News

Wednesday, 27 October 2021 05:29

Ortom signs law empowering local guards to carry arms

Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue, on Tuesday, assented to the amended Community Volunteer Guards law of the state. The new law empowers local guards to carry weapons legally recognised by the constitution. The law was first passed in 2000 by the state house of assembly and assented to by George Akume, former governor of Benue. Ortom explained that over 20 years after, it has become pertinent to amend the law to aid the guards complement the “grossly inadequate” conventional security agents in the fight against insecurity. He added that traditional rulers would oversee the recruitment of the guards as it…

Tuesday, 26 October 2021 05:50

Buhari launches eNaira amid hope, scepticism - and plenty of uncertainty

Nigeria on Monday became the first African nation to launch a digital currency - the eNaira - a move its leaders said will expand access to banking, enable more remittances and even grow the economy by billions of dollars. Africa's most populous nation joins the Bahamas, the first to launch a general purpose central bank digital currency, known as the Sand Dollar, in October. China has ongoing trials and Switzerland and the Bank of France have announced Europe's first cross-border experiment. But experts and cryptocurrency users in the continent's biggest economy say the fact that there are more questions than…

Tuesday, 26 October 2021 05:49

FG announces date for end of petrol subsidy

The World Bank has decried the continued spending by the government on petrol subsidy, which it said is on track to gobble up N2.9tn this year. Its Country Director for Nigeria, Shubham Chaudhuri, who spoke on Monday at a panel session during the 27th National Economic Summit, said the country could channel the money being spent on subsidy to primary healthcare, basic education and rural roads. “This year, Nigeria is on track to spend N2.9tn on PMS subsidy, which is more than it spends on health,” he said. Also speaking at the session, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning,…

Tuesday, 26 October 2021 05:44

Sudan military take-over: Protesters killed, scores wounded

At least three people are reported to have died and some 80 have been hurt after soldiers fired on crowds opposing a military takeover in Sudan. Protestors took to the streets after the armed forces dissolved civilian rule, arrested political leaders and called a state of emergency on Monday. Troops are reported to have been going house to house in the capital Khartoum arresting local protest organisers. The coup has been condemned around the world, and the US halted $700m in aid. The leader of the coup, Gen Abdel Fattah Burhan, blamed political infighting for the military action. Civilian leaders…

Monday, 25 October 2021 05:53

Buhari off to Saudi Arabia for investment summit, lesser Hajj

PRESS RELEASE President Muhammadu Buhari will, Monday October 25, 2021, depart for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to participate in the investment conference organized by the Future Investment Initiative Institute. The President will be joined at the 5th edition of the flagship investment event by business executives from Nigeria, bankers, Captains of industry and energy experts to discuss issues on the future of investments across the globe. The three-day event, with the theme, INVESTMENT IN HUMANITY, which will host global executives and asset managers, will deliberate on progress and prosperity with energy; true final frontiers in investments; science in action; and impact…

Monday, 25 October 2021 05:48

Attacks on prisons ‘meant to make Nigeria unsafe and ridicule government’ - Minister

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola has vowed that all inmates who escaped from the Abolongo Custodial Centre of the Nigeria Correctional Service, Oyo State, on Friday night will be recaptured. The Minister gave the assurance during an inspection visit to the facility Sunday morning. In a copy of the speech delivered during the visitation, the minister claimed that attacks on prisons in the country were premeditated and meant to ridicule the government. He lamented that jailbreaks and attacks on prisons worsened after the #EndSARS protest in the country. He said, “External attacks on custodial facilities were a rarity hitherto. What…

Monday, 25 October 2021 05:47

Anambra adopts Saturdays as school days to make up for IPOB’s Monday sit-at-home order

Anambra State has approved Saturdays as school days in place of Monday following the sit-at-home order by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafara (IPOB). A statement by Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Don Adinuba, confirmed that all headmasters had been directed to notify teachers, pupils as well as parents about the new development. “Quality Assurance supervision and every other supervision, henceforth, will hold on Saturdays. Every permission for absence from classes on Saturdays must be addressed to the executive chairman, ASUBBEB through the E S following due process. Saturday classes will commence on October 30,” he said. Adinuba said the…

Sunday, 24 October 2021 06:20

Presidential jets used by Buhari, Osinbajo have consumed N50.8bn from FG’s budgets in the past 5 years. These are the numbers

Budgetary allocations for the Presidential Air Fleet have increased from N4.37bn in 2017 to N12.48bn in 2022, according to data obtained from the appropriation bills of the Federal Government within the period under review. Jets in the Presidential Air Fleet serve President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and their households. This shows an increase of N8.11bn or 185.58 per cent in five years, signalling a rise in the cost of running the Presidential Air Fleets. On October 7, 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2022 budget proposal to a joint session of the National Assembly; a whopping N16.39tn, which…

Sunday, 24 October 2021 06:09

The Economist magazine editorial on Nigeria, a ‘silly report’ - Nigerian Army

Nigerian Army has countered an article by The Economist, which criticises the federal government on the security challenges in the country and describes “many” soldiers as “ghosts”. The article, published earlier on Saturday, had made references to security agencies such as the army and the police, noting that the government needs to do more improve security. “When violence erupts, the government does nothing or cracks heads almost indiscriminately. Nigeria’s army is mighty on paper. But many of its soldiers are “ghosts” who exist only on the payroll, and much of its equipment is stolen and sold to insurgents,” the article…

Saturday, 23 October 2021 06:03

Nigeria’s ‘economic troubles compounded by a government that is inept and heavy-handed’ - Leader, The Economist

Little more than six decades ago, as Nigeria was nearing independence, even those who were soon to govern Africa’s largest country had their doubts about whether it would hold together. British colonists had drawn a border around land that was home to more than 250 ethnic groups. Obafemi Awolowo, a politician of that era, evoked Metternich, fretting that “Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical expression.” The early years of independence seemed to prove him right. Coup followed coup. Ethnic pogroms helped spark a civil war that cost 1m lives, as the Southeastern region calling itself Biafra…

More...

Saturday, 23 October 2021 06:02

Super Tucano fighter aircraft to be used only against terrorists in Northest - US govt

The United States Government says the Federal Government is expected to deploy the Super Tucano aircraft only in the northern part of the country where Boko Haram terrorists have engaged the Nigerian state in a decade-long insurgency killing thousands and displacing millions. This, therefore, precludes the possibility of the Federal Government deploying the security equipment in the Southeast despite the designation of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra as a terrorist organisation and the setting up of the armed Eastern Security Network by IPOB. The Southeast has been the epicentre of a secessionist agitation threatening to break up the country.…

Saturday, 23 October 2021 06:02

Borno to close all IDP camps by year’s end - Gov

Borno state, the epicentre of an ongoing Islamist insurgency, will shut all camps holding thousands of internally displaced persons by the end of the year, its governor said on Friday, citing improved security in the state. The conflict between the insurgents and Nigeria's armed forces has also spread to Chad and Cameroon and has left about 300,000 dead and millions dependent on aid, according to the United Nations. Borno, which shares a border with Niger, Cameroon and Chad has for more than a decade been the foremost outpost of an insurgency led by Islamist group Boko Haram and later its…

Saturday, 23 October 2021 06:01

Igboho had links with terrorist sponsors; Kanu killed scores in Southeast - FG

Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, said yesterday that the Federal Government had found that the major financier of the Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo a.k.a. Sunday Igboho is a member of the National Assembly. Malami, who was silent on the identity of the federal lawmaker, said a report by a committee constituted by the Federal Government also revealed that Igboho allegedly received funding from a firm, Abbai Bako and Sons, allegedly being probed for terrorism financing activities. “It will be recalled that Abbal Bako & Sons and its promoter, Abdullahi Umar Usman, are…

Saturday, 23 October 2021 06:00

At least 20 die in Rivers pipeline explosion

Not fewer than 20 youths have reportedly lost their lives in a petrol pipeline explosion which occurred in Rumuekpe community in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State. It was gathered that the incident occurred on Thursday, as a result of oil bunkering activities carried out by youths, who siphoned petroleum products from many of the pipelines located on the stretch of the adjourning villages within the community. A community leader who gave his name as Chikwem Godwin, told journalists that the area was notorious for oil bunkering activities. He added that the incident occurred when those involved in the…

Page 227 of 826

News

More...

Search

Most Read

Editorial

News

Business

Politics

Opinion

Features

Strangely

Crime

Wars

SCIENCE & TECH

SPECIAL REPORTS

Sports

VIDEOS