleth MorountodunNo Comments
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Push for Digital Nigeria: Buhari Commissions More Projects Nationwide

Towards attaining an all-inclusive digital Nigeria, the Federal Government through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) an agency of the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy on Friday commissioned batch nine of 7 digital economy projects across the country. The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Ibrahim Pantami while commissioning the projects yesterday in the ultra-modern conference centre of NCC building in Abuja on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari said that these projects which cut across several geopolitical zones were executed by the parastatals as part of the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria. This he added is in line with the economic development road map of Nigeria and the administr...
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Electricity Challenge: Onu Charts Developmental Pathway Through Nuclear Energy Technology
23Apr By Dwelleth MorountodunNo Comments
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Electricity Challenge: Onu Charts Developmental Pathway Through Nuclear Energy Technology

Onu made the call, when he declared open the Nigeria Energy Calculator 2050 (NECAL2050) stakeholders’ engagement, in Abuja on Thursday. The Minister who is a Chemical Engineer and an avowed advocate of the deployment of Science Technology and Innovation (STI) for Nigeria’s accelerated growth, said if the country peacefully maximises nuclear energy, it would help build a stable power supply base and would benefit many socio-economic areas such as medicine, agriculture, education, manufacturing and overall national economic growth. The Nigeria Energy calculator 2050, is an energy planning model which will offer choices in energy development to be examined alongside its environmental consequences. On safety concerns on the use of nuclear energy, the Minister tasked the active partic...
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FG Defends Pantami, Says He Has Apologised for Utterances in 2000
23Apr By Seun AdamsNo Comments
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FG Defends Pantami, Says He Has Apologised for Utterances in 2000

The Federal Government yesterday broke its silence over the raging storm that has found the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy come under intense verbal attack especially from both the traditional and social media over some of his religious views and utterances that he made several years ago. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, in a statement made available to the media on Wednesday while exonerating the minister blamed the pull him syndrome and detractors as responsible for the atmosphere that has become heated in the last one month. Shehu, said: “The Minister has, rightly, apologized for what he said in the early 2000s. The views were absolutely unacceptable then, and would be equally unacceptable today, were...
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Abdullahi Advocates Market Driven Creativity, Innovation for Nigeria’s Prosperity
22Apr By Dwelleth MorountodunNo Comments
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Abdullahi Advocates Market Driven Creativity, Innovation for Nigeria’s Prosperity

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mallam Kashifu Abdullahi, has reiterated that Nigeria will make speedy progress and prosperity if stakeholders reinvent innovativeness and creativity in its way of life.The DG spoke at the celebration of NITDA 20th Anniversary and World Creativity and Innovation Day (WCID) on Wednesday in Abuja.He acknowledged that the WCID is recognised by the United Nations and designated to celebrate creativity and innovation and raise awareness of the importance of creativity and innovation in problem-solving to advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. According to him, UN recognises the importance of creativity and innovation to humanity, hence designated the 21st of April as the World Creat...
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NCC Arrests Suspects over Fraudulently-registered SIM Cards
22Apr By Seun AdamsNo Comments
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NCC Arrests Suspects over Fraudulently-registered SIM Cards

 As part of its routine enforcement activities to sanitise the telecommunications industry of criminal elements, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has arrested five suspected persons for allegedly engaging in fraudulently registering and selling Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards.  The Director of Public Affairs at the Commission, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, told journalists that the hitch-free operation was carried out by a joint team from the Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Department of the Commission, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Tuesday in the Wuse area of Abuja.  The arrested suspects were subsequently handed over to the NSCDC Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Comman...
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Senate Approves $2.6bn Loan Nequest to Finance Priority Projects
22Apr By Mohammed MohammedNo Comments
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Senate Approves $2.6bn Loan Nequest to Finance Priority Projects

The Senate, on Wednesday, approved the sum of $2.6  billion out of the $5.5 billion external borrowing request sent to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari in May 2020. The approval came after the Upper Chamber considered a report by the committee on local and foreign debts during plenary. The approved sum, according to the Chairman of the Local and Foreign Debt Committee, Clifford Ordia, would see €995 million euros going to finance priority projects of the federal government, while $1.5 billion would be disbursed to the thirty-six state governments to finance critical projects.  Out of the total sum approved, $1.5 billion is to be sourced from the World Bank; €671 million euros from the Export-Import Bank of Brazil; and another €324 million euros from the Deutsche B...
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Perm Sec Advises African Youths against Drug Abuse
20Apr By Seun AdamsNo Comments
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Perm Sec Advises African Youths against Drug Abuse

The Permanent Secretary, Service Policy and Strategy Office, Dr. Emmanuel Meribole has called on African youths to help rid the continent of drug abuse so as to ensure the security of the continent. Dr. Meribole made the call when he was conferred with the Pan African Leadership Prize of Excellence by Pan African Students Movement in his office in Abuja on Monday 19th April 2021. He urged knowledgeable youths to lead the fight against drug abuse and addiction as majority of drug addicts are lettered people. According to him, the rampant abuse of unwholesome drugs by youths was majorly responsible for the insecurity prevalent on the continent. He commended the movement for its exchange programmes which he said would help in harnessing their creativity, ideas and talents for the...
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Motorists, Commuters Lament Gridlocks on Gwagwalada-Lokoja Expressway
14Apr By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments
News, Top Stories

Motorists, Commuters Lament Gridlocks on Gwagwalada-Lokoja Expressway

Motorists and commuters plying Gwagwalada-Lokoja Expressway have lamented the constant gridlock due to the ongoing construction and parking of articulate vehicles on the road. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that motorists heading toward Lokoja and those from Zuba spend several hours in the gridlock from Gwagwalada Bridge to Kuje junction following the narrowing of the road. NAN observed that the incessant breakdown of heavy-duty vehicles and parking on the narrow road prevents smooth driving causing heavy traffic for several hours on the road. However, some motorists and commuters, who spoke with NAN in separate interviews, urged the law enforcement agents to be strict in arresting drivers fond of violating traffic rules on the road. A truck driver, Salisu Mohammed, ...
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Senate Suspends Plenary over Death of Assembly Members
13Apr By Seun AdamsNo Comments
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Senate Suspends Plenary over Death of Assembly Members

The Senate, on Tuesday, upon resumption from its two weeks recess, adjourned plenary till Wednesday (tomorrow) over the recent death of two members of the National Assembly.  This was just as the upper chamber held a minute silence in honour of both lawmakers who are members of the House of Representatives.  The decision to suspend plenary was carried out in line with the tradition of the National Assembly, following a motion moved by the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, and seconded by the Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe.  Moving the motion, the Senate Leader said, “this Distinguished chamber and, to our distinguished colleagues, the passing of two members of the National Assembly by names of Mr. Haruna Maitala, who until his demise represented Bassa/Jos North ...
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President Buhari reappoints Prof. Ekele as CMD UATH
13Apr By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments
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President Buhari reappoints Prof. Ekele as CMD UATH

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the reappointment of Prof. Bissallah Ahmed Ekele, as the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada, Abuja. A statement issued to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday, revealed that the appointment of Prof. Ekele would be valid for another term buy soma no prescription online of four years after a selfless service in his first tenure in office. While congratulating him on his reappointment, Buhari urged Ekele to use the responsibility given to him to continue with the development of the hospital and health sector in the country. “Prof. Ekele officially took over from the Acting CMD, Dr A.S. Haruna, on July 3, 2017, and has performed creditably well in infrastructural developm...
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