Chairman
Festus Keyamo to appear again in National Assembly over 774,000 jobs controversy
Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo, SAN, will appear before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Labour on Tuesday to defend the 774,000 job recruitment across the country. The Minister is going on the invitation of the Joint Committee after the earlier meeting ended in shouting match. But Keyamo has made it clear to the lawmakers that he was sending a written submission on issues surrounding the programme ahead of his appearance to avoid a repetition of what happened during the last sitting. He also expressed reservations that he might not get a fair hearing from the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Labour, alleging that the Committee Chairman was the one at the forefront of insisting on controlling and dictating the execution of the programme...
PDP alleges plot to ‘derail’ Edo guber poll
The Peoples Democratic Party has alleged plots by the All Progressives Congress to use the trio of Governors Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, and Yahaya Bello of Kogi State to derail the September 19 Edo State Governorship Election. According to the party, the people of Edo were already aware that the trio “were selected by the APC to lead its campaign so as to force a combined formula of Kano and Kogi electoral violence as well as Imo State mandate robbery, to subvert the will of the people of Edo State in the governorship election.” This was contained in a statement signed by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja, on Friday. It read in part, “The PDP described as pathetic that the APC only has a person who has become a butt of inter...
PTF: Schools to reopen only for graduating pupils
The Federal Government on Thursday insisted that schools have not reopened in the country. The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, stated this in Abuja during a briefing. He maintained that President Muhammadu Buhari only approved the resumption of schools for graduating pupils to take revision classes and write their examinations. Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, explained, “The Presidential Task Force similarly announced some limited measures for the educational sector. Specifically, we pointed out that it was still not safe to reopen schools. “However, in order not to truncate the progression of pupils and students not in critical classes, the President approved that arrangement be made for those who need revision b...
Family indicts vigilance group over missing man in Rivers
Family members of a missing 22-year-old man, Arinze Obiukwu, are asking the Rivers State Police Command to put pressure on a local vigilance group popularly known as OSPAC in Elele Ikwerre Local Government Area to produce him dead or alive. The elder brother of the missing man, Ifeanyi Obiukwu, said Arinze was arrested on the 27th of April 2020 by members of the vigilance group and efforts to reach him or secure his bail has proved abortive since then. He claimed the family is being threatened by some OSPAC members while some policemen have been inviting and intimidating them while asking for ‘settlement’ over their missing brother. On how his brother was arrested, he said, ‘’On the 27th of April, 2020, along Elele roundabout, my brother Mr. Arinze Obiukwu was arrested by OSPAC operatives ...
Nigerian stocks down by N1.14 trillion in first half
Nigerian stocks closed the first half down with average loss of 8.80 per cent, equivalent to net capital depreciation of N1.14 trillion as investors struggled with a threesome of domestic macroeconomic uncertainties, global decline in crude oil price and trade wars and the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic. Benchmark indices at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), which are generally regarded as sovereign equity indices for Nigeria, showed that Nigerian stocks swiveled through steep decline in first quarter and a major recovery in early months of the second quarter, closing the six-month period with net loss of N1.14 trillion. The All Share Index (ASI), a common value-based index that tracks all share prices at the Exchange, closed first half at 24,479.22 points as against 26,842.07 points recorded...
Governor Buni-led APC caretaker committee promises true reconciliation
As part of measure to make progress on its mandate in reconciling all factions in the ruling All Progressives Congress, the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led committee has promised to embark on genuine reconciliation of all party leaders and members ahead of the planned convention. Chairman, Caretaker/Extra-ordinary Convention Committee of the All Progressives Congress party and Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni, said this during the formal inauguration of the committee at the party’s national Secretariat. The ruling APC had been enmeshed in protracted leadership crisis which lasted for months, culminating in the dissolution of the Adams Oshiomhole led National Working Committee (NWC). Buni, while swearing-in other members of the committee at the party Secretariat, said that the committee believ...
Edo guber: INEC closes dedicated portal for parties nominations
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday says it has closed its dedicated portal designed for political parties to submit the details of their nominations for Edo governorship election. Mr Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC) disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja. Okoye said that the commission did not extend the June 29 deadline fixed for the exercise, which ended at 6 p.m. on Monday. He said that the commission in line with fixed deadline and schedule of activities for the state election shut down the dedicated portal at 6 p.m. Okoye, who did not disclose the number of political parties that met the deadline, promising that the details would later be made public. “The portal for submiss...
Ekiti to inaugurate human rights action plan committee July 1
The Ekiti government will, on July 1, inaugurated a committee saddled with the responsibility of developing a human rights action plan. Newsmen report that the inauguration of the committee is sequel to the directive by Gov. Kayode Fayemi to the state Ministry of Justice to that effect. The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Olawale Fapounda, in a statement issued on Monday in Ado-Ekiti, said that the governor had stressed the need to put measures in place to protect and promote human rights in the state. He announced the composition of the advisory and technical committees for the development of the State Action Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Human Right (SAPHR). According to him, the action plan is aimed at auditing the human rights situation in the state. Fapo...
Governor Mohammed: PDP has learnt from past mistakes
Senator Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi State and Chairman, Edo governorship Primary Election Committee on Thursday declared in Benin, the Edo state capital that the Peoples Democratic Party has learnt in a hard way from their past mistakes and would not allow history to repeat itself. Speaking at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin while presiding over the party’s governorship primary, Gov. Bala said ‘today, the party wants to prove to the world that the PDP is the only party that they can trust”. He said the primary would be conducted in a free, fair, credible and transparent way to prove a point that the party is the only one that can do that. While describing Governor Obaseki as a role model in Governor’s forum, Bala said Obaseki is one person who is a very resourceful, noting that g...
President Buhari, governor, Victor Giadom, NASS leaders attend APC NEC
The controversial National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has kicked off at the Council chambers of Aso Rock president villa, Abuja. The NEC meeting which is expected to resolve controversies over the leadership of the party is being attended by President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. It was also gathered that at least, 10 governors are already seated for the meeting as at the time of writing this story. Some of the Governors already in for the meeting include Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, Atiku Bagudu, the governor of Kebi governor, Yahaya Bello of Kogi and the Governor of Osun State. Also leaders of the National Assembly who are members of APC NEC are also in attendance. Factional Ch...
Meter manufacturer urges Nigerian government to grant sector ‘special’ forex regime
Sabrud Consortium, an indigenous electricity prepaid metre manufacturing firm, has urged the Federal Government to grant special forex regime to the sector. It also applauded the upward review of metre prices by Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) which took effect on June 1. The firm said also that the increase in prices of prepaid electricity meters will boost local production. Chiso Nwangwu, Managing Director of Sabrud Consortium, who spoke to newsmen in Awka on Thursday, said the increase in prices was long overdue as the former rates had become grossly inadequate in view of the prevailing economic realities. Newsmen recall that NERC earlier this month, announced that customers would now pay N44,896.17 instead of N36,991.50 for single phase meters while three phase meter ...
Ondo Assembly denies plot to impeach deputy governor
Ondo State lawmakers on Wednesday denied plot to impeach the state Deputy Governor, Hon. Agboola Ajayi, who defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over unresolved issues with his boss, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu. The lawmakers who lambasted Ajayi over the bribery allegations against the members of the House of Assembly, saying the claim that the lawmakers were bribed with N10m each by Akeredolu was designed to whip up public emotions. Tension rose in the state early on Tuesday over the planned impeachment of Ajayi by the state House of Assembly while some policemen invaded the State Assembly complex Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Hon. Gbenga Omole described as reckless and a ploy to drag th...
