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Wednesday, 11 September 2019 05:33

FG proposes N9.79 trillion budget for 2020

Federal Government will propose to National Assembly about N9.79 trillion as total expenditure in the 2020 budget, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, has said. Ahmed announced this on Tuesday in Abuja at a public consultation forum with civil society groups and agencies on the draft 2020-2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework. The amount represents an increase of 9.75 per cent over N8.916 trillion spending for 2019. The projection includes a proposed revenue of about N7.64 trillion and a total proposed fiscal deficit component of about N2.142 trillion. She said the key assumptions of the budget were…

Wednesday, 11 September 2019 05:32

Power generation slides below 3,000MW as 10 power plants become idle

Electricity generation in the country has fallen again below 3,000 megawatts, as the number of idle plants rose to 10 on Monday. Total power generation plunged to 2,866.1MW as of 6am on Monday from 3,141.8MW on Sunday, latest data obtained from Nigeria Electricity System Operator on Tuesday showed. The plants that did not generate any megawatt of electricity included six built under the National Integrated Power Project, namely Sapele, Alaoji, Olorunsogo, Omotosho, Ihovbor and Gbarain. Others were Afam IV&V, Ibom Power IPP, AES IPP and ASCO IPP. Last Friday, when total generation stood at 3,142.1MW as of 6am, only four…

Wednesday, 11 September 2019 05:30

IMN says police killed 12 members across Nigeria during Tuesday processions

A Nigerian Shiite organisation, Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), said 12 of its members were killed in a nationwide crackdown on Tuesday. The Shiites were embarking on their annual religious rite, Ashura, across many states in Nigeria. The group’s spokesperson, Mr Ibrahim Musa, in a statement Tuesday said the killings took place after attacks on Ashura mourners in Kaduna, Bauchi, Sokoto and Katsina states. The statement, however, said similar processions in Abuja, Jos, Kebbi, Minna, Lafia, Yola, Gusau, Zaria, Kano, Jalingo, Damaturu, Hadejia and Potiskum, ended peacefully. Ashura, a Shiite mourning period in commemoration of the killing of Imam Hussein,…

Wednesday, 11 September 2019 05:29

One killed, many injured as protesting students lay siege to gov’s wife’s convoy in Ekiti

A 100 level student of Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Mr Oluwaseyi Kehinde, has been shot dead by operatives of Nigeria Police Force. Several other students were also reportedly injured while students were protesting poor electricity supply in Oye and Ikole Ekiti on Tuesday. Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Mrs Bisi Fayemi, was also reportedly attacked during the protests. Many students of the institution who witnessed the protest told our correspondent that the response from police officers attached to Mrs Fayemi’s convoy turned the protest bloody. This newspaper gathered that the protesting students blocked Mrs Fayemi’s convoy while she was returning…

Wednesday, 11 September 2019 05:27

Isreali PM whisked offstage at campaign rally after rockets fired from Gaza Strip

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was briefly pulled offstage during a campaign rally in southern Israel on Tuesday night after two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip toward the cities of Ashkelon and Ashdod. Netanyahu told the audience at the Likud rally in Ashdod to remain calm as security guards led him away and air raid sirens blared. He returned minutes later and continued addressing the crowd. Israel Defense Forces said both rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system. No injuries were reported and there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket launches. The…

Wednesday, 11 September 2019 05:24

Fayemi’s cultural rejuvenation policy excellent – Deji Fasuan

A nationalist and elder statesman, Mr Deji Fasuan has applauded Governor of Ekiti state, Mr Kayode Fayemi for his vision at bringing out a cultural policy aimed at reviving and resuscitating the pristine values, ethics, norms, mores, heritage and the tradition which Ekiti is noted for. Fasuan, one of the foremost elders who worked tirelessly for the creation of the state made this remark while taking Director-General Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture, Mr Wale Ojo-Lanre on a tour of his house in Afao Ekiti after the celebration of Aeregbe Festival, on Saturday 7 September 2019. Fasuan, who was…

Tuesday, 10 September 2019 04:53

Buhari gets report from Special Envoy to S’Africa, gives directives

PRESS RELEASE In the wake of the xenophobic attacks by South Africans against other Africans including Nigerians, President Muhammadu Buhari sent Mr Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, Director-General, National Intelligence Agency (DGNIA) as his Special Envoy to South Africa, to convey a Special Message to his counterpart, President Cyril Ramaphosa. The Special Envoy, who was in Pretoria from Thursday, 5th to Saturday, 7th September 2019 conveyed: * The deep concern of Mr Buhari and Nigerians about intermittent violence against Nigerians and their property/business interests in South Africa. Buhari stressed the need for South African Government to take visible measures to stop violence…

Tuesday, 10 September 2019 04:51

Subversive groups, individuals scheming to destabilise Nigeria - DSS

Department of State Services (DSS) Monday raised the alarm, claiming there were plots by those it described as ‘’subversive groups and individuals’’ to destabilise Nigeria and undermine national peace, security and unity. Although the secret security agent did not name those involved in the plot, it however advised Nigerians to be on the alert in order not to be taken unawares by the plot. “Department of State Services (DSS) wishes to reiterate its earlier alert to the nation of plans by subversive groups and individuals to undermine national security, peace and unity in the country. “These elements are determined to…

Tuesday, 10 September 2019 04:50

Senators, Reps risk being stoned if they spend N5.5bn on cars – ASUU

President of Academic Staff Union of Universities, Mr Biodun Ogunyemi, says members of National Assembly risk being stoned if they spend N5.5bn on cars as proposed. Addressing newsmen on Monday shortly after a National Executive Council meeting of ASUU at Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogunyemi described the proposal as uncharitable, inhuman and provocative. Ogunyemi blamed ongoing xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa on leadership failure, saying “Nigeria loses her respect to South Africa the moment we can no longer cater for our citizens. Even if we bring back people from South Africa and we don’t have plans for…

Tuesday, 10 September 2019 04:49

Crime has no ethnic background - Sultan

Sultan of Sokoto, Mr Muhammad Saad Abubakar, on Monday cautioned Nigerian against labelling an ethnic group to a crime or tracing a crime to a specific ethnic group in the country. Abubakar who stated this while delivering a lecture to mark 2019 Akure Ulefunta day with the title: “Our diversity, A divine Gift and Blessing Untapped: Surmounting the challenges in the Management of Diversity” said criminalization of ethnicity and ethnicization of criminality in the country would not bring peace to the country. The Sultan of Sokoto said: ”The fact of the matter is that there are criminals in every ethnic…

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Monday, 09 September 2019 06:04

Financial crisis looms in states as FG insists on deducting N614bn bailout from FAAC allocation

There is disquiet among state governors following the directive for repayments of the loans they received from the federal government between 2015 and 2017. Federal government gave out the loans as bailouts during the financial crisis in the states. Ministry of Finance has put the total indebtedness of the states to federal government at N614 billion. The money was advanced to the states under the tag of National Budget Support Loan Facility. While announcing the directives that states should commence repayment last week, Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, said each of the states would be required to refund a…

Monday, 09 September 2019 06:01

‘Foreigners must go back to where they came from,’ S/A xenophobic protesters insist

There were fresh protests in eastern Johannesburg on Sunday, with the protesters demanding that “foreigners must go back to where they came from.” During the fresh attacks, one person died, while five others were injured. The nationality of the dead has not been known as of the time of filing this report. A South African newspaper, Sowetan Live, reported that marchers, who carried weapons such as knobkerries, headed for Jules Park where former Inkatha Freedom Party leader, Mr Mangosuthu Buthelezi, addressed them. According to the newspaper, the protesters were chanting, “foreigners must go back to where they came from.” BBC…

Sunday, 08 September 2019 05:59

FG debunks video on purported bombing of S’Africa’s Embassy in Abuja

Federal Government, yesterday, debunked reports of a bomb explosion, at South African High Commission, in Abuja, which circulated on social media. Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, in a statement, in Abuja, described the report as fake news orchestrated by the desperate opposition to cause panic and chaos among the populace. He alleged that the video of the purported bomb explosion, which made the rounds was that of the bomb explosion that rocked Emab Plaza, near Banex, in Abuja, on June 25, 2014. Muhammed said: ‘’A pattern is emerging of the antics of the desperate opposition to latch…

Sunday, 08 September 2019 05:58

S’Africa: Speaking on how he escaped being killed in Biafra, Adeboye warns against revenge attacks

General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Mr Enoch Adeboye, has urged Nigerians at home not to avenge the attacks on their compatriots in South Africa. Nigeria and South Africa are locked in bitter diplomatic row over the xenophobic violence in the former apartheid country, leading to the looting of property belonging to Nigerians. And Federal Government is making arrangements to evacuate Nigerians willing to leave South Africa for home. Adeboye, who called for caution, said Federal Government should be allowed to use diplomatic means to resolve the crisis. According to him, Nigerians travel to South Africa in search…

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